American invention, for which a patent was applied by a Dr. Graham, in
1837. and which possessed the essential features of the principle in
dispute. Graham, through lack of means, or for some other reason, had
failed to perfect his papers up to the time of his death, and, as the
invention was one of obvious importance, a bill was passed through
Congress for the reopening of the case, and the patent was issued to the
Graham heirs in 1878. Soon after the issue of the Graham patent, several
extinguisher firms, viz, Charles T. Holloway, of Baltimore; W. K.
Platt, of Philadelphia; S.F. Hayward of New York; the Protection Fire
Annihilator Co., of New York; the Babcock Manufacturing Co., of Chicago,
and the New England Fire Extinguisher Co., of Northampton, Mass., were
licensed to manufacture under the patent, by Archibald Graham, as
administrator of the estate of his father, who bound himself in these
licenses to issue no other licenses except with the approval of all
those who were included in the combination. This arrangement left
several enterprising manufacturers out in the cold, and one of these,
in investigating the status of extinguisher patents at Washington,
discovered an assignment of a quarter interest of the Graham patent to
a Mr. Burton, who, at the time of Graham's second application for a
patent, had assisted him with $500. This assignment had long been
forgotten--Burton having died, and his heirs knowing nothing of its
existence. The widow of Burton was hunted up, an assignment was secured
for $30,000, and a consolidated fire extinguisher company was formed,
which became the owner of the one quarter interest in the patent.
This combination, known as the "Fire Extinguisher Manufacturing Co.,"
included the Protective Annihilator Co., of New York; the Northampton
Fire Extinguisher Co, of Northampton, Mass.; and the North American Fire
Annihilator Co., of Philadelphia. The combination bought out the Babcock
Co., who had already acquired the patents of the Champion Co., all the
patents of the Conellies, of Pittsburg, and of the Great American Co.,