The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-06-15
TIE G;4m oUAT.
An Old Engineer Speaks His Mind Freely
ON an Interesting Subject.

An Old Engineer Speaks His Mind Freely
| ON an Hnterest:ng Subject.
Grandpa" said the old enei-
neer's pet and pride as ne looked up
from his history book, "in what
year did Mr.. Fulton invent tho
steamboat9"
He didn't" responded grandpa,
with snap Of his jaws.
"This book says he did," protest
ed the youngster.
I'VE 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
gentleman's lap. The grandfather
proceeded: Away back yonder only
about so years after Columbus dis
covered America-that is to cay, in
1543, when Charles V was king of
Spain-a Spanish captain named
Elasco de Guerrero, put 200 ton
steamboat Oh the water at Barcelona
that nude u record for itself in no
time There was IN exhibition run
before the king and all his court
| and there wasn't q hitch in the
whole trial trip. The secret of the
| prOpelling power was unknown, but
there was q big tank Of boiling wa
ter and steam on board and there
were two wheels visible on the out
side Of the hull. as said, she was O
success and the king was greatly
pleased and wanted his treasurer to
buy the whole thing from Captain
Guerere and build some government
! steam vessels, but the treasurer was
away behind the times and poked
around until Guerrero took the en-
glne 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 a western river during a
drouht, and then, i'll 1882, one Solo
mon de COste came into France from
Normandy with an engine that
would propel a vessel on the water
or a carriage on land, and he show
ed it 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 hi.n up in madhouse for his
persistence, whero in good time, I
suppose. the poor fellow died. France
wasn't any better than Spain in the
navigation business, and the steam.
boat interests languishod for anoth-
er hundred years. when up on the
Potomac ut Shepherdstown, Va,
James Ramsey had steamboat that
that highly respected citizen George
Washington thought was q good
thing and advised him to. push it
along. MI. 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
q regular passenger and freight
business! The next trial was made
by William Synington 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 q little
steamboat called the Clern,ont out
on the. Hudson river and made
trip to Albany in her. He had fail
ed on the Seine and would have
doneit i'll America, but he had tho
money behind him this time and l,n
got there exactly as Captain Guerrero
would have done 800 years ahead OF
him if he had only had tho backing.
That's history, my child" conchud-
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 hears''-
Detroit FREQ Press.
The Old Story.
"HOW urO YOui:. cried the chrvs.