REPORT ON THE SECTION OF TRANSPORTATION AND ENGINEERING 

 IN THE U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888. 



By J. Elfreth Watkins, Curator. 



During the first half of the fiscal year, while serving as honorary cura- 

 tor, I was able, through the courtesy of the officials of the Pennsylvania 

 Eailroad Company, to spend such time as I could be spared from my 

 duties in their service in the developement of the Section of Steam 

 Transportation. Owing to the limited time at my command little was 

 accom])lished. Having become permanently connected with the Mu- 

 seum staff in December, 1887, increased space was assigned to the sec- 

 tion at the east end of the east hall, early in January. Shortly after- 

 wards the scope of the section was enlarged, with the designation of 

 the Section of Transportation and Engineering. 



It is the aim of the Section of Transportation and Engineering to 

 present an object lesson that shall illustrate and preserve the history 

 of the devices man has used, the structures he has built, and the ma- 

 chines he has invented to promote travel and commerce and to convey 

 intelligence. Appliances used to generate power for manufacture, and 

 to produce heat and light, and others of a similar nature are tempora- 

 rily assigned to this section. 



The science of engineering has been so intimately connected with and 

 interwoven in the development of the art of transportation, especially 

 of late years, that the problems presenting themselves to the projectors 

 of railways and the constructors of steam-ships have evolved several 

 distinct branches of engineering especially devoted to their solution. 



Since inventive genius has generally followed in chronological se- 

 quence, the system of arrangement to show development step by step 

 which prevails in the other departments of the Museum is particularly 

 applicable to this section. 



Early in his existence, doubtless in prehistoric times, man's attention 

 was directed to travel, as he was was compelled to use his intelligence 

 from the beginning to aid him to surmount the obstacles in the journeys 

 which his physical necessities required him to make. 



Aboriginal methods of utilizing muscular force (in burden-bearing 

 and human and animal traction) and the power of the wind and wave 

 are placed at the beginning of the series devoted to transportation, of 



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