Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-11-12
Captain Eads' Start In Life.
Wide Awake.

Wide Awake.
Last December, on the steamship
Germania, played chess with tho
great civil engineer. Captain Eads,
stimulated by the thought that 70
beat him was to defeat the man who
had twice conquered the Mississippi.
But didn't defeat him.
James B. Eads was born in Indi-
ana in 1920. He is slender in form,
neat in dress, genial, courteous, and
nearly sixty years of age. In 1883
his father started down the Ohio
river with his family, proposing to
settle in Wisconsin. The boat
caught fire and his scanty furniture
and clothing were burned. Young
Eads barely escaped ashore with his
pantaloons, shirt and cap. Taking
passage on another boat, this boy Of
thirteen landed at st. Louis with his
parents, his little bare feet first
touching the rocky shore of the city
on the very spot where he afterwards
located and built the largest steel
bridge in the world, over the Missis-
sippi-one of the most difficult fsats
of engineering ever performed in
America.
At the age of nine young Esds
made short trip on the Ohio, when
the engineer Of the steamboat e.
planned to him so clearly the con-
struction of the steam engine that
before he was year ol1er he built 4
little working model OF it, so perfect
in its parts and movements that his
schoolmates would frequently 90
home with him after school to sec il
work. A locomotive engine, driven
by a concealed rat, was ono of Liz
next juvenile feats in mechanical
engineering. From eight to thirteen
he attended school; after which,
from necessity, he was plnced -
clerk in dry goods store.
Over the store in st. Louis where
he was engaged, his employer lived.
He was an old bachelor, and having
observed the tastes Of his clerk, gave
him his first book on engineering.
The old gentleman's Library {nxn-
Az - a. !! W
during the i've years he was thus
employed. Finally. his health fail
ing at the age Of nineteen, be won't
on Mississippi river steamer; from
which time to the present day that
great river has bsen to him IN ala
absorbing study.
Soon afterward he formed : part
nership with friend to build . small
boat to raise cargoes of vessels sunk
en- in the Mississippi. While this
boat Was building he made his first
venture in submarine engineering,
on the lower rapids Of the river, by
the recovery Of several hundreds
tons of lead. He hired scow or fiat-
boat and anchored it over the wrsck.
An experienced diver, clad in armor,
who had been hired ct considerable
expense in Buffalo, was lowered into
the water; but the rapids were 40
swift that the diver, though encased
in the strong armor. feared to bo
sunk to the bottom. Young Eads,
determined to succeed, and finding
it impracticable to use the armor,
went ashore, purchased . whisky-
barrel, knocked out the head, e.
tached the air-pump hose to il, faat-
encd several heavy weights to the
open end Of the barrel; then, swing
ing it on derrick, he had . pracfi-
cal diving bell-the best use / ever
heard made Of . whisky barrel.
Neither the diver nor any Of the
crew would 60 down into this CON-
trivance, 90 the dauntless young en-
gineer, having full confidence in
what he had read in books, was low.
cred within the barrel down to the
bottom; the lower end OF tho barrel
being open. The water was sixteen.
feet deep, and very swift. Finding
the wreck he remained BY it :, full
hour, hitching ropes to pig lead till.
q ton or more was safely hoistsd into
his own boat. Then making . sig-s
nal by small line attached 10 the
barrel, he was lifted on deck and in
command again. The sunken cargo
was soon successfully raised and was
sold, and nettsd . handsome profit,
which, increased by other Successes,
enabled energetic Eads to build
larger boats with powerful pumps
and machinery on them for lifting
entire vessels.
(
A museum in the city Of Mexico
contains remarkable sword, made
from an aeiolite or meteor that fell
in the State Of Durango, Mexico. A