Leading American Inventors

Forsideomslag
H. Holt, 1912 - 447 sider

Fra bogen

Andre udgaver - Se alle

Almindelige termer og sætninger

Populære passager

Side 61 - As I had occasion to pass daily to and from the buildingyard, while my boat was in progress, I have often loitered unknown near the idle groups of strangers, gathering in little circles, and heard various inquiries as to the object of this new vehicle. The language was uniformly that of scorn, or sneer, or ridicule.
Side 143 - I immediately commenced with very limited means to experiment upon my invention. My first instrument was made up of an old picture or canvas frame fastened to a table, the wheels of an old wooden clock moved by a weight to carry the paper forward, three wooden drums upon one of which the paper was wound and passed over the other two, a wooden pendulum suspended to the top piece of the picture or stretching frame and vibrating across the paper as it...
Side 250 - Her bow passed over our deck, and our sharp upper-edged side cut through the light iron shoe upon her stem and well into her oak.
Side 61 - The language was uniformly that of scorn, or sneer, or ridicule. The loud laugh often rose at my expense ; the dry jest ; the wise calculation of losses and expenditures ; the dull but endless repetition of the Fulton Folly.
Side 61 - York, the project was viewed by the public either with indifference or with contempt, as a visionary scheme. My friends, indeed, were civil, but they were shy. They listened with patience to my explanations, but with a settled cast of incredulity on their countenances. I felt the full force of the lamentation of the poet, " Truths would you teach, to save a sinking land, All shun, none aid you, and few understand.
Side 65 - I overtook many sloops and schooners beating to windward, and parted with them as if they had been at anchor. The power of propelling boats by steam is now fully proved.
Side 65 - My steamboat voyage to Albany and back has turned out rather more favorably than I had calculated. The distance from New York to Albany is one hundred and fifty miles. I ran it up in thirty-two hours, and down in thirty. I had a light breeze against me the whole way, both going and coming ; and the voyage has been performed wholly by the power of the steam-engine.
Side 94 - I should have had no difficulty in causing my rights to be respected, if it had been less valuable, and been used only by a small portion of the community. But the use of this machine being immensely profitable to almost every planter in the cotton districts, all were interested in trespassing upon the patent right, and each kept the other in countenance. Demagogues made themselves popular by misrepresentation and unfounded clamors, both against the right and the law made for its protection.
Side 146 - Indeed, so straitened were my circumstances that, in order to save time to carry out my invention and to economize my scanty means, I had for many months lodged and eaten in my studio, procuring my food in small quantities from some grocery and preparing it myself. To conceal from my friends the stinted manner in which I lived, I was in the habit of bringing my food to my room in the evenings, and this was my mode of life for many years.
Side 62 - As the success of my experiment gives me great hope that such boats may be rendered of much importance to my country, to prevent erroneous opinions, and give some satisfaction to the friends of useful improvements, you will have the goodness to publish the following statement of facts : I left New York on Monday at...

Bibliografiske oplysninger