Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1853-09-02
4 VIRGINIA TRADITION

10 The Editors 0i The EnqnirGr:
be-. leave 10 lay b,uic your readers n simple narrative
which may hmusc Ol them idle ilpIr 1t does
the destiny 4" Republic. tir great Irinri-
pies Of Virginia politics or the which aorn
her annals. IL relates simply The origin The
names which distinguish h." streams doubt much
whether The vrGy l,sclt Is STRANGE mlny
yuur fell ,w-czen~. us | confess il I'LL lew
days past.
Mr. Caleb Cushing, The present accomplished AInrnry
General o the u. =, has, know, lately visited E.l in
Berkeley county, one oi The mineral springs ol the state
him after h hriel cNcursnn when he asked
origin of "Sir Johns Run" which he had his
way the Springs II runs into The polumnc. | was
obliged 10 confess my entire Ignorance of The whole snb
hut rnI him would attempt out the (pscre
f1HiES accordingly addressed letter IL DI :iott-f the
respected proprietor o the only hotel which Bath an
received him The luowin. very cvi ana very
ng reply which TAX. The liberty al laying before The pub
lie, without his knowledge:
BERKELEY SrnISus August ~ lojS
DEAR SIR:-ln the whlr IN which have sulne
lime unable find myself sufficiently collected
10 reply 10 your letter.
The military expedition Cen. Braddock in 1855 passed
hLn'4M. hrnngn the iiGn county "I trc'ir'. '
un HE Potomac al WliIamsufl and striking the Capon
RIVER n us turks above thus place Tic pioneers ihi,
our were heudcd by an officer OF the English nrmy Sir
John Snaaif und The marked ont by him Is Ia This
Iay called "ir Jnhns road in The cuuay ul Berkeley and
IN Morgan county, part OF Brrkey-both oil whch
n me n,r ,ri.d re RED to- were parts al Frederick county.
There question but he gave the name also I" Tie
Sr Johns run upon which he may have rncnmped III Tic
course i his of the county, selecting the
,,ur for the passapr nl lhln I.ialcd expedition.
Sir John Siuclalr Captain IN The British army and
some Of The Old patents designate The run as Cap John
EGn
The only other matter interest in connexion with this
sov is The fact tn IL among The FIRST perhaps the ve
~ lirst, where Runscy exhibited his steamboat
In an Illumination Of tie papers u my iuihernlaw, The
ate Col David Hunter u MartinsburS, (who by The way
was my authority the matter Of ihc Sir Johns rDhd)
found last winter original letters OF Runsey, written
rnn, London (wherc he was exhibiting the Admiralty his
nycnon in l79l The interest excited by these M to some
examination Of the SUBJECT in the course OF whch i2hho
certificate OF Gen Washington, dated at THIS place aboll
the 9Th September l7s stating The fact of his having Wit
messed experiment OF james kuiiscys 3'a which was
propelled against the current at lhe rate o some our OF '
les an hour and expressing his conviction OF The value vi
his invention had heard from old persons III tins
region fifteen years ago probably mat ltumsGy hao
first exhibited his boat al the mouth ol thc o' 'oh
ruu" but had attached much credit 10 II n'ii i"nd
The authority Of Gen. Washington, which proves the lac
OF lis having been exhibited that point when supported
by the radon-nnd. from lis date Il may very wen nav
been the first 1t al that period onc OF tc most
and obscure places that could have been selected ana is
sry sccrs have avoided every exhibition o ms Invention
,yc,pt 10 those he might choose.
The documents III conncXion WIN Nuniscy' '"''''
''''""' Ynurs &c JOHN STROrIiEls
submitted the preceding letter 10 lr Gushing, VINO re-
turned il with The following memoranda
rWAsulSGTuS AUG. % lS53
az ,honk III for the care you taken u relieve my Gu
tiosjly in tile matter OF Sir Johns Kun:
"ln Col Slroihcr's letter, the name IS written or JON"
Sinclair perceive that IN "ashins"h I"'Ins p
] ~r ' !, - mrila1mIv w;it,cn St Cllr See letters tu
lhe President Council Ol May 18Th, l'oo ana 10 Co
Bouquet Of July 18th. l753 for cNampe am aware, 'ha
Sinclair but cor upton Of ST. Clar and that the names
were the originally as in the case o seymour aN "
Maur But OF spelling tnc name 10 'hG rcscn @
,sc may afford clue ihr Immediate iaIiy anu history
f le party as 10 which, have mol The present leisure u
make investigation. May il not be- that II Is me son
tIrnan who afterwards became rather notci III oc"an -
an author and public man, and win "h"ni '''''"s' 80
responded while President ,; A. ~,
Il notice that Sir John ST Clair, vas wnHIeu ~ lc o @
lie on Mununaatela, at when Zen. n'aluo ~ :; ,,h,
feated and mOrialiy "nhhucu' o"' =" 49,
rank he served"
En- ,ossantCan yun inform me whether me e'osrap"'
Of Runscy has been writicni nave 1ca'i ~. M wh,
his celebrated compeIlro fch IRON, ' @ ndd vuluuIe.
csey of Ohu You will iind il IN the twenty o"1 @
nS Mr Snnrksis Biographies. Many years a@n iuu "E.a
sion lo ransack The archives oi Virginia, lot W.. rp ]
connected with the first experiments o ., S Ennss,
navigation. found original lctle's '''1 ~ .no
with crGca tes a,csiins The SUCCESS o MS expo
rmcnt.
rWe know Of no extended biography OF James ltumse
which is published In Howra history "f virginia M.
nm interesting sketch of Runsey, VINO "as ''c e' " "
ma aynang vessels 10y steam That an'n'fly s'''"' wa
Rumsey wns born 10 haryIamdhnt settled ID '''''p"e
Jefferson county; when young man neS"'' "'".'' - "
time TO mechanics In 1881 he was cmpoS'n py Tue
,n,,onv of which Washington nrnl'er, |" I'npro'
,h. NAVIGATION OF the Potomac rVer ho"e s'a'e' ''-
w,s on the Potomac al SspherdoTn that an"'seY "'au
M ryp,rimrn in navigating the stream aSahs
- ,,,.nr His l,u,l was cncd by the town sp'oPir IN
s,r boai " and he himself "Crasy R"maey ne went
/ / iy,rt,oI where his schrIne was Warmly a'''""' "
Rumsey was invited address very large a"''e",'
merchants and leading citizens on the Soclcr' u ~"
m ,v,s overcome by The imposing scene heloh i anu a
scoc.ly lime To return hriet thanks when he i'' oh "
never spoke again. In short time he dlea fo' "p"'
|, 1899 gold lnc..al voted by Congress !" Jas "
80. T. If Kentucky the son and only surviving chsla
,om.s Rumsey commemorative ul his fathers setVc' ~
;h ,y.ncy iu giving 10 the world The benefit OF III" Se
boat" , f,
| The second in order al linn in navigating ''Sse'
s,eam was John Fitch who, in l7s9, sncceeded III pe
ipr his steamboat by paddles al The rate OF r's''
ur y, the Delaware la his auto biography nc quA'"'
Il vet feeiinely says: ~ know of nothing 5"
,erotious TO man of feelings as turbulent VIE a"N
ma, bulldog experienced the former, ana q"'' - .
am. and had been in my right senses should nave
Il he ls,ter in the same manner. But. Tor one ~ " ~
win bolh he be looked upon as me "os'
man of this world "-EnQuirer