The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-01-04

boat; and noau, what river, capable of
any kind Of navigation, has not been
bepaddled with them It's not my
purpose to enter the list of dispu.ants
lately sprung up, striving to prove
that the immortal Fulton was not the
first successful protector Of steam
boat. In common with tho world, l
can but mourn over the poverty cf
history, that tells not of any previous
successful effort of the kink. Steam,
no doubt, was known before. The
first tca-kettle that was hung over q
fire, furnished q clear development
of that important agent. But all l
can say now, is, that I never heard
of q steamboat, before the North
River, moved her paddles on the
Hudson; and very soon after that
period, when it was contemplated to
send q steamboat to Southern Russia,
distinguished orator of that city, in
an Address before the Historical So
ciety Of this city eloquently said, in
direct allusion to the steamboat =
'The hoary genius of Asia, high
throned on the peaks of Caucasus,
his moist eye glistening as he glances
over the destruction Of Palmyra and
Persepolis, of Jerusalem ard of Bah.
ylcn, will bend with respectful defer.
ence to the inventive spirit of this
western world;' thus proving, conclu-
sively, that the invention was not on
ly OF this country, but that no other
country yet knew oft. In fact, the
invention had lot yet even reached
tic Mississippi; for it was not until
year after, that long.armcd, high
sbouldcred keel.boatman, who had
just succeeded in doubling bend in
the river, by dint of hard pushing,
and run his boat in quiet eddy for
a resting spell, saw a steamboat gal.
lantly padding up against the centre
current Of that Father of Rivers
and gazing at the scene with mingled
surprise and triumph, he threw down
his pole, and slapping his hands to-
gether in ecstacy, exclaimed: well
done, old Mississippi! May I be
eternally smashed, if you ha'n't got
your match at last !"
But, as before hintcd, it is not my
design to furnish conclusive history
of the origin of steamboats,. My
text stands at the head of this arti-
Gle, and I purpose here to record, for
the information of all future time,
faithful history of 1.-The First Loco
motive" / am determined, at least,
that that branch Of the great steam
family shall kno@its origin.
In the year 1908, l enjoyed the
never.to. be-forgotten qualification of
paddle up the Hudson, on board
the aforesaid first steamboat that ever
moved on the waters Of any river
with passengers. Among the voya.
gers, was man / had known for
some years previous, by the name
Of Jabcz Doolittle. He was an in
dustrious and ingenious worker in
sheet iron, tin and wire; but his great.
est success lay in wire work, espe-
cially in making rat traps and for
his last and best invention in that
line, he had just secured patent;
and with specimen of his work, he
was then on journey through the
State of New York, for the purpose
of disposing of what he called 'coun.
try rights; or, in other words, to sell
the privilege Of catching rats, accor.
ding to his patent trap. 1t was a
very curious trap, as simple as it
was ingenious; as most ingenious
things are, after they are invented.
1t was an oblong wire box, divided
into two departments; a lat entered
one, where the bait was hung, which
he no sooner touched, than the door
at which he entered fell. His only
apparent escape was By funnel
shaped hole in tho other apartment,
IN passing which, he moved another
wire, which instantly eset the trap;
and thus rat after rat was furnished
the means of following in the foot
steps of his il!ustrions predecessor,
until the trap was full. Thus it was
not simply a trap to catch rat, but
a trap by which rats trapped rats
ad infnitum. And now that the re-
collection Of that wonderful trap is
recalled to my memory, / would re
spectfully recommend it to the atten
ton Of the treasury department, as
an appendage to the sub.treasury
system. The specification may be
found on file in tho patenl-oifice
number eleven thousand seven hun
dred and forty six.
This trap, at the time to which
allude, absolutely divided the atten
ton Of the passengers; and for my
part, it interested me quite as mucl
az did the steam enUine hecauao