The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-05-18

HISTORY OF STEAMBOATS,.

The following facts, which are condensed by
the Baltimore Sun from a lecture recently de-
liyered before the Baltimore Mercantile Associa-
ton, will prove interesting: "In England al
though the use of labor-saving machinery had
begun to be entertained by many ingenious
minds, yet its full Development was at once
stlled by the fears of poor workfnen, on the one
hand, lest they should lose the means of obtain
ing bread for their families, and by the alarm
which the rich entertained lest the poor thus de-
prived Of employment should be thrown upon
them for maintenance. But in America no
such retarding motives were in operation.
There was work for hundred hands where there
was but one pair of hands to perform il. And
this necessity developed the genius of invention
for which the people of this country have be-
come so remarkable. The briefhis given by
the lecturer of various inventions originated or
successfully applied in the United States, was
highly interesting and the description of the de-
scent ofthe first steamboat on the Ohio and Mis-
sssippi rivers, during the earthquake OF 1911,
held the audience in almost breathless attention.
The credit Of having first applied vertical paddle
wheels TO the sides OF boat, and for having first
constructed boat upon'this principle, Mr.. Latrobe
commended, should be shared with Mr.. Rose
welt and Mr. Stevens from the former of whom,
he thinks, the principle now so successfully APP
while Mr.. Livingston was Minister to France.
And had Mr.. Fulton delayed but few weeks
his successful trial upon the Hudson, Mr.. Stevens
would have had all the honor which now attaches
TO Mr.. Fulton for he was also building boat
on the same principle, and finished It but few
weeks after Robert Fulton's experiment with his
boat The original idea of vertical paddle wheels
applied TO the centre OF boat IS SO curious that
we will give il as mentioned by the lecturer
Mr. Roosevelt, of New York, the same who
built the first steamboat on the western waters,
and with his family descended the Ohio and
Mississippi, during the fearful earthquake Of
1911, while boy amusing himself with making
and launching tiny vessels, cut out OF single IN
the rude form of boat; across the cnntre of this
this he laid small shaft, and 10 the ends OF the
which projected over the sides of his boat, he at
tached wheels with four arms, similar to the
wind mills which boys are in the habit of making
Around the shaft he wrapped piece of twine,
and then to the end of the Irvine he attached
bent hickory spring. He then placed his little
vessel in the stream, and had the delight to see
that, as the spring moved and drew upon the
thread and unwound it, the wheels were set in
motion and the boat moved toward upon the
water. This was some twenty years before
Fulton's successful trial upon the Hudson. After
this, and before Mr.. Fulton was known in this
matter, Chancellor Livingston, Mr.. Roosevelt
and Mr.. Stevens, of Hoboken, were jointly en-
gagged in the endeavor successfully toapply steam
to the propelling of boats. The lecturer said
that he had in his possession the correspondence
which passed between these individuals at the
time their experiments were in progress. Mr.
Roosevelt wished to apply the wheels vertically,
and at the sides; but the Chancellor's idea was
that the true principle was the horizontal wheel
applied to the stern. The latter overruled, and
thus the boat was constructed, and put in mo
ton in the Bay of New York. II proved to be
a failure, as its speed was only about three miles
per hour. The partnership was then abandon
ed when Mr.. Roosevelt applied his principle
to the same boat, and found il 10 work admirably.
But the boat was two weak TO bear the central
application of power, and was racked so as to be
unfit for use Mr. r. then abandoned the prose-
cution of the matter for other and more pressing
concerns. About this time, Mr. Livingston was
sent as Minister to France, and there met Mr..
Fulton Encouraged by Mr. Livingston the lat
ter made many experiments upon the Seine,
not, however, with the power applied according
10 Mr.. Rosevet's idea; but in all he was sue
cessful He finally, in New-York turned his at
tenton to the vertical paddle wheel, CENTRALLY ap-
piled, and succeeded"