The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1905-02-09
SCOTLAND NECK, c. THURSDAY, No7 $
INCIDENTS Of HISTORY,
The Man Who Made the First
Steamboat.

It may be of interest to some to
know that ithe rea! inventor of the
steamboat was not Robert Fulton, but
John Finch who was born at South
Windsor, Conn, January 10, 1743.
And it is doubtful if history has ead-
der page than that on: which the
life, struggles and death OF this strange,
poor man are recorded.
A hard-healt ted, close listed father,
aud an elder brother of the same char
acter, made the boyhood life of poor
John one long day of grief, deprivation
and humiliation. Attaining his ma
jOrity, he learned the trade of watch.
making and settled in Trenton, N. j.
The war CT the Revolution breaking
out, he became a gunsmlth, making
arms for the defenders of his country
until the British destroyed his shop.
He then entered the army in time to
suffer the horrors of Valley Forge
From the army be went ab.ut in the
country tinker OF clocks and watches,
but in 178O was sent by Virginia as
deputy surveyor to the then wilds of
Kentucky. In the west he was cap
tursd by the Indians and kept a year
before he could escape. In poverty
and want he returned and settled in
of
and period of his life that the idea OF
using steam as "a motive power: for ve-
hicles and boats took hold OF him. He
made model of steamboat Identical
in principle with that which has now
become universal In practice. He
went to Philadelphia and there con-
structed steam engine, with a three
inch cylinder, and applied the same to
skif. An authentic historian re-
cords: "This was without doubt the
first steamboat ever constructed by
man." Vainly did Fine happeal to the
Continental Congress, the Assembly
OF Pennsylvania, and the learned and
wealthy men OF his day. Time went
by and Finch got the reputation of be-
ing..a crazy man. He finally formed a
small company who reluctantly fur
nished the means to build small boat
Is feet long, II feet beam, inch cyl
lnder engine. The inventor agreed
that this boat should make miles an
hour. August q, 1857, the boat made |
her trial trip on the Delaware, and was
successful. The members OF the Consti- |
tuition Convention with George Wash
ington at its head adjourned on invita-
ton and went down to see the strange
invention on its first voyage. The
members shook their wise heads, left
the crazy man with his craft, and went |
back to building the ship of State.
A regular packet line with sched- !
ule was established on the Del
aware and was maintained Tor
about three years. But the steamboat
business was not a financial success,
and Finch's boat was finally wrecked in
a storm. From it the inventor went
forth pennlless and a beggar. After
wandering in this country and in Eu.
rope.to find financial support for his
steamboat scheme, and finding none,
he again wandered into the far West
kentucky. There in a little room
OF a. tavern in Bardstown, with not a |
penny in tie world, prematurefy old
from despair and struggle, his clothes
worn to tatters and rags, his face
wrlnkled and haggard, on the night OF
July 2, 1898, he lifted cup of poison
to his lips, quaffed the deadly potion
and lay down, unhonored and unwept,
to die. No stone marks his grave and
his last resting place is now obscure.
Here are the words be left in letter
"The day will come when some more
powerful man will get fame and riches
from my invention ; but nobody will
believe that poor John Finch can do
anything worthy of attention" Rob-
ert Fulton in the 18th century made
the steamboat a success John Finch
in the 18th century invented 1t and
diedla pauper and suicide.
Moral This world does not always
rightly bestow its honors.