William C. Redfield (1789–1857)

Very early proposal for a railroad to the interior midwest. Very prescient. Eventually railroads were built along the proposed route, even to the extent of crossing the Mississippi at Rock Island Davenport as proposed. He was a guest at the opening of the bridge at that location, and there is a plaque commemorating the event which occurred in 1854 some 25 years after publication of his booklet.
This is the first item published by Redfield, preceding by two years his seminal publication in the American Journal of Science and Arts “Remarks on the Prevailing Storms of the Atlantic Coast of the North American States” which was the first of many articles on the nature of hurricanes. As a result of these essays he is considered one of the fathers of American Meteorology. He also wrote extensively on steam boilers and naval design. He was the first president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1848) and considered by some the individual most responsible for formation of that organization.
Both editions are both highly desirable and historically important.
It is claimed that much of the insight Redfield had for the route was based upon his walk from Connecticut to Ohio some years earlier. A copy of the diary from that walk is found in nflowlibrary.
The second edition of this item, separately listed has much additional information, especially about the use of steam as a means of propulsion and the development of railroads in England.… (mer)