Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-12-22
FIFTEEN.YEAR-OLD HONOLULU BOY
INvENTs AUTOMATIC SWITCH: THROWER
Ernest Collins Receives Patent
on Idea and May Sell Device
to Mainland Firm

High hopes for success in the in.
vention of a patent switch-throWer
are cherished by Ernest Collins, 10
year-old Honolulu boy, formerly OF
ficeboy of the Star Bulletin and now
with the Young Engineering
company.
Young Collins has received a pat
ent on his invention, and several main
land firms are interested in 1t, 80 that
there is a good prospect he Will dis
pose of 1t for a substantial sum or
else let il go on a royalty basis.
Collins has been inventhg mechan,
ical devices, or working on invention
plans, almost ever since he can re
MEMBER and in the past two years
has spent much time in such plans.
The Star Bulletin. learning OF the pat
emit he had received. asked him TO tell
other boys how he came to busy him.
self with mechanical inventions. In
reply, he has written the following:
When | was in the seventh grade
at ST. Louis College, the class was
listening to lecture about inventions
and inventors who got to- be million
aires through very simple ideas, like
the inventor of the comeback ball,
who got to be a millionaire, although
his invention was toy. then made
up my mind to invent something, for
there's no harm If | would try.
The next morning | went to school
real early. | told my teacher that |
had an idea, and explained how it
worked. After studying it he told me
that the idea was good and | should
try and get it patented. A few days
afterward l dropped the idea of get
ting a patent, after heard what the
expenses we're.
"One day l happened to see an ad,
vertisement, Patent your ideas al
though simple, might bring you
wealth." l then thought what my
teacher told me, I wish you success.
Strange, happened to think of the
trouble and time wasted by the con.
ductors in order to turn the switches,
FIR they ought to have device that
worked so that it would turn the
switch without getting off or stop
ping the car, for that would save the
men lots OF trouble and time. After
thinking for good many days, and
after making drawing after drawing,
/ finally completed my idea and sent
1t to a patent attorney in Washing.
ten, D. c., and in return received p
certificate of patentability.
Two months afterwards | filed my
first application in the patent office.
after securing assistance. was Is
years of age when filed my first APP
plication in the patent office. After
waiting for some time finally was
granted a patent, which | thought l
never would get. l have more in.
ventions / would like to patent, and
one of them might be as successful
as the comeback ball, which is cheap.
and useful to all families.
THE name of my invention is Rail.
way Switch. Point Thrower" This In:
IsSention relates to-. impEoFements-.in
railway switch point operating device
of this nature designed to be mounted
on a car, and one in which the com.
ponent parts thereof are arranged in
a novel, compact and convenient man.
ner so as to occupy minimum
kamount of space.
Another object of this invention is
the provision of switch-point oper
Eating device of this type, which con-
sists Of a small number Of parts, the
said device being of such construc-
-tion that it will admit of the effective
movement of a switch, being per.
formed in a convenient and expedi-
tious manner"