The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-10-07
THE FIRST INVENTION
Capt Samuel Morey Piled a Steam
boat Near Fairlee, VT, Before Full
ton Made Famous Hudson Trip.

boat Near Fairlee, VT, Before Full
ton Made Famous Hudson Trip.
The eyes of the entire world are
turned to New York and the Hudson
Fulton celebration but Vermont
claims the honor, nevertheless, Of
harboring within it's border\ tenn
porarily, at least, the first inventor
of the craft which could travel
through water by its own power. Not
Robert Fulton, whose name New
Workers are lauding today, but Capt
Samuel Morey, a native of Connecti-
cut and resident, for years, of Fair
lee, VT. Morey piled small craft,
by it's own power, against the cur
rent of the Connecticut river near
Fairlee and White River Junction IA
years before Robert Fulton and his
party made the famous Hudson trip.
Fulton drew fame down upon his
head when he propelled his boat the
Clermont, from New York to Albany
in 1907. Morey's tiny craft breasted
the Connecticut in 1880. HIS first pa
tents were issued in 1895 and patents
on additional improvements were
granted him in 1899 and 1900, ac-
cording to papers which are now in
the keeping of the Vermont Histori-
cal Society, whose headquarters are
at the State House, in this city
E. NJ. Goddard, curator of the So
ciety, has in his possession the mod
ell of the engine and the invaluable
papers which seem to establish the
earlier claim without a shadow OF
doubt. The model of the little steam
engine which propelled the craft
could easily be placed in an ordinary
water pail, as said the Boston Her
aid in write-up of the Morey boat
in 1906. The model is 61a inches
long, IL inches in diameter with 6
brass cylinder The engine is 70.
tary, balanced on disk. Wher
steam operates it, the upper disl
with the cylinder revolves on the
lower disk, bringing valves in the
upper disk over the steam tube ant
the escape of steam follows the open
ing of the disks.
Morey never became widely known
and Fulton's craft ostensibly tool
first place as the original steamboat
Morey's friends were numbered il
Vermont and New Hampshire anC
his visits to New York to try out hi
craft were few and far between. H
wrote Professor Stillman at New
Haven and was discouraged. He me
Chancellor Livingstone and Fulton
in New York and the former advise
he change his wheel from the bow t
the stern. He could not get the pc
cuniary backing which he neede
and, taking great pride in his inven
ton, refused the many offers mad
him, for the reason that he coul
not secure terms and retain the hal
interest which he wished to keep
Fulton offered him $4,000 for abso
lutte rights and was refused for thi
reason and Morey died, disappoint
ed, heart-broken, unrecognized an
penniless man.
The model was unearthed by Anne
liza S. Kibby, Fairlee descendar
who presented it to the Vermont sc
ciety which now guards it most Sc
credly. Many Fairleeites undertoo
project some years ago to dra
Lake Morey to recover the fir'
steamboat operated and fashioned b
I Captain Morey but the plan was al
andoned
= Morey's friends claimed that Flu
ton and the Vermonter became IA
q offer had been refused, he spel
some time in Fairlee looking over Il
= model and that he stole" the More
E, idea and turned it to his own prof
e At any rate, Morey saw his chance
fame thrown away when Fulton WI
o recognized in 1907 and the two il
: ventors became enemies thereafter
e Vermonters have valid and mo
n interesting proofs in the keeping
the State Historical society whi(
n seem to prove the prior claim
y Captain Morey and the revival OF Il
: interest in this Cook-Peary incidel
of the former generation is mo
l, timely.