Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-10-04
who Invented the first stcamDoa,r

North Thetford correspondent of the
Boston journal thinks there is conclusive
proof to show that Capt. Samuel Morey Of
Fairlee Connecticut river town in Orange
county, anticipated Robert Fulton by some
years in inventing and successfully testing the
FIRST steamboat
The idea of moving boats by means Of
steam was not original with any American, it
having been a fayorite project with men of
science of various countries, and the subject
is said to have received attention as early, ut
least Ms ljt3. In $50 Norey is thought to
have become interested in the subject OF the
steamboat, and thirteen years after Fulton is
said to have laid before Lord Stanhope plan
of steam navigation. IT was not later than
l793-fOurtcen years before the trial trip of
the "Clermont," (Fulton's boat-when Mo
rey first constructed his boat and propelled it
up the Connecticut river by steam at the rate
of nearly four miles an hour This thing
was not done in a corner" Ii was seen many
times by numerous people Of strict integrity.
There are honorable persons living to-day
who can testify to having seen ii, and at least
one person, Mrs. Nathaniel Mann, who rode
on it. Is any further evidence necessary to
prove Morey's claim TO the invention of the
first steamboat?
ington show that several patents for the ap-
plication of steam We're taken out by Morey
previous to Futou's for the application of
steam ito boats As Morey's great aim had
always been TO invent steamboat these pa
tents doubtless had reference to that fact
Capt. Samuel MOrey was son of Gen. Is
rael Morey, who moved to Oxford from Con-
necticut in 1866. He was n resident of Or
ford for many years but he is better known,
perhaps, as a citizen of Fairlee, where he
shaped his various enterprises and died IN
1913, aged II years. He originally owned
1900 acres of woodland about Fairlee Pond
and employed large number of men and OK
en- during the winter months, in clearing the
lumber for market, the proceeds of which
(S40,OOO) We're consumed in scientific prof
ects. As before stated, he began as early as
1880 to give attention to subjects Of light,
heat and steam, aud shortly after invented
several ingenious cOntrivnuces for various oh.
iects. He was a valued correspondent of the
late Prof Silliman of Yale College, and often
contributed interesting articles for the pages
of the journal of Science and Arts" lie
also corresponded with Fulton, and visited
the latter twice in New York and exhibited
the model of his boat receiving one visit
from Fulton in return.
1t was after this visit to AIorey that Fulton
the Hudson and Capt Morey, who was con
sidered an honest man, always held that Ful
ton surreptitiously initiated his model. II
1920, Morey put ON Fairlee Pond boa
named the "Aunt Sally" 1t was 20 fee
long and neatly painted Some unprincipleC
person or persons sunk it soon after its com
| pletion and trial trip and it now rests beneatl
| the waters of the pond.
Capt. Morey continued his scientific pur
suits nearly or quite, up to the time of hi
decease, and these labors were more or les
honored and recognized still he never really
recovered from the blow received through tn,
alleged perfdy of Fulton.
The model of the boiler and engine mad,
in 793 is in the possession of n descendan
of the inventor.
Would it not be well for the Antiquarian
| societies of the country TO examine at one,
the claims of Morey to the invention of tn,
steamboat?
Another correspondent of the journal, re
plying to this communication, claims the hon
or of the invention of the first steamboat TO
John Fitch, who in 1887 built and successful
| ly operated a steamboat on the Delaware riV
] er.