The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1914-09-11
OLD MAsTERs-JAMEs Il. EADs
BY C. C. G.

fury, which, in civilized lands have
amounted almost to a recreation
That progress has been due in great
part to the application of mechanics,
The steam engine was perfected by
mechanical genius, in great measure
electricity has become mans servant !
from the same cause.
1t is a natural thought that certain
men were raised up for certain pur-
poses or to meet and master some
particular crisis.
Grant had wearied of the army, re-
signed, tried farming and failed, and
had settled down as clerk in tan
merry where, save for the upheaval
of 1861, he would have ended his
days unknown to the world, though
his friends in his darkest days were
settled in the conviction that with
the opportunity offered he would
prove to be a great soldier. Sherman
was educated as a soldier and engin-
eer; he tried teaching and banking,
and had finally attached himself to a
street car company in st. Louis whan
the call came in 1851.
John Ericsson was born in Sweden,
went to England as youth, then
came to America and all the time
was studying problems to be solved
through mechanics.
James B. Eads was born in Laur-
enceburg, Indiana, May %, 1920, and
was educated as a civil engineer.
When the war came in 1851 he, like
Ericsson, turned to see what could
be done to improve boats propelled
by steam to make them more effec-
tive and capable of greater resistance
against attack Ericsson's work was
for the sea, Ead's for the river craft.
Ericsson produced the revolving tur-
ret ship, Eads built ironclads for the
rivers. Both served their purposes,
but the principle on which Ericsson
worked was the truer one, for it was
capable of fitting any ship, no matter
how big, while Ead's had limitations,
which were controlled by the size of
the craft and the power of guns A
modern gun would destroy an Eads
ironclad with three shots, on an
Ericsson ship few more layers of
steel would have made the shots i'm
potent to harm the craft.
But the ships of both served their
purpose. When the war closed Eads
turned to other problems. His first
great work was building the bridge
at st. Louis. 1t was marvel when
completed; it remains marvel still
The best description we ever saw
of it was story told of Red Cloud
the famous Sioux war chief. After
the Sioux were finally subdued, Red
Cloud, with other chiefs, was taken
to Washington to see "the grea
white father" and to be given an o.,
ject lesson of what the country that
he had been fighting so long really
was. They went via st. Louis. On
his return home Red Cloud was
asked what he saw that most i'm
pressed him. His answer-9o the
story rurs-was as follows:
Him railroad no much, plenty
wagons, no more. Him city no much
all sHm? plenty big wi 'liu s. but
you savie, him bridge over b water
st. Louis, him all same spider-web
Me look out. Me see me nc breathe.
We suspect that it W ou,d have az
fected old Archimedes the same way
The war, so the his torian says
opened the Mississippi from it!
source to it's mouth to commerce
But it did not. The difference be
tween the earnest politician and thu
Mississippi river is, that the frs
often has too much mouth, the latte
has too many mou his This made i
lOl 0uLGI LI0 tive
or to depart from it, and at best per
mitted only ships of light draft t,
enter.
Eads turned his attention to it ant
declared that with the willows grow
ing on the banks he could make mat
then sink them, combining the rive
to narrower limits, which would in
crease the speed of the current will
the result that the river would scou
cut deeper channel for itself. Thi
idea he pressed upon congress session
after session, and was answered b,
the few who were familiar with tn,
class les, with such remarks as: "Ead
you would stand with willow ii
your hand upon the wild bank of tn,
- ssissippi and wave your commerce
to come again to New Orleans"
: But after while permission wa
obtained to try his desired expert
ment and the money was appropriat
ed to do the work. Today those Jet
\. tinc aro on ~ bio monuments