1910 Wirt Stub Safety

Once Wirt figured out how to get ink out of the pen through his feeds, the next problem to solve was how to keep the ink inside the pen. If the owner placed the pen inside his pocket upside down, he could expect to find a nasty stain there. Surely something could be done to prevent this.

Many pen collectors believe that the term "Safety Pen" refers to earl Waterman's or Montblanc retractable nib safety pens. However a Safety Pen is any pen that has a device to prevent ink from spilling.

Today Wirt Safety pens are excedingly hard to find. I doubt they were very popular, afterall, Wirt was a little late entering the Safety pen market.

A 1908 Bloomsburg Newspaper ran this story about Wirt's safety pen

NEW PEN ON THE MARKET
Paul E. Wirt Has Just Invented a New Pen Which Promises to Eclipse Former Patents HAS EXCEPTIONAL QUALITIES A newly designed fountain pen has been patented and placed on the market by Paul E. Wirt. It is meeting with good success. The pen differs from other fountain pens in that it has a gold underfeed and will not leak, no matter in what position it is placed in the pocket. It is small and can be conveniently placed in a vest pocket.