The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-06-15
TIE STEAMBOAT.
An Old Engineer Speaks His Mind Freely
on an Interesting Subject.

An Old Engineer Speaks His Mind Freely
on an Interesting Subject.
Grandpa, said the old engi-
neer's pet and pride as he looked up
from his history book, in what
year did Mr.. Fulton invent the
steamboat
"He didn't" responded grandpa,
with snap of his jaws.
"This book says he did, protest
ed the youngster.
Eve can't help that, my lad, but
come over here and let me tell you
some real history" The boy obey
ing by gladly firing his book into a
corner and climbing into the old
gentlemans lap The grandfather
proceeded: Away back yonder only
about so years after Columbus dis
covered America-that is to say, in
1543, when Charles V was king of
Spain-a Spanish captain named
Elasco &c Guerrero, put 200 ton
steamboat on the water at Barcelona
that made record for itself in no
time. There was an exhibition run
before the king and all his court
and there wasn't a hitch in the
whole trial trip. The secret of the
propelling power was unknown, but
there was big tank of boiling wa
ter and steam on board and there
we're two wheels visible on the out
side of the hull. AS ! said, she was a
success and the king was greatly
pleased and wanted his treasurer to
buy the whole thing from Captain
Guerrero and build some government
steam vessels, but the treasurerw
away behind the times and poked
around until Guerrero took the en-
CINE out of the hull and let the boat
rot in the water. AS for himself he
died from disappointment, taking
his secret to the grave with him.
Spain had discovered America and
the effort had been too much for her
in the progressive line, so she simply
laid down on the poor captain, my
child, and killed him.
"For 100 years after that the
steamboat business was as dull as it
is ON q western river during a
drouht, and then, in 1882, one Solo
mon de Coste came into France from
Normandy with an engine that
would propel vessel on the water
or carriage on land, and he show
ed il to the king, and later to Cardi-
nal Richelieu, who held a mortgage
on France, body and soul. This en-
gine of De Coste's was pretty much
all that was claimed for it, and was
without question quite as successful
as its successors, yet the best Richie
lieu could do for De Coste was to
shut him up in a madhouse for his
persistence, where in good time, l
suppose, the poor fellow died. France
wasn't any better than Spain in the
navigation business, and the steam.
boat interests languished for anoth-
er hundred years, when up on the
Potomac at Shepherdstown, Va,
James Ramsey had a steamboat that
that highly respected citizen George
Washington thought was a good
thing and advised him to. push it
along. Mr.. Fitch ran in one about
the same time and poor Ramsey had
such hard row to hoe with his in
vention that at last he gave it up in
despair. Two hundred years wasted,
my lad, and still no steamboat doing
regular passenger and freight
business! The next trial was made
by William Symington on the Forth
and Clyde canal in Scotland, with
the tug Charlotte Dundas, and no.
body said then that steam naviga-
ton was new thing. The Dundas
towed for awhile and was laid by
because her wheels washed the
banks of the canal.
"This was in 1902, and there was
another lapse until 1907, when the
Fulton you mention showed little
steamboat called the Clermont out
on the Hudson river and made a
trip to Albany in her. He had fail
ed on the Seine and would have
done it i'll America, but he had the
money behind him this time and he
got there exactly us Captain Guerrero
would have done 800 years ahead OF
him if he had only had the backing
That's history, my child" conchd-
ed the old gentleman, land when
ever anybody talks to you about
Robert Fulton inventing the steam
boat, you tell him what your grand
father tells you. Do you hear: =
Detroit Free Press
The Old Story.
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