The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-05-07
Discuss 1.-The Last Half
Century of Scientific
Achievements" ina
way that made
THE FIFTEENTH COMMENCEMENT
OF the lola High School a Splendid
Success and a most Inter-
esting Occasion.
THE CREATIONS IN FULL.
THE BUILDERS or THE FOUNDA TON
RENNTE ELLEN POST

THE BUILDERS or THE FOUNDATION.
BENNIE ELLEN POST
All the world seems to have known of COlum.
bus discoveries soon after he came home, but
all the world did not know at once of the great
inventions which made famous some OF our
Americans. Really, however, the arts advanced
very little between 1880 and 1775. Flint locks
had come instead of match locks. But actually
the men of Bunker Hill rested over the rail
fence old muskets which had been used in
Queen Aune's time. That inability to improve
its own condition comes to q nation which al
lows another country to do its manufacturing
for it. Just as soon as men are thrown on their
own resources they begin to invent
During the first half of the 10Th century there
were inventors in both England and America
who, by their achievements. laid the founda-
ton of inventions which made possible the
glorious progress of the half century we are
here tonight to discuss,
There was certainly one great American In
ventOr before and during the Revolutionary
War period, DR.. Benjamin Franklin. His re-
searches did much to extend our theoretical
and practical knowledge of electricity and the
clearnesS and vigor of his style made his writ
ings popular and spread the study of the
subject
All of you who call to mind the century be-
tween 1850 and 1850 know that it was an age to
which many of the secrets of physical science
were being opened for the first time. The in
vention of the steam engine by Watt and the
spplica ton of it to the locomotive and steam
boat came along toward the end of this period
and marked the work of great men How Watt
succeeded in obtaining funds to continue his
experiments how he finally Joined with Mat
thew BoultOn in the firm of Boulton and Watt
manufacturers OF steam engines. how he ulu-
mately attained prosperity as well as success, is
an interesting story. All the Improvements of
the steam engine were by Watt and be did not
complete their perfect combination before the
vesr 1856. In 1877 Robert Fulton had an eXper-
mental steamboat on the river Seine in France.
1t was sixteen years after that with one of
Watts own engines Fulton drove the Clere-
mont from New York 10 Albany in thirty
hours. and thereby revolutiOnized the world OF
navigation, Before the death of Fulton the
steamboats, on the Hudson river were increased
in number to five.
An efficient locomotive engine still remained
20 be invented, and TO accomplish this object
George stevenson of England applied himself
in the year 1913. Profting by what his prede-
cessors had done,-warned by their failures
and encouraged by their partial successes,-he
began his labOrs. The locomotive was after
much labor and anxiety and frequent altera-
lions of parts, brought 10 completion, having
been about ten months in hand. 1t was placed
on the Killingworth railway on the 18th of J uly
1914 and its powers were tried on the same day
The trial was q complete success and the speed
attained was about four miles an hour. 1t is
interesting as an indication of the opposition
with which Stevenson met TO recall story Of
his experience with the British Association for
the Advancement Of Science, Of that day. 1t is