Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1848-11-15
nj | S CE L Ian Y.
THE SUFFERINGS, PERSEVERANCE
AND TRIUMPH OF GENIUS.

There is at present in England an American
who went to that country to endeavor to interest
the capitalists in a new bridge which he has con-
structed. His name is REMINGTON, and he is n
native of Virginia. An account of his progress is
given by himself, in letter to the late Dixon H.
Lewis, and is published in Hunts Merchants Ma
gazne.
When he arrived in England, in January, 1917,
no was without money and spent the first five
months in vany looking for somebody with enter
prise enough TO encourage his plan, living all the
time less than three pence per day He slept
upon straw, for which he paid half penny per
night His limbs became distorted with rheuma-
sm, and he was literally covered with RAGS and
vermin, consorting as he had to do with the low
est beggars in London. Still he did not despair
The incidents Of the succeeding three months he
does not relate His sulferings were so great that
his head turned grey. He had to pay to usurers
Flo to obtain shilling for admittance to the Roy
al Geological Gardens, where he succeeded after
much modification, in getting the ghost of model
made of the bridge. The model, although bad
one, astonished every body. Every engineer of
celebrity in London was called in to decide wheih-
er it was practicable to throw it across the lake.
Four or five Of them at the final decision declared
that the model before them was passing strange
but that it could not be carried TO much greater
length than the length Of the model This was
the point of life or death with the inventor He
says
was standing amidst men of the supposed great
est talent as civil engineers that the world could
produce, and the point decided against me. This
one time alone We're my whole enerpies ever A.
reused. never talked befUre-I was haprard and
faint Tor want of fOod-my spirits sunk in sorrow
in view OF my mournful spects-clotbes had
nODe-yet, standing over this model, did | battle
with those men. Every word uttered came from
my nmost soul, and was big with truth-every ar
gument carried conviction. The effect on these
men was like magc-indecd. they must have been
devils not TO believed under the circumstances
ISucceeded. My agreement with the proprietor
was, that should superinieud the construction of
/ the bridge without any pay whatever, but during
the time OF the building might sleep in the Gar
dene, and II the bridge should succeed, it should be
called ''Hemington's Bridge" lodged in an old
lions cage, not strong enough for lion. but by
putting some straw on the floor held me very well ,
and indeed was greater luxury than had f1r
ny months. he carpenters that worked on the
bridge sometimes gave me par; Of their dinner
On IBIS lived and was comparatively happy. 1t
was little novel, however, 10 see man in rags
directing gentlemanly looking head carpentcrs.-
The bridge trlumphed and the cost was G3, and
was the greatest hit ever made in London. The
money made by 1t was astonlshingly great, thou
sands and tens Of thousands crossingit paving toll.
besides being the great attraction TO the Gardens.
Not publication in London but what has written
largely upon it, although have never received a
penny, nor ever will for building the bridge.
The success Of his invention gave him. however.