The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-27
MR.. COOPER'S INVENTIONS.
THB vENERhBLE CANDIDArE AND
HIS ENDLESS CHAIN.
He Corrects a Mistake Relating TO his De-
vice for PropcIIins Canal Boats-His Com
struction Of tue FIRST Locomotive.

Vice for PropeIiing Canal Boats-His Com
struction Of the first Locomotive.
~ see," said the venerable Peter Cooper
yesterday, seating himself quietly In his
library. "that In little article In THE
Sun OF August Is. II says that the candidate for
the Presidency on the In1 ,tion ticket has not
been successful In everything and then the ar
ticIs goes to say that once tried to establish
a ferry on tho Il ,st river, by means Of an endless
chain, and the enterprise was failure. and that
zone nns morning the Sheriff pounoed down
upon all of Peter Cooper's possessions' Now
do not want to be In the papers more than IL
necessary, but just now the people are taking
soms interest In me. since 1 am one OF the Pres
idential candidates. and do not want the I'm
preston to 20 abroad that have m ade failure.
have been in business sixty years, and am
proud TO say that | never saw the month or
week 90 bv In which all my employees were not
paid In full, and all my debts lid. have al
ways ever since began business, struggled to
keen out OF debt, aud | owe my success In
great measure to the fact that have been able
to do this.
"Now about this endes. chain matter. Let me
tell YOU the whole story. and you can judge for
yourself about tho failure. Ffty-three ye YRS
ago, a year before tho water WIS let into the
Erie canal, II occurred to me that canal boats
might be propelled by the force Of water drawn
from higher level, and made to move series
OF endless chains along she course OF the canal.
50 began to make experiments. l butt fat
bottomed scow. took a couple OF men, and
choosing tnst part ofthe Il ,st River TIN lies be-
tween what Is now the foot OF Eighth street
and where Bellevue Hospital now stands dis-
lance OF one mile-I drove posts into the mud 100
feet apart. On these posts L fastened rollers
made OF block tin and zinc on which my end
less chain could run. Ihsre were two rollers on
each post, one above the other, 80 that tue
chain could run ~ 90 one roller sud pack on
the other. Then l made two mile' OF chain.
Tue old gentleman took from the drawer three
or four links Of the chain. rusty with age. They
were OF large iron wire, Q .ch link about I've
tncnes lon ,, rudely twisted together, something
like a surveyors en- in.
ued Mr.. Cooper. g tested IL. then arranged
water vince to run the ohain. This prepara
work my-elf When II was completed took
small skin, not great ferry GOAT as tue article
my wheel, ana found that the experiment was a
success. invited Gov. Clinton and a few other
miles up and back, In eey s' q mlnu es Tue q ~,
ernor was 50 well pleased That he offered me $500
for the use Of the patenl on the canal"
was II ever used on the canalF
Never, and for this reason: Gov. Clinton nd
great diticulty IN getting tue farm r. on the
line Of the c nal to give min the right OF way.
and In order To induce them To grant 1t mad held
out To them the great advantages that would
and other produce to the canal men for the use
OF the horses II the endless CHI In was used
these promises would be good for nothing, a.
there would be no horses t. feed. SO Gov. Cln-
ton gave 10 NV scheme ran the chain on the
river for ten days. during which time hundreds
OF people made the trip, out don't remember
tnat CHARGED any one cent for the ride. AT
the end Of that time l TOOK the chain on the
affair was never tended as a ferry at all. Well.
the alter stood stili until few years ago Mr..
