Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-05-01


THE INVENTOR OF THE STEAMBoAT.-NIr.
VIM. Stone, in his forthcoming history of New
York, asserts that to John Fitch and not to
ROBERT Fulton belongs the credit of having in
vented the steamboat. He says:
Probably no person has received SO much
praise, and deserved it so little, as Robert Full
ton. man of no practical ingenuity-of no
power of conceiving, much less of executing, an
original mechanical idea-his friend Golden
has succeeded in persuading the public that to
him alone is due the successful navigation OF
our rivers by steam. The facts, however, as !
gathered them from the late Bishop Potter, OF
Pennsylvania, who in turn received them from
Chancellor Livingston himself are as follows
thirteen years before Fitch experimental with
his steamboat upon the Collect in New York,
he had, as is well known, run little steamer
on the Delaware, between Philadelphia and Bor
| dentown, with great success. During that peri
| cd he had experimental with various kinds OF
| propelllng power, the screw, the side-wheel ant
| sweeps or long oars. The most primitive thing
| about his vessel was the boiler which consisted
simply OF two potash kettles riveted togeth er
Alr' Livingston, who was greatly interes ted il
the success of Fitch's experiments, seized tn,
| opportunity, when minister to France to yisi
| the workshops of Watt & Bolton, in England
where, for the first time, he saw a properly
constructed steam boiler. But how was he tC
Introduce it into the United States, unless
(Which was then impossible) he went there him
self
''At this crisis he thought of Robert Fulton,
who originally an artist in Philadelphia, was
then exhibiting panorama in Paris. His
panorama, however, failing to pay was at
tached, and he himself arrested for debt and
thrown into prison. Livingston also, at this
time, mad IN his possession the plans, models
and drawings of what was afterwards the sue
cesslul steamboat, which he had obtained from
the American consul, then residing at Hayre
who, IN turn, had purchased them of Fitch, when
the latter, completely discouraged and stranger
in France, utterly destitute, had given up in de-
spar. Livingston falling into the error so COM
mon TO many, of believing that because an ar
tist can draw cleverly he must necessarily sue
coed equally well in mechanical conception and
execution, paid off Fulton's debts and sent him
over to New York with one of James Watts
boilers. Fulton, however, thoroughly incompe.
tent and Enthusiastically, failed to rise to the oc-
casion; and when Livingston returned, year
after, he found his pet project precisely where
he had left il several years before. He there
fore, at once took hold of it himself, and by his
energy and perseverance finally brought his idea
to a successful issue-Fulton whom he could
not entirely shake OFF, acting as kind of general
superintendent.
THESE facts, moreover, are confirmed not onIy
by the late President VIM. A. Duer, in his New
Yorker (Letter 7th) but by Mr.. Ransom Cook,
now 1S71) living at Saratoga Springs, N. Y.
Mr.: COOK informs me that in the summer of
LOU ny was III lhe CITY vi NEW 1Ork, engaged
upon his electromagnetic machinery Among
ms workmen were two who had been employed
by Livingston and Fulton while those gentlemen
were periecting their steamboat They sur
prised him greatly by stating that Fulton was a
capital draughtsman, and that was ALL They
added, that he was so deficient in knowledge
Of the laws of mechanics as to furnish daily
mirth for the workmen, and that it
was long time before Livingston could con.
vince him that the Starting bar of an engine
should be made larger at the fulcrum end than
at the handel"