Show GOT AHEAD OF FULTON West Virginians Claim Rumsey Built First Steamboat Ever Floated The humid honor o of Inventing II tho lie first sk it I is claimed belongs Q gf 1 right to ono one James Rumsey once a resident of W. W Va A society ha has been formed there known a as the Hum can c'an society whose whoso object object ob ob- ob- ob is to build u a L monument to the tho first man luau mUl who hu propelled a boat by hy bleam rime Tho society hits has begun to collect col col- lect and anc there was atthe atthe at ut the lat last se session of oe the lie Vest West Virginia made of or legislature an un appropriation 1750 to tu help the cause cuse along Little doubt exl exists ts it is stated that hut I Rumsey did build several boats moved by steam the lie first o of them 20 I years ears before the successful rul trial of Fulton's on Oil tho the Hudson Tho The propelling force foice of the Rumsey boat buat er hoc el was not either elthel the lie screw or 01 puddle huddle wheel but vater atel l itself elf This Tills was wa drawn In at atthe atthe atthe I the forward end o of the tho boat buat I by a auction sue sue- tion Uon Ion pump and ald expelled from the lie stern The fhe boat was saS only of ot six six tons tomis the thc inventor had hal troubles in iii II abundance both hoth ollor 1 financial and mechanical e ehe he lit got hot his Invention launched But t l at athe atthe he tIme end ho lie was sas successful and re received received to- to a certificate from George Georgc Wash Vashi II ington ton But LImit the he bigger boat upon which ho depended for tor his ultimate demonstration of ol the commercial success success suc suc- cess of hl his invention wits was not launched ces till ill after ater hi his death In London in ti 1792 i The fhe lic HUIe society intends to tu iL actively actively ac ac- push hUsh the lie work worl during the present pres- pres ont enl year and hopes soon soomi to be in a to erect the lie monument Muss or of E. E E Comparatively few tew persons person arc are aware a o of the mass mas of or documentary cv- cv dence that lint can cn be produced from nent persons living more than a 0 century cen- cen tury ury ago ngo to support tho ho claim that Rumsey real really ally did invent the lie method ot of propelling lin ln boat boata by bj arid and that lint It was as hits his boit bOlt that was wa the lie first t n-t In Inthe th the lie history of oC lie tho IiI t t. to move against th the c by such uch foice force James Rumsey was was- born at Bohemia Manor 1 nor Cecil etil county Maryland i In 1 1743 1713 j 3 Ills His Ils father fathel wa was is a farmer fannel bu hut but tho ho 1 0 son fon was sis a natural mechanic and amid besides heln being skillful a as a carpenter carpente and alIl blacksmith was an excellent t millwright mull mill mi- mi wright wright- He lie had moved to Vh Virginia lnla when the lie revolutionary war broke brolio ot out and it is said suld that he served with wih credit crelli iu iii I. I the lie continental alm army At AL the clos coso o of the war he lie settled at Bath Va t U a Uth th thou then n noted minted watering place and ald now no the town o of Berkeley Sprin Springs s in Morgan Mor Mor- ban gan county W. W Vo Va It I is said all that a as early as a 1 1771 Rumsey had the lie Idea Ide of steam navigation in lii hi his mind buthe but bu the first authentic record of or the matteis matter matte mater is to be found In a petition addressed b by him Into the lie Maryland legislature it in No November 1783 Of Or ly Rumsey was vcr very earl ciu lious and amid pt ns os to his plans He lic le took look a few lute Into his hits confidence Mild most of the work vork on oil 11 the lie boat bout was vas done wile OIl in 10 secret He lie le had confided hower how how- vet er in II one James Vj Wilson on of Philadel- Philadel r hla hia and 11 Mi ili Ilson on afterward gave avo a u certificate in which In- In made mario affi- affi fn- fn that Mr Ir James Rumsey of oC I Berkeley count county Virginia In a conversation conver I had with wih him in the lie latter I o of July 01 ot beginning of August told me that limit ho lie to intended lo cOI construct fruct a boat hoot to go o by hy time the power of steam und and pointed out nut lut the great greit reat expense It I would save savu l In Iii water carla carriage e. e Boiler us Crude Rumsey his lils boat hoat In Jim time tho full ful of 1 1783 Its Is estimated capacity was wa boiler about aboul six tons burden The rue was a primitive one one one-an an ordinary I Iron iol cooking pot with a lid securely fastened fastened fast Cast ened there with wih bands rivets and amid soft solder The en engine lne had been built buit b by Rumsey with the m assistance of the thc lie village blacksmith ald and was constructed con con- upon lon the atmospheric prin ciple its Ils Is power hell being obtained by the thc of ur the lie air al' al pressing upon UIn u a piston b beneath leath which a vacuum had b been cen e created b by the thic condensation of the he steam Tho The mode mo e of propulsion was vas b by means mean of a pump worked Ov ii 1 steam team which being placed toward the forward orward part purt of the lie boat tr drew w up at each alternate stroke of the lie engine a quantitY of ot water which b by the ret ro rout re- re t turn ut urn n or downward stroke was forced h a trunk at the bottom boon alon along the liel kelson o and anti out at the stern under time tho ll rudder The Impetus of the water rushing through the tIme trunk a against tho the thoi i exterior water uter ate of or the lie river ll el thus drove th he boat hoat forward Rumsey in October 1 1783 made mado read ready for Cor his first trip Time The boat was moored on OIL time tho bank bink o of the he Potomac near th tIme mouth of Sir Johns John's run and the lie parts ars o of the tIme en engine ine and auth boiler were vero welo secretly conveyed to the he boat by Rumsey and ald his two Joseph Barnes and ald Nicholas Orrick the tho former for for- mel mer being his brat law ln ln hier and the lie latter later his partner in iii a stove store that the they conducted at Bath Dath The he trial trip t demonstrated tho fact fiet that a boat could COUil be propelled by tho ho method In use but hut the steam e escaped from toni tho he queer boiler in such eh quantities s that the e experiment was not as ms satisfactory satis satis- factory as Rumsey Humsey and amid ald his colleagues had hail hoped Rumsey was convinced uc however hoover that limit his invention was a success sue suc cess ces and ho at once prepared two petitions one for COl the legislature of oC his native natho state stale o of Maryland and anil tho tim other othel to tn I hi his adopted stale state of Virginia These petitions were o prepared In or or- der that Rumsey might have havo ha ion tion In his l n rights as us there was at that time line no general patent law it lay with the lie states s to protect their I In such matters Washington S Star a r |