The Washington herald., 1909-05-02
INCIDENTS OF EARLY DAYS

The many admirers OF the excellent
Washington cat Of the Fulton medallion
and the replica OF the Clermont in last
Sundays Herald are wishing that Wash
ington might have some place IN the COM
! ing celebration Of the Fulton centennial,
for IL was in our own Rock Creek that
the FIRST working model Of this first OF all
practical steamboats, was foated.
Robert Fulton was the guest Of the big
hearted and wealthy oVne- Of Kalorama
Joel Barlow. and under the stimulus q
Barlow's appreciation OF the possibilities
Of Fulton's dream. the dream became a
reality and the muddy stream wider and
less muddy than now was the first water
IN America TO be churned by wheels pro-
PEELED by steam.
The use Of steam Is such q matter Of
course 10 ali now living that IL is hard
to appreciate the marvellous innovation il
was in the life Of Fulton's contemporar-
les. a faint echo Of the wonderment. in
terest. or ignorance Of the subject can be
cleaned from reports OF accidents which
were quite frequent before the mystery
OF the giant force Of steam was accom-
plishe6
There vas an explosion aboard the Leg
islator in New York waters. and the New
York Evening Post OF June >. IS, wrote
with solemnity about the wrong Of using
iron for the flue which blew up ard killed
some of the crew. The editor declares
Whereas. had It been OF copper like ali
Of the fues OF the Fulton principle. the
accident could not have happened The
Fulton principle IS universally approved
and employed IN France. and We know
that where this is used in the United
States there IS no danger OF the machjn-
cry accidentally giving way. because COP
per IS not likely tO-burSt or explode When
so much worn down as not 10 resist pres
sure OF the steam it gives certain indi-
cations of this state. so thus opportunity
TO repair is had, but iron bursts all at
once All confidence in steam as a safe
mode Of travel has almost entirely dis
appeared
WashingtOn's pro bono publico" also
rushed into print on the subject Of the ac-
cident Of the iron fiue; but ne did not
worry about the material OF which con-
strueted, but OF the captains measure of
steam. At the inquest Capt Fisher said
he was running under twelve inches Of
steam. but could have run under a few
inches more The Washington writer
wished 10 know why the steam was meas
ured by inches. why not as well say feet
or fathoms- For. wrote he. this new
tangled system viii become so entirely a
delusion and a snare that L VIII induce
persons 10 lay aside the most expeditions
and salutary mode Of conveyance invent
ed and put in operation By our immortal
Fulton Ask, on traveller. instead OF as
10 inches. what is the area Of the safety
valve. and what weight do you keep up-
on it. Thus you can decide for your
self the amount OF steam and how FAR you
can depend upon your ovn safety"
L IS odd 10 say the least. that in the
second edition Of DR.. Dsrwin's Botanic
Garden. published IN 1851, fourteen, years
before the first steamboat f7Oated her ban
ner upon the Hudson. appear the lines
of prophecy
Scon shall thy arm. uncunquer'd steam
Drag the SLOW barge or drive the rapid car
Or o. zide waving wings expanded bear
The flying chariot thrDUgh the helds Of air
Two-thirds Of the prediction have been
verified. but the Wright brothers seem to
have found "a more excellent way TO
explore ''the fields Of air.
Miss Jefferson at school.
The school children. their Easter holiday
already forgotten. daily turn shining
faces" TO the calendar to mark
the steady approach OF the next legal
excuse for staying from lessons. But IL
May 30 seems a long way OF and tasks
q bore these lovely days, let them read