4. Account of Steam-boats 



wave, he did not consider it insuperable, but conceived that, by 

 a change in the figure of the prow, it might be in a great mea- 

 sure removed. The shape of the bow of the boats I have men- 

 tioned, departed in some degree from that formerly employed. 

 Mr. Fulton, in his earlier boats, had employed flat bottoms, 

 and prows nearly of the shape of a wedge with plane surfaces. 

 I recollect, even at that early date, having combated the pro- 

 priety of this plan in a conversation I had with him. The 

 changes that he and his imitators subsequently made, were, 

 however, rather grounded upon the necessity of increasing the 

 strength of the vessels by regular curves in their moulds, than 

 from a conviction of the error in the principle. The last boats 

 built under his own directions, resembled in form vessels in- 

 tended to be propelled by sails, but of a small draught of water. 



Mr. Stevens, from experience, and a just view of the princi- 

 ples, was led to a different conclusion ; and hence the stem of his 

 vessels, which, above the water line, had the usual rake and 

 curvature, began there to incline much more rapidly towards the 

 plane of the keel than is usual, and thus the entrance of the 

 vessel into the water partook at least as much of the inclined 

 plane as of the wedge. But the change of form was too abrupt, 

 and hence the enhanced height of the wave raised by a rapid 

 motion. 



In this state of the case, he instituted a set of experiments 

 on the motion of figures of different forms through the water, 

 at different velocities. The results of these, as he has stated 

 them to me, are curious. The most remarkable is, that differ- 

 ent forms are different in their good properties at different ve- 

 locities. Upon the basis of these experiments, he commenced 

 the building of a third boat, which I shall now proceed to de- 

 scribe to you. 



The extreme length of this vessel (the North America) upon 

 deck is 178 feet ; her breadth of beam 28 feet ; the depth of 

 hold 9 feet. Her general figure I cannot better describe to you 

 than by comparing it to the bowl of a table-spoon. The cut- 

 water has a great rake, but in a uniform and regular curve ; 

 and all the curves upon the bottom are regular, and without 

 finy abrupt angles. The sternpost, to increase the power of 



