Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-07-18
OUR SERVANT STEAM,
AND ITS WONDERFUL DEVELOPMENT
AS A MOTIVE POWER
In Land and Water Transportatior-A
Unique National Museum
Collection.
iBoeton Herald

placed on exhibition 10 the main hall OF
the National Museum at Washington.
and which il intended to form part OF
a collection in that institution that VIII
tell the story OF the development OF
steam as q motive power in transporta-
ton, is the John Boil" engine, tue
locomotive brought to this country from
England in 1891. This engine Is re-
markable from the fact that it was IN
actual. continuous service for over
thirty years. This venerable and Curl
ous-looking locomotive more than hall
century ago pulled train oftwo or three
cars or coaches, looking like old-fash-
iored siege coaches mounted on car
wheels, and was then considered
wonder OF modern science and me-
chanical skill. The John Bull " IS
honored because it was the original
stock from which the 4" Mogul" Of the
present day has been developed by evo-
luton. The department Of the museum
in which this old engine will have
conspicuous place is in charge OF j. Eli
freth Watkins, Of Camden, n. j.;
will be one OF great interest to me-
chanics and seientiic men, and, IN
measure, to the public generally. In
accordance with the general design OF
the museum the section Of steam trans
portation will exhibit, by means OF
models, drawings, or-as in the case OF
the "John Bull" engine-orginals,
complete history of the growth of
THE RAILROAD AND STEAMSHIP.
Already much material has been col
Iected, and the section, when fully ar
ranged, will be one Of tho most inter-
esting ard instructive in the museum.
The railway-men Of the country recoS-
nize this, for about | 100 Of the most
prominent among them have memo
rislized Congress, asking for an appro-
priation by that body to organize and
equip it, and that such appropriation
should be made and be of liberal pro-
portion no one will question who can
appreciate the importance OF such col
lection to the generations Of the future.
In an interview with a newspaper-man
not long since Mr.. Watkins gave an
idea of what it would be, together with
much that was interesting from a his
toIical point Of view. lie said that it
was the design Of the section in his
charge TO illustrate the birth and de-
yelopment of steam transportation, both
on water and on land. The first COM
mel ally-successful steamboat launched
in America was Fulton's boat, the
Clermont. The next was the PhUnix,
launched about two weeks aiterws.d
by John Stevens and his son, Robert
l.. Stevens, aftsrward the inventor Of The
stevens floating battery. It's proposed
to show engrayiDgs OF the Important
steamboats, that have navigated Ameri-
can waters. The progress OF the sta
tionary stcam.enginc, from the time
when it was only used to pump water
by the creation of vacuum by steam,
will also be shown. The engines o.
Sayery and others show how the pro-
gress Of thought continued until meE
we're able TO connect steam with pis-
ton. That was the first step. The
pext was to link the piston TO lever !;
that lever drove a pump, and the pump
was used to take water out Of mine.
Invention went on step by step until
Watt made his
STATIONARY sTEAM-ENGINE5,
which were used in all large manufac-
tories, machine-shops, ETC., in England,
and imported TO this country. Fulton s
steamboat was driven by one Of Watt
engines. Stevens's PhGnix was driven
by an engine invented by himself. The
Phoenix was, therefore, purely an
American boat, both in construction
and in motive power. Drawings Of the
engines of the Ciermont and Of the
PhUnix will be exhibited. There will
also be an engraving Of the PhUnix as
she appeared the day she arrived in the
Delaware after the first ocean trip ever
made BY steam-vessel. The trip
was made from New York to Phila'
delphia in 1907. During this trip the
boat was beached on Barnegat in order
to repair defect in the wheel, which
vas there rebuilt, and tho vessel then
proceeded on her voyage, finally ar
irving safely at her destination, though
she was supposed TO have been lost.
She was in charge Of Robert L. Ste.
yens. the inventor, VINO went around
with her. Both the Fulton and Phoenix
we're side-wheel boats. The successful
use Of the propeller wheel was the next
important step. There are numerous
claims OF priority for this invention
but Mr.. Watkins believes that 1t IS Of
Chinese origin, as Aatboats were driven
at quite rapid speed by propeller
wheels moved By hand-power hun
dreds Of years ago in that country.
Whether the English got it from the
Chinese or not, be thinks that, perhaps
the first idea of the propeller among
the English came from the old-iashioneC
smokeiacks, which were used in larg'
freplaces, so that the upward drauga
would turn the spit used in cooking
meats. The first steamboat driver
by q propeller, he says, was run across
the Hudson river from HOboken to Ne"
York, about 1904, the engine being
built by Colonel John Stevens, whC
built the engine Of the PhGnix. The
original tubular boiler then used and
portion Of the propeller-wheel are no"
in existence at the Stevens Institute o
Technology at HOboken, y. J. fha
boat was
| MERELY AN EXPERIMENT.
The propeller of ;hese early expert
mental boats was placed on the side
sometimes one being placed on eacf
side of the boat, so as not TO interfere
with the steering apparatus. A ie"
experiments were made in which th'
propeller was placed after the Iudder
which made the boat steer very badly
To Robert L. Stevens and Isaac Drlpps
Mr.. Watkins thinks, belong the credit 0
being the first in this country to sue
cessfully place the rudder after IN
propeller, which made the boat steei
easily, though this may have been don'
previously abroad. This was done iol