Scientific Work
After parting ways with the church, Boynton traveled throughout the United States lecturing on natural history, geology, and other sciences. Between 1853 and 1854, he joined a U.S. government geological surveying expedition to California. During the American Civil War, Boynton was employed by the U.S. to design torpedoes and other weapons. He holds 36 patents in the U.S. National Patent Office, among others, he patented:
- A process to generate carbonic acid gas
- A soda fountain
- A portable fire extinguisher
- A vacuum process for extracting gold from ore
- Several small electrical appliances
- A process for converting cast iron to malleable steel
In 1869, Boynton was the first geologist to examine the Cardiff Giant after it was unearthed near Cardiff, New York. Boynton declared that the giant could not be a fossilized man, but hypothesized that it was a statue that was carved by a French Jesuit in the 16th or 17th century in order to impress the local Native Americans. The giant was later determined to be a hoax.
Boynton died in Syracuse, New York.
Read more about this topic: John F. Boynton
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