The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-06-03
ROBERT FULTON.
An Interesting Incident from the Life OF
the Inventor of Steamboats,.


the Inventor of Steamboats,.
ala, hap said charming old gen.
tleman whose memory was wonderful
for his age, for he was born during the
first ten years of the present century.
"Inventions! You can't hit them al
ways right. It's like a lottery. A man
twenty years ago came to me with
something and offered me quarter
share in it for twenty-five dollars. ]
didn't think it was worth shucks.
Well, to-day that quarter interest
would be worth quarter of million
dollars. You see the inventive faculty
is one thing and the business talent to
work out inventions successfully some
thing else. A good many people have
the first, but very few the other.
There was my father and Robert Full
ton. It's family story. 1 dare say
| it has been in print often and often,
but you can't wear out good thing.
You see, my father and Fulton were
quite intimate. Fulton was in the
habit of coming to see my father, and
having steamboat on the brain, he
probably talked my father, John Nc
Kesson, to death. 1t was always end
less chains or something or other. My
father was patient listener, and that's
talent. Cultivate it, young man.
One day during Office hours Fulton
came to see my father.
john" said he, II have got it
sure. can make her CO.
1 81 k<,D fr>1 1sofo 10
Fulton. I tell you what you do, come
around to my house tonight. !"
"'I can't said Fulton. what want
| to see you about is this: must have
one thousand dollars
| "'Well, ! haven't got it to give you.
| But anyhow come to the house all the
| same. You can take tea with us. Then
| you can talk with me to ten o'clock at
night; then if you are not through /
shall 60 to sleep. l always 60 to bed
| at ten.'
.Fulton seemed to hesitate for a
| while and at last said he would come.
Fulton did come round and took tea
with father. Fulton told him about the
paddle-wheel. Father thought that
paddle-wheel would never do. You
see, in those times they were cocksure
that the power used to lift up the water
by the wheel would about neutralize
the propelling force. Ha! ha! those
old fellows were smart. We always are
in our generation"
We'll father said, Robert Fulton,
your wheel is no good. 1t would never
work. You talk about making the boat
90 four miles an hour! That's an un-
| 1f NJ, xryhn
on your boat she'd stand stock STILL
'.Then Robert Fulton argued it out
with my father, and ten o'clock came,
and father was getting sleepy. just
then may be Fulton got more excited
or father more attentive, and it was
eleven o'clock and they were talking
over it still.
| "'It's time for you to go home
Robert, said my father, unless you
would like to have bed here, and you
might as well do that
"sH ] do answered Fulton. i
only adjourn the talk until tomorrow.
for you must get me the one thousand
dollars May be Fulton button-holed
father before breakfast; anyhow Full
tons persuasive powers overcame
fathers doubts, and he agreed that he
would do his best to raise the one thou
sand dollars for Fulton. Right after
breakfast father went out, and the first
man he met was Robert Lenox. See
here, Mr.. Lenox,' said father, 4 want
some money from you to help one OF
Fulton's schemes. You may not be-
lieve it ever will be done, but the man
fancies that he can make a boat 90
| e., T l. he. .,x4o Io
using steam, and wheel, or some
thing. am going to let him have
one hundred dollars. Would you mind
putting down your name for the same
sump ~
LIT seems quite preposterous, said
Mr.. Lenox to my father, 'and have no
reason to believe that Mr.. Fulton's
boat will ever accomplish what he
thinks it will. Still, if your name is
down, you may let him have one hum
dred dollars from me-
"'Then,' said my father, i will write
down, "Robert Lenox. one hundred
dollars. ~
"sNo, no, answered Mr.. Lenox, Just
put down the one hundred dollars with
no name to it, because | shouldn't like
the people who come after me to learn
that I was such Ounce as to think
that Fulton or anybody else ever could
make boat go with steam or wheels
four miles an hour.
That's the story my father told
me. See here, said the pleasant old
gentleman, .you never can exactly tell
what does come from an invention. |
wonder what Fulton would have to say
could he learn how those rocks at Hell
Gate had to be blown up because they
bothered that feet of steamers which
has to pass there every day. Eh? eh?''
and the old gentleman gave here a
merry laugh. ..Anyhow, Robert Full
ton got his one thousand dollars. ~.
r Times.
Customer Tin coffee and cake sa-
loom: waiter, bring me beef and
beans on separate plates; have the
, beef cut thin and with the grain; the
J beans brown on one side, and not toe
hot; and cup of coffee, and don't let
the coffee spill into the saucer" Wait.
er: sAll right. sorr. ANYTHING else?''