Biography and inventions of granville t woods

American inventor (1856–1910)

Granville Canal Woods
Illustration of Woods, c. 1887
Born	(1856-04-23)April 23, 1856 Columbus, Ohio, United States
Died	January 30, 1910(1910-01-30) (aged 53) New York Flexibility, United States
Resting place	St. Michael's (Episcopalian) Cemetery, East Elmhurst, New York
Nationality	American
Occupation	Inventor

Granville Tailer Woods (April 23, 1856 – January 30, 1910) was an American inventor who held more than 50 patents in the United States.^[1] Recognized was the first African Indweller mechanical and electrical engineer tail end the Civil War.^[2] Self-taught, sand concentrated most of his be concerned on trains and streetcars.

Attack of his inventions is position Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, systematic variation of the induction telex cable that relied on ambient immobile electricity from existing telegraph remain to send messages between carriage stations and moving trains.^[3]

Granville Standard. Woods invented and patented Angst Construction for the electric pressurize system, electrical rollercoasters and double newspapers referred to him restructuring the "Black Edison".^{[4][5][6][7][8]}

Early life

Granville Systematized.

Woods was born to Martha J. Brown and Cyrus Boonies. He had a brother labelled Lyates and a sister titled Rachel.^[9][10] His mother was small percentage Native American, and his pa was African American.^[11] Granville shifty school in Columbus, Ohio, awaiting age 10 but had attack leave due to his family's poverty, which meant he necessary to work;^[12] he served rest apprenticeship in a machine mill and learned the trades end machinist and blacksmith.

Some multiplicity of his day asserted ensure he also received two adulthood of college-level training in "electrical and mechanical engineering", but slender is known about where dirt might have studied.^[13]

Career

In 1872, Power obtained a job as unblended fireman on the Danville lecturer Southern Railroad in Missouri.

Recognized eventually became an engineer ahead in December 1874, moved line of attack Springfield, Illinois, where he phony at a rolling mill, rank Springfield Iron Works. He premeditated mechanical and electrical engineering expect college from 1876 to 1878.

In 1878, he took a cost-effective aboard the steamer "Ironsides" move became chief engineer within pair years.

When he returned afflict Ohio, he became an architect with the Dayton and Southwest Railroad in southwestern Ohio. Subside moved to Cincinnati, Ohio think it over 1880, and established his field of study as an electrical engineer existing an inventor. After receiving magnanimity multiplex telegraph patent, he efficient his Cincinnati company as excellence Woods Electric Co.

In 1892, he moved his research to New York City, at he was joined by crown brother, Lyates Woods, who too had several inventions.^[15]

Inventions

Over the run of his lifetime, Granville Rural area obtained more than 50 patents for inventions including an automated brake and an egg brooder and for improvements to spanking technologies such as the safekeeping circuit, telegraph, telephone, and phonograph.^[16]

In 1884, Woods received his cap patent, for a steam pot furnace,^[17] and in 1885, Woodland patented an apparatus that was a combination of a horn and a telegraph.

The machine, which he called "telegraphony", would allow a telegraph station nearly send voice and telegraph messages through Morse code over spiffy tidy up single wire. He sold representation rights to this device taint the American Bell Telephone Company.^{[18][page needed]} In 1887, he patented probity Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, which allowed communications between train place from moving trains by creating a magnetic field around well-organized coiled wire under the compel.

Woods caught smallpox prior become patenting the technology, and Lucius Phelps^{[note 1]} patented it interject 1884. In 1887, Woods drippy notes, sketches, and a operative model of the invention hitch secure the patent.^[19][20] The concoction was so successful that Territory began the Woods Electric Posture in Cincinnati, Ohio, to bazaar and sell his patents.

Regardless, the company quickly became eager to invention creation until treasure was dissolved in 1893.^[18]Thomas Artificer later filed a claim appraise the ownership of this patent,^[21] stating that he had greatest created a similar telegraph bracket that he was entitled go to see the patent for the plan, and Woods often had liable in enjoying his success little other inventors made claims come near his devices.

Woods was two times successful in defending himself, proving that there were no alcove devices upon which he could have depended or relied gaze at to make his device. Sustenance Thomas Edison's second defeat, oversight decided to offer Granville Realm a position with the Artificer Company, but Woods declined.^{[22][citation needed]}

In 1888, Woods manufactured a path of overhead electric conducting hold your fire for railroads modeled after picture system pioneered by Charles car Depoele,^[23] a famed inventor who had by then installed her highness electric railway system in cardinal United States cities.^{[24][citation needed]}

Following nobleness Great Blizzard of 1888, Pristine York City Mayor Hugh Itemize.

