III.

EXAMINERS' AND MACHINIST'S REPORTS.

Honorable THOMAS EWBANK,

Commissioner of Patents.

SiR-I have the honor to report from my desk, the following facts and observations for the year 1850. At the commencement of the year I had before me 9 applications unexamined. During the year, 559 new applications have been apportioned to me for examination, and I have now before me, 68 new applications untouched. Examination has therefore been had upon 500 new applications. Of these applications, adverse reports were made upon 175. Favorable reports have been made upon 314 applications, old and new, for which letters patent were ordered to issue. Of the 314 ordered to issue, 83 issues were for designs, and of the 175 adverse reports, 17 were upon designs; by which it will be seen that the proportion of adverse reports upon designs, is small. The whole number of adverse reports upon all cases, old and new, coming up for examination in 1850, was 267. It will be borne in mind that adverse reports are often repeated two, three, four or more times upon applications for reconsideration of the same case, and as often confirmed by your decision. The whole number of reports and actions upon applications, old and new, during the year 1850, is 1317. The whole number for 1849, was 1296. The number of cases of interfering applications, reported for 1850, is 17, of which number, 16 were declared and decided during the year.

It is my duty to state here, that the examining force of, the office is insufficient, notwithstanding the increase in the number of examiners in 1848. That increase was barely sufficient at the time it was made, and the great increase since, in the number of applications, " calls loudly for help. Permit me here to call your special attention to the following consideration, viz: A numerical statement of the number of cases received or acted upon, cannot be taken as an accurate basis for estimating the amount of work required or performed; and further, that the labor required, increases in a greater ratio than the number of applications. It would be exceedingly difficult to establish the ratio of this increase, as the whole matter is very complicated. But certain facts as criterions, may be clearly stated, although no one but an examiner can fully appreciate the character or extent of his labors. One thing is certain; an examiner's work is never finished. If not a single new application should be presented to the office for the next year, each examiner would still have a full year's work to perform. This may appear a little paradoxical, but the position is fully borne out by the following facts. In addition to the number of applications remaining untouched upon the examiner's desks, there are 1895 applications still before the office, not yet finally decided, and liable

་

to be called up for action at any time. Upon 1196 of these, unfavorable reports and decisions have been made, but they still await the further intentions of the applicants. Upon 673, the action of the office has been only preliminary, the cases being, for the most part, postponed for the amendment of defects. The remaining 26 are cases of interference not yet decided. The number of applications received by me in 1849, was 481, and 559 in 1850. Applications for letters patent are distributed under the following classification,

LIST OF CLASSES.

Class 1.-Agriculture, including instruments and operations.

Class 2.-Metallurgy and maufacture of metals, and instruments therefor. Class 3.-Manufacture of fibrous and textile substances, including machines for preparing fibres of wool, cotton, silk, fur, paper, &c.

Class 4.-Chemical processes, manufactures and compounds, including medicine, dying, color making, distilling, soap and candle making, mortars, cements, &c.

Class 5.-Calorific, comprising lamps, fire-places, stoves, grates, furnaces for heating buildings, cooking apparatus, preparation of fuel, &c.

Class 6.-Steam and gas engines, including boilers and furnaces therefor, and parts thereof.

Class 7.--Navigation and maritime implements, comprising all vessels for conveyance on water, their construction, rigging and propulsion, diving dresses, life-preservers, &c.

Claes 8.-Mathematical, philosophical and optical instruments, including clocks, chronometers, &c.

Class 9.-Civil engineering and architecture, comprising works on rail and common roads, bridges, canals, wharves, docks, rivers, weirs, dams, and other internal improvements, buildings, roofs, &c.

Class 10.—Land conveyances, comprising carriages, cars and other vehicles, used on roads, and parts thereof.

Class 11.-Hydraulics and pneumatics, including water-wheels, wind-mills, and other implements operated on by air and water, or employed in raising and delivering fluids.

Class 12.-Lever, screw and other mechanical powers, as applied to pressing,weighing, raising, and moving weights.

Class 13.-Grinding-mills and mill gearing, containing grain mills, mechanical movements, and horse powers.

Class 14.-Lumber, including machines and tools for preparing and manufacturing; such as sawing, planing mortising, shingle and stave, carpenters and coopers' implements, &c.

Class 15.-Stone and clay mnnufactures, including machines for pottery, glass making, brick making, dressing and preparing stone, cements and other building materials.

