Weird Inventions that Saved Lives: Railway Fog Torpedo

Blogger: Amber Lemus

Welcome back to our series on Weird Inventions That Saved Lives. Today, we explore a lesser-known device used on the railroad.

The railroads spread rapidly throughout the world, offering a modern and fast way to travel. However, the railways brought massive risks to both passengers and railroad employees. One major danger was collisions caused by track hazards, such as damaged lines, washed-out bridges, repair crews, or stalled trains.

Edward Alfred Cowper
Inventor of the Railway Torpedo

If an engineer failed to see a hazard in time, the results were deadly. Heavy fog, blinding snowstorms, or simple distraction could cause a driver to miss a vital visual signal. This recurring problem caused countless tragic deaths during the early days of steam travel.

Many inventors tried to solve this deadly issue using complex sound signals triggered by moving trains. Most proved too expensive, inflexible, or unreliable. Then, in 1841, a mechanical engineer named Edward Alfred Cowper came up with a simple, brilliant idea.

He put a small amount of gunpowder inside a small metal capsule, which was fastened to the rails with lead straps. When the heavy wheels of the train passed over it, the capsule detonated with a loud "bang." This sound instantly alerted the engineer to stop, even in zero visibility or if he was distracted by the train's mechanical needs.

Here's a video demonstration, if you're interested. 

While it is a little weird to think that an explosion is saving lives rather than taking them, this incredibly simple device was cost-effective, reliable, and DID save thousands of lives. In the United States, it became known as a "railroad torpedo." While Edward Alfred Cowper designed many things, this humble fog detonator was his most impactful and life-saving legacy.

A Railway Torpedo
Photo By Ralph Mayer - Flickr

The most famous historical testament to its effectiveness occurred on the foggy, rainy night of April 30, 1900, during the legendary final ride of engineer Casey Jones. As Jones hurtled his Illinois Central passenger train through Mississippi to make up for lost time, a stalled freight train blocked the tracks ahead. A flagman had walked back into the darkness and placed warning torpedoes on the rails. When Jones's locomotive crushed the tiny devices, the sudden, deafening explosions instantly alerted him to the danger. Though he could not stop completely before the collision, the torpedoes gave him just enough time to slam on the emergency brakes. Jones tragically died at the controls, but his split-second reaction—triggered solely by the blast of the torpedoes—slowed the train enough to save every single passenger on board.

Today, modern railway technology has made the torpedo mostly obsolete, but we can look back with gratitude for how this simple invention protected so many people.

*****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Lemus inspires hearts through enthralling tales She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".  

She lives at the foot of the Rocky Mountains with her prince charming and two boys. Between enjoying life as a boy mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at http://www.amberlemus.com/  and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

Dr. William Upjohn and the Invention of the Friable Pill

Blogger: Amber Lemus

Dr. William Upjohn cir 1875
Photo By Mbcorcoran -
 Donald Reid Parfet,
Upjohn Company Collection.
 CC BY-SA 4.0

Today we are celebrating the life of a lesser-known inventor who advanced the way medicine was administered to patients. The friable pill is an invention that we take for granted in our modern day, but without this advancement in science, taking our daily supplements and medicines would be much more difficult.

William Upjohn was born on June 15, 1853, to Dr. Uriah Upjohn and his wife Maria. They lived in a town called Kalamazoo Michigan. William's father was a pioneer of the area and served as a physician to the local population for fifty-two years.

William was one of twelve children total, and one of the four who followed in their father's footsteps and become physicians. He graduated from the University of Michigan medical school in 1875, at the age of twenty-two.

On Christmas Eve of 1878, William married Rachel Phoebe Babcock. Together, they had five children, but only four of them would reach adulthood.

For ten years, "Doctor Will", as he was known, practiced medicine in Hastings, Michigan. During this time, he noticed a need for improvement in the way medicines were administered to patients. At the time, medicine was administered in powders and drops, or if they were in pill form, the pills were hard and not easily digestible, leaving the patient to choke down the bitter medicine and hope it absorbed into their system. William started tinkering in his attic with different ways to form pills. Eventually, he invented what he referred to as a "friable" pill, meaning that the pill could be easily crushed into powder, and easily dissolved in the stomach.

William received a patent on the friable pill in 1885. Once he had that patent, he worked on designing a machine that could manufacture these pills more easily. In 1886, he formed the Upjohn Pharmeceutical Company and began manufacturing those pills.

