The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-10-20
THE FAME OF FULTON
The True Story of the Steamboat
Familiar Traditions Upset


steams up the Hudson river in the
Hudson-Fulton Memorial celebration
it should not be permitted to add fur
Their laurels to Fulton's memory by
RELOCATING to greater obscurity the
dim fame of the more deserving in
ventors. Fulton's success in applying
steam to navigation on a commercial
scale was an event of such impor-
lance as completely to overshadow in
the public mind the true story of the
invention of the steamboat.
In 1543, Velasco de Gray, Spanish
offiser, prpelled by steam. La Trini-
dad, boat of two hundred tons bur
den, at the rate of more than leag-
NE per hour n The harbor of BARGE
Iona. In $50 PaDin, Frenchman,
published q rude plan Ct a steamboat
and in 1881 or 1882 the Marquis de
Jouffroy built a steamboat one hun
drcd and forty fest in length which
was given several successful trials
al Lyons. In England, Jonathan
Hulls IN 1881 ~ ented a steamboat
which he stated rs given a success
full t.ial. With Tie marked improve
.nelt of the g cam engine by Watt in
1881, = j. not strange that more than
one mind was turned to the applica-
tion of steam to the propulsion of
boats In 1883 or 1889 William Sy-
mington built crude steamboat and
in 1901 the Charlotte Dundas fitted
out under Symingtons direction,
made successful trials. The steam
boat was not further developed until
about 1911.
American inventors achieving more
or less success prior to Fultons
work were numerous. William Hen
ry of Chester county, Pennsylvania,
a man of scientific attachments and
member of Congress, died in 1856 and
left unpublished plans of a steam pro-
PEELED boat, dated 1873. James Rum
sey Maryland, invented a mechani-
cally propelled boat which was exhib-
tied to General Washington in the
year 1884
John Fitch of Connecticut birth,
clock-maker, brass-smith. armorer in
Washington's army and surveyor be-
gan the study of the application of
steam power to navigation in 1855.
He was then living in Bucks county,
Pennsylvania. In 1856 he produced
steamboat which met little success.
In 1890 his invention was so improv-
ed that a boat made regularly sched-
uled for trips for passenger service
on the Delaware river between Phila-
dephia, Bordentown, Burlington and
Trenton. This boat was propelled by
set of vertical paddles at the sides
resembling oars supported in a frame.
The boat developed a speed of eight
miles an hour and istregular service
for a period of several months is well
attested The noise and vibration
from the paddles were Objectionable
and the boat was not a financial sue
cess
In 1871 Fitch was granted q patent
on his invention. His was a troubled
career. In 1893 he went to France in
hope of enlisting capital. In 1894 he
worked his passage back to America
as a common sailor In 1896 he ev-
ibited a steamboat, converted from
a ships yawl, on the Collect Pond,
New York City. This boat was at
first fitted with six armed paddle
wheels at the sides. These proved
unsatisfactory and a screw propeller
the forerunner of the modern type,
was attached TO a longitudinal axis,
III subsequent experiments
This boat made numerous exhibit
ton trips on the little Collect Pond,
which was where the Tombs Prison
now stands. Yet capital was not
forthcoming TO enable Fitch TO com
plete his work He organized a com
pany which was granted exclusive
rights for term of years by the leg
islature, to navigate steamboats, of
New York state. The company was
unable to put its plans into operation
and after a few years the rights
granted it we're revoked, Fitch having
in the meantime removed to Kentuc-
ky in disappointment. He died in
1898 and is buried in an unmonument.
ed grave at Bardstown.
In 1892 John Stevens of New York
member of the family whose name
is perpetuated in the Stevens Insti-
tute of Technology, was granted a
patent on a marine engine. 1t is said
he got HIS inspiration while driving
along the Delaware river in 1890 com
ing Unexpectedly upon Fitch's boat in
regular passenger service In 1898
he completed his first boat which met
little success. In 1904 he built an
other boat, moved by propellers
which were in design almost counter
parts of the modern screw propel-
Ter He was prevented from putting
his work to practical usefulness by
the monopoly granted to Livingston
and Fulton by the legislature of New
York.
Nicholas |. Roosevelt of New York
while living temporarily at Esopus
dnring the Revolutionary war, fitted
a boat with paddle wheels made to re-
volve by cord, the motive power be-
ing a set of wooden springs In la
ter years he was a successful builder
of steam engines, and in 1897 under
took to furnish an engine for boat
to be built by Chancellor Livingston
and John Stevens jointly The pro
polling mechanism, devised by Living
ston, has been vaguely described as
a horizontal wheel 1t proved a fail
ure. Roosevelt in 1898 proposed and
urgently advocated the use of two
! wheels over the sides of the boat.
/ This arrangement was not approved