Women Warriors
Honoring Women Who Fought Their Way to Greatness

Mary Walton - Inventor of Pollution Control
Mary Walton
In 1879, Mary Walton invented a device to help combat smoke pollution. This mechanism minimized pollution that was being poured into water tanks where it was held and then flushed into the city’s sewage system. This device was later used on locomotives. She received a patent for this invention. (#221,880)
Example of Mary's invention in use
Later in 1880’s, when elevated trains were being installed all over the large cities, Mary Walton invented a device to help muffle the sound that was said to cause nervous breakdowns. She built a make-shift train in her basement. She cradled the rails in wooden boxes. The outside of the boxes were painted with tar, filled with sand, and lined with cotton. When the vibrations were absorbed, so was the sound from the vibrations. This resulted in less sound being heard by all the citizens. On February 8, 1891, she received a patent (#327,422) for this and then sold the rights to the New York City’s Metropolitan Railroad.
Example of Mary's invention in use
Unfortunatley,after extensive research more information is unavailable through books or the internet.
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