nd Vexatious to a man

FAC-SIMILE OF THE WRITING OF JOHN FITCH, From his manuscript Autobiography in the Franklin Library, Philadelphia.

I know of nothing so gesplexing

in

of healings, as a turbulant Wip and Steam Boot Ding, I experiened the former and quit in season, and had Ibun 27 right

sences I should undoubtedly treated the latter in the same manner, I for one man to be teised with Both, he must be looked upon as the most fortunate man of this World,

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS

alluded to, "I was so unfortunate as to have an idea that a car. riage might be carried by the force of steam along the roads. I pursued that idea about one week, and gave it over as impracticable, or, in other words, turned my thoughts to vessels. From that time I have pursued the idea to this day with unremitted assiduity, yet do frankly confess that it has been the most imprudent scheme that ever I engaged in. The perplexities and embarrassments through which it has caused me to wade, far exceed any thing that the common course of life ever presented to my view, and to reflect on the disproportion of a man of my abilities to such a task, I am to charge myself with having been deranged; and had I not the most convincing proofs to the contrary, should most certainly suppose myself to have been non compos mentis at the time."

In another place he remarks, "If I had the abilities of Cicero, it would have been nothing less than madness in me to have undertaken it, in my state of penury. Had I been a nobleman of £3000, it would barely have justified my conduct."

Again, he says, "What I am now to inform you of I know will not be to my credit, but, so long as it is the truth, I will insert it, viz., that I did not know that there was a steam engine on earth when I proposed to gain a force by steam; and I leave my first drafts and descriptions behind, that you may judge whether I am sincere or not. A short time after drawing my first draft for a boat, I was amazingly chagrined to find, at Parson Irwin's, in Bucks county, a drawing of a steam engine; but it had the effect to establish me in my other principles, as my doubts lay at that time in the engine only."

The following account of Fitch's experiments is written by one of his early patrons, the late Dr. Thornton, of the patent office at Washington, and is entitled "A short account of the origin of steamboats:"

"Finding that Mr. Robert Fulton,* whose genius and talents I highly respect, has been considered by some the inventor of the steamboat, I think it a duty to the memory of the late JOHN FITCH to set forth, with as much brevity as possible, the fallacy of this opinion; and to show, moreover, that if Mr. Fulton has any claim whatever to originality in his steamboat, it must be exceedingly limited.

"In the year 1788, the late John Fitch applied for, and ob tained a patent for the application of steam to navigation, in the

It may not be invidious here to mention, that one great advantage which Mr. Fulton possessed over many, if not all preceding experimenters, was the use of one of Watt's improved steam engines.

states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, &c. and soon after, the late Mr. James Rumsey,* conceiving he had. made some discoveries in perfecting the same, applied to the state of Pennsylvania for a patent; but a company formed by John

* Biographical Sketch of James Rumsey.-"This individual was a native of Maryfand, and, when a young man, removed to Shepherdstown, Virginia, where he occupied himself exclusively in mechanical subjects. As early as July or August, 1783, he directed his attention to the subject of navigation by steam; and, under the most disadvantageous circumstances, succeeded, in the autumn of 1784, in making a private, but very imperfect experiment, in order to test some of the principles of his invention. This so well convinced him of its ultimate success, that at the October session of the Virginia legislature for that year, he applied for and obtained an act, guarantying to him the exclusive use of his invention in navigating the waters of that state. About the same time also he communicated his invention to General Washington. In January, 1785, he obtained a patent from the general assembly of Maryland for navigating their waters. Through the whole of this year, Rumsey was deeply engaged in building a boat, and procuring, improving, adapting, and testing the several parts of his machin ery; but, from obvious causes, was not ready for a public trial until the year fo. lowing, (1786,) which, all things considered, was eminently successful: In this trial he succeeded in propelling his boat by steam alone against the current of the Potomac, near Shepherdstown, at the rate of four or five miles an hour!

