The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1858-11-17
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Be it ordained, DC, That new school district NJ
"a north of Black bayou, and that the Black havo
be the south boundary, was read and granted, am
the following school directors appointed T. P Grav
Noah Tyson, G. w Burnett
Be it ordained, DC, That W. Thatcher w, W
Harper, and W. A. Lacy be and are hereby apponte,
committee to procure plans for building court hous
IN the town OF Shreveport and that they be author
lied to receive bids for the same and report at tn
regular meeting in January, 1859 subject to their ac
ceptance rejection. Proposals to be forwarded +,
VIM. Thatcher, Shreveport
Be it ordained, &C., That the hands of Jas. Chris
tlan NJ Fly, j.. T. Mooring, Henry Mooring ant
Thomas Christian be taken off the Pitts ferrv roaG
and put on the Crooms' ferry road
There being no further business, the board nd
journed until the first Monday in January
J. B. SIMS, president
EARLY HISTORY OF STEAM NAv1GATroN-
From Edward Everett's address before the
Essex agricultural society, of Massachusetts
we select few interesting passages on the early
history OF the steam engine and its subsequent
application to the uses of society:
In 1853 it appears that such a thing as a
steam vessel was known in Spain This is a
fact not widely circulated At that date a
Spanlard exhibited in the presence of Charles
V. and all his court, in the harbor of Barcelona.
a vessel of 900 tons, propelled by ar engine,
the. construction of which was a secret to all
but the inventor. The chronicles of that dav
inform us that there was great cauldron of
boiling water within, and two wheels on the
outside which moved the vessel. The treasu-
rer of the kingdom objected to its introduction,
1t seems to have been quite perfect, since the
objections urged against it were that it was too
complicated, very expensive, and the boiler apt
to explode. But Spain was not ripe for it. The
inventor dlsgusted with the want of apprecia-
ton displayed by the court, took the engine out
OF the vessel, allowed the ship to rot in the
arsenal, and his secret pershed with him in
his grave.
One century later and the same problem was
offered to France. A celebrated female equally
renowned for her beauty, immortalities. misfor-
tunes, and longevity also, for she died at the
age OF one hundred and thirty four years-the
famous Marie de POrme-so well known to
the readers of modern fction-has furnished
u.s. IN letter to an admirer, written in 1641.
these most astonishing details, The celebrated
Marquis OF Worcester was then on visit to
Madame in Paris, and with her visited a mad
house In the capital. While crossing the court
yard of that dismal Establishment the lady was
almost paralyzed with terror, and while clino-
ing to her companion she saw frightful face
looking through the bars of awindow of bui]d.
ing, and heard these strange words-sI am
not mad am not mad! I have made dis
covery which shall enrich the country that
adopts It," The question was asked by one of
the visitors, what is it that this man has dis
covered. The answer of the visitor with a
mocklng laugh was 90, it's not much: it's
something about the power of steam.' And
so the lady laughed that man should 90 mad
about SO frivolous thing as that.
This man, it seems, came from Normandy to
lay before the king bis discovery of the fact
that steam could be used to navigate the ocean
and IN short there was nothing that be did not
claim could be done by the power of steam.
Cardinal Rlchlieu was uppermost then, and
though ne was most sagacous and enlightened
as worldly wisdom goes, yet he turned his back
on the inventor. The man followed him from
place to place, and the cardinal, getting tired
OF bis pertlnacity, sent him to the mad house,
The man even wrote a book on the subject of
his thoughts, entitled Moving Powers. The
Marquis of Worcester was much interested in
this book, and used some of his ideas afterward
in his own works. So we see that France in
1641, as Spain in '543, proved her inability to
take up aud WELD this moral thunderbolt.
No, sir, the problem was reserved for the
Anglo-Saxon race to grapple with and conquer
and thereafter the mechanical skill of England
was turned to this invention with various Sue /
cess, till in the middle of the last century, after
the idea had been floating for two hundred
years In ingenious minds, the steam engine. |
that scarcely inanimae Titan, that living, |
burning mechanism, was brought to perfection
BY James. Thenceforth the engine of labor, mar
shalled by the power which Watt brought for
ward, were TO make their bloodless triumph,
lot Tor the destruction, but for the blessing of
All hail to thee, mute, indefatigable |
agent of strength, working in deep mines, NOV
ne along the pathways of trade, Rolling in the
service of man! No fati CUE can palsy thy her
'ulean arm, no trampled hosts writhe thy foot
10 widowed hearts bleed at thy benefcent vic
cries!
England solved the problem, but it seems as
f 1t were the will of Providence that she should
lot 60 so far as to apply steam to the naviga-
ion of the ocean. This part of the problem
for the other branch of the Anglo
Saxon race-the branch of that western hem
sphere whose expanded territories are ira
ersed by some of the noblest rivers, and sepa-
ated from England by an almost underworld
cean. The thoughts of the men of the last
entury, after the revolution, were turned to the
development of steam. One of those men at
racted the attention of him whom notbino
scaped that belonged to the welfare of his
ountry-of Washington-and he expressed
lis satisfaction at the experiments of Rumsev.
t seems almost providential that steam was not
eveloped in ocean navigation at the time of
he revolution, for it would have given England
he means Of bringing her vast resources and
owers TO bear more swiftly and directly on the
truggling colonists-with what effect who can
ell?
But the revolutionary period was passed and
established-the hour had come
nd the man was there. In the year 1799 the
hought became mature in Fulton's mind, and
hancellor Livingston took deep interest in
he scheme of water navigating by steam. They
ppled to the New York legislature for an act
f incorporation. I am sorry to say that Amer
,a tbatt tip,o Hid mt coop, I