The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-09-29

tious project was successful appliance
OF steam to the propulsion OF a boat.
This he worked on without remit
lance until his object was accomplished
and he had solved. in 1893. the problem
| OF steam navigation a success which an
tedated Fulton's by period Of fourteen
years.
Captain Morey one Sunday morning
While the people were at church set
out alone on his crude invention on the
Connecticut river. The Rev. Cyrus
Mann, now deceased, oversaw this trial
trip when boy at the age Of IL years.
The trial trip was successful, and Cap
tain Morey made four miles an hour
against the current.
Soon afterward Captain Mercy visit
ed New York and consulted with Full
ton and Livingston. They advised
him to put his paddle wheel at me rear
OF his boat. and also his engine. Dur
ing this time Livingston visited Fai-lee
to ascertain the prospects Of success.
But here Captain Morey seems TO
have abandoned his first boat and TO
have built second one for record tells
of steamer which he built and named
the Aunt Sally, much larger boat than
the first. 1t was painted with white
and red stripes. This one was fitted
with side paddle wheels, which could
be turned by hand, and also with a
wheel in the stern, which was propelled
by steam power.
Captain Morey obtained his first pat
ent in 1885. Ii was for Improvement on
the steam engine for the purpose of
steam navigation. The original docu-
ment granting his patent is now in the
possession Of the New Hampshire An
tiGuarian society. Although the patent
office in Washington was destroyed by
fire in 1915 when captured by the Brit
ish this patent has been restored to the
record. Captain Morey also secured
other patents in 1893 and 1900
In 1870, IL is alleged, the steamer was
sunk in Morey lake. And here state
ments conflict. Some assert that Cap
tain Morey, fearing lest his contempt
raries should see his invention and by
infringement on his patent wresr away
the result Of many years of toll and
labor, sunk it at the bottom of the lake.
The other is that jealous enemies FILL
ed it with boulders and sank il.
1t is said to lie at south end of the
lake. few rods off shore, and many
profess to know the exact spot
Several attempts have been made to
secure ii, but al were futile. In 1874
the New Hampshire Antiquarian So
ciety appointed a committee TO raise
the boat, but they sought for il in vain.
at its conjectured location the water is
about eighteen feet deep. Long pick
erel grass is in the way, and the muddy
bottom is SO soft that a pole can be
pushed down to the depth of seven feet
1t is probably completely buried at the
present time.
The original boiler used as a model
was found last fall by Aldrich Adams, a
resident of Fairlee. in the house once
occupied by Captain Morey. 1t was
rescued from a pile of rubb in the at
tic and appeared to be Of an old piece
of stove funnel, but closer examination
revealed its identity as Captain Morey's
model. The date 1892 was plainly
marked on the outside. 1t was one OF
the rudest constructions and put to-
gether with about 200 copper rivets The
pipe was about six inches in diameter
and foot long. 1t had an inner pipe
perhaps two inches shorter than the
outer one. The water compartment
was evidently between the two shells,
and the fire inside the inner one. The
opening where the steam pipe was to
join, and also the water valve. are east
ly distinguished.
The engine model is in the possession
of Judge Kibbe of Fairlee. 1t is about
six inches long. The cylinder of brass
is two inches long and one and a half
inches in diameter. The piston rod
is three and a half inches long. The
piston is of castiron, one and three
eishtbs inches in diameter, and is pack
ed with Irvine. The engine Is support
ed by its steam pipe as a pivot and
spins around this horizontally when
under steam rF --
The Rev. Cyrus ". Mann. who de-
livered the centennial address at the
Town of Oxford, writes:
SO far as is known the first steam