Unveiling the untold story of Charles Baker, the American inventor behind the friction heater patent. Discover his ingenuity and the impact of his invention.
The friction
heater was patented by American inventor Charles Baker. August 3, 1859, saw the
birth of Baker into slavery in Savannah, Missouri. When he was three months old,
his mother Betsy Mackay passed away, leaving him to be raised by his father
Abraham Baker and his owner Sallie Mackay's wife. After the Civil War, Susie,
Peter, Annie, and Ellen, his five siblings, were all set free. He was the
youngest of them. Franklin College later served as Baker's educational
institution. After Baker reached fifteen, he started working as his father's
helper, an express agent. Because of his work with linchpins and wagons, Baker
developed an interest in mechanical sciences. heating device that uses friction
heating device that uses friction
Over the course
of several decades, Baker worked on his invention, experimenting with a number
of different methods of friction, such as mechanically rubbing two bricks
together and using different kinds of metal. The idea was refined after
twenty-three years and consisted of two metal cylinders nested inside one
another, with a wood core rotating in the middle to provide friction. Along
with a few other men, Baker launched a company to produce the heater. Baker
served on the board of directors of the St. Joseph, Missouri-based Friction
Heat & Boiler Company when it was founded in 1904. The business invested up
to $136,00 in capital, which translates to around $6 million in 2022.
Baker claimed in his patent
application that any kind of power, including wind, water, and fuel, could be
used to create friction heat.
He claimed that his invention was the most affordable way to produce heat at
the time, earning him titles like "King of Clean Energy" and
"St. Joseph Negro Inventor." heating device that uses friction
According to Mr. Baker, it is not
necessary to use a specific mode of power to create friction. It could come
from the wind, the water, the gas, or any other energy source.
The inventor claims that his system will light or heat a house at roughly half
the cost of currently used methods, which is the hardest of his claims to
substantiate (The Draftsman, 1908).
His invention was almost flawless when it was first created, having undergone
years of testing. Two metal cylinders, one placed into the other, comprised
Baker's gadget. To create friction, a wooden spinning core was placed in the
center.
Distinguished newsreels praised his
creation. The New York Times classified Baker's creation as a "Clever
Negro Invention" on March 27, 1904. His idea was expected to
"revolutionize the then heating systems," according to a 1904 article
published in several newspapers, including the Daily Gazette and News-Press.
Then, in 1904, Baker established The Friction Heat and Boiler Company in St.
Joseph, where he served as the director's chairman.
His company had roughly $136,000 in capital stocks and 50 experienced and
unskilled workers to make more radiators.
Because of his substantial capital
stock at the time, Baker was well-regarded in his hometown as a prosperous and
moral guy. His commitment to his staff allowed his company to grow despite
racial discrimination, which occasionally threatened his financial stability.
Baker, the youngest of five children, married Carrie Carriger in 1880 when he
was twenty-one years old. The couple produced a daughter named Lulu Belle
Baker. He passed away in his daughter's St. Joseph, Missouri, house on May 5,
1926.
On May 5, 1926, Baker passed away in St. Joseph, Missouri, from pneumonia.
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