Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1816-06-05
to take any part. or supply me With money, and
my dissolve laid dormant until 1910

3.
Ihave spent long life, with great labor ami
economy, struggling with the many difficulties
that opposed my invention, (for strange as It |
may appear, all the steam engineers, and the |
principles OF steam engine, with few except |
ons, opposed it to the very last j and now hav |
ing passed The age of 60 wears, and my health
having rapidly declined Of late, it appears too
late for me to hope long to enjoy the gratificat
on of seeing my country benefited by the use
ofmy great and most valuable discovery and
after the good people have been deprived of the
benefits, for 40 years, it is just now beginning
to surmount all obstacles and difficulties that
opposed ITS introduction, owing principally, to
a most fortunate application of one ofmy CO.
lumbar Steam Engines, to raise water 100 feet
to supply the citizens OF Philadelphia and ut
work alongside of one Of watts's best English
Steam Engines, in the same building, applied to
the same purpose. Where a fair comparison
can be made Of the power Of each, and of the flu.
el consumed, simplicity of the, structure, dura.
biity ofparts, &c. where hope all those who
through selfinterested motives have opposed
This useful invention, riu confess their sins, and
the injury they have done this country, and So
lict forgiveness from its citizens on those con-
ditions (although Ihave been the greatest suf
ferer) will grant them mine.
II was with great difficulty got contract
20 make an engine that should raise 3,3OO,OO
gallons 100 feet in "a hours, at less than half
the price that the English engine would cost, al
though not intended to raise more than 2 600, 600
gallons 100 feet in the same time 1 however
stipulated, that if my engine should prove suffi-
cicnt in power to raise 100000 gallons, /
should be paid III proportion for the last 500, 900
gallons.
II appears that, notwithstanding the resist.
ance the water meets, inpassing through the
rising pipe, is such, as to require 1000 or 5000
Tbs. more of power than we supposed and
will ha ,hax,v
yet when the engine is in proper order, and the
boilers get tight by use, and with good dry FLU.
e., it will revolve with its full load, from 20 to
80 times in a minute, raising, log gallons each
revolution, making from 3,025, 800 to 6,1O6 500
gallons in % hours. But then IN case ofraising
the double quantity, another rising pipe would
he required, of equal size with the present one We.
1octy in the, one would be doubled, which or the
would quadruple the instant resistance, and oc-
tuple it any given time, requiring 8 times the
power to- overcome it. Double the size of the
pump and pipe, and this engine will raise
100000 gallons, Or it would grind and bolt
100 bushels grain per hour. make 500 barrels
flour in "a hours, or saw $4,000 feet of boards
have ever been convinced that this principle
properly applied to propel boats, would rem
der all other applications useless, because the
engine is much lighter, requiring only half the
fuel, and finally be worth millions annually to
my country; and was zealously engaged in III
year 1912, intending TO eEpend all monies arts
ing from my patent for my improvements in the |
manufacture OF flour, TO get this my great Disco
very applied to different purposes, aud had be, |
gan steam bost at Pittsburg at my expence, |
to get that application proved, end had expen
ded about six thousand dollars, calculating to !
have it running in three months 4; when was at |
tackled by Elisha Tyson, Of Baltimore, under the |
groundless prctensions of Jonathan ELLIOTT, aid
ed by others, who made such msrepresentati
ems before Congress, and published them in
Pamphlets and newspapers, distributed and cir
culated throughout the United States as To dry
mp all my resources, and engaged me in endless
htgatons ever since with the, flour millers, who
being deceived by those publications, refused
TO pay for The use of my patented improve
ments, which they had adopted so that was
forced to abandon my steam boat to the depre.
dations of time and the weather, which has de-
stroyed it. Thus the good people were depriv
ed oFthe benefits so much longer; and suffer |
ed great loss by those ungrateful millers who
bad become rich by the use of my inventions i
5 $4,000 would have been sum too small to
have established all the works and machinery,
necessary to Ike those engn and sell them
without profit. and to wait their being proved
by use. before they should be paid for, in order
90 sc, the improvement into use rapidly. ri
therefore humbly beg of each member of Con.
seriously to investigate this subject, and answer
20 himself the following questions, viz:
o., - " .J ""S "ol Vic prayer OF my petitions
gran I'll
O. Did lever pray for a monopoly of any
shing that had ever existed before discovered
1T Can patent be for monopoly can Con-
gress grant monopoly IF not,
3. On what grounds of good policy, has nv
country and myself been deprived of the bene-
h's ofmy great discovery for ~ years
4. Is it possible for an inventor, without q |
dollar 10 spare, to risk and expend 8 10000. !
$ 10000, 8 10000, or even s 1000 to put
hls inventions in operationi
S. Or is it supposed that men who have mo-
ney can be induced 10 risk it, to put new things
IN operation, under patent for IL years only /
While il is notorious that the inventor suffers |
loss by the first term.
6. What will the annual amount ofthe bene
tits be, when my Columbian Engine hall be ap-
piled 10 work many thousands of mills, manu-.
factories, carriages on Ta.l way smooth roads, |
boats on The great Atlantic and Western wa, er s.
raising the value of western lends so per cent
by lessening the time of going to market, tan
tamount 10 shortening the distance can anv
one calculate within one million of dollars
z. Can the public interest be promoted, or
right ola citizen be guarded, by withholding
the protection needed booming inventors to |
poverty for having expended Their time and Ia |
bour to- make discoveries and TO CONTEMPT du
ring life, because they do not put them in one.
ration, which it is morally impossible for them
to do aud to malice and envy, for attempting
20 exceed common capacities or that they
ahould descend TO Their graves nd carry their
discoveries down with them and that should
descend with the rest, with the knowledge of Sc
veral as great and useful Inventions as ever was
discovered, which las never been in operation ?
The exPence being too great 10 be borne by any
individual, the resuitof long study aud intense
mental labour, and the whole be osi, except ing
villa. have been able to communicate 20 nv
children or to others or 1t least TO ay dormant
for fifty Or one hundred years longer, Tor il can
never promote the interest Of them r any one by