AGRICULTUaAL MUSEUM 3&1 



Ihcm witli money, on condition they wonkl take the 

 engine out of the boat, and apply it to (h'ivc a sawmill 

 tliere, to saw tini?)er ; this tlic\ did, and began to saw 

 2000 feet of boards in 12 hours, when incenfMarics set 

 fire to their mill and reduced it to a'-hes — Thus failed 

 the most noble enterprise ever undertaken by individuals 

 Uider similar circumstances. They have bolli written 

 to me frequently, that tliey were confident that the pow- 

 er of the engine was quite sufiicient to have ensured 

 success in proprllin;;^ the boat, and they entertained san- 

 guine hopes of being- yet able to put the principle in 

 operation, but the noble enterprising spirit of captain 

 iSF Keevcr has left us, to rest from trouble ; he died while 

 engaged in getting his engine up again to saw timber. 



in the year 1804, Dr George Hunter of Philadelphia, 

 Jiaving seen m}' little engine, G inches diameter, and 18 

 inches stroke, driving 12 saws, sawing stone, had repre- 

 sented the same to Mr. W. Donaldson, of New Orleans, 

 Vvliich had induced him to order one for to d]"ive 4 saws 

 to saw timl)er. This cnginf' arrived at New Orleans a 

 few days after MKeever and Vaicourt's n)il! was burnt, 

 also another from England, of the same power, arrived 

 the same dzy. 



The two companies of workmen set out, each to get 

 tlieir engine to saw. Mr. Donaldson's has been going 

 about three years and six months, driving at first three 

 «;aws and a pair mill stones, now four saws and the mill 

 stones, sawing dail_v their task of 3 000 feet of boards 

 in 12 hours, and at the same time grinding 5 bushels 

 corn per hour. The boards sell now at 45 to 50 dollars 

 per thousand feet, and the mill clears in profit 20.000 

 dollars per year, say C0,000 dollars ; wiiile the English 

 engine is said t*> have cost 60 000 dollars, and yielded 

 Tio j>rofit, owing principally, to its using so much vvaicr, 

 that the well will not supply it, and the diiiliculty of at- 

 tending and keeping it m order, so that the difference 

 between tiie two establishments at this day, appears t» 

 lie very great indeed in point of profits. 



