Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1915-06-20
STEAM ENGINE
| HISTORY IS ODD
Romance Of Philosophy and
Science Seen In Uncle
Sans Fine Exhibit

ment Of the steam engine. particularly
the locomotive. than the exhibit uf the
United States National museum ut
Washington. which includes two Of tile
easIiest original locomotives aud nu-
merOus models aud accessories.
The history Of the steam engine II
materiulistic romance without parallel
In the record Of human achievements
1t covers the stupendOus and persist
ent efforts Of many early philosophers
and mechanics who found steam a
mysterious uncomfortable force ana
left II comprehensive contrOIlable
factor "f public service
y" one knows how long after II was
observed that ny holding Gown the lid
Of kettle Ut boiling liquid certain
force was created. due to the com
preston 1T the steam. before any use
was attempted with this newly discov
cred force II IL certain. however. that
q sort Of steam engine was exhibited
In Alexandria. Egypt. about 200 years
before our era began. and It was de
scrited in 4 work ON pneumatics by
Hero Of Alexandria. written between
l!N and 100 3 c. This machine waa
u rotary affair. more theoretical than
practical. "a we're many of the results
Of philosophy in those days A recon
xtruction Of this engine in model form
IL In the museum exhibits.
Nothing more IL to be found concern.
ing the steam engine for centuries. q
fact which IN no doubt due to the lack
Of interest III anything which did not
have to do with war or warlike imple
ments A hook published In Rome In
ltc0 gives description Of Giovanni
Branca's crude steam engine. showing
II to have been an elementary steam
turbine. with the sole defect that II
lacked any appliances for making the
steam follow the vanes. or buckets. Of
the revolving wheel. 80 that more Of
its energy might have been converted
into useful work. One author In a
treatise ON locomotives claims that had
SOME genius improved upon this early
device the reciprocating engine would
probably never have been invented. but
that we would have had the advantage
Of our Inndern turbines much sooner
The museum possesses q model Of q
very early machine designed by Sir
Isaac Newton In 1880 which was pro
PEELED by jet Of steam projected
backward against the air and Y model
Of Denis Papin's invention Of about
the same time. The Investigations of
Savery and Papin and the sur.essful
experimental engines Of Thomas New.
comen in l706 with his piston and
cylinder sOOn followed Newcomers
ideas were improved Ivy James Watt In
l7t0. who aIM' introduced the high
pressure engines. the condenser and
later the double acting engine. The
development Of the engine wan advanc
ed BY Cugnot. Evans. Hornblower and
Murdoch. A model Of the iatter's On.
Rine IN On display in the museum-
A. the result Of Z wager made BY q
resident Of Merthyr rydfil. IN impor.
tant iron town Of South Wales. that
he could convey a load Of iron nine
miles By the power Ut steam alone
Richard Trevithick made the drst en-
gine to run ON rails in lN8 and won
the wager for his employer the next
year. Trevithick. II has been claimed
copied the stationary engine built In
1900 by Oliver Evans. an American.
who was later ingenious enough to at.
tach wheels to scOw and pr0pel It by
steam through the streets Of Philadel
phia In 1904. This curious creation.
called the OrMktor Amphibolis. was the
f1rst mOtorcar to run on American soil
A model Ut 'rrevithick's- engine IL to
be seen In the National museum. a.
ID also the model Of the engine EN-.
played BY John Stevens in 1926 and
his original tubular boiler Other mod.
els Illustrate nearly all the types which
began to PUT In their appearance soon
after 1926. when the StOurbridge
Lion was built IN England and ship
ped to America. where II was the first
engine to run Oh full sized rails. The
museum possesses not only the model
Of this historic engine. but the orig.
inal engine itself The other original
full sized locomotive to be seen III the
museum il the John Bull. huiit BY
George Stephenson 4 Sons Of England
and shipped to America for use In 1881
on the Camden and Amboy railroad
1t is interesting to recall that this old
relic Of early railroading in America
made round trip under It's own steam
In 1893 from New York to Chicago.
where It was exhibited at the Worlds
Columbian exposition.
Among the models Of early and his
toric locomotives are George Stephen
sons Rocket. which was built In lS28
the r. and u. engine Tom Thumb. built
by Peter Cooper in 1870: the graxshop
per type engine Arabian Of 1881: the
Best Friend. used In 1901: Baidwin's
Old lronsides. constructed IN lX82:
the Sandusky. built in 1897. and
models Vt engines made by Asa Whit
ney In ts4O and q. A. Nichols in
l64S Besides the two locomotives and
the numerous engine models. there are
in the exhibit coach and car models.
sections Of rails. spikes. wheels and.
models and parts Of valves. pistons
and other early accessories pertAinine
TO locomotives ana railrOadA
An Awkward Situation.