Upjohn Company Logo

Public Domain

Donald Reid Parfet, Upjohn Company Collection.

To market his new product, William employed a unique tactic. He sent small pine boards, along with a sample of his pill, versus his competitor's pill, and invited the physicians to hammer the pills into the board to see which ones were more easily digestible. This apparently worked, because his reputation spread rapidly and the pills became widely accepted. This tactic was later modified, but a thumb crushing the pill became the symbol of the Upjohn Pharmeceutical company for many years.

Besides his growing company, William and his family were beloved citizens of Kalamazoo. Their prominence only grew as the years went on. He established a commission-manager form of government for the city and was elected as the city's first mayor. The commission quickly wiped out a large sum of debts that the city had encumbered. William and the Upjohn Company were behind many philanthropic deeds in the city, including putting up the money to start the Kalamazoo Community Foundation.

On July 4, 1905, William's wife passed away after twenty-seven years of marriage. He waited eight years and a day before marrying again, this time to his neighbor, and a widow of another prominent family of Kalamazoo who owned the largest department store in the city. Apparently, he was fond of Christmas weddings, as this one was held on Christmas day, 1913. By then, his youngest child had reached adulthood, and he himself was sixty years of age.

When William died on October 18, 1932, the community of Kalamazoo grieved him. He'd become known as "Kalamazoo's First Citizen" and the flags were flown at half-mast in his honor, and all of the businesses and schools closed for the hour of his funeral.

The Upjohn Company remained in existence until 1995 when it merged with Pharmacia AB to form Pharmacia & Upjohn. The company was later bought out by Pfizer, however they recently resurrected the Upjohn name for a division that manufactures and licenses drugs for which patents have expired.

Though Doctor Will is a lesser-known inventor, I for one am very grateful for his contributions to medicine.

*****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Lemus inspires hearts through enthralling tales She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".

She lives near the Ozarks in her "casita" with her prince charming. Between enjoying life as a boy mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at http://www.amberlemus.com/ and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

When Propriety Sparks Innovation: The Invention of the Stethoscope

Blogger: Amber Lemus

Hello friends, and welcome back to the HHH blog. Today I've got a fun story and historical tidbit to share with you.

Dr. Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec
Public Domain

The stethoscope is probably the only instrument that is common to all doctors. In fact, some say it has even surpassed the caduceus symbol as the universal icon of doctors and medical care. However, I had never fully understood the significance of the instrument and the impact that it made on the medical profession until I studied for this post.

The part of the story that sparked my interest was the way in which the innovation came about. Prior to 1816, doctors could only detect a patient's heartbeat by either holding a hand over the patient's heart, or placing their ear to the patient's chest and listening intently for a few moments. As you can imagine, this was probably not terribly efficient. However another problem arose for a young, single, French physician who was called upon to see a young woman who was displaying symptoms of heart disease. When 35 year old Dr. Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laënnec arrived, he realized that the age, sex and "plumpness" of the young lady would make propriety an issue for him to use the traditional methods of examination. It didn't seem appropriate to feel for the heartbeat with his hand, or press his ear to her chest to listen for it. Instead, he came up with another idea. He described the encounter as follows:

I recalled a well known acoustic phenomenon: if you place your ear against one end of a wood beam the scratch of a pin at the other end is distinctly audible. It occurred to me that this physical property might serve a useful purpose in the case I was dealing with. I then tightly rolled a sheet of paper, one end of which I placed over the precordium (chest) and my ear to the other. I was surprised and elated to be able to hear the beating of her heart with far greater clearness than I ever had with direct application of my ear. I immediately saw that this might become an indispensable method for studying, not only the beating of the heart, but all movements able of producing sound in the chest cavity. ~Translated from French by John Forbes, 1834

This discovery was a breakthrough for Laënnec, because not only had the simple device worked, it had projected the sound and made it clearer than direct auscultation alone. Laënnec spent the next three years experimenting with different materials and perfecting his design. Not only did he listen to heartbeats, but he could also listen more easily to other body sounds such as the raspy lungs of a patient with pneumonia.

Below is the design he came up with. It involved a hollow wooden dowel about 3.5cm in diameter and about 25cm long. The dowel was then fitted with a plug to listen to the patient, which could be detached to make it more portable. 

