Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1845-06-17
THE FIRST LOCOMOTIVE.

writer encounters slab-sded Yankee.
named Jabez Doolittle, who is going up
country'' to sell Z" county rights" for new
rat-trap, for which he had secured patent
= it was very curious trap, as simple as
!, was iDgenous-as most ingenious things
are, after they are Invented. It was an OBJ
long wire-box divided into two compart-
men,s a rat entered one where the bait
was hung, which he no sooner touched than
the door at which Ire entered fell. His only
apparent escape was by funne! shaped
hole into the other apartment, in passing
which he moved another wire which instant
ly reset the trap; and thus rat after rat
was furnished the means of following in
the footsteps Of his illustrious predecessor"
until The trap was full. Thus il was rot
simply trap to catch rat, but a trap by
which rats trapped rats, ad infnitum."
The writer finds Jabez studying the new
steam engine and he takes him aside to
say, that 4" if he don't make a wagon 90 by
steam before he is two years older, he'll
give up inventin'." This is soon forgotten u,
however and after several months, the MIRA
Tor receives a letter from Jabez. inviting him
- come and see him, nigh Wallingford,
Conn, as he has "got snm',h;n' to show
him. The writer repairs to Wallingferd,
and In an old clapboarded, dngy, long one
story building. with window or two in the
roof, the knot-holcs stuffed with rags, and
" No Adminaace" over the door, he finds
the inventor i" and in the centre of all
previous conceptions, rat-traps, churns, APP
ple-parers, pill-rolers, cooking stoves, and
shingles pliters," stands 8 The first Loco
m ,tire !"-an Imprinted, unpublished, un-
adorned, oven-shaped mass of double-rveted
sheet-iron, with cranks, and pipes, and ,run.
nel-heads and screws, and valves, on four
strong travelling whe els LIS curious
critter TO look at" says Jabez, sc but you'll
like il better in MOTION" He proceeds to
light f-e under the boiler, which soou
gives evidence of " troubled waters," when
by push NJ one slide aud pulling another, the
whole machinery, cranks and piston, is in
motion.
Il. works slick, don't it p said Jabez.
"But," replied, " it don't moven
"You mean," said he, "the travelling
wheels don't move we'll don't mean they
shall till get my p1tent. You see," he
added, crouching down, ",hat truunel-head,
there-that small cog wheel Well, that's
out of gear just yet !; when turn that into
gear. by this crask, it fits, you see, oh the
min travelling wheel, and the hull scrape
will move, abought as nigh as can
calculate, lec,e slower than chain
lightnin', and darn'd leetle too But il
wont do to give it a try arore | get the
patent. There is one thing yet" he con-
tnued, ''that ha'nt contrivcd-and that is,
the shortest mode of s,oppin' on her. Ny
first notion is, to see how fas, can make
her work, without smashing all TO bits. and
that's done by screwing down this upper
valve and I'll show you.
And with that he clambered up on the
top, with turning screw in one hand, and a
horn of soup-fat in the other. and commenced
screwing down The valves, and oiling the
piston.rod and crank joints; and the motion
of the mysterious mass increased until all
seemed BUz. 1t is nigh about perfec-
ton, ant it p says he.
"Jabez," said |, eIevating my voice above
the buzzing noise of The machine, - there is
only one thing wanting"
What is that says he, eagerly.
" Immortality" said |, and You shall
have it, patent or no paten, And with
that, pulled the crank that twisted the con-
meeting ,unnel-hcad into tho travelling
wheels, and in an instant away went the
machine, with Jabez on tho top Of it, with
the WIZ and rapidiy Of flushed partridge.
The side Of the old building presented the
resistance ofwet paper. One crash, and the
" first locomotive was usacred INFO this
breathing wotlI. | hurried 10 The opening.
and had jus, time to Chamber to the top of a
fence, TO catch the las, glimpse Of nv de-
parting friend. True TO his upose, saw
him alternately screwing Gown the valves
and oilng The pis;on-rod and crank joints !;
evidently determined that III hough he had
s arted off a lille Unexpectedly, he would
redeem the pledge he had given, which
was, that when it did go, it would 90 a
Itile slower than streak of chain ligh,nn',
and a darn'd Ieetle TOO ~
"Like cloud in the dim distance fleeing;
Like an arrow" he flew away.
But a momen, he was here in momen,
he was there and now where is he ?-or
rather, where is he no, ? But that, for the
present, is neither here nor there"
The next information we have of Mr..
Deoliile's " Whereabouts" is gwen by Mr..
Irving -
You must know that was one among the
first band OF trappers that crossed the Rocky
Mountains. We had encamped one night
on a ridge Of the black Hills, and were
wrapped in cur blankets, in tie midst Of
our first sleep, when we were rouseI by
the man who stood sentinel, " no cried out,
wild fire, by-!'' We started on our
feet, and beheId a streak Of fire coming
across the prairies, for al the world like
lightning OF shooting star. We had hard
ly time TO guess what it might be, when il
came up whizzing and clankIng. and ma
king tremendous racket, and we saw
something huge and black, with wheel. and
traps OF all kinds; and an odd looking be-
ing on top of il, busy as they say The devil
is in gale of wind. In fact. some Of our
people thought i: was The old gentleman
himself taking an airing in one Of his in
iernal carriages; others though, i, was The
onepipo If ono nj the seals If the ravat,