the paths of inland commerce-第16章

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tached。　The　next　year；　Fitch's　second　boat；　operated　by　twelve　paddles；　six　on　a　sidean　arrangement　suggesting　the　〃side…wheeler〃　of　the　futuresuccessfully　plied　the　Delaware　off　〃Conjuror's　Point；〃　as　the　scene　of　Fitch's　labors　was　dubbed　in　whimsical　amusement　and　derision。　In　1787　Rumsey；　encouraged　by　Franklin；　fashioned　a　boat　propelled　by　a　stream　of　water　taken　in　at　the　prow　and　ejected　at　the　stern。　In　1788　Fitch's　third　boat　traversed　the　distance　from　Philadelphia　to　Burlington　on　numerous　occasions　and　ran　as　a　regular　packet　in　1790；　covering　over　a　thousand　miles。　In　this　model　Fitch　shifted　the　paddles　from　the　sides　to　the　rear；　thus　anticipating　in　principle　the　modern　stern…wheeler。

It　was　doubtless　Fitch's　experiments　in　1785　that　led　to　the　first　plan　in　America　to　operate　a　land　vehicle　by　steam。　Oliver　Evans；　a　neighbor　and　acquaintance　of　Fitch's；　petitioned　the　Pennsylvania　Legislature　in　1786　for　the　right　of　operating　wagons　propelled　by　steam　on　the　highways　of　that　State。　This　petition　was　derisively　rejected；　but　a　similar　one　made　to　the　Legislature　of　Maryland　was　granted　on　the　ground　that　such　action　could　hurt　nobody。　Evans　in　1802　took　fiery　revenge　on　the　scoffers　by　actually　running　his　little　five…horse…power　carriage　through　Philadelphia。　The　rate　of　speed；　however；　was　so　slow　that　the　idea　of　moving　vehicles　by　steam　was　still　considered　useless　for　practical　purposes。　Eight　years　later；　Evans　offered　to　wager　3000　that；　on　a　level　road；　he　could　make　a　carriage　driven　by　steam　equal　the　speed　of　the　swiftest　horse；　but　he　found　no　response。　In　1812　he　asserted　that　he　was　willing　to　wager　that　he　could　drive　a　steam　carriage　on　level　rails　at　a　rate　of　fifteen　miles　an　hour。　Evans　thus　anticipated　the　belief　of　Stephenson　that　steam…driven　vehicles　would　travel　best　on　railed　tracks。

In　the　development　of　the　steamboat　almost　all　earlier　means　of　propulsion；　natural　and　artificial；　were　used　as　models　by　the　inventors。　The　fins　of　fishes；　the　webbed　feet　of　amphibious　birds；　the　paddles　of　the　Indian；　and　the　poles　and　oars　of　the　riverman；　were　all　imitated　by　the　patient　inventors　struggling　with　the　problem。　Rumsey's　first　effort　was　a　copy　of　the　old　setting…pole　idea。　Fitch's　model　of　1785　had　side　paddle　wheels　operated　by　an　endless　chain。　Fitch's　second　and　third　models　were　practically　paddle…wheel　models；　one　having　the　paddles　at　the　side　and　the　other　at　the　stern。　Ormsbee　of　Connecticut　made　a　model；　in　1792；　on　the　plan　of　a　duck's　foot。　Morey　made　what　may　be　called　the　first　real　stern…wheeler　in　1794。　Two　years　later　Fitch　ran　a　veritable　screw　propeller　on　Collect　Pond　near　New　York　City。　Although　General　Benjamin　Tupper　of　Massachusetts　had　been　fashioning　devices　of　this　character　eight　years　previously；　Fitch　was　the　first　to　apply　the　idea　effectively。　In　1798　he　evolved　the　strange；　amphibious　creation　known　as　his　〃model　of　1798；〃　which　has　never　been　adequately　explained。　It　was　a　steamboat　on　iron　wheels　provided　with　flanges；　as　though　it　was　intended　to　be　run　on　submerged　tracks。　What　may　have　been　the　idea　of　its　inventor；　living　out　his　last　gloomy　days　in　Kentucky；　may　never　be　known；　but　it　is　possible　to　see　in　this　anomalous　machine　an　anticipation　of　the　locomotive　not　approached　by　any　other　American　of　the　time。　Thus；　prior　to　1800　almost　every　type　of　mechanism　for　the　propulsion　of　steamboats　had　been　suggested　and　tried；　and　in　1804；　Stevens's　twin…screw　propeller　completed　the　list。

It　is　not　alone　Fitch's　development　of　the　devices　of　the　endless　chain；　paddle　wheel；　and　screw　propeller　and　of　his　puzzling　earth…and…water　creature　that　gives　luster　to　his　name。　His　prophetic　insight　into　the　future　national　importance　of　the　steamboat　and　his　conception；　as　an　inventor；　of　his　moral　obligations　to　the　people　at　large　were　as　original　and　striking　in　the　science　of　that　age　as　were　his　models。

