70

We are informed that it has been examined by President Lincoln, ex-President Fillmore,

Gen. Mansfield, Gen. Miegs and other competent authorities, who have given it their

fullest endorsements.

Mr. Parr, who seems to be fertile in getting up convenient things, has also invented a

canteen case, which, like the camp chest, has a cruet stand for pepper, salt, vinegar and

mustard;

mustard spoon and corkscrew combined

, knife and fork, spoon, tea caddy,

drinking cup, apparatus for boiling tea and coffee, with fuel sufficient for 20 meals. This

light, convenient and useful article is enclosed in a leather case, nicely finished, and is

designed to be suspended from the shoulder by a leather strap in the same manner as a

cartridge box.

Altogether, these arrangements of Mr. Parr are unique and useful, and as such we can

recommend them to the soldiers of our army.

The patent for this invention was granted June 25, 1861; and further information in

relation to it may be obtained by addressing the inventor, George Parr, at Buffalo, N. Y.

Although the Scientific American article alludes to a

―

mustard spoon and cork screw

combined

‖

, Parr's

patent description

is

―

... containing

vinegar, salt,

pepper, mustard,

cork screw and

mustard spoon, as

marked in the

drawings

‖

. The

corkscrew drawing

shows what is

apparently a

Goodyear corkscrew*.

*On May 6, 1851, Nelson Goodyear was granted

U. S. Patent No. 8,075 for his

―

Improvement in the

Manufacture of India-Rubber.

‖

The patent details

the process but does not specify a corkscrew or

any of the other products manufactured of India

Rubber. However, the roundlet corkscrew can be

found with the marking GOODYEARS PATENT

1851. Goodyear extended his patent in 1865 to an

expiration date of May 6, 1872.