184 1. 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



199 



STEAM NAVIGATION IN AMERICA. 



Written by Fra.vcis Anthony Chevalier de Gerstner, iluring his 

 sojourn in the United States, in 1839. 



[From the Journal of the Franklin Imtilute.'] 



1. History and extent of Steam Naviijation. 



FuLTox, the North American inventor of steam navigation, constructed, in 

 the year 1807, tlie first steam boat upon the Hudson river, to make regular 

 trips between New York and Albany. The voyage of 145 miles was then 

 performed in 33 hours. The success of this enterprise laid the foundation of 

 steam navigation in the United States. 



Up to that time the barks upon the Ohio and Mississipi were propelled 

 partly by sails, partly by oars and poles ; from Cincinnati to New Orleans 

 (1600 miles), such a bark came down in live weeks, and went up in 80 to 90 

 days ; for its management nine men were required down, and 2-1 to 32 up 

 stream. In March, 1811, the first steam boat built by Fulton, in Pittsbvirgh, 

 called the Nexn Orleann, was launched on the Ohio, and commenced in De- 

 cember of the same year, to make regular trips between Natchez and New 

 Orleans. The time required to make the trip of 300 miles between the two 

 places was three days down stream, and seven to eight days up. The boat 

 performed in a year only 13 trips up and down, or 7S00 miles. A passenger 

 paid IS dollars for a passage down, and 25 dollars for one up stream. 



Fulton constructed several other steam boats in the United States. He 

 afterwards went to Europe, to bring into execution there, his important in- 

 vention; but he found no encouragement in England, and when he proposed 

 in Paris the introduction of steam navigation, lie was derided by the French, 

 and Napoleon declared him an adventurer. Five years elapsed, before Bell, 

 in 1812, constructed the first steam boat at Glasgow, in Scotland. Steam 

 navigation now came more and more into practice in Europe, but has as yet 

 not attained such an extent there as in the United States, (except England.) 



On the 6th of May, 181", the first steam boat, the Eiiterjiri:e, weut up the 

 ilississippi and Ohio, from New Orleans to Louisville, and arrived there on 

 the 30th of May, or in 25 days. As the barks at that time required nearly 

 three months for the same journey, the inhabitants of Louisville were in such 

 an eestaey, that they conducted the Captain Shrive, around in triumph, and 

 gave him a public dihuer. The steam boats upon the western and south- 

 western waters were now constantly increasing iu number, and in 1834. tliey 

 counted already 234 ; in the year 1838, their number rose to 400. In 1831, 

 there passed through the Louisville and Portland canal, iu the State of Ken- 

 tucky, 406 steam boats, and 421 flat boats, with a tonnage together of 76,323 ; 

 in the year 1837, passed through the same canal, 1501 steam boats, and only 

 165 flat boats, with a tonnage together of 242,374. 



In the year 1818, the first steam boat was launched on the great north- 

 western lakes ; in 1835, they were navigated by 25 steam boats, and in 1838, 

 the number of steam boats was 70. In the year 1834, 88 new steam boats 

 were built in the United States ; in 1837, or three years after, 134 new steam 

 boats were launched. The largest ship-yards for building steam-boats, are at 

 New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore ; at Louisville, New Albany, Cincinnati, 

 Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. 



In total, there were in the summer of 1838, about 800 steam boats in 

 operation in the United States ; the greatest number, in any one State, be- 

 longing to New Y'ork, viz., 140. 



The travel in steam boats along the sea-shore has, as I observed in my 

 former letters, been mostly superseded by railroads, located in a more or less 

 parallel direction to the sea coast ; and will, probably, when the whole rail- 

 road system is completed, entirely cease ; but the steam navigation upon the 

 navigable rivers is getting more into practice ; its increase in the last two or 

 three years, has contributed much to diminish the navigation with sailing 

 vessels or barks; not only all kinds of merchandise without exception, but 

 also provisions, as grain, flour, meat, &:c., are carried in steam boats as well 

 up as down stream, and while the freightage is almost the same as upon the 

 barks and sailing vessels, the goods arrive much sooner at the place of their 

 destination if carried iu steam boats, and are, therefore, less liable to be 

 damaged. But still more has been done. Upon the Ohio river, stone coals 

 are now brought by steam boats, 250 miles, down to Cincinnati, or rather 

 the flat boats, loaded with coal, are taken in tow and brought down the river 

 by steam boats, and the empty barks taken back in the same way, because 

 the cost of transportation is found to be less in this manner. It is true, the 

 extremely high wages of the boatmen and all other labourers, contribute 

 much to this extraordinary result ; but, as I shall have occasion to show, 

 hereafter, the crew of a steam boat is also very well paid, and it is to be 

 ascribed entirely to the perfection in the construction of vessels and the en- 

 gines used in them, and in the application of steam, as also to the improved 

 arrangements in the steam boats generally, that they have produced in America 

 the results which have been arrived at neither in England nor in any other 

 part of Europe. 



The .\mericans boast of a system of navigable streams in the southern and 

 south-western states not to be met with in any other country of the globe ; 

 they maintain that the length of the Mississippi, with the Ohio and all other 

 tributar)' streams, comprises an extent of 100,000 miles of water navigable 

 by steam boats. I would not answer for the correctness of this number, but 

 the ilississippi alone is navigated by steam boats from New Orleans, under 

 the thirtieth degree, to the Falls of St. Anthony, under the 45th degree of 

 north latitude, a distance not less than 2000 miles, and the number of navi- 



gable tributary streams of the Mississippi is indeed so large, that an European, 

 who is accustomed to our short travels by steam boats, can only, by being an 

 eye witness, conceive the magnitude of the system of steam navigation in this 

 country. There are daily, at least four or live steam boats starting from 

 New Orleans for Pittsburgh, in the business season, and as many arrive daily ; 

 the distance is 2000 miles, or two-thirds of that from England "to New Y'ork 

 across the Atlantic, and nevertheless the voyage is regarded as nothing extra- 

 ordinary, and is undertaken after a few hours preparation. 



