WOMEN AS INVENTORS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1886, 7 August 1884, Page 4

WOMEN AS INVENTORS.

A whiter in the North American Review gives the following list of inventions recently patented in the United States by Women. But the writer (says the Scientific American) has omitted from his list ft large number of patents which have been granted to the fair sex, some of •which have proved of considerable value to the patentees. The writer commences his list with a spinning machine capable of running from twelve to forty threads ; a rotary loom doing three times the work of an ordinary loom ; a chain elevator ; screw crank for steamships ; a fire escape ; a wool feeder and weigher, one of the most delicate machines ever invented, and of incalculable benefit to every wool manufacturer ; a portable reservoir for use in case of fire ; a process for burning petroleum in place of wood and coal for steam generating purposes ; an improvement in spark arresters, to be applied to locomotives ; a danger signal for street crossings on railways ; a plan for heating cars without fire ; a lubricating felt for subduing friction (the last five all bearing upon railroad travel) ; syllable type with adjustable cases and apparatus ; machine for trimming pamphlets ; writing machine ; signal rocket used in the navy ; deep sea telescope ; method of deadening sound on elevated railways ; smoke burner ; bag folding machine, &c. Many an improvement in sewing machines have been made by women — as, a device for sewing sails and heavy cloth ; quilting attachments ; the magic ruffler ; threading a machine when it is running ; an adaption of machines for sewing leather, &c. Tina last was the invention of a practical woman machinist, who for many years carried on a large harness manufactory in New York City. The deep sea telescepe, invented by Mrs Mather, and improved by her daughter, in a unique and important invention, bringing the bottoms of the largeat ships in view without the expense of raising them into a dry dock. By its means wrecks can be inspected, obstructions to navigations removed, torpedoes successfully sought for, and immence sums of money annually saved to the marine service. A machine, which, for its complicated mechanism and extraordinary ingenuity, has attracted much attention both in America and Europe, is that for the manufacture of satchel bottom paper bags. Many men of mechanical genius long directed their attention to this problem without success. Miss Maggie Knight, to those genius shis machine is due, it is said refused £10,000 for it shortly after taking out her patent. Miss Knight has since invented a machine doing the work of 30 persons in folding bags, and herself superintended the erection of the machinery at Amherst, Mass.