Bill File. (open access)

Bill File.

Patent for a new and improved bill file. This design "is to provide a cheap and simple file, upon which the papers may be strung and from which they may be removed with the least amount of trouble, and which is adapted to be locked to securely retain the papers thereon in such manner that they are readily accessible for inspection. To this end [the design] provide[s] . . . a wire loop having ends adapted to lap, fit snugly, and lock the one upon the other, and which may be opened for the ready reception and removal of papers, said loop being fitted to turn or swivel about an axis" (lines 11-23).
Date: February 4, 1890
Creator: Seaman, Milton L. B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Muzzle. (open access)

Muzzle.

Patent for a muzzle for horses that can be easily applied. It prevents the animal from eating while its head is upright, and opens while the horse lowers its head to graze. This prevents the horse from damaging orchards.
Date: February 5, 1895
Creator: Lipscomb, Cicero D.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Suspension-Bridge. (open access)

Suspension-Bridge.

Patent for a suspension-bridge “which will permit the main cable to expand and contract in different temperatures without materially affecting the principal parts and causing them to become displaced by reason of the slack of increased camber” (line 24-29, p.1), illustration is included.
Date: February 10, 1891
Creator: Runyon, Edwin Elijan
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton-Handling Device. (open access)

Cotton-Handling Device.

Patent for "an apparatus for elevating and distributing cotton from wagons or other receptacles and feeding the same to cotton-gins or storage-bins." (Lines 9-12) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: August 27, 1891
Creator: Moffitt, William E.; Williams, James L. & Bennett, Levi W.
System: The Portal to Texas History