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 8-1/2
inches square and 3-1/4 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 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 B^d Ald., A. W. Miller of B^d 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."
[Illustration: 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 4-1/2 inches by 3 inches. On the lid and around an engraved
representation of the cable fleet is inscribed: