Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-02-21

. Fitch's attention was first drawn
b the propelling of carriages on land
; steam power, but soon gave it up an
, set himself to work to perfect pIa
: for the moving of boats by stean
His first model was made and trie
I IN Bucks county, Pa, and realize
every expectation; it had wheels 8
its sides" Paddles were adopted i
1855, as the buckets "were found t
labor too much in the water" Th
difficulty seems to have been owin
to the size of the wheels employed
There was a waste of power "by th
fall of the buckets or paddles on tn
water and their lift of water il
: rising" This decreased as the wheel
increased in size. The large wheel
required in modern boats correspond
nearly in principle with those o
Fitch's first boat.
After having completed his plan.
and made his initial experiments, his
highest ambition was to build boat
large enough to test his theories.
/ Application for aid was made by him
to the Continental Congress, to The
I Legislature of Pennsylvania, as well
as to many private individuals, to
whom he represented the grand re-
suits to be achieved by the use Of
steam in navigation.
In Oct. 'S5 he wrote to Franklin,
boldly asserting the practicability of
steam vessels navigating the ocean
His efforts did not produce the de-
sired result, but gave him the reputa-
ton of insanity.
During the war be had invested all
his property in continental currency,
BIT finding it depreciating so rapidly
Al value he purchased goods with the
remnants, and while passing down
the Ohio on a western trip he was
taken prisoner, and after various ad-
ventures in the west returned TO Penn
sylvania in the winter of 1928, pen
niless man.
His travels through the west as
surveyor and prisoner had given him
enlarged ideas of that region with its
large rivers and net work af great /
lakes. He plainly fOresaw the capac- |
ities of the northwest, and his mind |
became filed with visions of wealth /
and honor to be realized from the /
commercial demands of this region,
and was no doubt a powerful incen-
tive in urging him onward in his
plans of steam navigation, which were
so well calculated TO advance its set
and commerce. By the con-
struction and sale of a map of the
North Western Territory, his west
ern travel having given him the re-
quisite knowledge, some money was
obtained which enabled him to form
a company of forty shares.
After some experiments with the
skiff steam boat, which satisfied them
Of the feasibility of their plans, they
a boat of sixty tOns.-
After innumerable vexations and de-
avs, the boat on trial moved but :
.hree miles an hour, The power
which was anticipated from a twelve
nch cylinder was not realized owing
doubtless to the roughness of its con-
itrnction. The shareholders were 1
iomeWhat discouraged, but doubled
he number of shares and commenced
heir improvements. During the time
# these experiments several States /
lad granted Fitch valuable mOnopo- [
les for a term OF years in the use and I
of such boats. c
These Acts, which were passed at
arious times, served to give renewed d
interest to the Steam Boat Company I
nd urged them forward in spite of /
exstiOus delays and misfortunes. q
In few months the bO6t named the q
Co. N-Tan ]
very precautiOn was taken before Z
illnesses for a fair trial and dec .ared v
} be fairly made. A speed of eight v
lilies an hour was attained in Oct. e
IS. b
On the 18th she made the trip to
twenty miles up the Del e.
ware, with thirty passengers, in y
lree hours and twenty minutes. n
In 'S9a more perfect boat was built el
I'D n1a5e an experim ent which was Ie
ltisfaetery. That night she was de- o.
royed by fire, The second boat was II
paired in 80 and a new steamer al
so as to comply with the v
iTginia law which expired Nov. 7th u
this year. The law required two "
,ats within her domain within four OF
ears. gl
On the 10Th of April, trial took te
ace which was so satisfactory that aG
itch felt as il bis troubles were over.
! his journal, which eontains an OF
count of the trip, he exultingly. eK- m
aims, 1--WE reigned Lord High Ad- W
trails of the Delaware The steam- st
ran quite regularly as a passenger de
,at during this season The public ar
urnals gave eommendatory notices re
Fitehls success. W
IN g petition to the Congress of the an
in '6S he used the fol- IN
wing expression 1--WE have over M
me every difficulty which can cause
ubts 10 arise, having done what ee
IS never done before. We have ex- pi
bited TO the world vessel going th
ainst strong winds and tides, the u1
sseI carrying the engine, the engine ~
opelling the vessel, and all moving no
zether against the current" OF
In a petition, July I'd, 1880, he says, vi
having at length folly succeeded in or
) scheme, he trusts he now comes 4
ward not as an imaginary pro- ye
tori "a
rhe boats we're lying in the Della ma
re ready to comply with the Viz sal
ia ltNS, Out q StOflu 1fOSr STU Otit - "a
them was driven on Petty's Island Z
ere it lay until the expiration OF SlI
statute. no
The passenger traffic on the Dela-1 ths
re not having proved profitable, Ae
principal reliance for profit was Rh
IN the monopoly given him by thei ian
te- of Virginia, as her Territory at do
{ time comprised large portion Yef
the west oI
he shareholders became discour- We
d and Indifferent. For four years lor
boat remained without change. Sal'
IN the 9th of August, 1875, occurred pie
''last act in the melancholy owe
ma, an auction sale of the engine INV
machinery, -. c34
turing this time Fitch had pre- rlgl
ed his manuscript before spoken or J
nd made some unsuccessful efforts VII
bt6ia aid TO continue his projects, him
had made q trip to Europe for agiI
! purpose, but returned to Boston suit
l state of destitutiOn. In '9B he thol
structed q screw propeller in New shoI
K. The boat was a ships yawl disc