The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-05-13

"Why,you needn't snap offso tarna short"
said Jabez; ga body would think you hadn't
got patent Tor your machine. If can't
NEEDLE with you on the wnter,ns can cacu-
late, I'll be up TO you on land one of these
days.
These ominous words fell on my ear, as
saw Jabez issue from the engine room, fol-
lowed by the engineer, who seemed evident
| ly TO have got his steam up.
SWELL" said |, "Jabez, what do you think
ofthis mighty machine?"
"Why." he replied, "if that critter had'nt
got rlled up so soon, a body could tell more
about it; but reckon I've got leetle notion
on't;" and then taking me aside, and looking
carefully around, lest some one should over
hear him, he then and there assured me in
confidence, in profound secresy, that if he
didn't make aOdgon go by steam, before he
was two years older, then he'd give up nven-
ton. ! at first ridiculed the idea; but when
thought of that rat trap, and saw before me
aman with sharp twinklng gray eyes,a poin-
ted nose, and every line of his Visnge n chan
mel of investigation and invention, ] could
not resist the conclusion, that ifhe really ev-
err did attempt to NEEDLE with hot water, we
should hear more of it.
Time Went on. Steamboats, multiplied;
told their dreams, of steam wagon; for even
the name of locomotive was then as UNI
known ms oco-foco.' When, about a year
after the declaration ofthe last war with Eng
land, land may be The Tasty got letter
from Jabez, marked 'private,' telling me that
he wanted to see me most desperately and
that | must make him visit at his place.
nigh Wallingford.' The din of arms, and
the destruction reinsurance companies, the
smashing of banks, and suspension of epe-
Gle payments, and various other inseparable
attendants on the show and 'pomp and cir
cunlslances ofclorious war; had in the mean
time entirely wiped from memory my friend
Jabez and his wonderful rat trap. But | o.
beyed his summons, not knowing but that
something of importance to the army or ma
Wy might come oft On reaching his resi-
dence, imagine my surprise, when he told
me he believed lie 'had got the notion
Noton?-what notion" inquired.
"Why," says he, ''that steam lrogon | tell'l
you about, spell ago." "but," added he, 81,
has pretty nigh starved me OUT" and sure e.
nougb, he did look as if he had been on 'the
anxious seat as he used to say, when things
puzzled him.
81 have used up", said he, "puguey nigh all
the sheet iron, and old stove pipes, and mill
wheels, and trunneI heads, in these parts; but
I've succeeded; and for fear that some of
these 'cute folks about here may have got a
peep through the key hole, and will trouble
me when come to get patent, fvo sent for
you to be witness for you was the first and
only man ever limited the notion to; in fact"
continued he, 81 think the most curious part
of this invention is, that as yet, ! don't know
anyone about here who has been able to
guess what Pm about. They all know il is
n inyentiou ri on,n Lind f,r tbo 10 INV hus
ness, you know; but some say it Isl thrash
ing machine, some distiery; and of late,
they begin to think its a shingle splitter; but
they'll sing another tune, when they sec it
spinning along past the stage coaches," adj
dcd he, with a knowing chuckle, "wont
they?"
This brought us to the door of ali old clab-
boarded, dingy, long, one story buiIding,with
window or two in the roof the knot holes
and cracks all carefully stuffed with old rags,
and over the door he was unlocking, was
written, in bold letters, No ddmaiance.' This
was bis 'sanctum sanctorum.' could occu-
Ply pages in description oft, for every part
exhibited evidences Gifts uses. The patent
office at Washington, like your Magazine,
Mr. Editor.may exhibit finished productions
of inventive genius; but if you could look in
to the port foios ofyour contributors, in eve
sketches ofhalf finished essays,stil born prob
lens, links and fragments Of ideas and con-
ceptons, which 'but brealhed and died, you
might form some 'notion'ofthe accumulation
of notions that were presented to NEON en-
tcring the work shop ofJabeZ Doolittle. But
to my text again, THE first Locomotive
There it stood, occupying the centre of cen
tire of all previous conceptions, rat traps,
churns, apple bearers, pill rollers, cooking
stoves, and shingle spltters, which hung or
stood around il; or as my Lord Byron says
with reference TO more ancient but not i'm
portant invention:
sWhere each conception was heavenly guest,
A ray ofimmortality, and stood
Star-like around, until they gathered to a God.
And there it stood, the concentrated TO-
GUS ofall previous rays of inventive genius,
sIhe first Locomotire,'
An implanted, unpublished, unadorned, o.
ven shaped mass, ofdouble riveted sheet j.
ron, with cranks, aud pipes, and trunnel
heads, and screws, and yayes,aDl firmly brac-
ed on four strongly made travelling wheels.
"It's curious critter to look AT" says ia
bez, "but you'll like it better when you see it
in motion"
He was by this time ignting quantity of
charcoal, which he had stuffed under the
boiler. II filed the b'iler," says he, "arter
stopped working her yesterday, and it ha'n't
leaked drop since. 1t will soon bile up;the
coal is first rate"
Sure enough.the boiler soon gave evidence
oftroubed waters, when by pushing one slide
and pulling another, the whole machine,
cranFs and piston, was in motion.
sit works slick, don't it?" said JabeZ.
"ISut," replied, sit dopt move"
"You mean" said he, 'lhe travelling wheels
don't move; well, don't MEM they shalltill
NOT ,,,,, ,,a+ont Won see Dhe ndded crouch