49 - Michel NIEDERPRÜM (1818 - 1886) [1]
Michel Eugène NIEDERPRÜM was born on 14 September 1818 in Luxembourg-city, in 57 Grund. His father was a boulanger. Michel became a Blechschmied, ferblantier and lived in 72 Grund and later in 2 Grund.
He was married twice, first to Margaretha BÉSÉ with whom he had 4 children and, after she had died in 1849, he married Marguerithe HESSE, with whom he had no children.
On 26 January 1853 he filed a patent application for a:
Nouvelle pompe à main à employer pour arrêter les progrès d’incendie
L’Administrateur général de l’Intérieur appointed experts WIRZ, ingénieur en chef des Travaux Publics and François REUTER, professeur de chimie à l’Athénée to assist the Chambre de commerce in its mission of:
... de donner un avis sur l'importance et la réalité de l'objet pour lequel le brevet d'invention est sollicité.
The experts, lead by Professor REUTER, concluded:
Nous avons examiné la pompe à incendie pour laquelle le brevet a été demandé, et nous avons trouvé qu'elle fonctionne supérieurement bien et qu'elle est bien disposée dans toutes ses parties; mais nous n’y avons pas découvert de modification assez notable pour constituer une invention.
Cependant comme le fabricant de cette pompe a eu l’heureuse idée de placer cet appareil dans un sac ? en toile imperméable, attaché au moyen de courroies, que par là la pompe devient beaucoup plus propre à l’usage auquel elle est destinée, nous proposons d'accorder à Monsieur Niederprüm un brevet de perfectionnement pour le terme de cinq ans.
The inventor was informed that his patent application could not be granted as brevet d’invention but would be acceptable as a brevet de perfectionnement. [2]
NIEDERPRÜM, according to the administrative file, did not react; no patent was granted and the file was closed.
His son Carl, born 1845, also became a ferblantier and joined his father’s business. However, the father-son relation ended badly in 1875 … [3]
Final note :
The sealed envelope which accompanied the patent application, and which was preserved in the administrative file, carries on its reverse side a mysterious message:
ouvert le 9 juillet 1952
en présence de Monsieur Evy Friedrich
Georges Schmitt, conservateur-adj. au Musée.
At the time, Evy Friedrich [4], a well known author, was probably journalist at the weekly magazine REVUE.
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[1] FamilySearch database
[2] A curious distinction with no legal implications, unless the invention which is the subject of the perfectionnement would be identified.
[3] Luxemburger Wort, 1 February 1875, page 4
[4] Autorenlexikon
