THE CONQUEST OF TIME AND SPACE 



hundred and forty tons "nearly four miles an hour." 

 But in doing this the resulting "wash" so threatened 

 the banks of the canal that the vessel was laid up and 

 finally rotted and fell to pieces. 



By many impartial judges this boat is considered 

 the first practical steamboat, and its failure to estab- 

 lish its claim due to the force of circumstances rather 

 than to any inherent defects. Symington was too poor 

 to pursue his work independently, and was deterred by 

 the attitude of James Watt, who "predicted the failure of 

 of his engine, and threatened him with legal penalties 

 if it succeeded." And when at last he received an 

 order for eight smaller vessels from the Duke of Bridge- 

 water, his patron died before the details of the agree- 

 ment had been completed. So that while he failed in 

 accomplishing what was done by Fulton a few years 

 later, it is certain that, as Woodcraft says, "He com- 

 bined for the first time those improvements which con- 

 stitute the present system of steam navigation." 



Some of Symington's engines have been preserved, 

 and one of them is now in the Patent Office Museum in 

 London. Since the beginning of practical steam navi- 

 gation this engine has been tested several times, the 

 result showing that Woodcraft's estimate is not over- 

 drawn. 



While Symington was thus perfecting a paddle- 

 boat, an American, Col. John Stevens of Hoboken, 

 New Jersey, was on the verge of accomplishing the 

 same end with a screw-propeller boat — a form of 

 steamship that did not come into use until some forty 

 years later. 



[68] 



