250 



HISTORY OF OHIO. 



actual experience, so far perfected themselves, in their business 

 that the public attention had been turned towards steam boat 

 navig ition. 



A new era, may be said to have commenced, which, in its 

 beneficial effects, has produced a great deal of real good, to 

 all the western people. There are no'.v, four hundred steam- 

 ers navigating our western rivers!! 



The inventor of the steam boat, was Robert Fulton, a 

 native of Pennsylvania. By occupation, he was orginally, a 

 portrait painter. He inherited nothing from his parents except 

 bis genius, but, he was so fortunate, as to marry into a distin- 

 guished family, in the state of New York. That family, was 

 not only v/ealthy, but talented and influential; it was the Liv- 

 ingstox family. Although, the power and uses of steam, 

 had long been known, to a great degree, in Europe; and al- 

 though, Bolton, Watt and Arkwright had successfully applied 

 it, to a great many useful purposes, yet, until Robert Fulton, 

 brought this power into useful operation, in propelling vessels, 

 nothing practical was effected by it, in navigation. Fulton 

 expended a fortune, on his invention, and died not worth a dol- 

 lar, leaving behind him, a family of orphans. He even lost 

 his life, in trying an experiment, on a vessel of war, which con- 

 gress had employed him to construct. His fate, and his ser- 

 vices as well as Clinton's, under any modern European gov- 

 ernment, would have entitled their heirs to a competency, dur- 

 ing their lives, in consideration of the services of their fathers, 

 to the country, which had been so signally benefited by their 

 labors. What has the republic done for Fulton's and Clinton's 

 heirs? Nothing, absolutely nothing. 



To the western states, whose lakes and rivers, are unrival- 

 ed, in the whole world, for their length, size, and usefulness, 

 aided by this invention; the steam boat is an inestimable bless- 

 ing. It diminishes space and time. And a voyage may now 

 be made, in two weeks, from New Orleans, to Cincinnati or St. 

 Louis, which would before the steamer was in use, have taken 

 three months to perfDrra. And four hundred tons may be trans- 

 ported in one vessel, now, whereas t'ahty tons, Was all that a 



