﻿MECHANICAL 
  TRANSPOET 
  MITMAN 
  515 
  

  

  met 
  with 
  indifferent 
  success, 
  and 
  around 
  1800 
  the 
  engine 
  was 
  dis- 
  

   mantled 
  and 
  its 
  parts 
  scattered. 
  Years 
  later 
  the 
  cylinder 
  was 
  found 
  

   and 
  cut 
  in 
  two 
  by 
  a 
  man 
  in 
  need 
  of 
  a 
  short 
  length 
  of 
  pipe. 
  The 
  upper 
  

   half 
  not 
  used 
  was 
  eventually 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  New 
  Jersey 
  Historical 
  

   Association, 
  which 
  organization 
  in 
  1889 
  presented 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  National 
  Museum 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  carefully 
  preserved 
  ever 
  

  

  smcG 
  

  

  III. 
  STEAMBOAT 
  PIONEERING 
  

  

  The 
  Newcomen 
  engine 
  at 
  Schuyler's 
  mine 
  failed 
  to 
  create 
  any 
  great 
  

   amount 
  of 
  public 
  comment 
  or 
  excitement. 
  Its 
  only 
  use 
  was 
  to 
  pump 
  

   water 
  and 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  other 
  mine 
  in 
  the 
  colonies 
  requiring 
  such 
  a 
  

   contrivance. 
  In 
  1774, 
  however, 
  the 
  common 
  council 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  

   City, 
  faced 
  with 
  the 
  problem 
  of 
  increasing 
  the 
  city's 
  water 
  supply, 
  

   accepted 
  the 
  proposal 
  of 
  an 
  English 
  engineer, 
  Christopher 
  Colles, 
  to 
  

   build 
  a 
  reservoir 
  and 
  install 
  a 
  Newcomen-type 
  steam 
  engine 
  to 
  pump 
  

   the 
  water. 
  An 
  engine 
  was 
  purchased 
  in 
  England 
  and 
  erected 
  in 
  1776 
  

   but 
  its 
  capacity 
  proved 
  too 
  small. 
  Then 
  the 
  war 
  came 
  on 
  and 
  caused 
  

   the 
  whole 
  enterprise 
  to 
  be 
  abandoned. 
  

  

  Meanwhile, 
  the 
  colonies 
  continued 
  to 
  spread 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  the 
  Atlan- 
  

   tic 
  coast 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  navigable 
  rivers 
  which 
  flowed 
  into 
  the 
  ocean. 
  

   Communities 
  sprang 
  up 
  inland. 
  Improved 
  communications 
  both 
  for 
  

   purposes 
  of 
  commerce 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  pohtical 
  unity 
  of 
  the 
  federation 
  

   became 
  a 
  necessity. 
  Along 
  the 
  coast 
  it 
  was 
  as 
  yet 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  question 
  

   to 
  travel 
  very 
  extensively 
  overland 
  so 
  that 
  practically 
  all 
  intercourse 
  

   was 
  had 
  by 
  sailing 
  vessel, 
  a 
  very 
  slow 
  agency. 
  To 
  go 
  inland 
  meant 
  

   to 
  go 
  upstream. 
  

  

  Amongst 
  those 
  who 
  appreciated 
  the 
  seriousness 
  of 
  these 
  conditions 
  

   and 
  gave 
  of 
  his 
  time 
  and 
  money 
  in 
  an 
  effort 
  to 
  better 
  them 
  was 
  William 
  

   Henry, 
  the 
  famous 
  gunsmith, 
  financier, 
  and 
  patriot 
  of 
  Lancaster, 
  Pa. 
  

   He 
  believed 
  that 
  steam 
  power 
  could 
  be 
  used 
  to 
  operate 
  a 
  boat 
  upstream 
  

   and 
  to 
  prove 
  his 
  contention, 
  he 
  built 
  an 
  engine 
  and 
  stern-wheel 
  boat 
  

   in 
  1763 
  and 
  tried 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  Conestoga 
  Creek 
  at 
  Lancaster. 
  The 
  trials 
  

   were 
  unsuccessful 
  as 
  were 
  those 
  with 
  a 
  second 
  and 
  improved 
  model. 
  

   Henry 
  made 
  no 
  further 
  attempt 
  after 
  this 
  because, 
  as 
  he 
  remarked 
  to 
  

   a 
  friend, 
  "I 
  am 
  doubtful 
  whether 
  such 
  a 
  machine 
  would 
  find 
  favor 
  

   with 
  the 
  public, 
  as 
  every 
  one 
  considers 
  it 
  impracticable 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  boat 
  

   move 
  against 
  wind 
  and 
  tide." 
  Henry, 
  however, 
  must 
  be 
  credited 
  as 
  

   the 
  first 
  person 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  to 
  apply 
  steam 
  to 
  propel 
  a 
  boat. 
  

   Twenty 
  years 
  later, 
  two 
  men 
  working 
  independently 
  again 
  brought 
  to 
  

   public 
  attention 
  almost 
  simultaneously 
  boats 
  propelled 
  by 
  steam. 
  

   These 
  men 
  were 
  John 
  Fitch 
  in 
  Pennsylvania 
  and 
  James 
  Rumsey 
  in 
  

   Virginia. 
  

  

  JOHN 
  FITCH 
  

  

  John 
  Fitch 
  had 
  reached 
  his 
  twelfth 
  year 
  when 
  Hornblower 
  got 
  the 
  

   Newcomen 
  engine 
  going 
  in 
  New 
  Jersey. 
  He 
  had 
  had 
  a 
  month 
  or 
  

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