Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1858-10-29
History of Steam Navigation.

sages on the early history oil the s'eaH
engine, and its subsequent application ii
the uses Of sOcie,y]
In 1853, i: appears that such thing
as a steam vessel was known in Spain
This is a fact not widely circulated Al
that date, q Spaniard exhibited in the
presence of Charles " and all his court
in the harbor Of Barcelona, a vessel of 20C
tons, propelled by an engine, the construc
ton Of which was a secret to all but the
inventor. The chronicles Of that day in-
form US that there was great cauldron oi
boiling water within, and two wheels OF
the outside which moved the vessel. The
treasurer 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 in-
ventor, disgusted with the want Of spPre-
citation displayed by the court, took the
engine out of the vessel, allowed the ship
to rot in the arsenal, and his secret per-
ished with him in his grave.
/ One century later, aud the same prob
lem was offered to France. A celebrated
female, equally renowned for her beauty,
immoralities, misfortunes, and longevity
also, for she died at the age Of l34 years
the famous Marie de pOrme-so well
known to the readers Of modern fiction,
has furnished US, in letter to an admirer,
written in 164l. these most astonishing
details. The celebrated Marquis of Wor-
cester was then on visit to Madame in
Paris, and with her visited madhouse in
the capital. While crossing the cour.
yard of that dismal establishment, the lady
was almost paralyzed with terror, and
while clinging to her companion, she saw
a frightful face looking through the bars
Of window Of building, and heard these
strange words, 81 am not mad am not
mad | have made discovery which shall
enrich the kingdom that adopts it." The
question was asked by one of the visitors,
"what is it that this man has discovered?''
The answer of the visitor, with mOcking
laugh, was, 80, it's not much, it's some
thing about the power of steam" And
SO the lady laughed that man should go
mad about SO frivolous thing as that
This man, it seems, came from Normandy
to bring before the King bis discovery of
the fac. that steam could be used to navi.
gate the ocean, and in short there was
nothing that he did not claim could be
done BY the power of steam. Cardinal
Richlieu was uppermost then, and though /
be was most sagacious aud 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 his pertinacity, sent him
to the madhouse. The man even wrote a
book on the subject of his thoughts, enti-
tied Moving Powers. The MARQUIS of
Worcester was much interested in this
book, and used some of its ideas afterward
in his own works.
So we see that France in 1641, as Spain
in 1913, proved her inability to take up
and WELD this moral thunderbolt. 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
success, I'LL, in tho middle of the last cen.
.ury, after the idea had been floating for
over 200 years in ingenious minds, the
steam engine, that scarcely inanimate
Titan, that living, burning mechanism.
was brought to perfection BY James Watt.
rhenceforth the engines of labor, mar
'halled by the power which Watt brought
forward, were to make their bloodless tri-
Imph, not for the destruction, but for the
blessing, of mankind. All hail to thee,
nutS, iuueiatSuaoio eGeut VI stTeu4tD, ,
working in deep mines, moving along the
pathways of trade, toiling in the service
# man! No fatigue can palsy thy hercu-
can arm. No trampled hosts writhe un-
Ter thy feet No widowed heart, bleed
t thy bene6cent victories!
England solved the problem, but i,
GEMS as if it we're the will Of Providence
hat she should not go so far a, to apply
team to the navigation of the ocean.
his part Of the problem remained for the
ther branch Of the Anglo Saxon race
be branch in that Western hemisphere I
hose expanded territories are traversed !
y some Of the noble,t rivers, aud separa- J
I'd from England by an almost world wide '
cean. The thoughts of the men of the t
lst century after the Revolution, we're
urned to the development of steam. One
those men attracted the attention of a
i'm whom nothing escaped that belonged |
} the welfare of his country-of Wash.
,g,on-and he expressed his satisfaction II
ho of pn,u