Class 16.-Leather, including tanning and dressing, manufacture of boots, shoes, saddlery, harness, &c.

Class 17.-Household furniture, machines and implements for domestic purposes, including washing machines, bread and cracker machines, feather dressing, &c.

Class 18.-Arts-polite, fine and ornamental, including music, painting, sculpture, engravings, books, printing, binding, jewelry, &c.

Class 19.-Fire-arms and implements of war, and parts thereof, including the manufacture of shot and gunpowder.

Class 20.-Surgical and medical instruments, including trusses, dental instruments, bathing apparatus, &c.

Class 21.-Wearing apparel, articles for the toilet, &c., including instruments for manufacturing.

Class 22.-Miscellaneous.
Class 23.-Designs.

Of these 23 classes, 8 are assigned to my charge, viz:-Classes 5, 8, 12, 15, 16, 18, 20, 23. Under class 5, the applications have been very numerous, and principally for stoves, in which there has been the usual dearth of interest as regards any new principles or developments. An improvement in the candlestick has been patented, consisting of an eccentric ring around the candle holder, by turning which, pressure is made upon the candle, and holds it firmly in place, dispensing with the usual awkward mode of wrapping or packing the candle. Some improvements have been patented in the tubes for "spirit gas" lamps, for the purpose of preventing accidents, which not unfrequently arise from attempts to fill these lamps while they are burning. By one of these improvements, the lamp is necessarily extinguished before it can be filled. The unscrewing of the cap forces a slide up over the wick, and puts out the flame. There are few subjects of practical moment so interesting to the community at this time, as that of artificial light. The camphine or pine oil, and the spirit gas or ethereal oil, have to some extent superseded the common oils, but the great number of fatal accidents resulting from their use will prevent their general introduction. Another drawback is also and most justly operating to exclude them from use, and that is, the adulteration of the liquid. The pine oil or camphine, is or should be a pure oil of turpentine, but is now so frequently loaded with the spirits of turpentine or resinous matter, as to render it unfit for burning. The spirit gas or ethereal oil is not so easily adulterated, as it requires a very strong alcohol to mix well with the turpentine, but even this article is now so managed as frequently to burn but little better than alcohol itself. The fact is, it is difficult to get a pure article of anything at the present day. A pure sperm oil cannot be purchased; I say this not without authority. A large quantity of sperm and whale oil is now consumed to manufacture the celebrated cod liver oil, which as now sold, is about onethird part cod liver and other fish liver oils, and the remainder fish and whale oil. Lard oil is unfit for lamps, at least so far as we have had any experience in Washington. I have tried repeatedly that which has been the most highly recommended, and have never yet found any that appeared to be suitable, either for single draft or argand lamps. Seeing all the difficulties that beset us in this matter, we may reasonably account for the excitability of the public mind on the subject of artificial light, and the many vain projects that are from time to time put forth, promising a new and cheap light. The galvanic power has been taxed severely, but thus far to no practical account. Two ways of eliciting electrical light have been resorted to. First, by the are of flame between two carbon points, and secondly by the incandesence of a platinum wire or foil between two electrodes. The arc of flame is subject to great fluctuations from very slight causes, and this is a serious difficulty to overcome. Several very ingenious contrivances have been made for regulating the light, by preserving a uniform distance between the electrodes, but notwithstanding these, the light is irregular. Of all modes of producing intense artificial light, the oxy-hydrogen light is thus far the most successful and economical, but it is not available, except for special purposes. It has lately been announced, that a new light has been invented in France, consisting in ren

dering a platinum wire cage luminous by a jet of hydrogen. It would seem as if there must be something more than this simple fact to characterize it as a new invention, for the incandesence of platinum wire, foil, and sponge in a jet of hydrogen or spirit lamp has been known for many years.

Under class 8 there have been some very interesting improvements, especially in the matter of telegraphs. Letters patent have been granted for a thermal telegraph, the principal feature of which, is the use of a platinum wire, heated by the current for burning marks upon a fillet of paper. The platinum wire is bent to an acute angle, which touches with its apex, slightly upon the travelling fillet of paper. Each time the current passes in the wire, the heat generated makes a mark upon the paper. A new species of electrochemical telegraph has been patented, in which marks are made upon a metallic plate, instead of paper. A small glass tube, holding some acidulated solution, rests upon a large metallic disk, and as the disk revolves, the point of the tube, which is slightly perforated, traverses a spiral line in which the marks or impressions conveying the intelligence are to be made. A platinum wire is inserted in the glass tube, and whenever the galvanic circuit is completed through the platinum wire, acid and plate, a black mark is made upon the plate, which is of brass. These marks are strong and well defined, and after the communication is read off, they are easily effaced from the brass disk. The perforation in the point of the tube is sufficiently small to prevent the acidulated water from running out, though sufficient escapes for electrolytic action. Electro-magnetic Enunciator.-An invention with this title has been patented, as a substitute for the usual bell ringing apparatus in hotels and other places. It is, in fact, a species of electro-magnetic indicating telegraph, and ingenious in its construction and mode of operation.