 

Drawing of Laennec's Stethoscope
Public Domain

Because Laënnec did clinic work, he was able to listen to patients at the bedside, and then follow them to the autopsy table, if they unfortunately didn't make it, and determine what he was hearing inside of their heart or lungs. And he was actually able to learn and identify conditions this way. For example, Laënnec could more clearly identify Tuberculosis using his new stethoscope and learning the differences between typical and atypical lung sounds. He was also able to classify and discuss new terms such as crepitence, rales, rhonchi and egophony. Laënnec presented his findings to the French Academy of Sciences, and in 1819 published his work in a book entitled Mediated Auscultation.

As for Laënnec's invention of the stethoscope, it quickly gained popularity as his book spread across the world and was translated into different languages. As it caught on, the original model was used until the others piggy-backed on his idea and improved it into what we know as the stethoscope today.

Laënnec had a very successful career and served so many during his lifetime. He did marry, however only a few years after his marriage, he died at only 45 years old on August 13, 1826. It is said that his beloved nephew, Mériadec, held the stethoscope for the renowned doctor to hear his own chest. The sounds were all too familiar. Tuberculosis. The same illness that had claimed his mother when he was 5, and then his uncle who had raised him. Before he passed, Laënnec, having no children of his own, bequeathed his scientific papers, his watch, his ring, and his beloved stethoscope which he believed to be the greatest part of his legacy, to his nephew.

The Stethoscope that belonged to Dr. Laennec
Used under CC
Science Museum London / Science and Society Picture Library

*****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Lemus inspires hearts through enthralling tales She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".

She lives near the Ozarks in her "casita" with her prince charming. Between enjoying life as a boy mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at http://www.amberlemus.com/ and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

Matthias Baldwin, Inventor of the Steam Locomotive

Blogger: Amber Lemus

 

Continuing our series on lesser-known inventors, today we're learning about Matthias Baldwin. He's an American inventor best known for his invention of the steam locomotive, but he also has a fantastic legacy that I'm excited to share with you all today. 

Matthias Baldwin
Public Domain

Matthias Baldwin was born December 10, 1795, the fifth child of a prosperous carriage maker in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. When Matthias was only four years old, his father passed away, leaving his estate in the hands of executors who did not properly manage it. This left Matthias and his mother and siblings in dire financial circumstances. 

Even during his younger years, Matthias showed a talent and interest in how things worked, and how they were put together. He was known to dismantle toys to figure out how they worked, and then try to piece them back together. Soon, his mother's home was his makeshift workshop as well. 

As was common in those days, Matthias began an apprenticeship at the age of 16. Woolworth Brothers of Frankford, Pennsylvania employed him until 1817 when he and his mother moved to Philadelphia. He continued in the jewelry making profession there also, and soon became employed by one of the top jewelers in the city. 

Over the next few years, Matthias proved himself to be an incredible craftsman with an innovative mind. He came up with a new way of making gold plate, which revolutionized the industry. However, he didn't ever patent that process, so he never was able to capitalize on it financially. 

During the mid 1820's, the bottom fell out of the market for silverware and jewelry. This caused Matthias to look for a new source of income. He ended up partnering with a machinist by the name of David Mason and together they formed a company that produced industrial equipment for printers.

Baldwin's First Stationary Engine
Public Domain

 

As their company grew and flourished, they realized that they needed a larger power source. In 1826, Matthias invented his first steam engine. It was a stationary model that was able to produce 5 horsepower of energy output. This machine would serve in his shop for over 4 decades. According to his biography in the National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, "Baldwin's engine was not only the most powerful of its day but also incorporated mechanical innovation to power rotary motion, which ultimately came to have application in transport, including marine engine design." This invention became the new base for he and his partner's company as the demand for these type of engines skyrocketed. It took less than ten years for them to become one of the top engine manufacturers in the country. Matthias's original engine is now in the Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C. 

In 1831, Matthias came up with a new idea for his invention. Based on designs first shown in England, Matthias built his first steam locomotive. It was a small demonstration engine that could pull a few cars. This prototype landed him his first commissioned steam locomotive, and he spent a year building it. It was nicknamed Old Ironsides. Unlike other engines during this era, this one was powered by coal, which was more available locally, rather than wood. 

Old Ironsides
By Illustration from History of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, 1831-1920.

