The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-11-11
From the Philadelphia Ledger.
AMERICAN INGENUITY.

which mankind owe to the United States, We may
proudly mention mechanical ingenuity for IN no
country has this species oil talent produced ies VI
more general utility, more elicacous IN producing
great and permanent changes in the condition OF So
ciety To mention, even ty name, all the great IN
ventions by which .4periean genius has acquired so
much honorable distinction, would lar exceed our
limits and therefore briefly advert 10 lew,
which have already produced or producing I'M
portsnt revolutions in civilization. III the navigator
can roam over the trackless ocean, with The same
certainty about bis locality which attends his Journey
over any short and familiar road on land, he is IN
debted for the power TO Godfrey, the Immortal fhii-
adelphan who invented the quadrant. III hills, and
even mountains, sink beneath the power OF the ex-
| cayator," instrument now employed IN construct
ing all the unfinished railroads OF Europe eNizatioh
| IS indebted to Cochrane, native Of Vermont. 10
the same Cochrane belongs the honor OF nventng the
| rtpeaiing or many ehambered cannon an instrument
which, by rendering war more destructive, VIII deter
nations from undertaking It, thus indirectly dimIn-
shng its crimes and its horrors To Americans belongs
the merit of inventIng the best machinery for The
manufacture of cotton fact to which tue most ex-
tensive factories Of England and Continental Europe
| can bear testimony few years sipce, the Emperor
of Russia sent agent to England, TO inspect Inc
| cotton factories for the purpose OF adopting ther
creates. improvements in machinery Seeing IN the
English factories, fabrics stamped with American
marks and nquiring about the reason oil IL, he was
told that American cotton fabrics were superior 10
English the English manufacturers were compelled
TO counterfeit American marks, to find market for
their own. On hearing this explanation, the Russian
agent wisely concluded that country was the field
for his examination in pursuit OF the best cotton ma
chnery and accordingly he left England and visited
the United States. To Americans belongs the honor
of first successfully applying steam 10 navigation,
greater stride towards civilization than any yet taken
since the invention Of printing. And to Americans
also belongs the merit Of making the greatest I'M
proyements in locomotive steam engines TACT
proved by the admitted superiority of American en-
. gines over any of European construction. To tins
our own city can bear testimony in the extensive
contracts made with our ellow-citizen, MIR Norris,
for the railroads OF Austria, Russia, France, sels
um, AMI even England.
Who can wrest from Americans the palm in naval
architecture, Our superb packet ships, the admra-
ton of the enlightened naval architects Of Europe,
combine m greater degree than any ships IN the
world those important qualities, speed and capacity.
What European nation can show anything IN agricul.
tural machinery equal TO that magnificent specimen
Of American genius, the machine for reapng hresh-
ing and cleaning wheat and other grains with tins
machine the farmer eau harvest his crop and prepare
. il for use or market in less time than was re-
: qulreo ~ -~s" II
But one Of the greatest Iriumpns OF American ge-
: MUS is an invention Of Col James Hamilton OF New
e York, native Of Massachusetts, for saving timber
for ship building an invention destined to produce a
revolution IN the dock yards Of all civilized nations
Il because it supplies deficiency which has long been
felt in naval architecture. Most of our readers ui-
derstand that no species Of architecture require so
= many curves and combined curves that Of ship
5 ping for, with the exception Of masts spars, aud
:, what may call beams, piece OF straight tim
" Der can hardly be found IN the frame Of ship, and
that some portions OF IL require two, and three
curves in single piece Before the invention Of Col
Hamilton all these curves produced by hetring
nth the are ad:e, slow and laborious process
IS which could be performed only by hand The British
If Government had long sought the Of supply ing
i thi. deficiency, but had sought It IN vain. During
" the wars succeeding the French revolution from l795
l. to 1915 this deficiency Of mechanical means for con
n vertng timber into the forms required for shipping
was severely felt ~ the British dock yards and Gen
u Bentham, officer of engineers, with some Of the
< most eminent mechanicsns OF that period, made
m, rou. experiments 10 save time, labor and mate
rails so profusely expended IN the common mode OF
u herring. But after exPendng large sums IN expert
Rents they produced nothing more than some incon
-, siderable improvements in the common MILL bs
" which they can merely saw straight Inns, even ~
d crooked timber These improvements used IL
II a saw mill IN the navy yard at Chatham, In England
. but ashley accomplish no more in saving than wa
y obtained before, rather as they cannot produce
81 ea,u in saving, should consider them Of great
N value. But what the British mechsnicans thus fail
ed e. accomplish, Col ilam ton has attained ia per-
: tecion
H. Some years ago he accomplished great object ia
o mechanics, the invention Of a machine for saving
curved timber for wheels but all the curves Of
e wheel are snhie, this invention, though hghly
et important IN saving time labor and materials, Is fs
. inferior. so far as mechanical combination and The
magnitude Of results are concerned, TO his tot
Is ship timber. Subsequently he enlarged his inyen
b. ton by applying il 10 the saving Of chair timber,
l. species OF work requiring compound cures though IL
degree far less than shipping. With these invcn
y ons be went to Europe to obtain patents, IN which
~ he succeeded and while he was in England his al
=. tention was called, by Sir James Gordon, command
ant at the navy yard at Chatham, TO the subject o
saving curves for ship timber. lie examined u,
mill above mentioned, at Chatham, saw its de
fleets, and felt confident Of being able to remov,
them; and after close attention TO the subject foi
some tine, he supplied that great want, machin,
e. for saving timber IN every variety Of required
10. with as much accuracy and expedition, and with a.
. little expenditure Of labor, has ever been rcache,
h in the saving Of straight lines.
lr We will endeayor TO describe this machine briefly
4 yet inelligiby. Let the reader imagine a common
saw mill, with log laid upon it, and secured al th,
OF foot or end remote from tie saw in the usual man
ne ner. Without any additions the effect would be tn,
saving Of straight line, the saw moving perpendi
10 cularly and the log horizontally. The first sbec
Y, is TO a line instead Of this straight line ID,
curve bending imrmds from the two ends to the mid
die, and each Of the four sides Of the log re-
W tanning its position IN relation to the horizon
ID hco perpendicular and hoo horizontal. The curv,
nj is marked with chalk on the upper surface o.
the log and the operator, graspng the back Of IN,
" with a lever, notch,d at one end for the purpose
- guides the edge of the saw by Of this lever
ly along the curve, precisely hclmsman woul,
" steer boat with tiler BY this simple contriyanc,
10 any required curve produced the cord Of the cury,
still remaining horizontal, or, to speak more plainly
the horizontal position Of the upper surface Of the 10,
still remaining This curve may be drawn upon on
centre from one extremity Of the log TO the other
A. or may consist Of any number of smaller curves
drawn upon any centres, the being guided upor
y the chalkcd mark. But at the time the opera
e wishes TO produce another curve running spira
pr upon the axis Of it, For thi. purpose the log turn
upon pivot at each end, the d,gree Of turning ben,
' regulated by sereu, constructed with a oircula
A. plate fitted to the lower end OF the log The plat
IL turns upon s centre; and IL the ar Of the log
the central point Of ts end, be made TO turn with an,
point the surface Of this plate, the log will turn
fast or slow, as s axis nearer to the centre or cir