Mary Walton Biography

Mary Walton was a 19th century American inventor who devised methods for minimising the effects of pollution caused by the industrial revolution. An independent inventor, she was very disturbed by the thick smoke emitted by the factories that had sprung up in escalating numbers during the industrial revolution. In addition, she lived near the railway tracks and found the noise pollution caused by the trains too much to bear. Refusing to be a mute spectator to the onslaught of pollution of different kinds, she worked in her basement to come up with methods of reducing the negative effects of rampant pollution. She patented a device that minimized the smoke emitted into the air—a smoke-burner that brought about an improvement in locomotive and other chimneys. She also devised a more environment-friendly system for the railways and later sold the rights to her noise-reducing method to the Metropolitan Railroad of New York City. This system was soon adopted by other railway companies as well. Her inventions earned her much national acclaim and she became one of the few women of her era who actually received the recognition and financial benefits for their scientific endeavours in an overwhelmingly male dominated society.