the age of invention-第10节

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The　mighty　influence　of　the　steamboat　in　the　development　of　inland　America　is　told　elsewhere　in　this　Series。*　The　steamboat　has　long　since　grown　to　greatness；　but　it　is　well　to　remember　that　the　true　ancestor　of　the　magnificent　leviathan　of　our　own　day　is　the　Clermont　of　Robert　Fulton。

*　Archer　B。　Hulbert；　〃The　Paths　of　Inland　Commerce〃。


The　world　today　is　on　the　eve　of　another　great　development　in　transportation；　quite　as　revolutionary　as　any　that　have　preceded。　How　soon　will　it　take　place？　How　long　before　Kipling's　vision　in　〃The　Night　Mail〃　becomes　a　full　reality？　How　long　before　the　air　craft　comes　to　play　a　great　role　in　the　world's　transportation？　We　cannot　tell。　But；　after　looking　at　the　nearest　parallel　in　the　facts　of　history；　each　of　us　may　make　his　own　guess。　The　airship　appears　now　to　be　much　farther　advanced　than　the　steamboat　was　for　many　years　after　Robert　Fulton　died。　Already　we　have　seen　men　ride　the　wind　above　the　sea　from　the　New　World　to　the　Old。　Already　United　States　mails　are　regularly　carried　through　the　air　from　the　Atlantic　to　the　Golden　Gate。　It　was　twelve　years　after　the　birth　of　Fulton's　Clermont；　and　four　years　after　the　inventor's　death；　before　any　vessel　tried　to　cross　the　Atlantic　under　steam。　This　was　in　1819；　when　the　sailing　packet　Savannah；　equipped　with　a　ninety　horsepower　horizontal　engine　and　paddle…　wheels；　crossed　from　Savannah　to　Liverpool　in　twenty…five　days；　during　eighteen　of　which　she　used　steam　power。　The　following　year；　however；　the　engine　was　taken　out　of　the　craft。　And　it　was　not　until　1833　that　a　real　steamship　crossed　the　Atlantic。　This　time　it　was　the　Royal　William；　which　made　a　successful　passage　from　Quebec　to　London。　Four　years　more　passed　before　the　Great　Western　was　launched　at　Bristol；　the　first　steamship　to　be　especially　designed　for　transatlantic　service；　and　the　era　of　great　steam　liners　began。


If　steam　could　be　made　to　drive　a　boat　on　the　water；　why　not　a　wagon　on　the　land？

History；　seeking　origins；　often　has　difficulty　when　it　attempts　to　discover　the　precise　origin　of　an　idea。　〃It　frequently　happens；〃　said　Oliver　Evans；　〃that　two　persons；　reasoning　right　on　a　mechanical　subject；　think　alike　and　invent　the　same　thing　without　any　communication　with　each　other。〃*　It　is　certain；　however；　that　one　of　the　first；　if　not　the　first；　protagonist　of　the　locomotive　in　America　was　the　same　Oliver　Evans；　a　truly　great　inventor　for　whom　the　world　was　not　quite　ready。　The　world　has　forgotten　him。　But　he　was　the　first　engine　builder　in　America；　and　one　of　the　best　of　his　day。　He　gave　to　his　countrymen　the　high…pressure　steam　engine　and　new　machinery　for　manufacturing　flour　that　was　not　superseded　for　a　hundred　years。　

*　Coleman　Sellers；　〃Oliver　Evans　and　His　Inventions；〃　〃Journal　of　the　Franklin　Institute〃；　July；　1886：　vol。　CXXII；　p。　16。


〃Evans　was　apprenticed　at　the　age　of　fourteen　to　a　wheelwright。　He　was　a　thoughtful；　studious　boy；　who　devoured　eagerly　the　few　books　to　which　he　had　access；　even　by　the　light　of　a　fire　of　shavings；　when　denied　a　candle　by　his　parsimonious　master。　He　says　that　in　1779；　when　only　seventeen　years　old；　he　began　to　contrive　some　method　of　propelling　land　carriages　by　other　means　than　animal　power；　and　that　he　thought　of　a　variety　of　devices；　such　as　using　the　force　of　the　wind　and　treadles　worked　by　men；　but　as　they　were　evidently　inadequate；　was　about　to　give　up　the　problem　as　unsolvable　for　want　of　a　suitable　source　of　power；　when　he　heard　that　some　neighboring　blacksmith's　boys　had　stopped　up　the　touch…hole　of　a　gun　barrel；　put　in　some　water；　rammed　down　a　tight　wad；　and；　putting　the　breech　into　the　smith's　fire；　the　gun　had　discharged　itself　with　a　report　like　that　of　gunpowder。　This　immediately　suggested　to　his　fertile　mind　a　new　source　of　power；　and　he　labored　long　to　apply　it；　but　without　success；　until　there　fell　into　his　hands　a　book　describing　the　old　atmospheric　steam　engine　of　Newcomen；　and　he　was　at　once　struck　with　the　fact　that　steam　was　only　used　to　produce　a　vacuum　while　to　him　it　seemed　clear　that　the　elastic　power　of　the　steam　if　applied　directly　to　moving　the　piston；　would　be　far　more　efficient。　He　soon　satisfied　himself　that　he　could　make　steam　wagons；　but　could　convince　no　one　else　of　this　possibility。〃*

