The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1897-11-30
The STEAM ENGINE.
Spain said 10 own tbs Honor Of rts Dis-
cOvery.

spain said 20 own the Honor OF tts Dfe-
covery.
Various countries claim the credit
of having made the earliest praoti-
cal application of steam power; but,
judging by facts gathered from
authentic sources, il was in Spain
that the movement of machinery by
steam was first brought under pub
lie notice. At Barcelona, in the year
1543, a mechanic named BIasco de
Garay, after many persistent efforts,
succeeded in impressing Charles V
of Austria (Charles / of Spain)
with the value of his new In
vention for driving chips by steam.
The trial which took place was CON-
sidered a success by the public, but
the chief Of the royal commission
Ravago, the treasure keeper of the
kingdoIn-for certain sinister rea-
sons persuaded the emperor that the
discovery was of no practical value,
and so ruined the hopes of Blasoo
de Garay.
Later on, about the beginning Of
the seventeenth century, Giovanni
Branca, an Italian, invented a steam
engine, and his machine is the first
of which we have any descriptive
or pictorial record About this came
period, too, France produced q
claimant for the glory of having in
vented the steam engine, and !. arion
Delorme, in a letter to NJ. de Cling
Mars, dated Paris, 1914, gives an ac-
countof him in a visit TO the Bicetre
with the Marquis of Worcester;
1--WE were crossing the court Of
the madhouse, and ], more dead
than alive with fright, kept close to
my oompanionr side, when fright
full face appeared behind some Inn
mense bars, apd a hoarse voice ex-
claimed: I am not mad! ] am not
mad i have made a discovery
which would enrich the country that
adopted it What has he discov-
eredi' / asked of our guide. Oh
he answered, struggling his shout
ders. something trifling enough.
You would never guess Il. Its the
use of the steam of boiling water
1 began to laugh. This man, con-
tinued the keeper, is Solomon de
Caus. He came from Normandy
four years ago to present to the king
a statement of the wonderful effects
that might be produced from his
inyention. The cardinal sent the
mailman away without listening to
him. Solomon de Caus, far from
being discouraged, followed the car
dinal wherever he went with ,the
most determined perseverance, who,
tired TO death with bis folly, order
ed him to be shut up in the Bieetre,
where he has now been for 81
years.
Lord Worcester was CONDUCTED
to his Ode Caus } cell and came back
sad and thoughtful He is indeed
mad now, said he. Misfortune and
captivity have alienated his reason,
but it i you whdkhave to answer
for his madness.~When you cast
him into that cell, you confined the
greatest genius of the age,
Twenty-Five years after the above
incident, in 1868, in a work of his
called Century of Inventiops," the
Marquis of Worcester described a
steam apparatus of his own. Papin
followed with his invention in 1851.
Captain Savery's engine for water
raising was made In 1893, and in
17l2 Thomas Newcomer construct
ed the first self acting steam engine
which worked successfully for over
a century, and with it the age of
steam may be said to have been In
augurated!-Lbyd's Weekly News
paper. -.