Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-10


and when James Rumsey WINS in 1854 expert
menting at Shepherdstown, on the Potomac,
with boat 70 be propelled against n stream by
machinery, Washington was invited 70 witness
the performance. so widely was it understood
that he was an influential promoter Of new in
ventions. (See his letter to Rumsey in Sparks.
In IVA, when the discomfort among the
American colonies became 90 great that con-
ference Of representatives from all the prov
| inces was resolved upon to secure unity oil
| action, Washington was selected with grea,
unamity As one Of the delegates sent by vir
ginia to the meeting at Philadelphia in Septem.
Congress which assembled there the following
year.
Washington's great and priceless services TO
America in the clash of arms which shortly
after ensued between the mother country and
| the colonies are I am fain to believe, known to
every American capable of enjoying civil
liberty. For this reason the period Of the rev
olution is thus summarily passed over. 1t is also
known that throughout that memorable strug.
gle It was Washington's personal magnetism
| and the faith his soldiers had that enabled him
to overcome the apparently insurmountable
difficulty Of keeping his forces in the field
against the enemy in spite OF an empty ex-
chequer, depleted commissary and q lack OF
clothing. For period the extreme hnrdships
growing out OF the deficiencies in the necessary
supplies rut to a supreme test the greatness of
| Washington as q leader and . patriot. and re-
| quired a fortitude and an inventive genius OF
the highest order to keep his soldiers together.
However, his virtues and rectitude from
the beginning. and his conduct at
every stage Of the contest, determined the end
end crowned the work. Washington WAS re-
| ferred 20 by Lord Byron AZ the great Cincin-
natus Of the west, who. like his classic proto-
| type, was called from his favorite pursuit
that Of asriculture-to command the armies Of
his country in defense Of its liberty against q
| formidable enemy. Having brought the strug-
gle to a successful issue Washington, like Gin
clnnatus, was tempted with crown and like
| him Internationally laid down supreme power
to become once more the private citizen and
| to return, like Cincinnatus. to his pillow and to
the peaceful pursuits Of his plantation on the
Potomac.
Washington possessed to an eminent degree
those special qualities which are characteristics
of the most astute inventors. and had not his
time been SO fully taken up in the more i'm
portant affairs of his country he would in all
probability have given much attention to i'm
provements in agriculture and the machinery
aud implements used i'll the domestic arts and
which are 80 essential to the comforts Of life.
Washington had made for him the first pump
used in the town Of Alexandria, and another
placed at Mount Vernon, at time when but
few had been put in competition with 1.-The old
oaken bucket, the rope and wlndlass, or the
balance lift so common in wells throughout the
south in early days.
AT MT. VERNON AFTER THE WAR.
About the period of his return to Mount
Vernon after the war Washington was in the
enjoyment Of highest physical vigor and
mental activity. At this time circumstances
had forced upon him a very heavy correspond
ence. foreign and domestic, on q multitude of
subjects.
Washington was strongly inclined to engage
In experimental Investigations. and on a wide
range Of subjects, as the following extracts from
his diary will evince:
December l, 1785. In order to try
the difference between burning Spermaciti and
tallow candles-I took one OF each
''The LIST. weighing 8 OF 10pcgr
I'd Ditto g" 2p
and lighted them at the same instant-the first
burnt hours and II minutes; when Of the lat
ter there remained IA pennyweights which con-
tinued to burn one hour and quarter longer
making in all hours and SO minutes.-By
which it appears Gas both burnt without fair
ing) that. estimating spermaciti Candles at
pr Id Il Tallow candles at pr lb the former
is dearer than the latter a. 80 ia to nearly Is.
In other words more than AZ dearer."
Monday, Jan. 30, 1886 On sixteen
square rod Of ground in my lower pas
t9re; I put 14o bushels Of what We call
Marie viz on four Of these. No VT corner vere
placed 80 bushels-on others So VT corner 20
bushels-on others So Eft corner 40 bushels
and on the remaining 4-20 bushels. This MARI
was spread on the sod in these preportions-to
try first whether what we have denominated to
be MARI possesses any virtue as manure-and
secondly-if it does the quantity proper for
an acre"
In a letter to Gen. Lincoln dated Mount YER
non. February 8, 1856, Gen Washington uses
the following language in relation to o sup
posed important discovery:
1.-THE discovery of extracting fresh water
from salt, by simple process and without the
aid Of fire, will be Of amazing importance to
the sons Of Neptune, if it is not vitiatei or
rendered nauseous by the operation, and can
poses Of other fresh water at sea. Every mar
thine power in the world In this case ought, in
my opinion, to offer some acknowledgment to
the inventor" Sparks Washington
Monday, March 9th; Returned to the
weather had impeaded, brought carts from the
Plantation to assist in drawing in the materials
for the work
Thursday, March 9Th. Finished the
Mound on the right and planted the largest
it-ground too wet to do anything to the other
Mound on the left"
MAKING A BARREL pLow.
The following extracts from Washington's
diary give the details of hislexperience in making
what he called Barrel Plow" to be attached
to a harrow in such a manner as to deposit
seed in the ground when in motion:
'ffluay. April TN, loo. I'D to
Muddy hole Plantation and finding the ground
which had been twice plowed to make my
experiments in was middling dry in some
places, though wet in others, l tried my drill
or Barrel Pillow; which requiring some altera-
tions in the harrow. obliged me to bring it to
the Smith s-Shop-This suspended my further
operations with it today.
Saturday Sth &. Rid little after sunrise
to Muddy hole to try my drill pillow again which
with the alteration of the harrow yesterday
find will fully answer my expectation-and that
1t drops the grains thicker, or thinner in proper
less there is In it the faster it issues from the
occasions Il presume) q pressure on the holes
that do not admit of free discharge of the seed
through them-whereas a small quantity (sufii-
cient at all times to cover the bottom Of the
barreD is in manner sifted through them by
the revolution Of the barrel.
Monday 10th. Began my brick work today
first taking the foundations Of the garden
houses Us they were first placed, and repairing
the damages in the walls occasioned by the re-
mOval-and also began to put my palisads on
the wall
Complicated sowing with 20 quarts the
drilled oats in the ground intended for expert
ments at Muddy hole; which amounted TO SO
rows ten feet apart Qncluding the parts Of
Rows sowed on Saturday fast)-in the after
noon l began to SOW Barley but finding that
there were too many Seeds discharged from
the barrel notwithstanding l stopped every
other hole discontinued the sowing until an
other Barrel with smaller holes cd be prepared.
The ground in which these oats have been
sowed-and in which the Barley seeding had