Bellevue gazette. [volume] (Bellevue City, N.T. [i.e. Neb.]) 1856-1858, 1857-09-24
MISCELLANEOUS.
John Fitch, His works and Days.

John Fitch, the original inventor of the
steamboat, was a native of New Haven
and at an early age was apprenticed TO a
matchmaker. AT the breaking out of the
war of the revolution, he espoused the
cause of his country, was taken prisoner
by the Indians. and carried TO the then
western frontier. After various hard
ships, he succeeded in efecting his escape,
and joined the American forces in the ca
pacity Of armorer, occupying his position
until the conclusion of peace. He next
projected map of the west, the materials
having been furnished by his own obser-
vations during his captivity, and was re-
warded for the service by grant of land
from the state of Virginia, situated in the
then county of Kentucky, in the vicinity
of the present Bardstown. f,
! 1t was while he was in the hands of the
Indians, carried from point 10 point along
the banks of the Ohio, that the idea of ap-
plying steam power to river navigation
entered his mind; a purpose which he
long and fondly cherished, and odly relin-
pushed at last, when 1t became apparent
that all hopes of pecuniary assistance in
the undertaking we're futile, owing to the
idea being generally set down as the wild
dream of an enthusiast There were n
few, however, who were not influenced by
the general scepticism, and TO them he de-
monstrated the practlcabilily of his plan by
running boat by steam on the river Del
aware from Philadelphia to Trenton.
This event took place in the year 1856,
twenty years before Fultons experiment
tai trip on the Hudson. Although on this
occasion he succeeded in making six miles
an hour; the whole thing was ranked
among those curiosities of scientific contri-
vance which are never destined to come
into useful effect and, discouraged by the
want of appreciation in his own country,
he accepted the invitation of Louis XVI.
TO visit France, which he reached near the
close of l7SS, just when the French revo-
luton was commencing, when Louis was
occupied with far other thoughts than the
fostering of peaceful arts. DESTITUTE of
means, and Ignorant Of the language of
the country he made his way back to
America, taking England in his route,
where he visited the engine mandatory
of Watts, then the greatest in the world.
After his return home he tried 10 inte-
rest his friends in the enterprise of build
ing steam vessel large enough to he
available for mercantile purposes. He
constructed small working model to run
on Collect pond, in the city of New York,
where the 'tombs" now stand His model
performed admirably, but its working
failed to carry conviction of the practical
value OF the invention.
AS last resort he next went tn Ken
lucky, where he hoped he might sell the
land granted to him by Virginia, in order
to appropriate the proceeds to the accom-
pliShment of his project. On his arrival
at Bardstown, disappointment again await
ed him; land was then of ltlle value; pur-
chasers were few, and with heavy hear,
he took up his residence with the father of
the late Judge Rowen, working at his
trade when he could get any thing to do,
Yet still cherishing his favorile scheme,
and occupying his spare time IN the con-
strucuon of models. OF these he made
two; one was large enough. to carry two
men on the river; and the other was a
small working model of the engine ap.
piled to the paddle wheel. The first was
DESTROYED by fire, and the second sold TO
Col. Kilburn, Of Worthingion, Ohio, who
had it stored in his garre, where it was
soon forgotten. On the death of the in
ventor this model fell into the possession