BLANCHARD, THOMAS (1788-1864), an American in ventor, was born in Sutton, Mass., on June 24, 1788. At 18 he contrived a machine for making tacks. Later he made one for turning and finishing gun-barrels in a single operation, an inven tion which has been developed to produce a great variety of irreg ular shapes. He interested himself also in steam-power and in vented a trackless locomotive, as well as various improvements for railroads; his steamboats, designed for use in swift river currents, were put into service in various parts of the United States. Timber-bending, mortising and envelope-making devices were among his other achievements as an inventor. He died in Boston on April 16, 1864.
See D. Goddard, Eminent Engineers (1906) and G. Iles, Leading American Inventors (1912).