Improvement in Cotton-Presses. (open access)

Improvement in Cotton-Presses.

Patent for "a new and Improved Cotton-Press" (lines 4-5) with illustration.
Date: July 28, 1874
Creator: Salmon, William A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Automatic Air-Brake Coupling (open access)

Automatic Air-Brake Coupling

Patent for "improved automatic pipe-coupling which shall overcome the difficulties found in the devices of this class heretofore in use, and which shall be cheap to manufacture, easy to repair, simple in construction, and extremely effective in use and operation" (lines 27-33).
Date: July 30, 1889
Creator: Roquemore, Peter G.
System: The Portal to Texas History
CAR-BRAKE (open access)

CAR-BRAKE

Patent for new and useful improvements for Caboose Cars' brakes. The brakes can be applied from within the car, and no strain is applied to the car frame or body.
Date: July 20, 1880
Creator: Dwyer, Denis R.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Propeller Shaft Bearing. (open access)

Propeller Shaft Bearing.

Patent for a new and improved propeller-shaft bearing. This design consists, "with the horizontal propeller-shaft, of the single central stationary thrust-block through which the shaft snugly extends, the opposite ends of said block being each flattened and provided with a circular groove concentric with the shaft, the pair of collars rigidly secured to the shaft at the opposite ends of said central block, the inner ends of said collars each having a groove corresponding with the grooves in the block, and series of balls confined and running in each set of grooves and between the collars and block" (lines 5-17).
Date: July 8, 1890
Creator: Gaffield, William Z.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Paris Green Distributer. (open access)

Paris Green Distributer.

Patent for a new and improved bug sprayer. This design consists in "[t]he combination, in a device for distributing insect-powder, of a blower suspended from the saddle in position to be operated by the foot of the rider, a tube leading from the bellows, and a hopper communicating with the tube" (lines 18-23).
Date: July 29, 1890
Creator: Tucker, Joseph
System: The Portal to Texas History
Roller Cotton-Press (open access)

Roller Cotton-Press

Patent for a new improved Roller Cotton-Press. The "invention relates to machines for compressing cotton and other similar material into the form of cylindrical bales." (lines 15-18). Includes description and illustrations.
Date: July 19, 1887
Creator: Evans, Henry A.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car Coupling. (open access)

Car Coupling.

Patent for a new and improved coupling for railroad cars. This design is of "an automatic car-coupling pin that can be adjusted and used for coupling cars having the ordinary draw-bars and coupling pins" (lines 10-13).
Date: July 8, 1884
Creator: Schofield, James
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton Gin. (open access)

Cotton Gin.

Patent for a new and improved cotton gin. This design "consists in the combination of the bevel-edged boards with the saws and brush, so as to facilitate the transfer of the cotton from the saws to the arc-shaped support consisting of the bevel-edged boards set at a short distance apart, and to thus straighten the fiber or lint. This gives the lint cotton a finer and lighter appearance, causing a ready allowance of a considerable addition to the usual price" (lines 8-17).
Date: July 18, 1882
Creator: Van Zandt, Jacob
System: The Portal to Texas History
Conveyer. (open access)

Conveyer.

Patent for a new conveyer design “which is particularly adapted to load or unload railroad-car wheels or other heavy material on and of cars” (Lines 13-15) including illustrations.
Date: July 22, 1902
Creator: St. James, Henry Livingston
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car Brake (open access)

Car Brake

Patent for a car brake for train cars. Illustrations included.
Date: July 12, 1904
Creator: McKiel, James B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Ever-Level Table. (open access)

Ever-Level Table.

Patent for tables designed for trains or ships where it is important for maintaining the table top constantly level. It allows for the top to be held constantly level and for maintaining its position without sudden movement or causing overbalancing.
Date: July 4, 1911
Creator: Etheridge, Thomas H., Jr.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Headlight. (open access)

Headlight.

Patent for a headlight that turns with a cars body and will not accidentally turn from bumps.
Date: July 4, 1911
Creator: Bell, Robert A. & McKiel, James B.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Railroad-Tie (open access)

Railroad-Tie

Patent for a metallic tie and fastener designed to replace the wooden tie that was in general use. The purpose of this railroad tie is to secure the rail (preventing spreading) and and to prevent lateral moment (creeping) of the rail when the train is passing over.
Date: July 5, 1921
Creator: Jones, Charles James
System: The Portal to Texas History