Cattle-Guard. (open access)

Cattle-Guard.

Patent for a cattle guard that prevents cattle from blocking railroad tracks. It consists of sharp edged cross ties that sit on the bottom of a shallow pit, guard rails that cover the cross ties, bolts that hold the rails together, and end planks forming v-shaped serrations.
Date: October 10, 1893
Creator: Lynch, Michael L.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Anti-Oscillating Attachment for Street-Cars. (open access)

Anti-Oscillating Attachment for Street-Cars.

Patent for an improved anti-oscillating attachment for street-cars. It has a car truck, equalizing pivoting bars secured between the truck ends, cushions on either side of the bars, adjustable bolts that hold the bars in place, and springs between the bolts.
Date: July 10, 1894
Creator: Chollar, Benjamin F.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Stirrup. (open access)

Stirrup.

Patent for certain new and useful improvements in stirrups, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: October 10, 1899
Creator: Turner, Ephraim M.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Envelope. (open access)

Envelope.

Patent for an improved, simple, and durable envelope that can hold many letters, documents, and similar materials. "The invention consists of two overlapping end flaps connected with each other by a band and forming, with the front, an expansible pocket for the accommodation of the documents, a top flap and a bottom flap adapted to be folded one above the other, and both over the end flaps, and a band for holding the top and bottom flaps closed" (lines 12-19).
Date: October 10, 1893
Creator: Scougale, Malcolm
System: The Portal to Texas History
Sash Balance. (open access)

Sash Balance.

Patent for a new and improved sash balance. This design consists "of the strap provided with a series of holes and designed to have one end secured to the upper sash of a window, the hanger secured to the top of the window-frame and provided with the roller, the clasp or fastener secured to the lower sash and consisting of the plate having the ears and provided with a roller journaled in the ears and having the pin or stud arranged to engage the hole of the strap" (lines 85-95).
Date: June 10, 1890
Creator: Estill, Charles C.
System: The Portal to Texas History