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Show NATIONAL MUSEUM'S HISTORICAL EXHIBIT Washington, Dec. 20 What Is believed be-lieved to be fine of the most Intereat ing historical and educational exhibits exhib-its ever shown is the collection illustrating illus-trating water transportation, such as models, machinery and accessories of earlj steamboats In the national museum mu-seum here The collection comprises ahout 500 models of water transportation of var ious types from different countries, conspicuous among which are the boats invented and built In the United States at an early date, each of which, at one time or another, has been claimed as the first steamboat. "It Is now held, however," says a statement issued from the national museum today, "that there was no In dividual tlrst steamboat, but there were several patented at the same time. As early as the latter part of the seventeenth century various suggestions sug-gestions were made relative to the propulsion of essels by steam power and various experiments were tried The mo6t Important of these experiments experi-ments were tried The most Impor tant of these experiments were carried car-ried on in this country." |