The Washington herald., 1909-01-24

was a farmer. The son was a natural
born mechanic carpenter. blacksmith.
miIIwright he served in the Continental
army and al the close OF the Revolution
ary war located al Bath. Va. then
watering resort noted throughout the col
onies. which Is stiIl famous as such. but
now known as Berkeley Springs Il Is IN
Morgan County. W Va Although u j.
claimed that Rumsey had the idea Of his
invention in mind as early as lIl4. the
first authentic record Of the matter IS 20
be found in a petition addressed 10 the
Maryland legislature, which Is on file at
+ Annapolis, Nd. and which reads:
( Your petitioner has for several years
/ been employed with unremittcd attention
T and al great expense in inventing ard
/ bringing 20 perfection sundry machines
+ and engines, namely, one for propelling
boats on the water by the power Of
steam. which has already been accom-
+ plished in experiment" &C. This petition
4 Is indOrsed- Read Ifth Novembe-. isS3.
and referred TO the next session Of As
sembiy-'
Preserved Utmost Secrecy
! Rumsev was reticeut as TO his expert
ment with his invention. He took few
Z into his confidence and worked in secret
in his shop behind bolted doors and
barred windows. However IL appears
/ that. he confded in one James Wilson. OF
/ Philadelphia, who gave a certificate in
which he made affidavit 20 the fact that
I -'Mr James Rumsey, Of Berkeley County,
/ Va. IN a conversation 1 had with him IN
the latter part Of July OF beginning OF
/ August. told me that he intended TO con
struct a boat 10 20 by the power Of steam
and pointed out the great expense Il
would save in water carriage
! The boat was finished in the fail Of 17S3
and Mr. Harry l. Snyder. Of Shepherds
town, describes il thus: It's estimated
capacity was about six tons burden The
boiler was primitive one-an ordinary
iron cooking pot with lid securely fast
ened there with bands, rivets, and soft
solder The engine had been built by
RumSey. with the assistance Of the VII
/ lage blacksmith and was constructed
upon the atmospheric principle. its power
/ being obtained by The weight Of the al
pressing upon q piston beneath which .
vacuum had been created by the cOnden-
sation OF the steam. The mode Of pro
palsion was by means OF a pump, worked
+ by steam, which being placed toward The
i forward part Of the boat, drew up al eaci
/ alternate stroke Of the engine a quantity
Of water which. by the return or down
stroke, was forced through a trunk al the
bottom along the keelsOn and out az tht
stern under the rudder. The impetus Of
the water rushing through the trunl
against the exterior water Of the river
thus drove the boat forward
The Inventors Description
Rumsey, in a 'Paean or Short Treatis'
on Steam published January, 17SS, thu.
described his boat
In the bottom Of the boat on the kel
son is a trunk. the after end of which j:
open and terminates at the sternpost; th'
other end is closed, and the whole trunk
according 10 its dimensions. OccUpie:
about three-fOUrths part Of the length o
the boat On the closed end Of the trUnl
( stands q cylinder two and half fee
long. From this cylinder there IS a com
muniCatiOn by q tube 10 the river. Of
water. under the boat on the top Of thi!
tube, and within the cylinder. there is
valve 20 admit the water from the rive
into the cylinder. and IL likewise prevents
it from returning the same way. Their
is another communication which let
water pass freely from the cylinder from
the trunk through which Il is discharged
" the stern. On the top Of this cyiinde
there stands another of the same iengtl
xhich is fixed 10 the Under one by screws
In each OF these cylinders the-e is a pis
ton which moves up and down with yer.
little friction. These pistons are cea-ect
ed by smooth bolt passing through IA
bottom Of the upper cylinder. The lowe
cylinder acts as a pump which draw
water from the river through the tube o
the valve before described The uppe
cylinder acts as steam engine and re
ceives its steam from boiler under it
piston. which is then carried up to th
top Of the cylinder by the steam cat tn
same time the piston Of The lower cylin
der is brought Up 10 the top from il
connection with the upper piston by tn
aforesaid b0lO; they then shut the com
mUnicatiCn from the boiler and open an
other 10 discharge the steam or cOnden
sation- By this means the atmospher
: acts upon the piston Of the upper cyln
der its force is conveyed TO the piston o
the lower cylinder by the aforesaid con
nection bolt which forces the water the
in the lower cylinder through the trunl
, with considerable velocity. the reactio
OF which at the other end Of the trunk
the power that propels the boat forward
The first experiment made By Rumse
: with his boat was in October of the yea