The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-05-24
A steambOat Model ,.ade By Abrahsiinl
A washington oolresDopden1.. u u =. 4. I

/ A Washington correspondent of The
Boston AdVertissr says, .5
| Occupying an ordinary and common.
place position In one Of the snow cases IN
the large hall of the Patent Once il o5a
little model which in AGES TO Come
will be priced ss at once one of tbe most
curious and one of the most sacred relies
In that vast museum of unique and pries-
/ less things. Tnis is q plain and simple
model Of Steamboat, roughly fashioned
1 iu wood, ty the hand of Arabian Lincoln.
II besrs date in lS49, when the inventor
was known simply SIS q successful LAWYER
and rising politician in central Illinois
Neither MS practice nor his politics took
| up so much Of his time ss to prevent him
from giving much attention 10 contrivsuees
which he hoped might be Of benefit to tbe
world and of profit to himself. ~
The design Of this invention is sugges-
tive OF one phase of Abraham LineoIn's
early HE, when be went up and down the
Mississippi rs tiatbOstman, and became
familiar with some of the dangers and in
oonvenlences attendiog tbs navigation of
the western rivers. ~IGrls- an attemDt In
m4ke It sa easy matter to transport vessels
over shoals and snsgs and ssWyers. The
main idea IS that OF an sppratus resemb ing
q noseless bellows, placed on each siie,of
the hull OF the craft just below the water
line, and worked by All odd but RUs eompli-
.ctted system OF ropes, valves and pnlIevs.
Wnan the keal OF ths Ye s5l gratis against
the sand or obstruction, these bellows are
To De filled with air, Ard. thus buoyed m
the ship is expected to A1zt lightly and I
gsIy over the shoAl wh'oh would other /
wise hSye proved serious interruption to
The model, which is about eighteen or
twenty Inches long and has the air OF bay-
ing been whiItled out of shineie and
cigar box, is built without any elaboration
or ornament, or any extra apparatus be-
yond that necessary to show the operation
of ouoying the steamer over the Obstruc-
tions. Herein it differs from very many Of
the models which share with it the shelter
Of the immense h4lis of the patent Office.
and which are fAshioDe ed with wonderful |
nicely snd exq1isits faish, as if much of
the labor and though and affection of a life
time had been devotet TO their consLruc-
tion. This Is II model Ct different kind
carved, IS one might imagine & retired rail-
splitter wOald wLiItle strongly but not
smoothly, and evidently made with aView
solely to convey, by the simplest possible
means, to the minds OF the pstent author
tieG an idea Of the purpose sEd plan Of
he simple invention. The label Un the
deck informs US that the patent
was obtained, but we do not learn that the
navigation OF the Western rivers Was1evo-
utionizod by this quaint conception. The
modest little model has Feposed here six
cen yesrs, and since it found its resting
place here ON the eshelf, theshrewdinventor
las fouad 1t his task to guide the Ship of
state over shoals more perilans, and OBJ
tructions moro obstinate, than zny prophet
LEANED Of when Abraham Lincoln wrote
lis bold signature on the prov Of the min
ture steamer, l- aa a .f do