H80.124.1

Patent Model. System of Pumping and Cooling (for Mines) by Eusebius J. Molera and John C. Cebrian of San Francisco.  Patent no. 212,967 Cutaway model of gold painted metal with wood base and top.  Essentially a cylindrical chamber with pipes, valves and steam chambers.  Patent tag is intact, with faded red ribbon.  

 

From the History Information Station:

Object: Patent model of a pumping and cooling system. Patent # 212,967, by Eusebius J. Molera and John C. Cebrian, San Francisco, 1879.

History: The system patented by Molera and Cebrian was specifically applicable for use in mine shafts. It featured improvements and adaptations of technology previously developed that allowed the processes of pumping and cooling to occur simultaneously. Their invention also provided economic benefits to its users by simplifying the pumping machinery, lowering installation, fuel and maintenance costs while producing ventilation and utilization of natural sources of heat present in deep hard rock mines.

 

Building a Better Mousetrap  The American system of patents encouraged inventiveness. Anyone who had a "better idea" coould submit drawings and a model to the Patent Office in Washington D. C. By 1870 the Patent Office was overflowing with models and made their submission optional. If the idea proved to be original, a patent was granted. Inventors have secured patents for everything from improvements in mousetraps to moon-bound rocket engines.

 The value of a patent was, and is, economic. The holder can control production of the new device, preventing competitors from taking advantage of the improvement. A patent suggests the new, the novel, the best. What consumer can resist getting the latest maodel with the most exclusive features?     Californians, like inventors across the country, applied their creativity to the tasks that confronted them. The result was an avalance of inventions for mining devices, agricultural machinery, and everyday conveniences like Judge Rix's candle stick.