The　early　years　of　the　national　life　of　the　United　States　were　the　golden　age　of　monopoly。　Every　colony；　as　a　matter　of　course；　had　granted　to　certain　men　special　privileges；　and；　as　has　already　been　pointed　out；　the　questions　of　monopolies　and　combinations　in　restraint　of　trade　had　arisen　even　so　early　as　the　beginning　of　the　eighteenth　century。　Interwoven　inextricably　with　these　problems　was　the　whole　problem　of　colonial　rivalry；　which　in　its　later　form　developed　into　an　insistence　on　state　rights。　Every　improvement　in　the　means　of　transportation；　every　development　of　natural　resources；　every　new　invention　was　inevitably　considered　from　the　standpoint　of　sectional　interests　and　with　a　view　to　its　monopolistic　possibilities。　This　was　particularly　true　in　the　case　of　the　steamboat；　because　of　its　limitation　to　rivers　and　bays　which　could　be　specifically　enumerated　and　defined。　For　instance；　Washington　in　1784　attests　the　fact　that　Rumsey　operated　his　mechanical　boat　at　Bath　in　secret　〃until　he　saw　the　effect　of　an　application　he　was　about　to　make　to　the　Assembly　of　this　State；　for　a　reward。〃　The　application　was　successful；　and　Rumsey　was　awarded　a　monopoly　in　Virginia　waters　for　ten　years。

Fitch；　on　the　other　hand；　when　he　applied　to　Congress　in　1785；　desired　merely　to　obtain　official　encouragement　and　intended　to　allow　his　invention　to　be　used　by　all　comers。　Meeting　only　with　rebuff；　he　realized　that　his　only　hope　of　organizing　a　company　that　could　provide　working　capital　lay　in　securing　monopolistic　privileges。　In　1786　he　accordingly　applied　to　the　individual　States　and　secured　the　sole　right　to　operate　steamboats　on　the　waterways　of　New　Jersey；　Delaware；　New　York；　Pennsylvania；　and　Virginia。　How　different　would　have　been　the　story　of　the　steamboat　if　Congress　had　accepted　Fitch　at　his　word　and　created　a　precedent　against　monopolistic　rights　on　American　rivers！

Fitch；　in　addition　to　the　high　purpose　of　devoting　his　new　invention　to　the　good　of　the　nation　without　personal　considerations；　must　be　credited　with　perceiving　at　the　very　beginning　the　peculiar　importance　of　the　steamboat　to　the　American　West。　His　original　application　to　Congress　in　1785　opened：　〃The　subscriber　begs　leave　to　lay　at　the　feet　of　Congress；　an　attempt　he　has　made　to　facilitate　the　internal　Navigation　of　the　United　States；　adapted　especially　to　the　Waters　of　the　Mississippi。〃　At　another　time　with　prophetic　vision　he　wrote：　〃The　Grand　and　Principle　object　must　be　on　the　Atlantick；　which　would　soon　overspread　the　wild　forests　of　America　with　people；　and　make　us　the　most　oppulent　Empire　on　Earth。　Pardon　me；　generous　public；　for　suggesting　ideas　that　cannot　be　dijested　at　this　day。〃

Foremost　in　exhibiting　high　civic　and　patriotic　motives；　Fitch　was　also　foremost　in　appreciating　the　importance　of　the　steamboat　in　the　expansion　of　American　trade。　This　significance　was　also　clearly　perceived　by　his　brilliant　successor；　Robert　Fulton。　That　the　West　and　its　commerce　were　always　predominant　in　Fulton's　great　schemes　is　proved　by　words　which　he　addressed　in　1803　to　James　Monroe；　American　Ambassador　to　Great　Britain：　〃You　have　perhaps　heard　of　the　success　of　my　experiments　for　navigating　boats　by　steam　engines　and　you　will　feel　the　importance　of　establishing　such　boats　on　the　Mississippi　and　other　rivers　of　the　United　States　as　soon　as　possible。〃　Robert　Fulton　had　been　interested　in　steamboats　for　a　period　not　definitely　known；　possibly　since　his　sojourn　in　Philadelphia　in　the　days　of　Fitch's　early　efforts。　That　he　profited　by　the　other　inventor's　efforts　at　the　time；　however；　is　not　suggested　by　any　of　his　biographers。　He　subsequently　went　to　London　and　gave　himself　up　to　the　study　and　practice　of　engineering。　There　he　later　met　James　Rumsey；　who　came　to　England　in　1788；　and　by　him　no　doubt　was　informed；　if　he　was　not　already　aware；　of　the　experiments　and　models　of　Rumsey　and　Fitch。　He　obtained　the　loan　of　Fitch's　plans　and　drawings　and　made　his　own　trial　of　various　existing　devices；　such　as　oars；　paddles；　duck's　feet；　and　Fitch's　endless　chain　with　〃resisting…boards〃　attached。　Meanwhile　Fulton　was　also　devoting　his　attention　to　problems　of　canal　construction　and　to　the　development　of　submarine　boats　and　submarine　explosives。　He　was　engaged　in　these　researches　in　France　in　1801