Conflagration Arrester. (open access)

Conflagration Arrester.

Patent for a new and improved conflagration arrester. This design "is to provide a device by which the sides of a building adjacent to other buildings on fire may be protected by a uniform continuous sheet of water covering the sides of such building" (lines 9-13). It consists in "the combination of a series of inclined arms provided with eyes at their outer ends and having hooks to engage the side of a building, a shelf or deflector, and a rod so connecting the latter pivotally with the eyes of the inclined arms that the upper part of said shelf shall overbalance the lower part, which shall . . . rest against the wall" (lines 89-97).
Date: January 20, 1891
Creator: Puckett, Florence N.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Animal-Trap. (open access)

Animal-Trap.

Patent for improvements in animal-traps that would be capable of catching two animals; to set the trap, bait is placed upon the hooked ends of the bait-hooks, the jaws are elevated and retained in a position by the link-catches, which have the lower hooked ends engaging the trigger, which has its free end engaging the eye at the inner end of the bait hooks, thus setting the trap, (lines 66-73) ready to catch animals. Illustration is included.
Date: May 5, 1891
Creator: Anderson, Henry Clay
System: The Portal to Texas History
Means for Ventilating Cars. (open access)

Means for Ventilating Cars.

Patent for a new and improved ventilator. This design is "first, to ventilate cars or other vehicles in such a manner that the air-currents may be formed within and directed to any part of the car and the admission of the air regulated in quantity; second, to change the direction of the air-currents formed within the car and regulate their escape" (lines 11-17). It consists in "the body of a vehicle having its walls provided with a suitable pipe-opening, of an air-receiving pipe provided with a screen upon its outer end, a hollow fan-shaped air-distributor having an opening within said walls" (lines 58-63).
Date: January 6, 1891
Creator: Lazarus, Samuel
System: The Portal to Texas History
Ladder. (open access)

Ladder.

Patent for "a step-ladder adapted to travel upon a track and be moved to any desired place by the person using the ladder," (lines 16-18) including illustrations.
Date: November 3, 1891
Creator: Marshall, John Wesley; Bolton, R. B. & Marshall, W. H.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Stock-Car (open access)

Stock-Car

Patent for an improvement on patent no. 326,591 so as "to enable a series of troughs in a stock-car to be extended toward and withdrawn 'from a position in line with the heads of the stock simultaneously; second, to provide for a vibrating water-trough a self-folding end support; third, to provide a car-door for the entrance of the stock which is capable of being folded and will unfold to close the door-opening in line with the inner surface of the car; fourth, to provide a sliding rear support for a folding car-door when closed; fifth, to enable the vibrating stall-partitions to be released from a horizontally-retained position from either side of the car; sixth, to enable one exterior end portion of a stock-car to be folded in line with the end hay-racks; seventh, to combine a folding exterior end portion of a car with the interior hay-rack" (lines 18-36).
Date: January 6, 1891
Creator: Stoner, Jacob B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hay Press. (open access)

Hay Press.

Patent for a new and improved hay-press. This design "is to produce a hay-press of simple construction that will work easily and rapidly, that will operate in such a manner that the hay cannot clog in the press, and in which the plunger or follower will be automatically reciprocated by a continuous motion of the main pulley" (lines 9-15). It consists, "with the plunger having a sideways-extending arm, a screw-shaft connected with the plunger and having a sideways-extending arm, the pinion on the screw-shaft, the shaft and pinions . . . of a tilting frame" (lines 113-118).
Date: January 13, 1891
Creator: Donald, Frank
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hand-Stamp. (open access)

Hand-Stamp.

Patent for improvements in hand-stamps which “comprised a polygonal block or disk having some of its edges provided with rubber type-strips securely fastened thereto, its other edges cut away to form shoulders, spring-metal guides or holders secured the cut-away portions, and type-strips removably secured in the guides or holders,” (lines 75-82); includes illustration.
Date: March 17, 1891
Creator: Fox, James T.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car-Brake. (open access)

Car-Brake.

Patent for improvements in car brakes, "wherein the ordinary brake-beams are dispensed with and wherein the several brake-shoe-carrying levers will be self-adjusting." (lines 8 - 11) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: August 17, 1891
Creator: Braun, Henry F.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Quilting-Frame for Sewing-Machines. (open access)

Quilting-Frame for Sewing-Machines.

Patent for a quilting frame for sewing machines in which the frame would support the quilt in desired position, the frame is designed to move freely in any direction so that any pattern can be quilted on the article held by the frame. This frame can be easily adapted to the feed of any sewing machine. Illustration is included.
Date: February 24, 1891
Creator: Touchstone, James N.
System: The Portal to Texas History