Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-28

only TO insult, robbery and abuse"
As an instance of his versatility,
Evans designed and constructed an
Illuminating tower consisting Of one
brick stack placed concentrically with
in an outer one. the inner chamber
receiving the highly infiammable gases
supplied by a carburretting chamber
used To produce charcoal--The prod
ucts of tho underneath roasting fire
were conveyed 20 the outer annular
space which served to keep heated The
inside stack conveying the rich prod
ucts driven off from the wood. These
gases were ignited at the top Of the
tower furnishing illumination for the
nearby countrywide. Altho the lum-
oogity was not high, II served its
purpose admirably, and was
most certainly an original and ad-
vanced step in gas engineering--Gas
engineers have informed me that his
law was perfectly sound in this unique
exhibition.
The record and sketch Of this de-
parture In shown in the valuable
manuscript owned by Alba Johnson
Esq. Of the Baldwin Locomotive
Works. Philadelphia. This valuable
material in some manner escaped
Evans funeral pyre. at which time be-
fore his family in n frenzy Of melan-
cholia and depression, he destroyed a
great amount Of material averring
that no one OF his family would suffer
the humiliation that ne had been sub
1ected to. by an attempt 10 develop
them.--He regretted this Immediately
afterward. for he. at this time received
the Maryland offer above mentioned.
This was about i795.-The manuscript
referred to. clearly illustrates steam
boilers of a tubular design. a vertical
shaft thrust step. comprising the use
OF Il chamber provided with a stuhing
box containing water under eight at
mospheres pressure. upon which the
shaft end rode, certainly an original
departure and one eminently practical
also a design for fighting craft
provided with an inside submerged
wheel box, the inside OF which being
subjected TO air pressure, drove the
water therein, 10 a lower point com
pared with the outside level--this
AN'A AAA'AANh AaANeiAo Va PlbHulSAOH lLidL
was entirely protected from outside
attacks by shot This vessel he call
cd the Columbia, and was Of the
armored type.
One Of the most striking gems of
this manuscript is that of a. design for
complete water pumping and dis
tributing plant. contracted for by one
Mckeever. of New Orleans, the father
Of the Admiral Of the same name, OF
the L. S. n. At this time Evans con-
structed an engine and boiler for the
same people for a boat seventy-fiye
feet long, which was built at Natchez.
Miss, but most unfortunately was
broken up in a freshet in an attempt
made to float it to New Orleans. This
was in 1904, and was three years
prior to the operation of Fulton's boat
on the Hudson, In the account he
notes a wager made with Fulton Of
a silk hat and a suit Of clothes. that
he would stem the tide of the Miss
issippi. four miles an hour. and In the
reverse direction, move nine
miles an hour. AS the engine and
boiler were operated by the engineer
VINO accompanied II South, most sue
cessfully for years. COMPRISING cot
ton, saving marble and cutting wood.
il may confidently be said, he would
have won, not only his wager with
tulton's pronounced superior in steam
ed properly the victor. and the conse-
quent reputation as a steam engineer
that went to Fulton. That he was
Fultons' pronounced superior in steam
engineering is made apparent from
the fact that in contest before the
government at Washington with Full
ton, in 1917 and 1918, disputing Full
toms claim for the exclusive right to
navigate the waters of the United
States with his steamboat, he (Fulton)
made the great error of declaring that