The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-08-04
Washington Man Proposes Erec-
ton of One Where Inventor
Made First Experiments.
SPOT is IN ROCK CREEK PARK.
There Fulton Showed IncredulOus
NeighbOrs How Steam and Sand
Could BE Used in Run
ming a Boat.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Washington. Aug. 3.-Joseph I. Keefsr
who enjoys the distinction Of having raised
the first American flag IN Alaska. and whc
has recently submitted a proposition to Gov.
ernor Odell of New York. to improve Nj
agara Falls. is endeavoring to have a suit.
able stone and Inscription erected In mem.
CRY OF Robert Fulton. inventor of the
steamboat. upon the spot where the first
models were tested on Rock Creek.
Mr. keefer. who has for years been con
versant with the facts. has located the
scene of the inventors tests at the point
where Rock Greek branches of at Pierce's
Mill. on the Kengla road at the head OF
Twentieth street northwest The spot Is
in Rock Creek Park. where a new stone
bridge has just been completed. Mr.. kee-
FER has applied to Captain Beach Of the
district engineers. for permission to be al
Indicating the spot. He has spoken TO %
number OF prominent citizens in regard III
the matter. and says he will persist in his
endeavOrs until his objects Is accomplished
The history of Robert Fulton and his
Is like that OF nearly all great
inventors. beginning In otscurity and often
born of Irish parents in 11sa in LATHE
Britain. Pa. now Fulton Township.
Began ~ a Matchmaker.
At an early age he was apprenticed to n
NGtetiiAdhtT III nlldQclpEla, anu tEeTe De-
gan HIS education in mechanics. After
learning his trade he became 4 mill ex-
pert and was known through this section
as the maker Of cog and mill wheels. His
product was In great demand He worked
and Travelled considerably. learning 10
paint pictures. meanwhile. and the people
styled him the painting miller"
Until he was about twenty years old Full
ton lived in and about Philadelphia; About
las he began to travel about. doing mill
work. II Is said he worked for General
Washington and other famous people. In
propulsion. He had some relatives namei
Dawson. who lived at the old mill. which
then stood on Rock Creek. There Fulton
made his first trial In public OF his model
long.
Novel Illustration
At that time steam was lively an
tors who had assembled upon Rock creek
the practical utility of his boat, he rugged
up a tunnel and poured a quantity Of sand
In IL. This was shot by steam power into
the bucket wheel and moved the little craft
across the stream. Some of the crowd said
It would never supersede canal-boats end
ocean"
His experiments were considered a nov
city. and in September. 1893. he addressed a
Letter to Earl stanhope Of London Eng
principle Of an invention respecting the
moving of ships by means of steam" He
received a satisfactory reply and went to
Europe with his model. At Birmingham he
was brought into communication with the
famous Watts. who had just succeeded In
his great Improvement of the steam ngine.
with the structure of which Fulton made
himself entirely familiar. He still kept up
his millwork. and In 1895. in England. he
invented an improved mill for saving mar
BILE.
HI. First Steamboats,.
In December. 1896. he returned to the Uni
ted States and began to work on submarine.
war and steam navigation. and during that
month ordered from Watts the steam en-
CINE with which he afterwards propelled
the first actual steamboat. called the Clear
mont. which was built on the Hudson Riv-
er the following year. 1897. Fulton's second
was called Car Of Neptune. He
then went back to Europe and. returning in
1910. conducted a series of experiments and
explained some improvements in his plans
of torpedo-boats to Jefferson. Madison and
a number of members of Congress
About 1914 he built the first steam war
ship. called Fulton the First. which won
derful craft attained a speed OF two miles
was considered a powerful piece OF handi-
craft for those days.
Robert Fulton died in 1915 from the ef-
fects of a cold contracted while conducting
some experiments In the Hudson River. II
is now proposed. As stated. to appropriately
mark the scene OF what was undoubtedly
the first steamboat tests In America. what
ever the merits of the never-determined
controversy concerning the name OF the In
ventor of the first stearn-propeiled vessel