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The First Locomotive

The First Locomotive image
Parent Issue
Day
12
Month
July
Year
1895
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The real inventor of the locomotivo never realized a cent from his invention. His name was Oliver Evans. He was born in Delaware in 1756 and spent all his life perfecting inventions which were destiued to bring him nothing but more poverty. He was the original inventor of the high presstire engine nsed in locomotivos, the only kind that could be employed to advantage in this forra of transportaron, but realized nothing for his idea. His application of the notion to both land and wator power was somewhat novel. In 1804 the municipality of Philadelphia oalled for bids for the dredging of the river and the cleaning of the docks. Evans put iu a bid lower than any of his competitors, and when it was accepted determined to buüd a steamboac to do the work. He fitted out a scow with a steam engine, building both the engine and the scow in his own workshop. When the boat was ready to be launch - ed, Evans determined to give the peoplé of Philadelphia an object lesson in mechanics, so he put the boat on wheels, fitted up a push wheel behind, set his engine to work and propelled the boat through the streets to the river in the midst of an open mouthed throng, not a few of whom had a dim idea that he ought to be arrested for witchcraft. When the boat reached the bank of the river, the wheels and axleawere taken off, the crafr. was launched, fitted out with other wheels and made to do the work of dredgiug the hai-bor. So far as the iuvention of mechanica: devices went, Evans had a splendic genius, biit when dollars and cents came up for consideration he was a mere child, and even allowed himself to be cheated out of the money that was due him for cleaning the Philadelphia harhor with his new fangled steamboat. -

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Argus
Old News