welteh, the President VI the Camden and An
boy Canal COMPANY. hit upon the endless chain
plan for getting his boats tnreush the locSs. lilo
tried II, anu II wOfk d well. 50 he went to
Warrington to ttke OUT n patent. and found on
searching the records that | mad taken out
patent on the very same Invention htiy years
before Ofcourse my patent mad run out. SO the
invention was Tree to all. ihAts tue whole
story OF the endless chain matter"
"Dut you have made other Inventions, have
Tue old gentleman smiled benignantly as he
time TO remember. Ever since began To work
l have been invendng. You see learned three
| trades when 1 was q boy. Ny father wAs q nat
ter, and learned to make every different part
OF bat. linen he owned a brewery, and
learned the mysteries Of making ale. Then /
was apprenticed to a coacbnaxST, aud learned
an apprentice 10 working for ny self NY grand
mother, VINO mad a little property On Broa1wsy,
gave me room up In her house. and when other
boys OF my aye were out 10 the streets In the
pishL running themselves, wAs working in my
Little room. II was at this time that made my
model for ferry boat to ran ny compressed air.
made two long cylinders, pointed at the ends,
aud on tness laid the deck OF the vessel. pro
posed having large reservoir on the shore At
|
let into these cylinders by means OF a flexible
tube, and from tue cylinders used as steam Is
toe days OF steam. Robert Fulton was then
working at his steanUoa and oime To see my
model. Hut notning ever came OF It, I've got
the old model up ~ my sArret somewhere, now,
what there Is left OF It,"
" Hut how we're you soins to oompross the air
e That vas mother OF my ideM. proposed
using the Ties. There used to DO Tremendous
/ current at the ferry. rnefe were rocks project
Ing out there, anu the tide ran 50 strong that it
was impOssioe To get a boat across there.
eli ~ along shOIe and then come w. proposed
building d house out over these rocks aud nave
large wheel to he moved oy the current.
PROPOSED having machinery la the house which
| could raise or lower the wneel. so the buckets
would always be the same deptn In the water {;
water wnen there was ice 10 the river. with
the force from this wheel proposed 10 do a
good III iny tnings-among Others, comoress tue
sir - run my ferry boat
| Mr.. Latrobe. the old attorney of the Balti-
more and ONO Railroad says that ] built the
nrst locomotive ever III Ads al the United states.
| did not know until recently that 1t was the
first. That IS In the I'll OF ~, You see, tue
baltimore aud Oaio railroad mad been com-
strength OF tnis, |, with two otners bought
what was known as toe Canton property near
| Is Baltimore, expecting the railroad would make
II valuable Hut the railroad came to aStand-
stun. Ihry found that they had 10 run around
mile. Engineers IN ENGLAND sail no locomotive
| could DO II that wv feet curve was tne least
| possible. The company were disheattened. our
properly bid far TO De worthless. sad, DOu't
aDanuon inc 70 4. nave little engine up In
Now York IN At think will do the work. got
the engine. Ins cylinder was only three and n
quarterback bore the piston had only four
leen-ncn stroke. aud the boiler wasn's much
larger than Darrel | ID great trouble
In rigging It w. l nxod II In the cheap
est and quickest way possible, just to
make the experiment. one SATURDAY
was realy. l expected to make the trial
| on MONDAY, but on SUNDAY some scanps twist
ed on the copper pipes. / liked these no. aud
at langtn was ready There was one rude car,
| and on the platform of my locomotive were the
wood ana water and I'VE gentlemen besides
| myself. ran the engine. lns coaon head the
| directors OF the road. l think there ire "a
| people IN all ON board. W. ran tue thirteen
| mics up the grade in one hour and twelve
| minutes We came back IN nfty-s-yen min Ites
| Tue directors we're pleased and reassured. ruey
| went on Win the construction OF tuU road, ANA
| now you know what q Is fillmore and Onto
| road Is. This Canton property WAS well wood
! ell, aud found "a valuable iron mihe ON II. So
| hired men to dig the ore cut the trees, max e
charcoal, aud started olast furnaces there. A nd
| now the great Canton Iron MOrSs there
| which are known all over the country. by tns
| way, tho name Canton has a peculiar OTgIn
The man from whom l bought tho land made
| nis money In Canton, China married there, an
came ~ Baltimore 10 reside, and oAlel his Tesi-
| donce Canton. 50 II has always borne the name
| | sold II TO two boston men"
lone OF my Inventions" said MIR. Cooper
Ian - 10 IA ann Inn