those on board,
feeling anxious for their safety if the "contraption" should explode,
secured a skiff, and followed the steamboat at a safe distance, ready
to pick up such of the passengers as might survive when the affair had
blown to pieces. Longstreet headed the boat down the river, and went in
that direction for several miles. Then he turned the head of the little
boat upstream; and, although the current was swift, he carried his
passengers back to the wharf, and several miles above.

From that hour William Longstreet became a man of some consequence in
the community. Those who had ridiculed him now sang his praises, and
those who had doubted that steam could be used as a motive power were
now convinced. His friends tried hard to get him to go to Washington and
secure the benefits of a patent for his invention; but he persistently
refused to take any steps to profit by the results of his genius, or
indeed to make his invention known. His constant reply to all those who
tried to persuade him to go to Washington was, that he had carried
on his experiments simply to prove the truth of his theory to his own
satisfaction, and to convince those whose respect he coveted that he was
neither a fool nor a crank.

Some of his friends and admirers were themselves preparing to go to
Washington in behalf of the inventor, but they had put off their journey
until the year after the exhibition was made in Augusta, and at
that time they heard that Robert Fulton had exhibited his steamboat
"Clermont" on the Hudson River. They then gave up their design, and
William Longstreet continued to remain in the seclusion that was so
pleasant to him.

It is a noteworthy fact, that twelve years after William Longstreet made
his successful experiments on the Savannah River, Georgia enterprise
built, launched, and managed the first steamship that ever crossed the
ocean. This great enterprise was organized in Savannah in 1818. The
Georgia Company contracted to have the ship built in New York; and when
completed, it was named the "Savannah." The vessel was finished and
brought to Savannah in April, 1819. In May the steamship left Savannah
bound for Liverpool. From Liverpool it went to St. Petersburg, and then
returned to Savannah, having made the voyage in fifty days.

The first sewing machine was invented by Rev. Frank R. Goulding, a
Georgian who has won fame among the children of the land as the author
of "The Young Marooners." He invented the