﻿MECHANICAL 
  TKANSPORT 
  MITMAN 
  549 
  

  

  into 
  mercury 
  cups 
  to 
  an 
  electric 
  battery, 
  the 
  whole 
  contrivance 
  con- 
  

   stituting 
  unquestionably 
  a 
  complete 
  embodiment 
  of 
  the 
  principles 
  of 
  

   the 
  modern 
  electric 
  motor, 
  and 
  it 
  revolved 
  at 
  a 
  rate 
  of 
  speed 
  far 
  exceed- 
  

   ing 
  their 
  fondest 
  hopes. 
  

  

  While 
  Davenport 
  felt 
  satisfied 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  something 
  unusual, 
  he 
  

   wanted 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  a 
  higher 
  authority, 
  so 
  in 
  January, 
  1835, 
  he 
  

   tramped 
  to 
  Middlebury 
  College 
  in 
  Vermont, 
  to 
  show 
  his 
  machine 
  to 
  

   the 
  professor 
  of 
  natural 
  philosophy 
  there. 
  The 
  latter 
  was 
  so 
  struck 
  

   with 
  it 
  that 
  he 
  urged 
  Davenport 
  to 
  patent 
  the 
  idea 
  and 
  even 
  drafted 
  

   the 
  specifications 
  for 
  him. 
  While 
  much 
  elated 
  and 
  appreciative 
  of 
  

   this 
  assistance, 
  Davenport 
  felt 
  that 
  he 
  could 
  improve 
  the 
  machine. 
  

   In 
  addition 
  he 
  was 
  almost 
  destitute. 
  So 
  he 
  returned 
  home 
  and 
  began 
  

   another 
  machine. 
  This 
  time 
  he 
  concentrated 
  on 
  the 
  make 
  and 
  break 
  

   or 
  commutator 
  mechanism, 
  and 
  by 
  May, 
  1835, 
  he 
  substituted 
  for 
  

   the 
  mercury 
  cups 
  insulated 
  segments 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  wheel 
  

   shaft, 
  which 
  were 
  rubbed 
  by 
  contact 
  springs 
  made 
  of 
  flattened 
  wire. 
  

   The 
  result 
  was 
  most 
  gratifying 
  and 
  now 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  earliest 
  

   insta,nce 
  of 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  electric 
  commutator. 
  

  

  Davenport 
  now 
  felt 
  ready 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  Washington 
  for 
  his 
  patent. 
  

   Friends 
  and 
  neighbors 
  gave 
  him 
  the 
  money 
  for 
  his 
  expenses. 
  On 
  the 
  

   advice 
  of 
  the 
  Middlebury 
  College 
  professor 
  he 
  went 
  first 
  to 
  Albany 
  

   and 
  called 
  on 
  Amos 
  Eaton 
  of 
  Rensselaer 
  Polytechnic 
  Institute. 
  This 
  

   authority 
  was 
  likewise 
  greatly 
  impressed 
  with 
  the 
  machine 
  and 
  ad- 
  

   vised 
  his 
  showing 
  it 
  to 
  Professor 
  Henry 
  at 
  Princeton. 
  Henry 
  was 
  

   delighted 
  when 
  he 
  saw 
  the 
  model 
  in 
  operation, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  courtesy 
  

   which 
  he 
  invariably 
  exhibited 
  toward 
  deserving 
  inventors, 
  cautioned 
  

   Davenport 
  to 
  refrain 
  from 
  attempting 
  large-scale 
  experiments 
  which, 
  

   if 
  they 
  failed, 
  would 
  not 
  only 
  mar 
  Davenport's 
  credit 
  as 
  an 
  inventor, 
  

   but 
  also 
  stigmatize 
  the 
  electromagnetic 
  engine 
  as 
  a 
  humbug. 
  He 
  

   gave 
  him 
  a 
  certificate 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  spoke 
  highly 
  of 
  the 
  novelty 
  and 
  

   originality 
  of 
  the 
  invention. 
  Also 
  just 
  before 
  Davenport 
  left 
  he 
  gave 
  

   him 
  the 
  shock 
  of 
  his 
  life 
  by 
  showing 
  him 
  his 
  own 
  little 
  electromagnetic 
  

   seesaw 
  engine. 
  This 
  was 
  Davenport's 
  first 
  intimation 
  that 
  anyone 
  

   prior 
  to 
  himself 
  had 
  even 
  conceived 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  producing 
  motive 
  

   power 
  by 
  electromagnetism. 
  On 
  Henry's 
  advice 
  Davenport 
  next 
  

   stopped 
  in 
  Philadelphia 
  and 
  operated 
  the 
  machine 
  for 
  Alexander 
  

   Bache, 
  professor 
  of 
  natural 
  philosophy 
  at 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Pennsyl- 
  

   vania, 
  and 
  also 
  for 
  a 
  large 
  group 
  of 
  men 
  assembled 
  at 
  the 
  Franklin 
  

   Institute. 
  From 
  there 
  he 
  went 
  on 
  to 
  Washington, 
  only 
  to 
  find 
  to 
  his 
  

   dismay, 
  that 
  he 
  hadn't 
  enough 
  money 
  left 
  to 
  pay 
  both 
  for 
  the 
  prep- 
  

   aration 
  of 
  his 
  patent 
  application 
  and 
  his 
  carfare 
  home. 
  Dispirited 
  

   and 
  despondent 
  he 
  retraced 
  his 
  steps, 
  sold 
  his 
  machine 
  on 
  the 
  way 
  to 
  

   Rensselaer 
  Polytechnic 
  Institute 
  for 
  $30, 
  and 
  returned 
  to 
  Brandon 
  in 
  

   no 
  happy 
  frame 
  of 
  mind, 
  fully 
  resolved 
  to 
  abandon 
  what 
  his 
  friends 
  

   called 
  "visionary 
  schemes." 
  

  

  