The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-10-11
EDITORIAL NOTES

The first steam ferry in the world
made it's first trip between New York
and Hoboken 1O2 years ago today. The
craft was the invention of John Stew
ems, who was a pioneer in many 9TH
er inventions. He was the father of
the United States patent system. He
invented the first condensing, double
acting engine ever budlt in America.
in 1907 he constructed the steamboat
Phoenix, a side-wheeler, completing it
only a few days after Fulton made his
epochal trip on the Hudson. Shut
out from that rived by Fulton's prior
fty, Stevens in 1908 took his vessel
around by the sea to the Delaware,
and was the first to navigate the open
ocean in a steam craft. Later he
secured the first American patent for
a steam railway locomotive. His
steam ferry was successful, and the
waters around New York have ever
since swarmed with such craft, al
though the building of bridges and
tubes has now decreased their useful
ness. The first to suggest the util-
ity OF steam ferry boats in America
was Thomas Paine, who advanced his
scheme in 1T7s, years before the build
ing OF the first steam boat.
From farm boy and printers "deviI''
TO the governorship OF the Panama
Canal Zone at an annual salary of
$4,000 opdtomizes the career Of Rich
ard Lee Metcalfe, who recently en-
tered upon his duties as chief of the
department Of civil administration in
the ssbig ditch district Mr.. Metcalfe
was born on a farm near Upper AL
ton. Ill, f1fty-two years ago today, the
son of DR.. Richard Metcalfe. He was
educated in the rural schools, and then
took a postgraduate course as devil
In the ONCE of a country newspaper
where he accumulated amazing
stock of assorted knowledge. At. nine
teen he took the degree of C. E., mean
ing. in this case, country editor.
Mr. Metcalf broke into metropoi-
tan journalism in 1888 as a reporter
on the Omaha World Herald. In 1894
thel came to the World-Herald in
the capacity of editor-in-chief, a rds-
ing young journalist who answered to
the name of William Jennings Bryan.
Mr. MetcaIfe was made assistant to
Mr.. Bryan, and the two native sons
OF Illinois became firm friends. When
the boy orator of the Platte" an
nounced to whom 1t might concern
that You shall not press down upon
the brow of labor this crown of thorns
YOU shall not cruelty mankind upon
cross Of gold,'' Mr.. Metcalfe backed
him right up in the prohibition and
wrote editorials in behalf of Mr.. Bryan
that attracted national attention. In
1900 Mr.. Metcalfe was Mr.. Bryan's per-
sonal representative in the convention
fight for 16-to-1 plank. Mr. Met
calfe succeeded Mr.. Bryan as editor
OF the world-Hera1d, and held the job
until 1905 when he went over to Mr..
Bryan's publication, The Commoner.
He has several times tried his hand at
authorship, his works including "Bish-
Cd Sunbeams," and ''Of Such is the
Kingdom, and Other Stories from
Life" 1t has been alleged that Mr..
Metcalfe was offered the Progressive
nomination for Vice-President last
year, but refused it.
DR.. Harry Augustus Garfield, presi-
dent Of Williams College and son of
the twentieth president of the United
States, was born in the little village
of Hiram. O., just half a century ago
today At the time CT his birth his
father was lighting his country's bat
ties at the front, and had just been
made a major-general of volunteers.
Before the outbreak of the war the
future President of the United States
was president Of Hiram College. Like
his father before him, and his young
er brother, James r. Garfield, mem
Der of Roosevelt's cabinet, DR.. Garfield
was educated at Williams College, in
Wnliamstown, Mass. With his broth
er he practiced law in Cleveland for
some years. Ten years ago he en-
tered upon his career as an educator
as professor of politics at Princeton,
and in 1908 he was made president
OF williams, his alma mater. He is
fund OF 81 O00, 600 for Williams. It has
BEEN reported that Francis B. Say
TO, who is engaged to marry Miss Jes-
sic woodrow Wilson, will become Pres
tdent GarheId's assistant at an early
date.
Viscount Dudley Rider Sandon. eld-
est son and heir of the Earl of Har-
rorzby. win become of age today, hav-
ing been born Oct IL, 1892. The Earl
dom was created about a century ago,
and the present Earl is the fifth of
his line. The family seats are located
in Stafford and Gloucestershire.
Today marks an important anfver-
sary in the history of Journalism, for
1t was on the eleventh of October in
the year 1921 that the first real news
paper in the English language was
Bublished.
This pioneer journal was the projeni-
tor of some $4,000 newspapers and per-
iodicals now regularly published in the
English language. OF these, about TO-
600 are published in the United States,
10000 in Great Britain, over a thou
sand each in Canada and Australia,
and the remainder in Africa, India
and other parts of the world. AS the
<evspapers of the world total only
about 5000, more than half are printed
in English
Until a few moments ago it was
thought that the first English news
paper was ''The Weekly Nerves. pub
lished in 1922, a copy of which is pre-
erved in the British Museum. Just
recently there has been found in the
collection of Charles Feleky, of New
York, a copy of the ''Corant or Week
- Nerves, from Italy, Germany, Hun
Garia, PoIonia. Bohemia. France and
the Low Countries which bears the
tanx1nt London Printed for N. b.