The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-11-18
Miscellaneous,
Suffering and Triumph of an
American.

of the sutieflnRS, perseverance ana llnnl sue
cess of rare American genius in HUNS
Merchants Magazine for November, address
ed to the late Hon. Dixon II. Lewis, the U.
$. Senator who died few days since in New
York. The writer is native of Virginia.
and he went to England in January, 1917, to
look for the appreciation which he had not
found in Washington:
STAFFORD, ENGLAND Aug. Il, 1918.
My Dear SIR l should have written soon
err, but that had nothing pleasant 10 say.
reached London on the LIST Of January, lS47.
without money or friends, which was lust the
thing desired when left America, and lust
the thing, assure You, will never desire IL
gain. ] commenced operations at once, on
the suppositon that in this oVergrown city, |
would at least enlist one man. But English
men are not Americans. An Englishmuu
will advance any amount on an absolute GER
taiuty, but not one penny whore there is the
slightest risk, ifhe got the whole world by it,
spent the first five months looking for this
man with unparalleled perseverance and in
tIustry, living for less than three pence per
day am convinced that few persons in
London know so much of that incompehen-
sibly large city as myself But aIas!my ward
robe was gone to supply me with wrctchcdlv
baked corn bread, on which lived entirely.
slept on straw, for which pnid Il half pen
ny per night. | became ragged and filthy,
and could no longer 90 among men of bust
ness. Upto this tme,my spirits never sunk,
nor did they then; but my sItferiugs were
great. My limbs distorted with rheumatism,
induced by cold and exposure; my face and
head swcled to most unnatural size with
cold and toothache, and those who slept in
the same horrid den as myself were wretched
Greet beggnrs, the very cleunest of them lit
ternlly alive with all manner of creeping
things. But was no beggar. Inever heg-
GGH, nor ever asked favor of any mnn since
] came TO England. Ask George Bancroft.
whom called upon two or three times if
ever asked the slightet favor. or even prc
sumed upon The letter you give me to him
did write him note, asking him to come
aud witness the triumph of Opening the
bridge ut the Gardens, and delivered the note
at his own house myseli;aud although Prince
Albert came never got even reply TO my
note. If Bancroft had come, and been the
lnUn TO have only recognised me in .H1y rags
as was, it would have saved me much sub
scquent suffering. | will not believe that
bancroft ever saw my note for his depOrt-
uent to me was ever kind.
The succeeding three months after the first
FIVE, | will not DETAIL up to the time | COM
menced to build the bridge. | will not lar
row mp my feelings to write, nor pain your
kind heart to read the incidents ofthose nine
ty days. My head turned grey, and must
have died but for the Jews, who did give me
one shilling down for my acknowledgements
fir el0 on demand These wicked robber-
ries have amounted to several hundred
pounds, every penny of which have had to
pay subsequently; for, since my success at
Slatford,uot man in England who can read,
bW! knows my address. 1t cost me EI0 to
obtain the shilling with which paid my adj
mittance into the Royal Geological Gardens,
where | succeeded, after much modification,
in getting the ghost ola model mnde ofthc
bridge. The model, although bad one, as
'tonished every body. Every engineer of &C.
lebrty in London was called in to decide
whether it was practicable to throw it across
the lake. Four or five ofthem, at the final
decision declared that the model before them
was passing strange, bat that it could not be
carried TO much gren!er length than the
length of the model. This was the point of
life or death with me. was standing amidst |
men of the supposed greatest talents as civil
engineers that the world could produce. and
''he point decided against me. This one
elne alone were my whole energies ever a.
goused never talked before-I was hag-
gard and faint for want offood-my spirits
sunk i'll sorrow in view ofmy mournfu pros
pects-clothes had none-yet, standing o.
YER this model, did | battle with those men.
Livery word uttered came from my inmost
soul, and was big with truth--every argu-
inent carried conviction. The effect on those
men was like magc-indeed, they must have
been devils not to have believed under the
circumstances. succeeded. My agreement
win me proprietor was, that should sinner |
intend the construction of the hridrc vi,hon,
any pay whatever, bnt during the limo NJ ,he |
building l might sleep in the Gardensnnd If
the bridge should succeed, it should be call
ed "Romington's bridge"
i lodged in an old lions cage, not strong c.
nough for a lion, but by putting some straw
on the floor, held me very well, and indeed
was greater luxury than had for many
months. The carpenters that worked on the
bridge sometimes gave me part oftheir din
ner. On this lived, and was comparatively
happy. 1t was little novel; however, TO see
a man in rags directing gentlemanly looking
.iead carpenters. The bridge triumphed and
the cost was ES, and was the greaest hit ev-
er made in London. The money made by it
Is astonishingly great, thousands and tens of
thousands crossing it, paying toll besides be-
i"g the great attraction to the Gardens. Not
d publication i'll London but what has written
largely upon it. Although have never re-
tfeWed penny, nor never will for building
m INC bridge, have no fault to find with Mr.
iy'er, me proprietor, for he has done all full
y that he promised to do--that was, to call
II "Kemington's Bridge" The largest wood
OF The bridge. Every letter of my name is
nearly as large as myself The bridge to
~ H's aly is the prominent curiosity of the
m r You can't open n paper but you
''ay hnd "Remngton's Bridge" Soon after !
~ was built, have frequently seen hundreds