The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-10-25

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to in the act of 1888 was made by certai,
Joseph Phelps to the poor of st. Stephen
parish by his will dated November 1st, 1888
| The return of the appraisers of his persona
estate shows that it consisted of his wear
ing apparel, Il chest, prayer book, pocket
book, brush, about two pounds of tobacco
and 4 pair of spectacles, valued at IS lis
Sd, and cash in the chest, consstin. of Eng
lish, French and Spanish gold and silvel
coins to the amount of ES4 13s. al, max
ing eSSI, which was decreased by the de
duction of two other requests to e5Sl4. He
also had about e53 in continental money
which was worthless. But little more is
known of this charitable man, except thai
he had no kim as is stated upon the ap
praisement list.
On the 18th of June, 1883, the Trustees Of
the Poor met in Elkton, and received e4S
16 S., partly in Spanish milled dollars, and
partly in corn, from James Hughes, whose
stepfather, John Price, had rented the free
school farm and had the use of the negroes
then on it, which seems to have been rented
with the land, the year before. This free
school land was in Sassafras Neck, on Do
hernia river, and extended from near the
south end of Bohemia bridge to the point
near the mouth of Little Bohemia river
The tract contained POO acres. There is
reason to think that there was six or eight
negroes on the farm, but the number is not
stated in the records 1t is probable that
the negroes had been purchased for the use
of the master of the free school, and had
been employed by him in cultivating the
farm, but this is only a matter of conf ec-
ture.
On the 18th of June, 1888, the Trustees of
the Poor purchased lis acres of land from H.
Hollingsworth, which is described under the
name of st. Johns Town and addition, for
eos. This purchase was subsequently in
creased in 1871, by the addition of 81 acres,
purchased from the same person, for e1i2
10 s., all of which now constitutes the pres
emf Aims House farm.
We learn from the minutes of the Trus-
tees that they authorized Colonel Hollings-
worth to erect a house on the farm pur-
chased from him, as soon as practicable, he
agreeing to rent them a house for the Use of
the poor, lately built by him at the Head of
Elk, till the new house was ready for use.
This house is the old log building now
standing in Little Elk, on the north side of
the street, west of the Marley read.
The construction OF the new house was
delayed by freshcts in the Little Elk, which
prevented the worlmen from getting stone
from the bed of the creek and hauling tim
Der across it, and was not ready for occupa-
ton till June >, 1889, At which time it was
formally accepted by the Trustees, who, on
the 3rd of the previous March, had chosen
George Harris and his wife Ann, as Over
seer and Matron Of the institution, at a sal
airy of $40 a year.
In 1871, the Trustees sold the free school
land To Robert Millisan, for 81 200. What
became of the negroes is not stated, but
there is reason to believe they were sold to
Milligan.
By the act for the establishment of Wash
ington College in 1882, the visitors of the
free schools on the Eastern Shore were
if thy thought proper to incor-
porate the bonds and estate in their hands
with the funds and estate of that institution.
This measure was strongly opposed by the
vestry of st. Mary AIMS parish, who ap-
pointed 4 committee to consult with the
vestry OF st. Augusrine's parish and with
The visitors of the free schools, and to pro-
test against diverting the school property
" " --'rorrIE--------n~nan
The number of inmates Of the Aims
House at first was not large, but in 1902
were obliged to erect an addition of twenty
five feet in length to the original house,
which cost $3.50. This year n contest took
place between several of the physicians of
The northeastern part Of the county, about
which al thon should have the job of at
tending the paupers. One of them in ad-
lition to his regular services offered to keep
a statistical record of the various diseases
Of the inmates, &c, for $40 g year. An
other one in addition tu all that offered the
Gse OF an electrical machine and attendance
once week in order to Use it upon the
paupers that might need it, and the trustees,
40 doubt, thinking the paupers would be
benefited by the use OF electricity gave the
contract to Aim,
The successful termination of the Revolu
tionary War seems to have given great
impetus to the inventive powers Of the
people. Among those who distinguished
themselves in this way was James Rumsey,
then of Virginia, but Il member of the
Rumsey family which once resided at the
head of bohemia river, who was the in
ventor of steam boat constructed upon
novel plan He applied to the Legislature
for patent for his invention, in 1874. The
of the United States, not then
having been adopted, and the articles of
containing no provision in re-
gard to this matter, inventors were obliged
to apply for patents to the legislatures of
the States. Rumsey's invention is described
as a method of propelling vessels by means
of the reaction of 4 stream of water forced
by the agency of steam through 4 trunk or
cylinder parallel 10 the keel-out at the
water in which the vessel tloated, it was be-
lieved would cause the vessel to move for
ward. The legislature gave him the ex-
elusive right to the use of his Invention for
ten years. He afterwards formed a society
in Philadelphia called the Rumseian Society,
of which DR.. Franklin and Levi Helings-
worth were members, for the purpose of
his boat and other inventions,
but like most geniuses he met with little
SUCCESS. John Fetch claimed priority for
his steamboat which led to q contest be-
tween them, and neither protited by their
efforts to introduce steam boats. In 1888,
the legislature passed an act entitled " an
act for making the river Susquehanna navi-
cable from the line of this State to tide
WATER from which we learn that Il COM
pany, of which William Augustine Wash
in nton Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Thos.
Russell, Aquilla Hall, John Churchman,
and forty others, mostly of Baltimore city,
had subscribed the sum of Els, 800, and had
obligated themselves to raise the further
sum of 81, 800 for the purpose named in the
title of the act. The legislature considering
the enterprise a laudable one, incorporated
the company under the name Of 1.-The
proprietors of the Susuuehanna Canal"
and enacted that they should meet at Havre
de Grace in February, 1874, and elect 4
Governor and three Directors. This was
the origin of the old Maryland Canal which
was one of the first works of the kind char