The Washington herald., 1909-01-24

/ time The machinery obediently respond
ed 20 the touches Of its creator and the
boat swung round and moved Up stream
against the currents. while a mighty
shout arose from hundreds of throats-
"She Moves says Gen Gates.
7 was standing next 10 Gen. Gates"
said MAJ Bedinger in depicting the scene.
I The general was near-sighted and
watched the preparations for starting the
T boat with much interest through his
( field glasses When the boat moved out
I into the stream and then proceeded up
the river he took of his hat and ex-
claimed in awe-struck tones: Ny God,
I She moves
The boat moved up the river for a Dis
7 tance OF q half mile, returned, proceeded
down the river a short distance. and con
tinued 20 maneuver In the river for
about the space of two hours" On one
I trip several ladies were taken aboard
I They were Mrs James Rumsey. Mrs
8 Charles Morrow, Mrs AbTam Shepherd
Mrs Mark and little daughter. Ann. who
: afterward became Mrs. John Baker And
these were the first women who first
F travelled on 2 steamboat in the history
OF the world. The average speed at
Jained by the boat at this time was three
miles an hour. A week later. December
Il, 17S7 q speed Of four miles an hour
/ was reached
The Virginia Gazette and Winchester
Advertiser January Il. I7SS. gave The fol-
lowing account OF the second trip
"On the IIth day OF last month Mr.
Rumsey's steamboat with more than
half her loading (Which was upward OF
three tonsl and a number OF people on
board, made a pT0S-ess CT four miles IN
one hour against the current OF Potomac
River. by the force OF steam. without
any external application whatsoever. i'm
PEELED by a machine that VIII not cost
more than % gUineas for a ten-ton boat
and that viii not consume more than fouT
bushels Of coal. or the equivalent OF
wood in twelve hours. Z is thought II
some pipes Of the machine had not been
ruptUred by the freezing Of water. which
had been left in them the night before
and which ruptuTes were only sealed by
rags tied around them. that The boat S
way would have been at the rate Of seven
or eight miles an hour As this inveu-
ton is easily applied 10 boats or ships o;
all dimensions. 70 smooth. shallow. and
rapid rivers. or the deepest and roughesl
I seas, freightinE Of sU kinds viii be re-
duced TO one-third Of its present ex-
pense"
Dies at Critical Time.
After these successful experiments
Rumsey went 10 Philadelphia. where he
interested men and firms Of high promi-
/ tnence in that city. and a Rumseyan So
Iciety was organized. Of which Benjamin
Franklin was president. L was on the
advice Of that society and OF George
Washington. Patrick Henry. and many
other distinguished men that Rumsey
loaded with letters OF the highest recon-
mendation and certificates galore signed
By welI-known Americans Of prominence
set sail for England in May. I7SS, 10 seeB
patents for his invention and 10 Interest
men Of science.
In his letters from there to friends al
home he complained Of his poverty. which
delayed the success Of fhis negotiations
After many struggles he succeeded il
getting enough money 10 construct a bOat
100 feet long that he could show the Eng
lishmen the possibilities Of his invention
But Rumsey did not live 10 see the sue.
cess OF this his latest boat He wa.
stricken with ap0plexy while making ar
address before the Society OF Arts at n,
. Adelphi Hotel, dying the next evening
December .. 1872
England Acknowledges.
T An interesting and important histor
= ical fact disclosed by the records ar,
letters written from London by Runlsey
in which he refers 90 young American
Robert Fulton. "an ingenious youth.
with whom Rumsey seems TO have got OF
j terms of more or less intimacy Another
= Circumstance Is that Michael Bedinger, o
r ShepherdstOwn, while on a visit in Ken
) lucky discussed the matter OF Rumseyi
= invention with young man named Fitch
, who was later driven away from Rum
r sey's shop in Shepherdstowa- There Is n,
mention OF either Fulton or Fitch eve
? having conceived the idea Of the steam
: boat until after one had met Rumsey il
! London and the other had been told o
2 the invention
D Rumsey's body IS buried near WesJmin
J ster Abbey. and q tablet there proclaim
= him the inventor OF the first steamboat
= In this the English have done justic
e that his own cOuntrymen have denie
= him. How true the prophetic warning
= OF Washington, How characteristic an
! typical OF the cruel fate that has befaile
5 many Of the worlds greatest geniuses!