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The Thomas Silver scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, drawings, correspondence, and ephemera related to Silver's steam engine governor, which he patented on July 3, 1855.

The Thomas Silver scrapbook (9.5" x 11.25") contains newspaper clippings, drawings, correspondence, and ephemera related to Silver's steam engine governor, which he patented on July 3, 1855. Early clippings pertain to Silver's other inventions, but the majority of material concerns his steam engine governor. Among the clippings are articles about marine engineering and about competing inventors' designs. Some articles discuss marine disasters and, as a result, call for the implementation of improved equipment. Silver also collected incoming letters, advertisements, and other ephemera items associated with his engine governor. Though Silver was based in Philadelphia, many items originated from France and Great Britain, where his inventions were more widely used than in the United States. Some articles and other items are illustrated with diagrams of steam engine governors, and one ink sketch depicts a boat carrying an oversize engine. Two issues of The Patent Bulletin, both dated 1871, are laid into the volume.