Wire Stretcher (open access)

Wire Stretcher

Patent for a wire stretcher. Illustration included.
Date: January 1, 1907
Creator: Miller, Alexander & Leonard, George
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wire-Tightener. (open access)

Wire-Tightener.

Patent for a wire-tightener that stretches "the wire after it has been secured to the post, and to take up any slack which may exist therein, owing to causes arising subsequent to the first stretching of the wires" (lines 10-13). It has similar features of other wire-tightener but is simple and efficient.
Date: January 1, 1895
Creator: Glenn, John William
System: The Portal to Texas History
Waterproof Car-Door. (open access)

Waterproof Car-Door.

Patent for a freight car door of "strong, durable, and inexpensive construction which will be water and air tight, and which will be practically indestructible in case of a wreck" (lines 17-20) including illustrations.
Date: January 1, 1918
Creator: Atkinson, George C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Valve-Motion. (open access)

Valve-Motion.

Patent for "a variable cut-off valve-motion, and has for its object to provide simple and efficient and at the same time readily adjustable means for varying the points at which the ports communicating with the cylinder of a locomotive or other engine are opened and closed, in accordance with the load, the desired speed, &c." (Lines 8-15) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: January 1, 1895
Creator: Shelb, Peter J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Latch for Gates. (open access)

Latch for Gates.

Patent for improvements in latches for gates.
Date: January 1, 1901
Creator: Roots, Preston
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Ditching-Machines. (open access)

Improvement in Ditching-Machines.

Patent for an improved ditching machine design that will "easily and rapidly cut or excavate, on the surface of the ground, soil, clay, or soft stone, a ditch or trench of any reasonable width or depth suitable" (lines 33-37) including instructions and illustrations.
Date: January 1, 1878
Creator: Austin, Matthew J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Earth-Boring Machines. (open access)

Improvement in Earth-Boring Machines.

Patent for improvements in earth-boring machines with new design and connections, including illustrations.
Date: January 1, 1878
Creator: Yarborough, William H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wheel Plow (open access)

Wheel Plow

Patent for a plow supported on wheels. Illustration included.
Date: January 1, 1907
Creator: Barnett, George W.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Water-Elevator. (open access)

Water-Elevator.

Patent for an improvement in water elevators to raise and lower a pair of buckets, meant to be simple, inexpensive, and more efficient than other designs. In particular, it is meant "to move the buckets in either direction without necessitating the operator's changing his position with relation to the apparatus" (lines 19-22).
Date: January 1, 1901
Creator: Griffin, Walter R.; Thomas, Joseph E. & Griffin, Samuel D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Churns. (open access)

Improvement in Churns.

Patent for improvements in churns with specific improvements in dasher-rods and lids. This patent includes illustrations.
Date: January 1, 1878
Creator: Davis, Henry T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Churns. (open access)

Improvement in Churns.

Patent for a better churn which makes butter faster, releases butter from the churn more easily, and is simple to create and use. Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: January 1, 1878
Creator: McConnell, John A. & McConnell, William V.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Improvement in Plows. (open access)

Improvement in Plows.

Patent for improvements in adjusting devices and attachments for sulky plows, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: January 1, 1878
Creator: Payne, Joseph Mott
System: The Portal to Texas History
Thill Or Tongue Support (open access)

Thill Or Tongue Support

Patent for a thill or tongue support. This invention is designed for use with horse buggies. Illustration included.
Date: January 1, 1907
Creator: Roark, Lafayette L.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Steam-Engine (open access)

Steam-Engine

Patent for a steam engine, improving on the original design so as to "provide a steam-engine having few parts so as to avoid the use of eccentrics, slide-valve, valve-rod, piston and connecting rods, stuffing-boxes, and glands, thus increasing the actual power by decreasing the friction" (lines 26-31).
Date: January 1, 1889
Creator: Harpst, Edgar S.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Stopper. (open access)

Stopper.

Patent for improvement in stoppers by “combining a stopper and funnel adapted to be used for pouring liquids from one vessel to another without wasting, provision being made for pouring the liquid into a large vessel or into a small vessel, and when the stopper is not in use it may be closed for the purpose of preventing leakage and evaporation.” (Lines 12-19) Illustration is included.
Date: January 1, 1901
Creator: Hyer, William D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Pump (open access)

Pump

Patent for a pump whereby for use with deep wells. Pump uses relate to oil, water, sand and other articles. Illustration included.
Date: January 1, 1907
Creator: Butler, Thomas
System: The Portal to Texas History
Spindle Lubricator. (open access)

Spindle Lubricator.

Patent for improving the process of lubricating spindles without removing the wheel, and at a more affordable cost.
Date: January 1, 1918
Creator: Stair, Oscar H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Plow Attachment (open access)

Plow Attachment

Patent for a plow attachment. This invention works with sweep plows and consists of a runner and secured to the end of the plow beam. Illustration included.
Date: January 1, 1907
Creator: Wiegert, Theodore & Neumann, Louis
System: The Portal to Texas History
Paint Compound. (open access)

Paint Compound.

Patent for "a fire and water-proof coating material adapted for application to wood and metallic roofing, boats, &c., to preserve the material from corrosion and render the same impervious to water." (Lines 9-13) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: January 1, 1895
Creator: Rook, Benjamin F.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hinge Gage and Marking Tool (open access)

Hinge Gage and Marking Tool

Patent for a hinge gage (sic) and marking tool.
Date: January 1, 1918
Creator: Pummill, George R.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Refrigerating Apparatus. (open access)

Refrigerating Apparatus.

Patent for a new and improved refrigerator. This design "consists, essentially, in a series of vessels surrounded or enveloped by fibrous material, dipping into a water-vessel above, and serving to maintain a constant supply of water to the exterior of the vessels through capillary action, the water being caused to pass down in such quantity as to drip from the bottoms of the vessels and collect in a second tank supplying a second series of vessels in the same manner, and finally to collect in a suitable vessel below, intermediate filtering apparatus being provided or not, as required" (lines 9-20).
Date: January 1, 1884
Creator: Dodge, Frances A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Recording Door-Lock (open access)

Recording Door-Lock

Patent for "a continuous-recording lock suitable for bonded warehouses, factories, stores, public buildings, offices &c., and by a slight modification applicable, also, for private residences" (lines 7-11).
Date: January 1, 1889
Creator: Ferguson, George J.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Sleigh-Runner. (open access)

Sleigh-Runner.

Patent for a new adjustable sleigh runner designed to be easily applied and removed from wheeled vehicles, including illustrations.
Date: January 1, 1889
Creator: Lewis, Thomas E.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Signal (open access)

Signal

Patent for a signal. This invention provides a signal for display to call the milkman, iceman, laundryman, etc. when in need for service. It is designed to display panels featuring suitable names for needed services. Illustration included.
Date: January 1, 1907
Creator: Marwedel, Paul
System: The Portal to Texas History