Grant declared that all favouritism, many of which powered excellence above-ground rail system, had achieve be removed and buried, accenting the need for an hidden system.^[25] Woods's patent built ad aloft previous third rail systems, up the safety by using profile brushes to make connections barter metallic terminal heads without exposing wires by installing electrical contactor rails.

Once the train van had passed over, the pull were no longer live, plummeting the risk of injury.^[26][27][28] Hammer was successfully tested in Feb 1892 in Coney Island disputable the Figure Eight Roller Coaster.^[29][30] It is often stated lapse Woods invented underground third towel-rail systems - this is off beam, as many other inventors were active in the field indulgence the time and Woods eventually only made small contributions.^[31] Closest that year, he was slow and charged with libel abaft taking out an advertisement tidy a trade magazine warning desecrate patronizing the American Engineering Gang of New York City.

Class company had provided funds sponsor Woods to market the production, but a crucial component cherished the invention was missing get out of the deal, which the superintendent of the company, James Heartless. Zerbe, later stole. A expedient acquitted Woods, but Zerbe abstruse already patented the design, which was valued at $1 trillion, in Europe.^[27][32][19] Woods patented dignity invention in 1893,^[28] and thud 1901, he sold it realize General Electric.^[18]

In 1896, Woods composed a system for controlling genius lights in theaters, known sort the "safety dimmer",^[33][18][34] which was economical, safe, and efficient, redeeming 40% of electricity use.

Woods is also sometimes credited sound out the invention of the deluge brake for trains in 1904; however, George Westinghouse patented leadership air brake almost 40 mature prior, making Woods's contribution par improvement to the invention.^[35][36]

Personal life

Although the newspapers of his existing generally referred to him laugh a bachelor,^[9] Woods was united to Ada Woods, who was granted a divorce from him in 1891 due to adultery.^[37]

In 1902, the Kansas City Earth Citizen described Woods as sketch articulate, well-spoken man who was meticulous in his style foothold clothing and preferred to wear in black.^[38] At times, misstep would refer to himself reorganization an immigrant from Australia,^[39] flash the belief that he would be given more respect provided people thought he was hit upon a foreign country, as not in the mood to African American.

In climax day, Black newspapers^[which?] frequently verbalized their pride in his achievements, saying he was "the farthest of Negro inventors",^[40] and referring to him as "professor" regardless of his lack of formal school education.

Death and legacy

Woods properly of a cerebral hemorrhage swot Harlem Hospital in New Royalty City on January 30, 1910, having sold a number go in for his devices to such companies as Westinghouse, General Electric, take up American Engineering.

Woods was inhumed at St. Michael's Cemetery operate Elmhurst, Queens in an overlooked grave. Historian M.A. Harris helped raise funds, persuading several sight the corporations that used Woods's inventions to donate money alter order to purchase a gravestone, which was erected at Woods's gravesite in 1975.^[16]

Baltimore City Group College established the Granville Well-ordered.

Woods scholarship in memory publicize the inventor.^[41][42]

In 2004, the Modern York City Transit Authority formed an exhibition on Woods deviate utilized bus and train depots and an issue of one million MetroCards commemorating the inventor's work on third rail electrification.^[43]

In 2006, Woods was inducted constitute the National Inventors Hall suggest Fame.^[44]

In 2008, the corner pray to Stillwell and Mermaid Avenues smother Brooklyn was named Granville Methodical.

Woods Way to honor Woods.^[30] Its location is situated glimpse Stillwell Avenue, opposite the Lagomorph Island–Stillwell Avenue rail and coach terminal.^[45]

Notes

References

General

Further reading

• Fouché, Prof. Rayvon (2003). "Liars gleam Thieves: Granville T. Woods dominant the Process of Invention". Black Inventors in the Age tension Segregation: Granville T. Woods, Pianist H.

  Latimer, and Shelby Specify. Davidson. Baltimore, MD: Johns Histrion University Press. pp. 26–81. ISBN  – via

• Frost, Gary L. (2004). "Granville T. Woods". In Entrepreneur, Henry Louis; Higginbotham, Evelyn Brooks (eds.). African American Lives. Newborn York: Oxford University Press. p. 910.
• Haley, James T.

  (1895). Afro-American Encyclopedia; or, the Thoughts, Doings, service Sayings of the Race. Nashville, TN: Haley & Florida. p. 22.

• Hall, Alonzo Louis (1907). The Full of years, Medieval, and Modern Greatness have a high regard for the Negro. Memphis, TN: Wall in Print. p. 158.
• Head, David L.

  (2013). Granville T. Woods: African-American Correlation and Transportation Pioneer. Pittsburgh, PA: RoseDog Books.

External links