Evening star., 1935-06-09
household interest used by Gen. and
Mrs Washington at Mount Vernon.

HOuScIlOlQ interest uSeO DN zen. ana
Mrs Washington at Mount Vernon.
Not far away is the oak table used
by Theodore Roosevelt on the Smith
sonian African expedition of 1909
This is a folding affair of particular
interest because it was carried through
many Of darkest Africa's thickest
jungles. The table was presented to
the institution last october by Mrs.
Mearns, widow of DR.. Mearns. official
physician, who accompanied the eX-
pedition.
That boilers for the generation of
steam might be made of wood is
strange suggestion. That they were
at one time SO made is illustrated by
a model recently prepared for display
in the engineering collection Of the
old Museum The model depicts
wooden boiler built for the Center
Square pumping station of the old
Philadelphia water works in 1901. The
idea for wooden steam boilers was
borrowed by the early engineers di-
rectly from the dstillers of whisky.
At the time the distillers we're having
/ considerable difficulty because Of the
injurious effect of the wash on the
wood But the steam pioneers con-
sidered that it remained to be tried
whether simple steam and water
would have like effect"
/ Ask dad if he remembers the VAN
| derbllt Cup races. They were inter-
national automobile racing COMPETE
! tions, held once year on Long Is
/ land. The series started in 1904, but
was broken up in 1916 and never con-
/ tinued. Finest foreign and American
cars and racers usually were entered,
| and the races. which contributed con-
siderably to the early development of
the gasoline buggy" drew larger
attendance than any other sporting
events Of the Nation. Winners of the
annual affair had their names in
/ scribed on huge cup donated by Will
liam K Vanderbilt. Some months ago
Mr. Vanderbilt, himself a famous
| automobile racer of that day and a
record holder, presented the cup to
| the Smithsonian. 1t is now on dis
play in the east hall
Only a few steps away is a mag
nificent model of the De Witt Clinton,
| the first locomotive run in the State
of New York. This was the gift of
Peyton l. Morgan of Lynchburg. Va
He made the model himself. The
original was the third engine built by
the West Point Foundry, New York, and
it made its first trip in July 1881 On
August 9 it made the trip from Albany
to Schenectady. distance of II miles,
in less than an hour. Some speed!
The De Witt Clinton was a four
wheel engine, all drivers. measuring
Az feet in diameter, with cast-iron
hubs, spokes turned and polished and
Wrought-iron tires. The combined
weight of the engine in its original
state with tender was 1908 pounds
less than the weight of a pair of driv-
ing wheels used on a Pacific locomo-
tive. The actual engine is now on ex-
hibition in the New York Central
Terminal.
IN THE boat hall in the northeast
corner is the original designers
model of the James Steele, forerun-
ner and model for most modern types
OF fishing schooners. The designer,
Capt. Thomas McManus of Milton,
Mass, bears name known wherever
old sailors gather. Back in 1898 the
model won a gold medal at the Inter-
national Fisheries Exhibition at Ber-
gen, Norway. The designer made it
IN 1893. Since then almost every
fishing schooner has followed this de-
sign substantially, with at most onlv
few minor changes.
Just few days ago the institution
was presented with the microphone-
telephone transmitter used by Walter
Clifford in his much-publicized round
the-World telephone conversation of
April 25. 1885. Already the equip
ment has been placed on exhibition
IN the southeast corner, in the So
called communications section.
Nearby is the broadcasting trans
mltter equipment, recently received
from radio Stations VILLA and
WSUN, Clearwater, Fla, and repre-
sentlng the original setup used by
their parent station back in 1928. |
This is of considerable importance in
the history of radio, comprising as
1t does one of the earliest broadcast
ing equipments used in the United
States.
Diagonally opposite, in the south
west corner, is an enormous piece of
glass which has a peculiar history.
This is the "Peate 60-inch telescope
reflector Up to. 1925 it was the
largest reflector disc ever cast in the
United States Yet it was made way
back in 1893. 1t seems that in But
Ter, Pa, there was a retired Methodist
clergyman who dearly loved to ex-
pertinent with glass. But he didn't
start manufacturing any until he was
over 70 years old. However, he
straightway began to make up for lost
time. in fact made so many different
kinds of gadgets that he ranked
pretty close to the topnotchers among
the professionals. One day he was
on visit to Washington and was
talking in a half-serious way about
his accomplishments to the chancellor
of American University. Queried the
latter, "just how big q telescope re.
flector can YOU nake?"