Evening star., 1935-07-21

miles; time, 8 hours: the sum Of this
is $50 miles in 80 hours-equal near 5
miles an hour.
"On Thursday, at 9 O'Clock in the
morning. left Albany and arrived
at the chancellor's at in the eve
ming; started from thence at z and
arrived at New York at il the aft
ernoon; time, 80 hours, space run
through, $50 mileS-equal to miles
an hour Throughout my whole way,
both going and returning, the wind
was ahead; no advantage could be de-
rived from my sail. The whole has
therefore been performed by the
power of the steam engine"
pUT this was not Fulton's first ef-
forts to propel boats by steam,
for In 1901, we find him experiment
ing In far-off France with min
iature boat on the surface of small
stream at Plombieres. a town in the
Vosges Mountains, which lies far in
land, and which is watered by moth
ing more than the Angronne River, q
small water course of negligible value
for navigation-perhaps something
like our Rock Creek was many years
ago.
Another trial which preceded the
cne on the Hudson, took place on the
Seine in 1902, with a larger vessel
This one proved very fortunate for
the inventor, who secured for him
self the cooperation of Robert Liv-
ingston, who, on going to France as
American Minister, had Withdrawn
his aid from Stevens. 1t was on the
Seine. also. in 1897, that he expert
mented with his submarine boats and
in tidewater at Brest in 1901, and
with torpedoes with the British feet.
which to the ordinary person would
have proved disheartening, as some OF
his tests proved entirely unsatisfac-
tory.
After Fulton had conducted his
trial trip at New York, he later re-
turned to washington, and took up
his residence again at Kalorama,
where he conducted experiments and
in January of 1909, we find him ap-
plying for a patent for boats or Ves-
sells to be navigated by steam, in
which he says:
"Kalorama, District Of Columbia,
January 1st, Eighteen hundred and
nine. I, Robert Fulton, native OF
Pennsylvania, Citizen of the United
States Of America, and now residing
at Kalorama, in the District Of Co
lumbia, give the following description
of nv inventions or discovery for con-
structing boats or vessels which are
to be navigated by the power of steam
engined," etc.
Robert Fulton was born at Little
Britain (now Fulton), Lancaster
County, Pa, in 1765, and was OF Irish
stock. his father having come from
Kilkenny, Ireland. He died in New
York February %, 1915, from 'in-
fiammation of the lungs and other
complications" due to the contracting
of a severe cold. He was buried in
the family vault Of the Livingstons.
Like many other inventors who
have achieved greatness, Fulton had
his worthy competitors. and 1t will
not take away from him any glory
to say that as early as l7S6 Runisey
and Fitch had propelled boats by
steam, as later, in order, had Millar,
Taylor and Symington in Scotland,
and by Read. Longstreet, Morey and
Stevens in America.
TOEL BARLOW, who had so whole
- heartedly befriended Fulton. was
sent as Minister to France in 1911, in
the hope Of preserving peace. our
country then being apparently on the
verge Of war with that country, and
Kalorama was leased to M. Serurier,
the French Minister. After nine
months Of diplomacy he was invited
by Napoleon, then absent from Paris