Wythe to Shermer, 10 July 1755
This letter is a portion of one of Wythe's orders for scientific equipment. The Shermer he references may be one of the Virginia Shermers from the case Shermer v. Richardson. His order includes an aeolipile, which is a simple steam turbine. The device would be filled with water, then spin as steam was emitted. Wythe also orders a wood cup to perform the scientific demonstration known as the "Shower of Mercury," in which mercury is poured into an open cup sealed to a plugged container; the difference in pressure forces the mercury through a cork or piece of wood into the lower container, and the pressure causes the mercury to shower out in a blue-white color.
According to Hemphill in his dissertation, "George Wythe the Colonial Briton," this is the "earliest available writing from Wythe's pen now known to be extant."[1]
Document text, 10 July 1755
Page 1
an aelolipyle a receiver and wood cup for shower of Mercury — to be had of Naime and Blunt Mr Shermer will be so good to procure for
- G. Wythe
10 july
- 1755
References
- ↑ William Edwin Hemphill, "George Wythe the Colonial Briton: A Biographical Study of the Pre-Revolutionary Era in Virginia," PhD diss., University of Virginia, 1937, 82.
