Woodside, the North End of Newark, N.J.: Its History, Legends and Ghost Stories Gathered from the Records and the Older Inhabitants Now LivingHine, C. G. (Charles Gilbert)
History
Woodside, the North End of Newark, N.J.: Its History, Legends and Ghost Stories Gathered from the Records and the Older Inhabitants Now Living
Hine, C. G. (Charles Gilbert)
Hine, C. C. (Charles Cole), 1825-1897; Woodside (Newark, N.J.) -- History
Next came Jeremiah Counsellor, a conductor on the M. & E. R. R., and a
well-known character, and he asked the Doctor for an opportunity to sell
the property, stating that he would sell it inside of a month, and that
he wanted as his commission half of all he could get over $50,000. This
was just before the panic of ’73, when prices were largely inflated and
the Doctor was naturally pleased, as, having been attached to the
government service most of the time, he had not appreciated the rise in
land values. Shortly thereafter the sale was made to Mr. James Yereance,
a New York business man, for $57,000, $25,000 being paid down. The
interest was paid for some years, but Mr. Yereance was finally unable to
meet the payments, and an amicable arrangement was made whereby part of
the property was deeded to the father of Mr. Yereance and the remainder
was bought in by the Doctor at Sheriff’s sale. The Doctor speaks very
highly of the honest manner in which Mr. Yereance treated him all
through these transactions.
DR. WEEKS AND THE MONITOR.
Dr. Grenville M. Weeks carries with him a useless right arm as a memento
of the Civil War. He was surgeon on the Monitor when she sank, and tells
such an interesting story—not only of this event, but also of the
conception and building of the Monitor, many points of which he says are
not commonly known—that a brief outline of his story is embodied here:—
DR. THEODORE RUGGLES TIMBY.
Dr. Theodore Ruggles Timby, who died November 10, 1909, at the age of 91
was, the Doctor believes, the real inventor of the Monitor. In 1843, Dr.
Timby gave thought to the immense unprotected stretch of coast which
this country presented to an enemy, and recognized how impossible it
would be to construct forts that would cover its vast extent. It then
occurred to him that if floating forts could be constructed which could
be taken to any point threatened, the difficulty would be met. It is
said that the old circular fort on Governor’s Island first suggested a
revolving turret to him.
By much thinking he gradually evolved the Monitor type, and fifteen
years before the Civil War broke out had perfected his plans and
submitted them to the various European governments, even sending them to
China, but they all scouted his idea, some one of them remarking that
every inventor had his soft spot, and evidently that of Dr. Timby was
the thought that he could float an iron ship.
Dr. Timby returned home and continued to work over his plans, placing
airtight compartments in bow and stern, and in such other ways as he
could devise meeting the objections that had been raised.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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