 

Matthias Baldwin was granted a patent in 1836 which was described as the "Art of managing and supplying fire for generating steam in locomotive-engines"

Besides his inventions and business successes, Matthias was a devout Christian and an advocate for racial equality. In 1835, a year before he received his steam locomotive patent, he donated money to open a school for African-American children in Philadelphia, and he continued to pay the teacher's salaries out of his pocket for years. He was also a vocal supporter of abolition, which his competitors exploited against him when competing for business in slave holding states. 

In 1837, Matthias became a member of the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention and was a defender of voting rights for black male citizens. 

Matthias Baldwin Statue in Philidelphia
Bruce Andersen, CC BY-SA 2.5

At the time of his death at 70 years of age, Matthias's company had produced some 1500 steam locomotives, and would go on to produce at least 75,000 before the company terminated production in 1956. 

A statue was erected in honor of Matthias Baldwin in 1906, and currently stands in front of Philadelphia City Hall. In May of 2020, it was defaced with the words of "colonizer" and "murderer", which was completely inaccurate given his advocacy for African Americans and their rights. However the action did serve to further the legacy of Matthias Baldwin, since interest in him and his legacy has increased since that time. The statue was cleaned up quickly. 

Matthias Baldwin was also inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005.

*****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Lemus inspires hearts through enthralling tales She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".

She lives near the Ozarks in her "casita" with her prince charming. Between enjoying life as a boy mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at http://www.amberlemus.com/ and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

The Life of Lewis Latimer, American Inventor and Patent Draftsman

Blogger: Amber Lemus

While researching inventions, I came across a biography for an American inventor by the name of Lewis Latimer. His story is astounding, and he is almost never heard of, so I wanted to share his story with you all today.

Lewis' story really starts with his parents, Rebecca and George Latimer. The couple escaped slavery in Virginia by fleeing to Chelsea Massachusetts in 1842. Since George was the son of a white man and an enslaved African American mother, his skin was light, and he had many of the white features. His wife posed as a servant of his, and they escaped safely, but George's former owner put out a reward for his capture. When he and his wife reached Boston, he was immediately recognized by a colleague of his former slave owner. A few days later, he was arrested.

Lewis' Father, George Latimer
Public Domain

The news of his detention sparked a great conflict in the State of Massachusetts. Latimer was represented by Samuel Sewall, who organized meetings that came to be known as the "Latimer Meetings." According to some sources, Fredrick Douglass was also involved in George's defense. The trial ended with George purchasing his own freedom from his former owner for the price of four hundred dollars. However, the case led to fundraising, petitions, and even the 1843 Liberty Act which is sometimes called the "Latimer Law."

After that case was settled, George and Rebecca settled in Chelsea to raise their family. On September 4, 1848, Lewis was born, the youngest of four children. During his younger years, Lewis spent time in his father's barbershop. But the happiness was not to last.

When Lewis was 10 years old, his family had to be split up. With the ruling of the Dred Scott case, slaves who had escaped to freedom had to prove that they had the consent of their former owners to become free. Lewis's father had no such proof, so he fled, leaving his family behind and hoping that his absence would make the family less of a target. Lewis's mother decided it would be best to further split up the family, so she sent Lewis and his brothers to a farm school.

At the age of 16, Lewis joined the United States Navy, and served aboard the USS Massasoit during the Civil War. He received an honorable discharge on July 3, 1865 and gained employment as an office boy in a patent office. This is where he began to show his true potential.

Lewis Latimer
Public Domain

Lewis quickly learned how to use the tools of drafting and sketching, and his boss started noticing his talent. He was promoted to draftsman, and then head draftsman, his earnings increasing with each promotion. Lewis's creativity was sparked by drafting sketches of other's inventions, and he began to tinker with some of his own.

In 1873, Lewis wed Mary Wilson Lewis, but it would be ten years before they were blessed with children. They did end up having two daughters, Emma Jeanette in 1883, and Louise Rebecca in 1890.


In 1874, Lewis registered his first patent, along with his coworker Charles M. Brown. Together, they had developed a system for water closets in rail cars. A couple years after that, Lewis was hired by Alexander Graham Bell to draft the drawings that would be needed to register the patent for Bell's telephone.

