Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1826-09-16
FOR THE LITERARY CADET

FOR THE LITERARY CADET.
Mn. EDIToa.-The following brief notice of the
rise and progress of the invention of steam -engne
machinery, and of the application of steam to va
rous purposes, you at liberty to publish if you
think it deserving OF place n the columns Of the
Literary Cadet.
The expansive force Of steam was known in some
degree to the anciens, and its application described
10y Hero of Alexandria. But among the moJerns,
the Marquis OF Worcester, in his Century of Inven-
tons, printed in the year 1868, first described an
engine for raising water by the expansive power Of
steam. Yet the invention of the steam engine for
raising warer by the pressure Of the air, in conse-
quepce OF the condensation Of steam, has properly
been ascribed to Captain Savary. A plate and
description OF thi, max hinc, is given in Harris Lex
icon Technicum. art. Engine, for which invention
Captain savary received a patent. by an act Of
Parliament bearing date 1903.
Savary applied it to the raising ofwater to supply
houses and gardens, but could not accomplish the
draining of mines with it, which was afterwards
done by Mr.. Newcomer, and Mr.. John Cowley, at
Dartmouth, in the year l7l2, who added the piston
Mr.. Watt, of Glasgow, much improved the ma
chine for which, in the year 1868, he obtained
patent ;-afterward, in connexion with Mr. Boul-
ton. of Birmingham, great many experiments
were tried, and the machine further improved. for
which, in ITS, he obtained an extension of bis pa
tent for twenty five years. They applied it to
variety Of purposes, such a, draining water from
mines, blowing bellows to fuse the ore, supplying
towns with water, grinding corn, and for the pur-
pose of operating factory machinery.
This great effort Of genius, which brought tho
machine to its then state of perfection, might well
astonish the natives, for by its use they were ena-
bled to drain the deepest mines Of Cornwall, the
working of which must otherwise have been left
of.
One of these engines works pump 10 inches IN
diameter GOO feet high, and rnises weight equal to
81 900 pounds 30 feet high in minute, which is
equal to the combined action Of 200 good horses.
1t N ust also have been matter great surprise to
the inhabitants to see the barren heaths of old En-
gland, covered with operative factories, where ma
ture had denied the use of water power.
However. the genius of invention and applica-
ton did not settle down the fast anchored Isle"
of Great Britain, bu; winged her way across the
broad Atlantic, and fred American bosoms to deeds
Of noble emulation and one Of her favored sons,
by the light Of science has not only excited the ad
mration Of the world, but has made the breasts of
his countrymen swell with a noble pride, when
they hear mention made oil the name Of the immor-
tai FULTON.
Possessing talents and genius to which the ci-
vilized world have and ever will do homage, he
happily applied the power Of steam to the rowing
of barge,, boats, and floating batteries, by which
application intercourse betw cen distant parts of
the country are wonderfully facilitated-adverse
winds and tides, and the opposing current of rapid
rivers, are alike overcome or set at defiance, and
the blessings Of commerce are difused througha
vast extent of countries, hitherto inaccessible TO all
water craft, except the common row boat The
knowledge of this application ofsteam, spread with
great rapiditv throughout the scientific world, and
the great advantages which anticipated to en-
sue TO the public generally has been fully re.
alzed and the name Of FULTON will hereafter ap-
pear among the great geniuses whose inventions
have ameliorated the condition Of mankind.
Since the application Of steam to the rowing Of
boats, Europeans have applied il to the. moving Of
heavy loaded carriages on rail ways, and have
been enabled by the help of one machine, 10 move