Electro-magnetic Repeater. This invention, but recently patented, is one of considerable novelty and beauty, and is designed for the purpose of repeating or recording a communication in several places at once, along a line of electro-magnetic telegraph, and at the same time allowing the galvanic circuit to remain open when the line is not in use, which is an important condition to be preserved. Another instrument for a similar purpose was patented about the same time, the operation of which requires the circuit to be kept closed.

Telegraph Manipulator.-A very ingenious, though complicated machine, for communicating signals in telegraphs where they are recorded in dots and lines. Ordinarily these are made by striking a lever or key with, the finger, but by this instrument any combination of dots and lines representing a letter, is at once made and recorded, by simply depressing a key having the desired letter marked upon it. It requires but one motion of the finger, instead of the great number required for some of the letters in the ordinary way. If the machinery is made accurate, it will prevent many mistakes from being made by telegraphic operators.

Electro-magnetic Engines.-Two engines of this class have been patented, one of them having for its principal feature, the employment of the secondary current produced by one magnet, to charge an auxiliary magnet. The feature patented in the other engine, is a novelty in the cut-off. The cut-off is the contrivance by which the galvanic current is conveyed to, and intercepted from the electro-magnets, and is usually made to operate by the pressure of conducting metallic springs upon metallic disks, either the springs or disks being made to revolve according to circumstances. In the present case, revolving metallic points are brought successively into contact with the surface of a metallic roller, which is pressed against the points by means of a spring.

FINE ARTS.

Daguerreotype Plate Holder.-It has long been an object to obtain some means for holding daguerreotype plates in such a manner while cleaning and polishing them, that the plates should not be handled, and that they should present smooth edges to the buff stick or polishing wheel, and at the same time that the plates, when cleaned and polished, could be readily removed from the plate holder. Various kinds of clamps have been tried, and the plates have been cemented to blocks, &c., but no plan seems to have combined the advantages possessed by the one before us. The edges of the plate are turned down to a right angle or more, by means of a burnisher or other tool specially designed, and the block upon which the plate is secured, is an expansible block, the edges of which press against the turned edges of the plate, and thus hold it in place. The expansion of the block is to be produced by springs, wedges, screws, cams or other means.

Electrotyping.-An ingenious device in this art has been patented for preventing the electrotype cast from adhering to the original plate. Many ways have been tried, to obviate this difficulty, but the present is a decided improvement upon them. It consists in acting chemically upon the surface of the copper plate, to so slight an extent as not to injure the impression, nor interfere with the electric deposit. The inventor prefers, in his operations, to iodize slightly the surface of the plate, and then to submit it for some time to the direct rays of the sun.

Coating Types with Copper by the Electrotype Process.—A patented invention, and asserted to be one of great practical value. A very slight deposit of copper is put upon the types, which adds greatly to their durability.

Typographer is the name of a novel and ingenious machine for printing directly by hand. Several machines for writing and printing by hand, have been patented hitherto, but this seems to exceed them all in rapidity of execution. It is too complicated to describe here, but suffice it to say, that by pressing upon lettered keys, after the manner of playing the piano-forte, the printing is rapidly and neatly executed. A full size and very expensive working model is deposited in the office.

Respectfully submitted,

CHAS. G. PAGE,

Examiner.

SIR-In compliance with your request, I have the honor to submit the following report of the condition of business at my desk, and of its progress during the past year.

The number of applications referred to me within the year is five hundred and twenty-two. You will recollect, however, that an unusually large number of cases were examined by me in 1849, and as actions on them were not all of a final character, many of them were at the date of my last report, in the hands of applicants or their agents, for amendment, or for their further consideration or action. As the whole number acted upon was very great, the number of those partially decided cases was also great-and as they have from time to time been returned during the past year, they of course increase