Spark-Arrester. (open access)

Spark-Arrester.

Patent for self-driven, rotating, exhaust vent brushes to arrest sparks.
Date: January 18, 1887
Creator: Elkins, William Franklin
System: The Portal to Texas History
Fifth Wheel. (open access)

Fifth Wheel.

Patent for a new and improved wheel. This design consists in "the combination of the lower section carried by the axle, an upper section bearing on the lower section and having the spaced lugs, a bolster fitted between the said lugs, a reach having its front end resting on the upper section, and the plate secured to the front end of the reach and having the loops at its ends, which fit around the upper and lower sections" (lines 39-47).
Date: January 11, 1887
Creator: Switzer, William C.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Evaporator and Furnace. (open access)

Evaporator and Furnace.

Patent for a new and improved evaporator and furnace. This design is "compris[ed of] the side walls provided on their opposing faces at one end with the horizontal grooves, and the inclined rearwardly-extending grooves communicating at their lower ends with the grooves, the front end wall having the doors . . . the rear end wall having the . . . collar for the attachment of a smoke-pipe, the bottom plate having its edges secured in the inclined grooves, and the grate-bars having their ends secured in the grooves, the side and end walls being bolted together and thereby rendered separable" (lines 7-20).
Date: July 26, 1887
Creator: Stallcup, William P.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Plow. (open access)

Plow.

Patent for a new and improved plow. This design "is capable of vertical adjustment, so that the plowshare and landside will be elevated out of contact with the ground in order to prevent the point from wearing out in transporting or moving it from one field or place to another; and it is furthermore provided with an improved fender and scraper, which prevents the dirt from clogging up and wearing the axle, and keeps the periphery of the wheel clear of mud or other matter that is liable to adhere thereto" (lines 27-37).
Date: February 8, 1887
Creator: Grimm, Frederick
System: The Portal to Texas History