the paths of inland commerce-第14节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　that　he　sailed　from　New　York　on　his　return　to　England　in　January；　1798。　His　interesting　record；　however；　remained　unpublished　until　after　his　death　in　1844。

Not　only　to　Francis　Baily　but　to　scores　of　other　travelers；　even　those　of　unfriendly　eyes；　do　modern　readers　owe　a　debt　of　gratitude。　These　men　have　preserved　a　multitude　of　pictures　and　a　wealth　of　data　which　would　otherwise　have　been　lost。　The　men　of　America　in　those　days　were　writing　the　story　of　their　deeds　not　on　parchment　or　paper　but　on　the　virgin　soil　of　the　wilderness。　But　though　the　stage　driver；　the　tavern　keeper；　and　the　burly　riverman　left　no　description　of　the　life　of　their　highways　and　their　commerce；　these　visitors　from　other　lands　have　bequeathed　to　us　their　thousands　of　pages　full　of　the　enterprising　life　of　these　pioneer　days　in　the　history　of　American　commerce。



CHAPTER　VII。　The　Birth　Of　The　Steamboat

The　crowds　who　welcomed　the　successive　stages　in　the　development　of　American　transportation　were　much　alike　in　essentialsthey　were　all　optimistic；　self…congratulatory；　irrepressible　in　their　enthusiasm；　and　undaunted　in　their　outlook。　Dickens；　perhaps；　did　not　miss　the　truth　widely　when；　in　speaking　of　stage　driving；　he　said　that　the　cry　of　〃Go　Ahead！〃　in　America　and　of　〃All　Right！〃　in　England　were　typical　of　the　civilizations　of　the　two　countries。　Right　or　wrong；　〃Go　Ahead！〃　has　always　been　the　underlying　passion　of　all　men　interested　in　the　development　of　　commerce　and　transportation　in　these　United　States。

During　the　era　of　river　improvement　already　described；　men　of　imagination　were　fascinated　with　the　idea　of　propelling　boats　by　mechanical　means。　Even　when　Washington　fared　westward　in　1784；　he　met　at　Bath；　Virginia；　one　of　these　early　experimenters；　James　Rumsey；　who　haled　him　forthwith　to　a　neighboring　meadow　to　watch　a　secret　trial　of　a　boat　moved　by　means　of　machinery　which　worked　setting…poles　similar　to　the　ironshod　poles　used　by　the　rivermen　to　propel　their　boats　upstream。　〃The　model；〃　wrote　Washington；　〃and　its　operation　upon　the　water；　which　had　been　made　to　run　pretty　swift；　not　only　convinced　me　of　what　I　before　thought　next　to；　if　not　quite　impracticable；　but　that　it　might　be　to　the　greatest　possible　utility　in　inland　navigation。〃　Later　he　mentions　the　〃discovery〃　as　one　of　those　〃circumstances　which　have　combined　to　render　the　present　epoch　favorable　above　all　others　for　securing　a　large　portion　of　the　produce　of　the　western　settlements；　and　of　the　fur　and　peltry　of　the　Lakes；　also。〃

》From　that　day　forward；　scarcely　a　week　passed　without　some　new　development　in　the　long　and　difficult　struggle　to　improve　the　means　of　navigation。　Among　the　scores　of　men　who　engaged　in　this　engrossing　but　discouraging　work；　there　is　one　whom　the　world　is　coming　to　honor　more　highly　than　in　previous　yearsJohn　Fitch；　of　Connecticut；　Pennsylvania；　and　Kentucky。　As　early　as　August；　1785；　Fitch　launched　on　a　rivulet　in　Bucks　County；　Pennsylvania；　a　boat　propelled　by　an　engine　which　moved　an　endless　chain　to　which　little　paddles　were　attached。　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　mad