Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-11-03

dent discovered "A shining metal in the
woods at West Brattleboro, which after
ward was pronounced gold. though found
in too small quantities to pay for working
it. Mr.. Wheeler also invented a revolver
in 1921 According to the late Gov. Fuller,
Mr.. Wheeler made the first working mod
81, and then proposed a breech loading
six-shooting revolving pistol. which anti
dated the Colt firearms by Il years.
samuel $. Pike of Brattlcboro invented u
portable canon during the summer of ISL,
which may have been the conception of the
krupp doubewedge system, embracing
also, the single rapid-tre gun. Mr. Pike
undoubtedly, as Gov. Fuller once said.
gave Samuel Colt many points relating 10
his valuable inventions, and at one time
offered to construct the first revolver for
500. Mr.. Colt thought that too dear. but
he afterward confessed his error of judg
ment. 1t has been demonstrated Ivy do
oumentary evidence that Thomas Daven-
port. a native of Williamstown, was the
inventor of the telegraph. the electric mo-
tor and electric railways. He was
blacksmith by trade, and worked in Bran
den until 1882. Two years thereafter he
made an electric motor. setting 1t on an
carthcn drinking-cup. He exhibited 1t in
New York to a syndicate, who proposed 10
buy it, Prof. S. r.. Morse was one of the
number who examined the invention. In
fessional club several years ago GOV. Fu.-
Ter said: prof. Morse declined to give an
opinion other than this: 1t Is certainly
worthy of consideration. and the subject
is one in which feel lively interest. -"
Davenport also invented a 2i-wire tele-
graph for the sending of messages over
long distances which he had on exhibition
in New York and which was also examined
by Prof Morse, the New York Recorder
of 1887 saying: "A gentleman OF our ac-
qualntance several years since suggest ell
that any intelligence might be communi-
Gated almost instuntaneously hundreds Il
not thousands of miles by means of very
fine wire coated to protect them from mos-
ture and EXTENDED between places thus
widely separated The article which was
quite interesting, is understood to have
referred TO the invention of Morse and
that of Davenport, and Prof Pope of New
YORK. who saw the model. concluded that
Davenports invention furnished the basis
of Morse's future patents. Davenport
scheme included wire for each letter OF
the alphabet, and although Morse began
to investigate the snglewire invention in
1885, he had gone no farther than the the
thought of the use OF magnetism until the
"a wire invention of Davenport with the
key at one end for sending the electric
current and the apparatus at the other
for registering was shown him. Morse,
however. subsequently invented an alpha
bet enabling him to dispense with % Of
Davenport's wires.
To one who enjoys rare old publications.
the field in and about Brattleboro is most
interesting. Probably the first publication
in Brattlehoro was from the press OF Ben
Smead in 1898. 1t being sermon preach ned
at Brattleboro July 3, 1877, by Rev. WI
liam Wells. the officiating pastor of
Christ's church in this place, on the occa-
sion of the burial of Pardon Taylor and
Edward Palmer, both of whom were
drowned the day before in the Connect
eat river. A local physician, who by the
way has a wealth of interesting old docu-
ments extending over a century, has the
first newspaper, the Federal Galaxy, pub
l'shed in Windham county by Benjamin
Smcad some time in 1887. A book which
lad more influence in the treatment of
the poor than any other publication is
entitled New England Chattcls," or
Life in the Northern POorhouse, writ
Ten by Rev. Samuel Hayes Elliot. son OF
Samuel Elliot. for whom Elliot street was
named. This publication mad a wide in
iluence in calling attention To the manner
OF conducting poor-houses at that time.
and was the means OF radical reforma-
ton III the conduct of these institutions.
1t was published in 1857. Previous to this
expose, many of these poor creatures
We're auctioned off to the highest bidder,
and 1t was this practice which Rev Mr..
Elliot sought to eNtirpate. The first h g.
tory of Vermont undoubtedly was pub
lished by Williams in 1924 at Walpole, N
X. The first newspaper at Westminster,
printed December Il, 1880 the Vermont
Gazette and Green Mountain Post Boy,
is In possession of the Vermont historical
society at Montpelier, 1t is said that I,
copy has recently been found in Town
shend. A Brattleboro collector has n full
set of Waltons Vermont directory, begin
ming with the first in 1914