Polynesian., 1851-04-19

In IUO days IN ISUU. JuS fancy Benlamn
Franklin being almost wrecked in going from
New York to Amboy, and the vessel which
he was in occupying 80 hours on the passage
"a distance which is accomplished every
day, by our steamboats,, in an hour and a half
"a great change, truly.
In Europe steamboats, were unknown until
1914, and no sea was regularly navigated by
steamboats, until 1923. The progress of ma
rine navigation is remarkable. In 1893 no
steamship had ventured across the stormy
Atlantic, to establish ocean navigation. Now
we have communication every week with
Europe, by regular steam mails; and TO show
the advantage of steam over mere sailing
vessels, within few days from the present
date. some of our finest sailing packets have
come in after passage of fifty days, while
our steam ships have not been out more than
sixteen days If the last half century had
given US no other invention than the steam
boat, that alone, considering its Importance,
is enough to immortalize it. If, in 1900, there
was no steamship in the wide world, where is
the country now where they are not seen,
and where they are not exercising most
important influence. No country in the world.
On the Hudson, Mississippi, on all our lakes,
rivers, and seas, and on all the oceans of the
world On that sea where the waters rolled
up in walls, to allow Moses and the Hebrews
to pass dry shod; on the ancient Nile, where
Cleopatra's galley spread its siiken sails to
the breeze; on the Ganges and Indus. in the
east, and the Sacramento, in the west, there
may be seen numerous monuments to the in
ventor of the steamboat - the steamship
sc rules the waves
The steamboat is not the only important
invention of the last half century-the pro-
gress of invention is just as marked in other
departments of discovery. Look at that iron
horse moving out of his stable, screaming and
panti-g to start on his journey. That is the
steam engine in its most perfect state-it is
near approach to the spiritual and physical
combination. Behold how easily he drags
the ponderous train, at the rate Of 80 miles
per hour, thus conveying hundreds of pas
sengers, in concert and safety, to distance
in an hour. which. but few years ago, would
take them nearly whole day to accomplish,
| by stages Within three months the Queen
of England was transported from the interior
of Scotland to London, distance of 4OO
miles, in ten hours. In 100 the same jour-
eight days. lfthe steamboat has revolution
|
the locomotive has done more to revolutionize
travel by land. In 1900 there was not a
single locomotive in the world nor for %
years after, viz, the 9th day of October,
1929, the day on which the Rocket ran on
the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, at
the average rate of Is miles per hour. From
that moment we date the commencement of a
new 5000 miles of railway constructed, and
as many more proposed, at a cost of more
than 50,000,000. In the United States
there are at least 5, 700 miles of railway con-
structed, and there cannot be less than %, :
$50 miles of railroad now in operation IN
Europe and America, for neither Asia nor
Africa can boast of single line completed.
What were the old Roman roads in compari-
son to the footpath of our iron horses. In
4 1885 there were only 15 miles Of railway IN
/ New York. now there are about 500, and
a traveller can now journey as far in one day
as he could in eight days in that year. The
wealth invested in railroads is enormous, and
: their influence upon mankind, in every res
pect, is beyond calculation. But this grand
Invention is not the limit Of the great dis
coveries made in our day.
Who, if he were told, twenty years ago,
that the sunlight would be used for Inner s
pencil, would have believed it Not one /;
and vet this has been done. When NJ. Da-
guerre a distinguished chemist Of Paris,
first published, in 1889, that he had discover
ed method of taking pictures on metal plates
by the sun, the public regarded his metal
tablets with feelings of wonder. And if this
discovery has not yet produced such import!
ant results, nor affected the customs OF So
ciety so much as the steamships and rail-
ways, still it is beautiful and wonderful
discovery; and the time may not be far dis
tant when it will be applied to paint the Pla-
E nets rs they roll in their courses. and thus
impress the warm kiss of the star on the pale
!, cheek of the artists metallic canvas
Among the grand discoveries of the last
half century, the Electric Telegraph stands
out in bold relief 1t has given TO man the
power of oftransmitting his thoughts to his fell
; low man thousands of miles distant, in few
: seconds. ELECTRICITY leaves her thunderbolt
in the sky, and, like Mercury dismissed from
) Olympus. acts as letter carrier and message
boy." In 1897 when Morse first proclaim
ed that he could write messages by electricity
at any distance, wise people shrugged their
; shoulders and looked with bland unbeli-f up
, on such daring proposition /; and when the
proposal was before Congress, in 1913, to
appropriate $50, 900 to test his system Of
; telegraphing, it met with some determined
: side cuts and stern opposition from men (and
!, there are a great number in the world, who
: are conservative in nothing else but scientific
| discovery. In 1913 the first line of tele-
, graph was completed in our country, be-
| tween Washington and Baltimore, and since
49, t;vr,o the nro0reSS of feleUraDh lines has
7 been most surprising and astonishing, 1t any
D thing can now surprise us IN the shape o.
, discovery. All the important cities IN ouI
4 Union are linked together by the lightning
8 tracks, and wherever we travel, there we
3 behold, suspended ~ slender poles, those
3 attenuated threads, along which the tighten
: ing fleets with messengers Of love, hope
E gain, or fear. The telegraph has produced
: L. II