"Rumsey's boat was about fifty feet in length, and, as observed in the text, was propelled by a pump worked by a steam engine, which forced a quantity of water up through the keel; the valve was then shut by the return of the stroke, which at the same time forced the water through a channel or pipe, a few inches square (lying above or parallel to the kelson,) out at the stern under the rudder, which had a less depth than usual, to permit the exit of the water. The impetus of this water, forced through the square channel against the exterior water, acted as an impelling power upon the vessel. The reaction of the effluent water propelled her at the rate above mentioned, when loaded with three tons in addition to the weight of her engine of about a third of a ton. The boiler was quite a curiosity, holding no more than five gallons of water, and needing only a pint at a time. The whole machinery did not occupy a space greater than that required for four barrels of flour. The fuel consumed was not more than from four to six bushels of coals in twelve hours. Rumsey's other project was to apply the power of a steam engine to long poles, which were to reach the bottom of the river, and by that means to push a boat against a rapid current.

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After the experiment above alluded to, Rumsey being under the strong conviction that skilful workmen and perfect machinery were alone wanting to the most perfect success, and sensible that such could not be procured in America, resolved to go to England. With siender means of his own, and aided, or rather mocked, by some timid and unsteady patronage, he there resumed with untiring energy his great undertaking. He proceeded to procure patents of the British government for steam navigation: these patents bear date in the beginning of the year 1788. Several of his inventions, in one modified form or another, are now in general use; as, for instance, the cylindrical boiler, so superior to the old tub or still boilers, in the presentation of fire surface, and capacity for holding highly rarefied steam, is described, both single and combined, in his specifications, and is identical in principle with the tub boiler which he used in his Potomac experiment.

Difficulties and embarrassments of a pecuniary nature, and such as invariably obstruct the progress of a new invention, attended him in England. He was often compelled to abandon temporarily his main object, and turn his attention to something else, in order to raise means to resume it. He undertook with the same power, but by its more judicious application, to produce higher results in several waterworks, in all which he succeeded, realizing thereb some reputation as well as funds to apply to his favorite project.

Fitch, under his state patents, of which the author of this was one of the principal shareholders, conceiving that the patent of Fitch was not for any peculiar mode of applying the steam to navigation, but that it extended to all known modes of propelling boats and vessels, contested before the assembly of Pennsylvania, and also before the assembly of Delaware, the mode proposed by Mr. Rumsey, and contended that the mode he proposed, viz., by drawing up the water into a tube, and forcing the same water out of the stern of the vessel or boat, which was derived from Dr. Franklin's works, (the doctor being one of the company,) was a mode the company had a right to, for the plan was originally published in Latin, about fifty years before, in the works of Bernouilli the younger. Two of Fitch's company and I appeared without counsel, and pleaded our own cause in the assembly of Pennsyl vania, and after a week's patient hearing against the most learned counsel of Pennsylvania, we obtained a decision in our favor, and afterwards also in Delaware. We believed and contended that our claim of propelling boats by steam included all the modes of propelling vessels and boats then known, and that the patent was for the application of steam as an agent to the propelling powers: and the decisions of the legislatures were in favor of this construc tion, as Mr. Rumsey's company (of which the late Messrs. Bingham, Myers, Fisher, and many other worthy gentlemen, were members,) were excluded from the right of using steamboats on any principle."

"At another time, in order to avoid a London prison, and the delay, if not the defeat of all his high hopes, he was compelled to transfer, at what he considered a ruinous sacrifice, a large interest in his inventions,-a contract which entangled and embarrassed him through life. Still, however, he struggled on, undismayed, and had constructed a boat of about one hundred tons burden, and pushed forward his machinery so near to the point of completion, as to be able to indicate a day not very distant for a public exhibition, when his sudden death occurred from apoplexy, while discussing the principle of one of his inventions before a philosophical society of London. With his life the whole project ceased,—there was no one present to administer,-no one present able to carry it out. Few would have been willing to incur the ridicule of attempting to complete it. All that he left, his very boat and machinery,-barely sufficed to satisfy anxious and greedy creditors."

A sharp controversy at one time existed between Rumsey and Fitch, and their mutual friends, relating to the originality of their respective inventions. Without deciding upon the merits of either, both certainly claim the highest admiration for their perseverance, as well as sympathy for their misfortunes.

For the above facts, see Stuart's Anecdotes of the Steam Engine, and the speech of Mr. Rumsey of Kentucky before the house of representatives, on the occasion of offering the following resolution, afterwards unanimously passed Feb. 9, 1839:-" Resolved by the senate and house of representatives, &c. &c., That the President be and he is hereby requested to present to James Rumsey, jun., the son and only surviving child of James Rumsey, deceased, a suitable gold medal, commemorative of his father's services and high agency in giving to the world the benefits of the steamboat."