Jean F. Deray— Planning for a Deep Dive
TECHNOLOGY
Andrew Williamson— Tweaking a Common Device
The device that Andrew Williamson patented appears to be a tweaking of a common device— the screen door latch. The patent description states“ the primary object of the invention is, the provision of a fastener of this character wherein a closure can be readily and easily locked”.
Williamson was born in Sweden and immigrated to this country in 1868 at the age of 15. He settled in Des Moines, Iowa and later married Viola Fleming in 1895 at the age of 42. He was 15 years older than her. Based on the locations of the birth of their numerous children, they lived in Iowa, Missouri and South Dakota. The family settled in Mountain View about 1907. The 1910 and 1920 census showed the family living at 1267 Washington Street.
Williamson worked as a contractor and painter. His patent was granted in 1919 when he was 66 years old. He evidently saw the need for a latch that provided more security. We don’ t know if the device was manufactured.
The couple had eight children-five sons and three daughters. Perhaps that is why he wanted to have a screen door latch that easily locked!
Tragically Williamson died in September 1920 at the age of 68 after a long illness of heart disease. His youngest child was only ten years old. The Register-Leader newspaper wrote a respectful account“ Mr. Williamson was a good man. He was industrious and gave an honest day’ s work for an honest day’ s pay.”
Later Mrs. Williamson moved to San Francisco with some of her children. She passed away there in 1950.
The house that they owned on Washington Street was later destroyed in the construction of the Shoreline overpass above the train tracks and the Bailey / Shoreline widening project.
Jean F. Deray— Planning for a Deep Dive
TECHNOLOGY
The crazy looking diving device that Mountain View resident Jean F. Deray patented was inspired by the early 1900s worldwide fascination and demand for deep diving capability technologies. Inventors in Europe and the US were working feverishly to perfect diving suits.
Numerous shipwrecks, everything from 16th century Spanish galleons to large shipwrecks of the 1800s enticed people with dreams of finding treasure and wealth beneath the waves. Mr. Deray, a machinist
and engineer, received a patent for the diving suit in May of 1914. He also patented an air pump for furnishing air to the diver. He was 38 years old.
The patent description states,“ The object of the present invention is to provide a diver’ s suit which will withstand very great external pressure, and therefore be capable of being lowered to very great depth”.
A year and a half later a company was established- the Standard Diving Company. Three men( including Deray) financed the invention. Deray and the two other owners of the invention created a corporation. In 1919 the inventions were displayed at the Neuroth Building( now the site of the Olympus Café). It is not known what success, if any, the company had in producing and selling the suits.
Deray initially worked in San Jose in a foundry. In 1904 he is mentioned in the San Jose Mercury News when he is hired by the San Jose fire department as an engineer. Deray worked there for over four years.
About 1908 he moved to Mountain View, where he lived for the rest of his life. He worked as a machinist at the Hendy Ironworks in Sunnyvale, a large manufacturer of mining equipment. He also worked as a mechanic in the Santa Clara County corporate yard in Mountain View.
It appears that 1914 was a good year for him. Not only was he granted a patent, but he also married Bertha Heidt. A year later the couple built a house at 1349 Latham. The house is still at this location. Deray died in 1955 at the age of 79 years. His widow survived him.
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