Gideon Fitz’s Drawing of his Windmill, [ca. 10 June 1810]
Gideon Fitz’s Drawing of his Windmill
[ca. 10 June 1810]
Signification of the letters in the drawing,
| A | Axletree, say 15 inches diameter. |
| B. | Arm, say 9 feet long. |
| C | Large sail, say 6 feet by 4. |
| D | Paddle, or small sail |
| E | Pivot shaped like those of steelyards. |
| F | Cap roof fast to the axle to prevent rain passing down. |
| G | Roof. |
| H | Joist, or plate. |
| I | Hopper. |
| K | Mill stones |
| L | Trundle. |
| M | Band or spur Wheel. |
| N. | Ground floor. |
| O. | Upright post, say 30 feet high, four in number, with cross beams at top. |
| S. | Pulley & weight, to be used perhaps in preferance to the frame on the back of the sails to keep them down. |
MS (DLC: TJ Papers, 190:33832, 33831); entirely in Fitz’s hand; undated; with drawing on verso of brief covering letter of 12 June 1810 written from Opelousas Church and stating that “A letter necessary to accompany this is transmitted through a different rout, and I imagine will arrive before this does” (RC in DLC; date reworked from 10 June 1810; addressed: “The Honourable, Thomas Jefferson, Late President of the United States Milton Virginia”; endorsed by TJ as a letter of 10 June 1810 received 16 Aug. 1810 and so recorded in SJL); key to letters sent with Fitz to TJ, 10 June 1810.
This representation of Fitz’s machine is as much a model as a drawing, with the sails cut out and hinged. Fitz did not patent his windmill.