Steam Engine. SSY 
This kind of argument had the desired effect, and a favor» 
able report was made, May 21, 1787, granting to me, 
uiy heirs and assigns, for 14 years, the exclusive right to 
mtike and use my improvements in flour mills, and the 
steam wagons, in that state. From that period I have 
felt myself bound in honour to the state of Maryland to 
produce a steam wagon, as soon as I could conveniently 
do it. 
In the year 1789, 1 paid a visit to Benjamin Ckahdlee^ 
and sons, clockmakers, men celebrated for their ingeniii« 
ty, with a view to induce them to join me in the expence 
and profits of the project. I shewed to them my draughts 
with the plan of the engine, and explained the expansive 
power of steam ; all which they appeared to understand, 
but fearful of the expence and difficulties attending it, de- 
clined the concern. However they certified that I had 
shev/n to them the drawings and explained the powers, 
&c. 
In the same year, I went to EUicotfs mills on the Pe- 
tap SCO ^ near Baltimore^ for the purpose of persuading 
Messrs. Jonathan Ellicott and brothers, and connections, 
(who ¥/ere equally famous for their ingenuity,) to join me 
in the expence and profits of making and using steam wa- 
gons. I also shewed to them my drawings, and iiii-^ 
nutely explained to them the powers of steam. I’hev 
appeared fully to comprehend all 1 said, and in return in- 
formed me of some experiments they themselves had 
made, one of vvhich they shewed me. They placed a 
gun-barrel, having a hollow^ arm, with a small hole on 
one side at the end of the arm, similar to Barker's rotary 
tube mill, as described in the books ; a gill of water put 
into this barrel, with fire applied to the breech, caused 
the steam to issue from the end of the arm with such force^ 
as, by re-action, to cause the machine to revolve, as I 
judged, about one thousand times in a minute, for the 
