﻿MECHANICAL 
  TEANSPORT 
  MITMAN 
  523 
  

  

  Thus 
  with 
  each 
  up-and-down 
  stroke 
  of 
  the 
  piston 
  the 
  pump 
  plunger 
  

   followed 
  suit 
  and 
  alternately 
  sucked 
  in 
  water 
  through 
  the 
  bottom 
  and 
  

   forced 
  it 
  out 
  at 
  the 
  stern, 
  causing 
  the 
  boat 
  to 
  move 
  ahead. 
  

  

  By 
  this 
  time 
  Rumsey 
  had 
  used 
  up 
  all 
  his 
  money 
  and 
  set 
  about 
  

   first 
  to 
  secure 
  exclusive 
  rights 
  from 
  the 
  various 
  State 
  assemblies 
  and 
  

   then 
  to 
  try 
  to 
  organize 
  a 
  company. 
  Everywhere 
  he 
  went, 
  however, 
  

   he 
  found 
  not 
  only 
  that 
  Fitch 
  had 
  preceded 
  him, 
  but 
  also 
  that 
  many 
  

   people 
  were 
  rather 
  skeptical 
  about 
  him 
  and 
  his 
  work. 
  He 
  began 
  to 
  

   realize 
  the 
  injury 
  he 
  had 
  brought 
  upon 
  himself 
  by 
  doing 
  his 
  experi- 
  

   mental 
  work 
  secretly. 
  In 
  1788, 
  however, 
  he 
  succeeded 
  in 
  forming 
  

   with 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  Philadelphians 
  the 
  Rumseian 
  Society 
  to 
  further 
  his 
  

   schemes 
  and 
  in 
  May 
  of 
  that 
  year 
  the 
  society 
  sent 
  him 
  to 
  England, 
  

   thus 
  leaving 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  to 
  Fitch. 
  He 
  took 
  out 
  two 
  patents 
  

   in 
  London 
  and 
  had 
  a 
  boat 
  built 
  which 
  was 
  tried 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  Thames 
  in 
  

   the 
  autumn 
  of 
  1792. 
  Just 
  how 
  successful 
  this 
  trial 
  was 
  is 
  not 
  known. 
  

   Rumsey 
  continued 
  experimenting 
  into 
  December, 
  when 
  with 
  hardly 
  

   any 
  warning, 
  he 
  had 
  a 
  stroke 
  of 
  apoplexy 
  and 
  died 
  on 
  December 
  23, 
  

   1 
  792, 
  only 
  49 
  years 
  old. 
  Where 
  he 
  died 
  or 
  was 
  buried 
  in 
  London 
  is 
  not 
  

   definitely 
  known. 
  His 
  perseverance 
  in 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  all 
  sorts 
  of 
  ridicule 
  

   won 
  for 
  him 
  the 
  honor 
  of 
  being 
  the 
  second 
  man 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   to 
  successfully 
  propel 
  a 
  boat 
  by 
  steam 
  power. 
  Years 
  afterward 
  the 
  

   Kentucky 
  Legislature 
  presented 
  a 
  gold 
  medal 
  to 
  Rumsey's 
  son 
  in 
  com- 
  

   memoration 
  of 
  his 
  father's 
  service. 
  

  

  Regrettable 
  as 
  were 
  the 
  tragic 
  deaths 
  of 
  America's 
  first 
  two 
  steam- 
  

   boat 
  pioneers, 
  their 
  work 
  was 
  not 
  in 
  vain. 
  They 
  were 
  looked 
  upon 
  

   by 
  the 
  majority 
  as 
  nuisances 
  and 
  victims 
  of 
  "steam 
  mania," 
  yet 
  their 
  

   efforts 
  impressed 
  a 
  few 
  serious-minded 
  persons 
  sufficiently 
  to 
  insure 
  

   the 
  continuance 
  of 
  experiment. 
  Without 
  them 
  the 
  successful 
  steam- 
  

   boat 
  would 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  an 
  accomplished 
  fact 
  so 
  soon. 
  

  

  JOHN 
  STEVENS 
  

  

  Col. 
  John 
  Stevens 
  owed 
  his 
  interest 
  in 
  steam 
  power 
  to 
  John 
  Fitch. 
  

   While 
  driving 
  along 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Delaware 
  River 
  near 
  Burlington, 
  

   in 
  1788, 
  he 
  saw 
  Fitch's 
  steamboat 
  pass 
  up 
  the 
  river 
  against 
  the 
  tide. 
  

   He 
  followed 
  the 
  boat 
  to 
  its 
  landing, 
  v/here 
  he 
  got 
  aboard 
  and 
  examined 
  

   the 
  engine 
  and 
  propelling 
  paddles 
  carefully. 
  From 
  that 
  hour 
  he 
  

   became 
  an 
  unwearied 
  experimenter 
  in 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  steam 
  power. 
  

   Fortunately, 
  too, 
  he 
  had 
  ample 
  private 
  means 
  so 
  that 
  he 
  could 
  afford 
  

   to 
  experiment. 
  

  

  Stevens 
  was 
  born 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  City 
  in 
  1749, 
  the 
  son 
  of 
  John 
  

   Stevens, 
  distinguished 
  for 
  his 
  public 
  service 
  in 
  the 
  New 
  Jersey 
  Colony. 
  

   After 
  graduation 
  from 
  King's 
  College 
  (now 
  Columbia 
  University), 
  

   in 
  1768, 
  young 
  Stevens 
  took 
  up 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  law 
  but 
  never 
  practiced. 
  

   He 
  served 
  in 
  the 
  Revolution 
  as 
  colonel 
  of 
  ; 
  his 
  own 
  regiment 
  until 
  

   New 
  Jersey 
  called 
  him 
  to 
  act 
  as 
  treasurer 
  of 
  that 
  Colony. 
  During 
  

  

  