Simon Ingersoll

Background

Simon was born on March 3, 1818 at Stanwich, Connecticut, United States, son of Alexander S. and Caroline (Carll) Ingersoll. Until he was twenty-one years old he lived at home.

Education

Simon obtained a country-school education.

Career

Ingersoll helped in the farm work, and came to be recognized as an "all around" ingenious mechanic. He was called upon locally to do all sorts of jobs but inasmuch as the income from such work was insufficient to support a wife, he moved across Long Island Sound to Astoria and engaged in truck-gardening.

Nothing definite is known of him for the succeeding twenty years. Presumably he spent much of his time in mechanical experimentation, for soon after returning to Connecticut in 1858 he applied for and received patent No. 20, 800 for a special type of rotating shaft for a steam engine. About this time, too, he built and demonstrated on the streets of Stamford, where he resided, a steam wagon which was greatly ridiculed. All his patents were assigned to others, in return, apparently, for money to carry on his work and to support his family.

About 1870 he again returned to truck farming on Long Island for he could not obtain any further advancements on his future inventions, nor had he derived any money from his earlier patents. By selling the patent rights to one of his latest inventions he obtained sufficient capital to buy a stall in Fulton Market, New York, where he sold his garden produce. There in a conversation with several strangers about his inventions, he was urged by one of them, a contractor, to devise a machine to drill rocks. The upshot of this chance conversation was that the contractor gave Ingersoll fifty dollars to design such a machine.

Securing working space in a small machine shop in New York owned by José F. Navarro and managed by Sergeant and Cullingworth, Ingersoll built several experimental models and a full-size drilling machine. He devoted approximately a year to this work and finally secured patent No. 112, 254 on March 7, 1871. This is the basic patent of the Ingersoll rock drill. That same year he patented several improvements for the drill and then sold all of his patent rights to Navarro for a nominal sum. The latter then organized the Ingersoll Rock Drill Company which after many years of successful operation was merged into the Ingersoll-Rand Company. With the proceeds of this sale and $400 from the sale of his market stall, Ingersoll returned to Stamford and bought an interest in a machine shop, the firm being known as Ingersoll, Betts, & Cox, where he continued his inventive work.

None of his inventions yielded any appreciable financial return and at his death he was practically penniless.

Achievements

• Simon Ingersoll was a productive inventor, tightly connected with Ingersoll Rock Drill Company. During his career he obtained a number of patents, including a friction clutch, a gate latch, and a spring scale. Besides, most of his patents were pertained to rock drills and accessories. In addition he secured four patents for a gun and projectile for throwing life lines.

Connections

In 1839 Ingersoll married to Sarah B. Smith in Stanwic. His first wife died in 1859 leaving five children, and he later married Frances Hoyt of Stamford who survived him.

Father:

Alexander S. Ingersoll

Mother:

Caroline (Carll) Ingersoll

Spouse:

Frances Hoyt of Stamford

Spouse:

Sarah B. Smith

References

• A Popular History of American Invention (Voumes I & II)
• The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
• Compressed Air, Its Production, Uses, and Applications; Comprising the Physical Properties of Air from a Vacuum to Its Highest Pressure, Its ... by Gardner D. Hiscox... Very Fully...