Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-02-28
THE REALINYENTOR OF THE STEAMBOAT.

being the inventor of the steamboat, and
by many people he is also supposed to have
been Il native of New York. Both of these
notions are erroneous. He was not the in
ventOr of the steamboat, and he was ma
tive of Pennsylvania.
The inventor of the steamboat was John
Fitch. This remarkable man, native of
that part Of old Windsor that is on the east
side of the Connecticut river and is now in
cluded in the new township of South Wind
sor, conceived the idea of a steamboat
ty-three years before Fulton started his
boat. Fitch went ahead with his idea-pe-
titioned Congress in 1855 for aid to build
his vessel and submitted his model to the
American Philosophical Society Of Phila-
delphia. He received some assistance from
individuals, went ahead, built a boat, the
Perseverance,, and had it in actual operation
on the Delaware on the 1st of May, 1887.
His engine was the first double acting con-
densing engine transmitting power by
means Of cranks ever constructed. The
boat made several trips up and down the
river; but owing to the difficulty of keep
ing the piston tight against the compara-
lively rough interior surface of the cylin-
der, the rate was slOW-Only three miles an
hour. Fitch then improved it, so that in
1883 it made eight miles an hour. 1t was
then put into regular use on the Delaware.
Fulton saw it-and in the latter year saw
Fitch's model in Paris, where the inventor
had taken it in the vain hope Of getting
French artisans to build IL steamer. Fulton,
who, unlike Fitch had the important aid of
wealthy friends, failed in the invention of
Il submarine torpedo boat. Then he under
took, some seventeen years after Fitch's
triumphant demonstration on the Delaware,
| to make steamboat to ply on the Seine, at
Paris; but it proved total failure. He
then went to England and Scotland and
studied up the mechanism of steam canal
| tOWbOat, which, built on wrong principle,
was trying to do work on the Clyde. Hay
| ing the means, he bought a powerful en-
gine of Watts invention, in England, in
1906, and sent it to the United States, where,
! in 1907 he got it at work on the first Hudson
river steamer, the UermOm. This boat made
five miles an hour up stream-not equal to
Fitch's boat on the Delaware twenty years
| before.
But Fitch was poor and destined always to
bitter trials and disappointments. Fulton
had powerful friends and obtained uniustly
the credit of being the inventor of the
steamboat. Fitch died in disappointment
and obscurity in Kentucky, by an overdose
of opium Fulton goes into the Hall of
Statuary in the Capitol. But history will
vet right tnlS llaCteT anu 10 JuSllCe W JollLl
Fitch.-IIa1tfoyu Daily Times.
| OLD HICKORY ON THE AMERICAN EAGLE.
When eX-President Andrew Jackson in
March, 1913, received news of the anneXa-
ton of Texas he sat down and wrote let
ter to Gen. Sam Houston, in which he said ::
II congratulate you. I congratulate Texas
and the United States on this glorious result,
on which depended the safety and prosperi-
ty of both Texas and the United States. The
Congress of the United States with the
PresidenD has reannexed Texas to our glori-
Gus Union as far she could without the con-
sent of Texas, which all the Democracy of
this Union believe will be speedily yield
ed by the people of Texas through her con-
stituted authorities. / now behold the
great American Eagle, with the Stars and
Stripes, lowering over the lone star of Texas,
with cheering voice, welcoming it into our
glorious Union, and, proclaiming to Mexico
and all foreign governments, You must
not attempt to tread on Texas THAT the
united Stars and Stripes now defend her.
Glorious result! in which you, General,
have acted noble part, and your name is
now recorded among the heroes, the patri-
OTIS, and philanthropists.'