Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1911-12-29
new! NEWS OF YESTERDAY
Yankee Who Was Years Ahead
4,.s of His Time.
Charles lngersoli Long Ago Devised
Self.PropeIled Vehicle and Was
+, Arrested by the ConstabIes
Of Stamford.
BY 6. j. EDWARDS.


automobile ride over road which par.
sallels the northern boundary OF New
York state and Connecticut-in fact,
being exactly upon the verge of that
line-I was shown little, old-fashion-
ed stone house which stood apart from
the other farmhouses in that vicinity
"a house almost concealed by grove
Of elms and naples. In it was born
the first American to discover means
by which vehicles could be self-pro'
PEELED, and be actually put his discov'
cry into practice.
This man was one of the great cap
tains of industry of the United States,
and like many of them he died in the
nineties, if not in real poverty, at least
without any considerable possessions.
His name was Charles Ingersoll, and
it has been estimated that by means
of one of his inventions not only has
The wealth Of the civilized world been
increased by hundreds Of millions OF
dollars, but, in addition, much of the
development which has been so mar
Vicious within the past fifteen or TWEEN.
ty years would have been greatly de-
layed but for the steam rock drill
which his genius gave to the world.
One of Ingersoll's boyhood play.
mates was Dr. Beverly E. Mead OF
Greenwich, Conn, now man nearly
ninety years of age.
When ] was lad of fifteen or six
teen years Of age" said Dr.. Mead re-
Gently, II often saw lngersoll at work
upon an improvised boiler which he
had made himself. One day, as ]
stood watching him, he said tc me:
II am going to make an engine and
boiler and l am going to fix it to IA.
theirs carriage and you will see me
driving that carriage without any
horse
But it was not until some twenty
FIVE years later that Ingersoll, who
had gained in the meantime some.
thing of reputation as an inventor
vi dppul aus. iohhN 'aiiiS -
work out his old plan of building a
self-propelling vehicle. Then, 20 a
wagon somewhat like market wag
on, although not quite so long, he at
tached a boiler and an engine, hav-
ing in the wagon little coal bin
from which he fed the furnace IN
this wagon, after some preliminary eX-
Pronunciation upon country roads, he
rode into the city of Stamford, Conn.,,
one day, and great was the amaze
ment to behold a man riding about the
streets with his wagon under perfect
control-for he had a steering appar-
atus-but not having il pulled BY a
horse.
In little while the constables Of
the city apprehended him. They had
pity on him, thinking that he was a
demented man, so that instead Of pros
ecuting him for breach Of the peace.
as was first proposed, they dismissed
him with caution and upon his prom
Use not again to appear upon the pub
lie streets driving his mysterious ve-
hicle.
well, | will do as you say lnGer-
soil told them. j myself think it is
best now not to make use OF this high
way car'-tbat is what he called it..
For the horses see it, and they won
der what makes it move, and as they
can't reason the thing out they gel
frightened Then, just as he vas go.
ing away with his car in tow, he add
ed:
=" Gentlemen, want to make pre-
diction. want to say to you that
some Of you will live long enough to
see the self.propelled wagon practical
~ supplanting the horse. | hope |
myself shall live long enough to wit
ness the coming OF that day see il
now. in my mind. as clearly as sec
any of you. What have done is only
crude. | could make it much better.
Perhaps something better than steam
power may be found TO drive the en-
CINE: but as sure as | am here the
prophecy, Wagons without horses
shall co. is going to be fulfilled
Having made this prediction, Mr.
Ingersoll turned his attention to 9th
er inventions which he had in mind
and at last gave the world the steam
rock drill with which his name is now
associated permanently and which has
proved one of he most valuable aids
in developing progress, not only in the
United States, but throughout the
world, of all those invented since the
steam locomotive. the electric tele.
graph and the cotton gin.
Copyright. 1911. BY Z. ]. Edwards. AID
Rights Reserved.J
Wife's Right Recognized.
Roman law recognized the inalien.
able right of wife TO certain pro-
portion OF her husbands property after
his death. ,and this right is enforced
in ScotlanEand almost every country
in the civilized world, including those
countries where the Mohammedan re-
ligion is practiced. New Zealand at
first followed the bad custom OF the
mother country of leaving the wife de.
psadeut on her husbands caprice,
~ No. Il p .NtO n1