FOR ENGINEERING
Figure 11.––Teakettle and stand given to Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs in 1853 by the citizens of Washington for his work on the Washington Aqueduct. Gift of Gen. M. C. Meigs. In Division of Political History. (Acc. 25386, cat. 5864; Smithsonian photo 57008.)
By far the most fanciful of all the mid-19th-century pieces is the silver teakettle and stand ([fig. 11]) given to General Montgomery C. Meigs by the citizens of Washington for his work on the Washington Aqueduct. The kettle, 18 inches high, is mounted on a base that is 81⁄2 inches square and 31⁄4 inches high. The base is made in the shape of the stone arches of the aqueduct, and the head of George Washington, in profile, is 93 depicted on the center front. There is a depression in the top of the base for holding a small alcohol lamp. Four rocks, one on each corner of the base, provide support for the kettle. The kettle’s feet, in the form of fish, rest on the rocks and are fastened to them with hinges held by a chain and silver pin. The pins can be released so that the kettle can be tilted for pouring without moving it from the base. By withdrawing all four pins, the kettle can be completely detached from the base. The body of the kettle is decorated with nautical designs––waves, fish, shells, etc.––and cattails and lily pads. Under the spout is an anchor entwined with a fish over the initial “M.” A belt ornamented with stars encloses the castellated towers of the Army Engineers symbol with the letters “U,” “S,” and “E” on one side of the kettle. On the other side is the inscription:
Presented to Captain Montgomery C. Meigs U.S. Engineers by the Corporation of Washington with a Resolution of Thanks approved 12th March 1853 for his Report on the Washington Aqueduct.
The handle of the kettle is in the form of a serpent’s tail, and the spout is the serpent’s open mouth. The lid is a nautilus shell on which stands an eagle with raised wings. On one side of the base is inscribed:
Presented 9th June 1854 by John W. Maury––Mayor, Joseph Borrows of Bd Ald., A. W. Miller of Bd Com. C. Committee of the Corporation.
The piece is marked “M. W. Galt & Bro.,” a firm established in Washington in 1802 that has been in continuous business since that time.
Montgomery Cunningham Meigs graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1836 and was soon assigned to the Engineer Corps. Thereafter, for a quarter of a century his outstanding talents were devoted to many important engineering projects. His favorite was the construction of the Washington Aqueduct, which carried a large part of Washington’s water supply from the Great Falls of the Potomac to the city. This work, under his direction between 1852 and 1860, involved devising ingenious methods of controlling the flow and distribution of the water and also the design of a monumental bridge across the Cabin John Branch––a bridge that for 50 years was the longest masonry arch in the world. At the same time Meigs was supervising the building of wings and a new dome on the Capitol and an extension on the General Post Office Building.
During the Civil War, Meigs served as quartermaster general, and in 1864 he was brevetted major general. As quartermaster general he supervised plans for the War Department Building, 1866-1867; the National Museum Building, 1876; and an extension of the Washington Aqueduct, 1876.
After his retirement, in 1882, General Meigs became architect of the Pension Office Building. He served as a regent of the Smithsonian Institution, was a member of the American Philosophical Society, and one of the earliest members of the National Academy of Sciences.
General Meigs himself gave the Museum this interesting piece of presentation silver. He also gave the previously described tureen ([fig. 5]) that had belonged to Commodore John Rodgers, who was General Meigs’ father-in-law.
Cyrus W. Field became interested in the idea of a cable across the Atlantic between Newfoundland and Ireland in 1854. It was not a new idea, and other shorter submarine cables had been successful, but this was the first time a transatlantic cable had been promoted by a man of Field’s business ability and financial standing. Through his efforts, a governmental charter was secured and a company of prominent New Yorkers was formed to underwrite the venture. An unsuccessful attempt to lay the cable was made by the company in 1857. Field tried again in 1858; on the fourth attempt he was successful and immediately acclaimed as the “genius of the age.”
Figure 12.––Gold box presented to Cyrus W. Field by the City of New York. Loan of Metropolitan Museum of Art. In Division of Political History. (Acc. 64761, cat. 26209; Smithsonian photo 57010.)
New York greeted Field with wild rejoicing, and the city authorities set September 1, 1858, as a day of celebration to give him an official public ovation. The celebration surpassed anything the city had ever before witnessed. Mr. Field and the officers of the cable fleet landed at Castle Garden and received a national salute. From there the procession progressed through crowded and gaily decorated streets to the crowd-filled Crystal Palace, where an address was given on the history of the cable. Then the mayor of New York gave an address honoring Mr. Field and presented him with a gold box stating:
The municipal government of this city instructs me to present to you a gold box with the arms of the city engraved thereon, in testimony of the fact that to you mainly, under Divine Providence, the world is indebted for the successful execution of the grandest enterprise of our day and generation; and in behalf of the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of New York I now request your acceptance of this token of their approbation.
