The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-20
JOB AS 4 STEAM ENGINEER.
An Interpretation Of His Book which
Makes Hin the Pioneer of Steam En-
gineeTing

The last place in which one would
be the book of Job. Yet a recent au-
thor has presented in large octave
volume of 1862 pages his conclusions on
this very point. They are to the effect
that the entire steam plant, railway
organization, boiler and engine prac-
tice, are treated of by the inspired
writer. We allude to the work of Mr..
Samuel O. Trudell, entitled ga Won
derful Discovery in the Book of job"
If the authors view of the case were
adopted, new chapter in the history
of the steam engine would be supplied,
and the Marquis of Worcester would
have to yield to Job as the pioneer in
steam engineering.
Behemoth and the Leviathan have
always been adopted by many COM
nentators as the animals referred to.
But Mr.. Trudell goes beyond the most
doring inovator, and in revised ver-
sicn of the passages relating to these
monsters finds illusions to the steam
engine of to-day. A description of the
method followed in his new interpre-
tation will give the best idea Of this
most striking effort in the field Of bibli-
cal criticism.
| The author, fully to support his the
ory, has been compelled to furnish
new rendering of the parts Of the book
Of Job which he uses. Accordingly
We find translation given of the pas
sages in chapter xl. and XII. which re-
late to the Behemoth and Leviathan.
The claim is made without reserve
that it is the modern steam engine in
its different forms that is there de-
scribed. 1t is evident that our space
does not permit us to give the full
bases for the argument. The separate
verses are made subjects of as many
chapters, and the anaiogies traced be-
tween the descriptions in the poetry of
Job and the more prosaic steam motor
are really surprising. Tho most Gu
rious details are traced out, such as the
supply of water to the boiler, the up
right smoke-stack, and even the ma
nipulation of the stock of railroad COM
panies is found described. The size and
number of pages in the volume give
the besl evidence of the work bestowed
by the author upon his labor of love.
1t may be worth while to cite from
the special translation appended to the
book some of the most striking pass
ages. The account begins chapter xl.,
I'm prott4oI2hnld now one with great
V. ID, bene4s's1rrrr--~r------ ---~-.-~T
heat, he will coihsume fodder
os we'll as cattle do," which is pret y
fair description of steam engine. A
little further on, V. II, it says, "His tail
will set upriht like cedar" This, the
author concludes, refers to the smoke
stack. In v. IS we find, "His hollow
bones are tubes of brass, his solid bones
are bars of iron," which is very good
embodiment Of modern engineering
practice. In v. II, which the special
translation renders, HE will rest be-
neoth light shelters and within COW
er!ng of fibrous reeds and clay" the
author finds an allusion to non-con-
Quoting covering for boilers and steam
pipes. Going on to the next chapter,
we find V. 6 thus rendered, "Companies
will feast upon him, they will share
him among spectators" which it is
needless to say fits the case of modern
railroad companies and spectators ex-
actly. THIS is one of the extraordinary
parallels of the work. 1t is perhaps
equaled by V. . of the same chapter,
where the hook (ring) in the monsters
nose j. construed as an allusion to the
piston rings OF locomotive, and where
the jaw bored through with thorn
supplies an rllusion to the piston head
bored through with its piston rod. The
bad effects of an engineer allowing his
water to run down is given in the same
chapter, v. 25, From dryness render
ing him furious, he will not have pow
er to to withhold; the curved vault be-
ing to break up and also the arnor."
This, of course, means that the engin-
eer must watch his water gauges or
there will be an explosion.
For portion of V. %, chap. xl., and
for V. 24 Immediately following the
author furnishes the following transla-
ton "Behold he will absorb river
and not fret; he will gather it
up in his fountains by means of traps
and with a perforated nozzle" Our
author in this finds described to action
of pump with its valves (traps,) and
the perforated suction pipe with a
screen at its end to exclude solid par
ticles. Even the coupling together of
u train OF cars is found in V. of the
next chapter Thou wilt extend Le-
| SldludH Will ~ tlOoN3 VA "ACA4 q SA1etAN -
which thou wilt cause his tongue to
press down." The tongue our author
believes is the representative Of the
coupling link. and the hollow draw
head and pin is the "snare." The
caulking of the boiler is found in V. Is
of this chapter: His strength de-
pends on courses Of shields closed up
tightly with seal" Our author finds
nothing clearer than The shields" are
boiler plates, and the "seal" the caulk-
ing iron. He reserves, however, the
possibility that the steam riveter is the
sealing mechanism.
This much is enough to give an idea
of the book. The author has been his
own Hebraist. The Semitic student
and authOr Rabbi Beniimiu SZ0ld. of