The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-11
INVENTORS OPPOSED
GREAT MECHANICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
ORIGINALLY NOT POPULAR
walter Scott Against Gas Lights and
Papin's Steamboat Destroyed.
Ineering Magazine.

-.
One of the most remarkable things in the
history of man-ind is the opposition TO the
introduction of inventions and improvements
which has existed from the earliest times.
and still exists to some extent.
When. in 1907, Papin. OF France. the in
ventor of the digester in universal use for
papermaking and many other purposes. and
also Of the lever safety valve. made a small
steamboat and ran il down the river Fulda,
the ignorant boatmen, who. like some OF
the laboring men of the present day. thought
it would injure their business. seized and
destroyed 1t.
So. too. when Jonathan Hulls patented his
steamboat in England in 1876. he was laughed
at and ridieuled in every conceivable way.
One paper published the following doggerel
in reference to him:
Jonathan Hulls,
With his patent skulls,
Invented a machine
To go against wind and stream,
But he, being an ass,
Couldn't bring II 10 pass.
And so was ashamed to be seen.
When jacquard invented his loom. which
French Minister of War. caused him TO be
brought into his presence and said to him:
"Are you the man who can do what the
Almighty cannot-tie knot in stretched
string?" There was the strongest opposition
to its introduction, eliminating in a mob
of the silk weavers. VINO took 1T from his
house into the streets, broke 1t up and
burned the fragments.
1t was the same with Hargreaves in Eng
land, when he invented his spinning jenny
in 176S. He was prosecuted by his fellow
workmen, who seized his machine, broke
1t in pieces and drove him from his native
town.
That invention, with the improvements of
Arkwright and Crompton. and the invention
of the cotton gin by Whitney. who was
outrageously defrauded of his rights, have
changed the entire art Of producing woven
fabrics. Indeed, so far as the cotton in
dustry Of the world is concerned. they may
be said to have created the industry. which
has so Immensely cheapened the product
that it Is used the world over.
This opposition to and unbelief in the pos
not been confined to the ignorant alone, but
has been shared by many educated and even
great men, When It was proposed to build
Livingston, one Of the greatest men in the
State of New York. published letter in
which, as he thought, ne demonstrated the
taking.
His reasons were, first, 1t would require a
Of the osd and o. @ would be
pensive that 1t would not pay; second, the
momentum of such a moving body as a train
could not be stopped until it got several miles
past the place; and, third. no ore would
want TO risk his life flying through the air
hour.
So. too. Daniel Webster expressed grave
doubts as to the possibility of railroads,
saying, among other things, that the frost
on the rails would prevent the train from
moving or from being stopped If II did move.
When the Baltimore. & Ohio railroad was
| first opened from Baltimore to Ellieott City.
pany composed of prominent citizens, among
whom was Mr.. Seaton. editor of the Wash
In describing the trip. which was by cars
| drawn by horses, on the old fiat or bar rail
| spiked to wooden stringers. he said they
| were in mortal terror. lest some of the cat
| tie feeding on the roadside should get on the
| track and throw them off: In winding up
| it possible that it might be OF use for the
| carriage OF goods, as on a fiat, smooth sur
face. like the rails. horse could haul much
! as TO travel by rail, he said he thought II
! possible to attain speed OF twelve miles an
hour. which would be as fast as any one
Now, when we have in the United States
| about 10000 miles of railroad tracks-an
| motive four and half months, travelling at
| the rate of sixty miles an hour and twenty
four hours day, without a s!.gle stop-to
| traverse it1and when on some the regular
| speed is one mile per minute. and for short
runs even more, one can hardly believe that
such ideas were ever entertained. least Of
| all by men such as those mentioned.
| When Murdoch invented or discovered a
means for producing Illuminating gas, no
culed the idea OF using It for iirRtng p raar-
| poses, and said. If II was TO be used for
| street lighting, they would have to use the
| dome of st. Paul's for a gasometer.
/ ahouf
sending light, through street p.pes'' and
lighting London by smoke" but SUISSE
aston. scientific man, said: They might as
well attempt TO- light London with a slice
| from the moon.'
| OF London demonstrated mathematically that
the electric current could not be divided for
trn lie Lighting but to-day the CON
| OF incandescent lights Illuminating every
| spot where civilized man resides
But the strangcst of all things in this con-
nection is the fact that. even in this en-
| lightened age. there are men who still in
SYST that inventions are injurious. 1t is not
many years since that in paper published
at the national capital. there was the state
ment that the invention of the steam en-
CINE and the sewing machine were two of
| Inc greatest curses that ever befell mankind.
IS. moreover. matter Of history that
In certain sections of this enlightened land
prayers were ferventiy offered in churches
beseeching that the wickedness Of the newly
| invented sewing machine, which, II was
supposed, would rob the sewing women OF
their means Of obtaining living, might be-
come apparent and its promoters be stricken
| by a conviction OF their wrong-doing in maxi
| ing 1t, and thus be told by heaven to desist
| from its manufacture.
As illustrating the difficulty of securing
| the adoption of new ideas, 1 may mention g.
| more recent instance. When the war broke
out in 1861 i spent much time in the EFFORT
| to induce the government to adopt breech-
| loading guns and metallic cartridges, but it
| took three years 20 secure the former, and
the latter were not adopted until 1868.
In 1861 or 1862 the president Of the Shapes
Rifle Company came to Washington TO Sc
cure contract to furnish its rife for the
Berdan sharpshooters. endeavored TO con-
vince him OF the advantages which would
result If 1t would adopt the metallic car
fridge and reduce the caliber of its gun, but
in vain. He said the metallic cartridge
| would never be adopted, and the chief OF
ordnance, in April, 1864. told me that the
government would never adopt II. Now
both have been adopted the world over.