El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-11-30

I plate. such as is now found In pro-
] jectiles, guns and war vessels, was
I patented here in 1891, and high speed
steel was the production of Taylor and
White just ten years after that. With
out these steels we could have no pro-
jectiles for guns of the modern type
and in fact, modern industry would
/ practically stop were they taken out
{ Of our knowledge.
3 1t is the same with abrasives and
grinding machinery. Carborundum. as
I invented by Acheson, is the only thing
that will do for high speed tools, and
another discovery by the same man is
the artificial graphite now produced
at Niagara Falls. Were ii not for
American shoe machinery inventions
the armies in Europe would be practi-
cally barefooted, and were it not for
buttonhoie and other clothes making
niachlnes our troops would be almost
naked.
which Indirectly have to do with the
situation at present IS the disk pillow
that adds so greatly 70 our food sup
plies. the cellUloid used in many indus
( tries, the trolley car and block signals
FOR railways, the Mergerthaler type cast
( ing machine and the hundreds OF minor
inventions which form such important
parts OF other great industries that were
they eliminated they could not &c On
War Inventions.
As 70 the war inventions now being
made. I have spent several days Of this
week at the patent office talking with
Ar James T Newton. commissioner OF
patents and the various examiners who
nave 90 10 with special war work. The
department has been thoroughly mobi-
Lied. and the most OF Its men are en-
gagged on this class Of patients. Much
Of the information given me IS conf
dental and IL cannot be published lest Il
get into the hands Of the Germans. There
IS now a close association between the
g h.
ment- The departments OF the army and
navy have their own corps OF officials
assigned 10 new war inventions. and every
discovery that may be OF advantage 70
Us Is passed upon and its use directed by
them It is the same with all the APP
plications that come in from Europe, and
all German patents past and present that
might be OF advantage 10 rs n the war
are thrown open 10 use.
Many OF the new war patents come
from officers Of the army and navy. These
are being taken out in the name OF the
inventor and dedicated TO the government
the law being that an official cannot
make personal profit by patenting dis
coveries he has made in connection with
Uncle Sans work
Thousands Of Applications.
We're 1 permitted I could fill this
paper with the description Of the ap-
plications for new things in gun construc-
ton, munitions and ordnance OF one kind
or aother- Ny Information came from
Mr.. J. Colwell. who has been the chief
examiner Of that division for many years
He tells me that. there IS great activity
in every branch tof war material. and
that the applications for patents are num-
bered by thousands One branch in which
new discoveries are being made is that
OF trench guns and nortars- These are
designed to throw bombs or shells at high
angles out Of our trenches Into those OF
the enemy. The distance between the
two Is often hut a few hundred feet. and
the bombs must move at a Compare
lively slow speed This Is in striking
contrast with the guns which send forth
projectiles at such velocity that II II
could be kept up they would fly around
the world in a day. and SO that they
are expected 10 fly from u TO IS miles
or more, before striking the enemy. These
trench guns are OF many kinds In some
cases the bombs are attached TO the or
binary rifle, being fastened to the end
OF the barrel and sent out by a portion
OF the force that IS spent IN firing the
proJectiles- Other inventions propose Spe-
cial guns and all require new processes
and new methods OF making
Range Sight Patents
As TO the big guns. the patents ap
piled for are largely for parts and the
materials used in the making There are
patents for range sights and firing ma
chinery. Il was at the battle Of Bunker /
Hill that Col Prescott. who commanded
the Americans, held back his men from
the British. saying, Don't fire until you
see the whites OF their eyes"
That manner Of firing was not com
most OF the sighting had to be done at
troops who are almost II lot altogether 4
out OF sight The soldiers shot at may 1
be faint spots on the horizon, or they I
may be on the other side OF a woods. ]
hill OF mountain. The exact location was
fixed by the airplanes which 20 in ad I
vance and the wireless telegraph ma /
chimes which they carry post the gunners I
Just where 10 fire. The shooting Of the I
modern guns is a question Of angles and I
mathematical calculation, and the guns
are made and sighted with view 10
such conditions The patents applied 1or
have to- deal with such questions.
Flying Machine Guns.
Many OF the Few inventions relate 10 4
the guns used upon the flying machines. /
and those intended to put the flying ma I
chimes out Of action The anti-aircraft I
gun belongs to a new field Of patents /
that has been developed by this war. II
has TO be fired at a high elevation and 4
Il must be 50 mounted that & can be 4
trained around the whole half OF 4 circle /
and so that it can fire at an airplane I
close to the horizon or one straight over /
head. Il has to be made with due con-
sideration to the recoil, and 50 that the
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