The gold box ([fig. 12]) presented to Field by the City of New York is in the collections of the United States National Museum.[14] It measures 41⁄2 inches by 3 inches. On the lid and around an engraved representation of the cable fleet is inscribed:
The City of New York to Cyrus W. Field
The sides of the box are engraved with vignettes depicting the landing of the cable, the planning group at work, science and industry united, and Europe and America united. The bottom is engraved with the American eagle and the British shield. The inside lid of the box is inscribed:
The City of New York to Cyrus W. Field commemorating his skill, fortitude and perseverance in originating and completing the first enterprise for an ocean telegraph successfully accomplished Aug. 5, 1858 uniting Europe and America.
Figure 13.––Silver-mounted tankard presented to Cyrus W. Field by the workmen of Central Park, New York City. Loan of Metropolitan Museum of Art. In Division of Political History. (Acc. 64761, cat. 26209; Smithsonian photo 45992-H.)
Significant of the enthusiasm with which Field was greeted in 1858 is a silver-mounted tankard, made 95 from the wood of the Charter Oak, that was given to him in December by the workmen of Central Park. On August 18, seemingly without advance publicity or elaborate preparations, there was a parade on Broadway of the workmen of Central Park. The procession was headed by a squad of policemen in full uniform, a band, and a standard bearer with a muslin banner inscribed “The Central Park People.” The men marched in squads of four, and wore their everyday work clothes with evergreens stuck in their hats. Each squad carried a banner giving the name of its boss-workman. The procession included four-horse teams drawing wagons in which rode the workmen of the Engineers’ Department. The parade was composed of 1,100 laborers and 800 carts from Central Park and 700 laborers and carts from the new Croton Reservoir, making a procession three miles long. Since it was altogether unexpected, it created no little excitement and inquiry.[15]
The tankard ([fig. 13]) has a silver spout inscribed:
The Oak of this Tankard is a part of the tree in which was preserved the Charter of the Liberties of the People of Connecticut during a temporary success of tyranny A.D. 1687.
There is a silver shield on the left side with the monogram “C. W. F.” and a silver shield on the right inscribed:
The men, working in the Central Park Augst 17th 1858 Present this tankard to Cyrus W. Field, as an expression of their respect, for the untiring labor which on that Day resulted in proving the practicability of Trans-Atlantic Communication, by the Electric Telegraph.
The knob on the lid is made of silver and is decorated with an anchor and a rope in silver. No maker’s mark is discernible.
While the public adulation was at its peak the cable suddenly stopped working. Immediately public opinion changed and Field was accused of being a fake. He suffered severe business reverses and in 1860 went into bankruptcy. The outbreak of the Civil War prevented any further activity on the cable until 1865. Field engaged the world’s largest steamer, the Great Eastern, to make the next attempt. The cable of 1865 parted in midocean during the laying operations, but in 1866 experience and technical improvements won the fight. The cable was laid and this time it continued to operate.
Again Field was the darling of the American people and he was greeted with enthusiasm. Immediately on his return to New York in 1866 he sold enough of his cable stock to enable him early in November to write to those who had been hurt by his bankruptcy in 1860 and send to each the full amount of his indebtedness with 7 percent interest. The full amount paid out reached about $200,000. For this action George Peabody of New York City gave Field a silver service.
The silver cake basket[16] from this service is in the United States National Museum. The shallow basket is on a pedestal with handles on each side. The inside of the basket is gilded. Inscribed on a plaque on one side is:
George Peabody to Cyrus W. Field in testimony and commemoration of an act of very high Commercial integrity and honor, New York, 24 Nov. 1866.
The inside of the foot of the basket is marked with the lion, anchor, and “G” of the Gorham Silver Company.
Field continued to be active in many business enterprises but the last years of his life were again beset with severe financial difficulties. He and his wife celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1890, and in honor of this occasion their children presented them with a silver gilt vase.[17] The vase contains a portion of the first Atlantic cable mounted in the base, a part of the steamship Great Eastern, by which the cable was laid, and the inscribed names of all the Field’s children and grandchildren. It is marked “Tiffany & Co. Sterling Silver, M.”