2. ConslmctioH of Steam Boats and the Engines used therein. 



The steam boats in America, with the steam engines used in the same, are 

 of three entirely difierent plans of construction. Those upon the eastern 

 waters, comprising the sea along the coast of Boston to Charleston, S. C, and 

 all rivers emptying into the same, have condensing engines with large upright 

 cylinders, and long strokes, the larger boats draw from five to seven feet 

 water, and go with a speed of from ten to fifteen miles per hour. Upon the 

 Hudson river, the distance from New York to Albany, of 145 miles, is per- 

 formed in eleven to tw'elve hours up stream, and in nine to ten hours down 

 stream, including the stoppages at fifteen or twenty landing places, where 

 passengers come on board or leave the boat. I took a passage in the steam 

 boat, Xorl/i America, on the 23rd of Nuveinucr, iSio, from New York for 

 Albany ; as the river was already nearly half frozen over, a great deal of 

 floating ice was coming down ; the boat left New Y'ork at five o'clocli in the 

 evening, and arrived at .Ylbany the following morning at seven o'clock ; we 

 made, therefore, including all stoppages, over ten miles per hour up stream. 

 The length of the vessel is 200 feet, greatest width 26 feet; she has two 

 decks, the lower of which, where the engines are. is about three feet above 

 the level of the water ; she has two separate cabins, the gentlemen's cabin, 

 which is, at the same time, the dining room, and the ladies' cabin. We had 

 320 passengers on boanl, each of whom slept in a berth, and as sufficient 

 room appeared still to remain, one may imagine how colossal this floating 

 palace must be. Two steam engines with 52 inch cylinders, move the paddle 

 wheels of 22 feet in diameter. The pressure of the steam of this, as of most 

 of the steam boats upon the eastern waters, is about fifteen pounds per square 

 inch, and the stroke eight to ten feet ; the steam is generally cut oft" at one- 

 third or one-half of the stroke, and operates by expansion. For a voyage 

 of 145 miles, 25 to 30 cords (of 128 cubic feet) of soft wood are required. 

 The Xorth America draws, when loaded, six feet; but there are passenger 

 boats upon other rivers in the east which draw, when loaded, only 24 to 30 

 inches of water, and move against strong currents. 



The steam boats in the west, or upon the "western waters," are, through- 

 out, very flat, and go, when loaded, generally five feet deep, some, however, 

 only thirty to thirty-six inches. When the watei in a river is only thirty 

 inches deep, the steam-boat contains only the engine and fuel, and the cabins 

 for the men, and flat boats loaded with goods are taken in tow. The pas- 

 senger boats have two decks, the upper one is for the cabin passengers. The 

 elegant boats contain a large splendidly furnished and ornamental saloon, 

 used as the dining-room, and an adjoining saloon for ladies. The saloons 

 are surrounded by small apartments, (state rooms), each of which contains 

 two berths, and round the state rooms is an open gallery, to wliich a door 

 opens from each state room. Such a vessel oft'ers to an European an im- 

 posing and entirely novel aspect. All steam-boats upon the western waters 

 have high pressure e.igines, the pressure of steam being from 60 to 100 

 pounds per square inch. Often two engines are used in a boat, and then 

 each engine propels one of the paddle-wheels. The cylinders are horizontal, 

 the stroke is eight to ten feet, and the steam is generally cut ofT at five-eighths 

 of the stroke, and then operates by expansion. The escaping steam is applied 

 to heat the water pumped from the river, before it gets into the boiler. 



The third kind of steam-boats is to be found upon the lakes in the north 

 and north-west of the Union, they generally go much deeper than the former, 

 are more strongly built, and are propelled partly by condensing and partly by 

 high pressure steam-engines. 



3. Progress of Steam Nav'gation since its introduction in the United States 



The perfection attained in steam navigation may be estimated after a com- 

 parison of the former and present performances of steam-boats, and of the 

 former and present rates of charges for transportation of passengers and mer- 

 chandise. 



In the year 1818, a cabin passenger paid for a passage in a steam-boat 

 from New Orleans to Louisville, a distance of 1450 miles, 120 dollars, and 

 for returning, 70 dollars, the jiassages up took twenty days, and down, ten 

 days ; at present, cabin passengers pay, in the most elegant steam-boats, 50 

 dollars for a passage up, ami 40 dollars for one down stream ; v\lule they go 

 up in six, and down in four days. These charges include boarding, which, 

 considering the abuudance and choice of the victuals, Sec, ought to be esti- 

 mated at two dollars per passenger per day. The fare is, therefore, now, for 

 the passage alone, taking the average between a trip up and down, (excluding 

 board), 2-41 cents per mile. Less elegant boats take cabin passengers up iu 

 eight days, for 30 dollars, and for 25 dollars down in five days, which, after 

 deducting one and a half dollars per day for board, gives only 1-22 per mile, 

 at an average between a trip up and down. 



Upon the lower deck of these steam-boats, which is a few feet above the 

 surface of the water, are the deck passengers, who provide their own meals, 

 and pay for the same passage of 1450 miles, only eight dollars ; if they assist 



2 £ 2 



