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Boilers of the character of those described in this specification were used on a locomotive built by John Stevens, in 1824 - 1825. The use of a high-pressure sectional boiler seventy years ago is more remarkable than the adoption of the screw-propeller thirty years before the screw came into general use.

Colonel John Stevens designed a form of iron-clad in the year 1812, since reproduced by the late John Elder, of Glasgow, Scotland. It consisted of a saucer-shaped hull, plated with iron of ample thickness to resist the shot fired from the heaviest ordnance then known. This vessel was to be secured to a swivel, and anchored in the channel to be defended.

A set of screwpropeller, driven by steam-engines, and situated beneath the vessel, were arranged to permit the vessel to be rapidly revolved about its center, working thus on the principle of the "turret" of Timby and John Ericsson. As each gun came into line it was discharged, and then reloaded before coming around again. This, the first iron-clad ever designed, has recently been again brought out and introduced into the Russian navy, and called the "Popoffska."

John Stevens next built a boat which he named the "Phoenix," and made the first trial in 1807, just too late to anticipate Fulton. This boat was driven by paddle- wheels.

John Stevens, being shut out of the rivers of the State of New York by the monopoly held by Fulton and Livingston, ran the "Phoenix" for a time between New York Bay and New Brunswick, and on the Delaware.

At that time no canal existed, and in June, 1808, Robert L. Stevens started to make the passage by sea. Although meeting a gale of wind, he arrived at Philadelphia safely, having been the first to make a sea voyage by steam power.

From this time forward the Stevenses continued to construct steam-vessels, and, later, built the most successful steamboats on the Hudson River.

Before recurring to the work of Fulton, a few more paragraphs may be devoted to Stevens. Col. John Stevens, of Hoboken, was the greatest professional engineer and naval architect living at the beginning of the present century. Without having made any improvement in the steam engines, like that which gave Watt his fame; without being the first to propose navigation by steam, or steam transportation on land, he exhibited a better knowledge of engineering than any man of his time, and entertained and urged more advanced opinions, and more statesman-like views, in relation to the economical importance of the improvement of the steam engines, both on land and water, than seem to have been attributable to any other leading engineer of that time, not excepting Robert Fulton.

Dr. Charles King, then the distinguished President of the Columbia College, thus refers to the work of this great man.

"Mr. Stevens' attention was first turned, or rather the bent of his genius was developed and directed toward mechanics and mechanical philosophy, by the accident of seeing in 1787 the early and, as now may be said, imperfect steamboat of John Fitch navigating the Delaware River. He was driving in his phaeton on the banks of the river when the mysterious craft, without sails or oars, passed by. Mr. Stevens' interest was excited; he followed the boat to its landing, familiarized himself with the design and the details of this new and curious combination, and from that hour became a thoroughly excited and unwearied experimenter in the application of steam to locomotion on the water, and subsequently on the land."

"Having been brought by close family connection into intimacy with Robert R. Livingston (the Chancellor of this State, who married the sister of Colonel Stevens), he induced Mr. L. to join him in these investigations; and they were persevered in at great cost, and with little immediate success, till Chancellor Livingston, in 1801-1802, was sent as minister to France."

"So much, however, was the Chancellor encouraged by the experiments then made, that as early as 1798 he obtained from the legislature of New York an exclusive grant for the use of steam on the waters of New York. This, however, became forfeit by the failure to avail within the limited time of its privileges."

"But previously to the Act of '98, the legislature of New York had, as early as 1787, granted to James Rumsey and to John Fitch the exclusive right to navigate the waters of the State with steam propelled vessels; and on the 9th of January, 1789, John Stevens petitioned the legislature for a like grant, - nothing having resulted from the preceding ones. Mr. Stevens in his petition says that 'to the best of his knowledge and belief his scheme is altogether new, and does not interfere with the inventions of either of the other gentlemen who have applied to your honorable body for an exclusive right of navigating by means of steam.' The petitioner adds that he 'had made an exact draught of the different parts of his machine, which, with an explanation thereof, he is ready to exhibit.' The prayer of the petition was unsuccessful; but these draughts should be among the papers of the late Colonel Stevens, and at this day would be curious."

"Mr. John Stevens, meanwhile, never renounced his experiments, nor despaired of success; and in 1804 he actually constructed a propeller (a small open boat, worked by steam), with such decided success that he was encouraged to go on and build the 'Phoenix' steamboat, on his own plan and model, and had her ready almost contemporaneously with, but a little after, the first steamboat of Fulton, the 'Clermont.' The success of the 'Clermont' entitled Mr. Fulton and Chancellor Livingston, who was co-operating with Fulton, to the benefit of the law, which had been revived by the State of New York, granted a monopoly of the waters of the State, and thus Mr. Stevens' steamboat was excluded from those waters. On the Delaware, however, and on the Connecticut, he placed boats; and his eminent son, Robert L. Stevens, having embraced his father's views, was now at work with him to improve the known, and invent new resources for accelerated steam conveyance."

Above Work Selected Extracts From:
"Robert Fulton - His Life and Its Results"
Robert H. Thurston
Dodd, Mead, and Company Publishers
New York
1891

Main Page on Robert Fulton
American inventor and engineer, who brought steamboating to commercial success.
 
 
 
 
 
 

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