Heinz Prechter (photo courtesy of Meandering Michigan History)

Downriver Inventions

WERE ANY DOWNRIVER PEOPLE INFLUENTIAL IN PATENTS OR INVENTIONS?

Yes. Perhaps the best known of the many inventions concocted here is the Fire Escape, invented by W.S. Coon, a former clothing merchant in Wyandotte.

Other inventors and their inventions include:

Heinz Prechter, inventor of the sunroof for the automobile, lived on the island from the 1970s until 2001. He founded American Sunroof Company which became one of the largest employers headquartered in the Downriver area.
John Karmazin, inventor of the automotive radiator cap and owner of more than fifty automotive related patents, lived on Grosse Ile from 1926 until his death in 1977.
The outboard motor was invented by Grosse Ile resident Cameron Waterman in 1905.
Benjamin F. Yack (for which the Wyandotte areana is named) invented a “battling tee” for Little League ballplayers (“battling” is probably not a mis-spell) which, according to the Wyandotte Tribune of October 16, 1954, “won national acclaim.”
George Clark invented the metallic life raft, which was later used on Great Lakes Steamers in the latter half of the 19th Century.
William Powers invented the car coupler. According to an article from the Wyandotte Herald, dated October 28, 1881, shown exactly as written:
“William Powers, Stonecutter of Wyandotte, has invented a car coupler which has come nearer meeting the idea railroad men say is desired in such a thing than the most of inventions of that kind.”
Israel Maloch invented an electric alarm for jail doors and windows, to prevent inmate escape.
Lewis Scofield would invent the iron cross tie. The first cross tie ever made in the United States rolled off the lines at Eureka Iron Works (date unknown). Mr. Scofield was the Supervisor at the mill and is given credit for the mill’s construction.
J. Robert Beyster grew up on Grosse Ile, earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Michigan, and then established the Science Applications International Corporation which has grown to employ over 44,000 employees and has annual sales of over $8 billion.

Thanks to Downriver History for the contribution to this post.