In 1879, Lewis moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut and started working for a competitor of Thomas Edison, the US Electric Lighting Company owned by Hiram Maxim. It was here that he made his most well-known innovation. He was working on improving the filaments inside the light bulbs so they could last longer and be more cost-effective. Lewis successfully invented a modification to the filament process that made it more durable, and therefore more affordable to the public. These filaments were substantially safer than gas lamps, but also less harsh than some of the prior inventions such as arc lights. His invention transformed the average American home after nightfall.

Lewis was an incredibly intelligent man, who could speak and translate into German and French, and could teach workers how to create a light bulb from beginning to end, including the glass blowing formation of the bulb. He registered several patents during his lifetime, including a fore-runner to our modern day Air Conditioner.


After leaving the US Electric Lighting Company, Lewis went on to work with Thomas Edison, became a patent inspector, an expert witness, an author of several books, a teacher, and a member of the Board of Patent Control.

Despite many societal challenges, Lewis was able to become a successful inventor and was respected in his field. He was accepted into the Edison Pioneers, an exclusive group of 100 innovative minds, and he was the first person of color to attain that honor. He was also an early advocate of Civil Rights


Lewis Latimer passed away on December 11, 1928 at the age of 80, but his legacy remained. There is a museum in New York with his family's home dedicated to the inventor, the invention program at MIT is named after him, as well as several schools also being named in his memory. Finally, Lewis was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame in 2006. 

Light Bulb by Lewis Latimer
Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

*****

 

 

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Lemus inspires hearts through enthralling tales She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".

She lives near the Ozarks in her "casita" with her prince charming. Between enjoying life as a boy mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at http://www.amberlemus.com/ and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

 

Inventor Alexander Miles and the Automated Elevator Door

Blogger: Amber Lemus

Alexander Miles
Public Domain

Alexander Miles was an American inventor who was both born and passed away in the month of May, so I figured this would be a fitting month to learn about this incredible man.

Alexander was born May 18, 1838 to Michael Miles and Mary Pompy in Ohio. Since he was born in a free state, and was never recorded as enslaved, historians believe that he was a freeman.

After Alexander became of age, he moved to Wisconsin where he made a living as a barber. His innovative talents were already emerging as he created and marketed hair products. While in Wisconsin, he met Candace Dunlap, who was a widow with two children. Though she was four years older than him, they fell in love and married. Together they had one daughter whom they named Grace.

Shortly after the birth of their daughter, they moved to Duluth, Minnesota. Alexander and his wife decided to take a risk and invested their life savings into a real estate office. This proved to be a smart investment for them, and they lived in prosperity in Duluth, even getting a whole block named after them because of his real estate developments. He had also opened a barber shop at the upscale four-story Saint Louis hotel, and his business achievements paved the way for him to become the first African-American member of the Duluth Chamber of Commerce.


It was most likely at the aforementioned hotel that Alexander's innovative mind was exposed to the elevator problem. As the story goes, Alexander was riding in an elevator with his daughter when he realized the dangers of the current door operating system. At this time, the doors could only be operated by either the people inside the elevator, or a dedicated elevator operator. However, people often forgot, or didn't go through the hassle to manually close the doors, which created a danger of people falling into the elevator shaft. In the early days of elevators, it could be quite dangerous and usually resulted in serious injury or death. Alexander thought that if the elevator doors would open and close automatically when leaving and arriving at the various floors, it would create a safer environment. 

Diagram of Alexander Mile's invention

He set to work on a design and came up with a system that utilized a flexible belt attached to the elevator cage, drums to indicate the elevator's position, and various levers and rollers. He was granted a patent for his design on October 11, 1887. It's interesting, because thirteen years prior, an inventor was granted a patent on an automatic elevator door system, however his design never took hold. It was Alexander's design that was used and is even influential in our modern-day elevators. Needless to say, his invention earned a lot of income for him and his family.

Second diagram of his invention
Public Domain

In 1899, at the age of sixty-one, Alexander founded yet another business, The United Brotherhood. It was a life-insurance company specifically formed for African-American customers who were being turned down for coverage from white-owned firms.

By the time of his death on May 7, 1918, Alexander Miles was considered the wealthiest African-American in the Pacific Northwest area. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007.

*****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Lemus inspires hearts through enthralling tales She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".

She lives near the Ozarks in her "casita" with her prince charming. Between enjoying life as a boy mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at http://www.amberlemus.com/ and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!