Orlando Lane Castle

In 1857 Orlando Lane Castle (1822-1892), professor of Oratory, Rhetoric and Belles-Lettres at the Shurtleff College in Alton, Illinois, patented a calculating machine (called Improved arithmometer for adding) of very interesting design, operated by a clock spring, wound by hand. Next year he patented another calculating machine, which was an improved version of the first one. Who was the inventor?

Orlando Lane Castle was born in Jericho, Vermont, on July 20, 1822, as the third child (of eight) in the family of Augustus Castle (1792-1879) and Almira Bostwick Lane-Castle (1795-1864). In 1831 the family moved to Alexandria, Ohio, where Augustus bought a farm. In 1846 Orlando graduated at Denison University, Ohio, then spent one year as tutor there, and, for several years, had charge of the public schools of Zanesville, Ohio. In 1858, Castle accepted the chair of Rhetoric, Oratory and Belles-Lettres in Shurtleff College, at Upper Alton, remaining there until his death on January 30, 1892. Professor Castle received the degree LLD (Doctor of Laws) from Denison University in 1877. Orlando Lane Castle was a holder of patents not only for calculating machines, but also for farming machinery—a grain-harvester, a grain-binder, a nut-lock, etc.

The first calculating machine of Castle was a key-driven adding machine (US pat. No 18675 from 1857) (see the patent drawing below):

The patent drawing of the first machine of Castle

The second machine (pat. No 21941 from 1858) is a smaller and improved version of the first one (see the patent drawing below):

The patent drawing of the second machine of Castle

It is not known if the calculating machines of Castle have been manufactured or influenced somehow the development of other calculating machines.