The Washington herald., 1909-01-24

tracts from his correspondence will be
found sentences row clearly seen 20 be
freighted with prophesy. Extract from
letter Of Gen. Washington in reply TO
letter from Rumsey written March %
T7S59
Believed in Invention.
1T gives me much pleasure 10 ind by
your letter that YOU are not less sanguine
IN your boat project than when I saw
you IN Richmond and that you have
made such further discoveries as VIII
render them more extensively useful than
was first expected. You have my best
wishes for the success OF your plan"
Here is an extract from a letter from
Gen. Washington 20 Hon. Hugh William
son Of March Is. I7S5.
Nr. McNieckins explanation q the movements q
RuHIseJs boat j. Cuns0uaHt % ny ideaS and va
ranjed hy the principles upon which u sctS
Further than this J an rot az liberty 90 explain
myself but Il a model or thing II miniature Is
1s- REPRESENTATION q q greater 11leCT n TTlCIlCe.
there IS 10 60ubt q the utiy ot the Invention. A
view e his model with the explanation removed he
PRINCIPAL dortt ever bad = the T-acticablity Of
propeirS against stream hy the and Of meCls1lc2l
power pa; be wanted 70 svsu himself q uy iu-
tro5ucrion q IL % the public attention chose PIE
vio-Sly @ see yhe actual Performance q the MODEL
in descending stream before ! passed ms cgTtlr-
cate. ard having done 50. al ny doubts were SITS
6ed
Letter % RUmsey:
Ut. Vernon. Jan. s.. I7S6-
Sir: Il y0G have nc cause 90 change yCur opinion
respecting y0ur mechsnicsl boat. and reasons w
-osn e. ne O. not exsr % delay tae exhibition q
IT, I would advise y0u % EiTe it N the pubic aS
soon ss it can De Trppsri conveniently. Ihe post
Z pcneueu- creates distrust IN ths public mind; Il
gives tine also for the Imagination % work and
D ---
something from another 20 whom T0u have disclosed
the SsCTet should mechanical genus. Therefore
hit upon your plan something slr-i-sr % = 4
need not add that i would place you u an aEk-
ward situation and peThars discCucert az yc- p7-
/ PEGS concerning this useful discovery.
Fer you are not with vcu- exTerlerce ~ life roar
( 10 learn that the shoulders a the public are too
broad 20 feel the weight of the complaints q an n
dividgal 70 regard Ironisos Z they IND It eol-
Teuieus and have the show q Tiaushility On thelr
side 10 rctrac1 then VIII inform sou further Lnat
many recrle r. Guessing your plan have cuue veTJ
near the marx and that one Eho had something q
similar nature to offer 20 the F1hiic vasiea q Ger
tfcate from me that Il was different tr1nl 5oi-rs-
I I told him that as not a. liberty -o declare
what yusr plan was. 50 I DID not think u proper
| 20 SAY wat Z vas not
/ wbate7er nav be your determination silcr tbs
hint have only 70 request that my seltil-el-s on
the subjects nay - ascrihcd 90 friendly motives
/ and taken IN good yaTr. -
] ~llf.lL o. Ata ~ hal'.h AaN fNt---
nv ho1ses IN Bath are. have 50 ready tor winch
( ycu may draw on ne 81 any time and VII se'tie
/ for the whole as soon as possice.
Herewith you VIII receive magazine c'rstalclrg
estimates of the expenses ct the ca12l u Sctill-
4 L felerss O. NJ johnson who requested ne q
fo-rsrs i+ ~ v-7 To hin ycu viii he pleased 60
I ret,.-u the b,ck when you have dcne with T.
I With esteem and regard. an ST ele-, g,
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
4 Interest Runs High
! The fan OF 11S7 was the time Of Rum
seys first public experiment VITA ms
/ beat. In I7S he had built boat. but i
did rot prove satisfactory In January,
/ 17SS. another boat. with what Rumsey
/ considered improved machinery, was con
! strucred. but the river froze UP for the
winter and the experiment was aban-
doned and the boat diSmantled- But N
the fail Of I7N a larger boat had been
Constructed. and all was in readiness foT
the first public experiment with and ex-
! bibition OF the wonderful invention. The
! Potomac. opposite Shepherdstown, JET
ferSon County. Va. 20 which place the
inventor had removed was selected as
the place for the trial The river forms
. beautiful curve at that point. over
Hooked by towering hills. and IS about
TO feet across. wide enough 20 permit oi
the beats evoluuons-
{ When all was ready for this first trial
trip before a curious crowd assembled OF
the hills overlooking the river. there
were TO he seen amcng them men whC
were prominent in their day and many oi
them destined TO be distinguished lead
ers in national life Among them were
Gen Horatio Gates. Gen. William Darke
Mai. Henry Bedincer, Col Joseph Swear
inge0. Capt. Abram Shepherd. Moses
fIoge. the Rev. Robert Stubbs- William
Brice. David Gray. Thomas White. Cor
nelius Wyncocp, and the three Morrow
brothers. whose sister was Rumsey
wife. and who subsequently became IA
nous men IN public life. one becomins
governor Of Ohio and another member
Of Congress.
1t can be imagined with what intense
Interest the crowd witnessed the prepaTa
tions for the trip. TIE machinery was Il
the forward part Of the boat and in th'
stern were seats for the passengers. wh'
were the inventor Charles MORROW, an'
DR.. McMechin- When all was readl
Rumsey gave the word, and the queer
looking craft was showed from the shor'
into the stream. where Il fioated listlessll
II the slow-mOving currents, while Rum
sey busted himself with the machiner!
; TO set it started. There was nc hitch thb