Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-01-07

| 81 0SAuAu0tC AA0nkut tu0 ROOPAOS 0h<
the same individual in his own home.-
Here, in the midst of his family, o.
surrounded by friends, all the rigor o
his manner relaxed, and he was thu
model of an vaffectienate husband ane
father and the most genial of eompan
ions. He was 'given to hospitality >
and there was perhaps NO mansion in al
this favored region where 1t was more
generously and elegantly dispensed
through many years, than at Mont
gomery Hail." Ee w. F.
The First Inventor OF the Steamboat.
JAMES RUMsEY AND NOT ROBERT Full
TON NOR JOHN FITCH.
In a recent lecture at Charlestown,
Jefferson county, w. Va, Hon. A. r.
Boteler shows that the original inven-
tor of the steamboat was James Rum
sey. From the Virginia Free Press OF
the 14th of December, we extract the
following report of Mr.. Boteler's lee
ture on the subject" Justice to James
Runasey, the steamboat inventor ~
After some very eloquent illusions to
the realization in these practical days
of the fables of ancient mythology, and
to the use in days of old, even SO long
ago a. previous to the Christian era, of
some of the most modern Inventions
such as the steam engine, the reaper
&c.,-instancing the steam engine eff
Hero at Alexandria $50 years before
Christine proceeded to relate the bit
terness of the sad history of James
Rumsey- the first inventor of the steam
boat. He briefly sketched the early life
of Rumsey, born in Cecil county, Ma
ryland, in .1752-his education limited,
but his mind retentive and ready in ap-
plying and improving knowledge; he
invented several mechanical tools early
in life on the breaking out of the Rev
olution enlisted, and afterwards settled
down to mercantile pursuits in Bath,
Morgan county, this State, and also
kept Boarding House. He continued
his mechanical studies, and in 1882 fin
ishej his model of a steamboat. Dis
couragements and poverty met him on
every side, but he battled with them all,
and in 1855 completed steamboat, the
second one he built-the first when on
the eve of completion in 1874 was car
ried off by a flood to Harper's Ferry,
dashed to pieces, and the machinery de-
stroyed. The speaker described in glow
ing terms the scene on the banks of the
of December, 1885, when hundreds of
the people gathered to witness the trial
| trip of the great invention. A few la
dies, from one of whom he heard the
story, were on the boat; and as the little
rude structure darted out in mid stream,
and then shot up the river, Gen. Hora-
ito Gates, who stood on the shore, cried
out-"My God! she goes, she goes :"
The Shepherdstown mechanics did the
| iron work, Rumsey making the steam
pipe by, twisting an iron tube round q
horse collar block at sadler's shop
thus getting it similar to the worm of q
still. Among the spectators to this trial
trip were names familiar to us alI-Bed-
niger, Kearsley, Generals Gates, Steph-
eps, and Darke, and hundreds of others.
| Shepherdstown had larger population
then than now!
Testimonials were given by General
Washington. Maj. Bedinger. and many
other celebrated men; and protection
was applied for and obtained from the
legislatures Of Virginia and Maryland,
the former agreeing if the protection
was Withdrawn within ten years to pay
Rumsey 910.0 in gold or silver. The
yS0A 0iSOA q 1tuu1SCy 0A OOCl0Gy W0D
formed in Philadelphia, of which BEN
jamin Franklin was President, and
money raised to send Rumsey to Eu-
rope. He went to London and built q
steamer to be exhibited on the Thames !;
but his money gave out, he was in nvolved
debt, and finally his boat was seized by
his creditors and he was not allowed to
loose it from its moorings, but only per.
mitted to show how its machinery
would work. Finally, it was suggested
that he deliver lecture in order to raise
funds, to which he consented, but on
appearing before an audience of London
scientific men, his first attempt at pub
lie speaking, he endeavored to utter
some words and failed; again tried to
articulate, fell back senseless, and never
spoke afterwards. The next day he
died. Robert Fulton, the reputed in
ventor of steam navigation, was with
him in London-was associated with
him at the time of his death, and the
next year applied for right or protection
for boat to be propelled by steam. The
speaker stated that John Fitch of Penn
sylvania, who also laid claim to the
honor of this invention, had been in
Kentucky at the time of Rumsey's firS
effort in Bath. when Daniel Bedinger
went there and evidently communicat
ed the idea to him. though Fitch claim
ed to have discovered it by accident,
and afterwards pried about Rumsey's
workshop until the citizens of Shep-
herdstown threatened to tar and feather
him if he did not leave. Chancellor
Livingston, then minister to France,
has the credit of finally bringing out
the steamboat from drafts by Robert
Fulton, who, however, wss SO ignorant
of mechanical principles that the work.
men laughed at him. The facts conclu-
sively proved by Col Roteler are, that
Rumsey phalosohieally worked out his
invention of the steamboat, and reduced
IT to practical use on the Potomac at
Shepherdstown in 1855 when there was
not single steam engine on the Conti-
nent of Amerioa, and twenty years be-
fore Fulton's experiment on the Hud-
son; and that beyond a doubt both
Fitch and Fulton got their ideas, If not
the full details of the invention, from
him. In 1886, in the United States
Congress, nephew of James Rumsey,
then member from Kentucky, made
most eloquent appeal for justics to his
ancestor, asking not dollar or a cent
to be appropriated, but that Congress
should investigate the matter of the III
VentlOn OF the nrSt steamboat, anu Con-
gress did have struck a gold medal for
the grandson of the inventor as an &C.
know ledgmpnt of the great service he
had dpnei and yet, in spite of all this,
the school books up to this day persist
in giving Robert Fulton or John Fitch
sole credit for the invention of steam
boats!
!
Peter McNamara died at Washington
. few days ago from the effects of bite
byIa man named Danaher more than two
months ago. During scuffie McNa
mara's finger was bitten. To counter.
act the effects of the poison in his sys'
tenn the finger was amputatsd; but the
poison had got beyond that member
On Sunday 1t was proposed to amputate
the arm, but the physician declined, be
Iieving that the patient could not sur
ViVa tho nnapa kiov nr1 tF Nh