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James Bogardus

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BOGARDUS, JAMES (1800-1874), American inventor, was born in Catskill, N.Y., on March T4, 1800. He was appren ticed to a watch-maker and his first inventions were in chronom etry. At 28 he produced the "ring flier" used in cotton-spinning and, shortly after, a grist-mill in which the stones followed the same direction at varying speeds. From 1831-39 he gave much attention to engraving and in the latter year submitted the prize winning specifications in a postage-stamp manufacturing competi tion opened by the British Government. He also perfected a separate die process for making bank-notes. A dynamometer, a pyrometer, rubber-cutting, glass-pressing, deep-sea sounding and drilling machines were among his other inventions. In 1847 he erected for his New York factory a cast-iron building of five stories, the first of the kind in the United States; he later con tracted for the erection of many other similar structures. He died in New York City on April 13, 1874.

inventions