*　Coleman　Sellers；　〃Oliver　Evans　and　His　Inventions；〃　〃Journal　of　the　Franklin　Institute〃；　July；　1886：　vol。　CXXII；　p。　3。


Evans　was　then　living　in　Delaware；　where　he　was　born；　and　where　he　later　worked　out　his　inventions　in　flour…milling　machinery　and　invented　and　put　into　service　the　high…pressure　steam　engine。　He　appears　to　have　moved　to　Philadelphia　about　1790；　the　year　of　Franklin's　death　and　of　the　Federal　Patent　Act；　and；　as　we　have　seen；　the　third　patent　issued　by　the　Government　at　Philadelphia　was　granted　to　him。　About　this　time　he　became　absorbed　in　the　hard　work　of　writing　a　book；　the　〃Millwright　and　Miller's　Guide〃；　which　he　published　in　1795；　but　at　a　heavy　sacrifice　to　himself　in　time　and　money。　A　few　years　later　he　had　an　established　engine　works　in　Philadelphia　and　was　making　steam　engines　of　his　own　type　that　performed　their　work　satisfactorily。

The　Oruktor　Amphibolos；　or　Amphibious　Digger；　which　came　out　of　his　shop　in　1804；　was　a　steamdriven　machine　made　to　the　order　of　the　Philadelphia　Board　of　Health　for　dredging　and　cleaning　the　docks　of　the　city。　It　was　designed；　as　its　name　suggests；　for　service　either　in　water　or　on　shore。　It　propelled　itself　across　the　city　to　the　river　front；　puffing　and　throwing　off　clouds　of　steam　and　making　quite　a　sensation　on　the　streets。

Evans　had　never　forgotten　his　dream　of　the　〃steam　wagon。〃　His　Oruktor　had　no　sooner　begun　puffing　than　he　offered　to　make　for　the　Philadelphia　and　Lancaster　Turnpike　Company　steamdriven　carriages　to　take　the　place　of　their　six…horse　Conestoga　wagons；　promising　to　treble　their　profits。　But　the　directors　of　the　road　were　conservative　men　and　his　arguments　fell　on　deaf　ears。

In　the　same　year　Evans　petitioned　Congress　for　an　extension　of　the　patent　on　his　flour…milling　machinery；　which　was　about　to　expire。　He　had　derived　little　profit　from　this　important　invention；　as　the　new　machinery　made　its　way　very　slowly；　but　every　year　more　and　more　millers　were　using　it　and　Evans　received　royalties　from　them。　He　felt　sure　that　Congress　would　renew　his　patent；　and；　with　great　expectations　for　the　future；　he　announced　a　new　book　in　preparation　by　himself　to　be　called　〃The　Young　Engineer's　Guide〃。　It　was　to　give　the　most　thorough　treatment　to　the　subject　of　the　steam　engine；　with　a　profusion　of　drawings　to　illustrate　the　text。　But　Evans　reckoned　without　the　millers　who　were　opposing　his　petition。　Though　they　were　profiting　by　his　invention；　they　were　unwilling　to　pay　him　anything；　and　they　succeeded　in　having　his　bill　in　Congress　defeated。　It　was　a　hard　blow　for　the　struggling　author　and　inventor。　His　income　cut　off；　he　was　obliged　to　reduce　the　scale　of　his　book　〃and　to　omit　many　of　the　illustrations　he　had　promised。〃　He　wrote　the　sad　story　into　the　name　of　the　book。　It　came　out　under　the　title　of　〃The　Abortion　of　the　Young　Engineer's　Guide〃。

Four　years　later；　when　Congress　restored　and　extended　his　patent；　Evans　felt　that　better　days　were　ahead；　but；　as　said　already；　he　was　too　far　ahead　of　his　time　to　be　understood　and　appreciated。　Incredulity；　prejudice；　and　opposition　were　his　portion　as　long　as　he　lived。　Nevertheless；　he　went　on　building　good　engines　and　had　the　satisfaction　of　seeing　them　in　extensive　use。　His　life　came　to　an　end　as　the　result　of　what　to　him　was　the　greatest　possible　tragedy。　He　was　visiting　New　York　City　in　1819；　when　news　came　to　him　of　the　destruction　by　an　incendiary　of　his　beloved　shops　in　Philadelphia。　The　shock　was　greater　than　he　could　bear。　A　stroke　of　apoplexy　followed；　from　which　he　died。

The　following　prophecy；　written　by　Oliver　Evans　and　published　in　1812；　seventeen　years　before　the　practical　use　of　the　locomotive　began；　tells　us　something　of　the　vision　of　this　early　American　inventor：

〃The　time　will　come　when　people　will　travel　in　stages　moved　by　steam　engines　from　one　city　to　another　almost　as　fast　as　birds　flyfifteen　to　twenty　miles　an　hour。　Passing　through　the　air　with　such　velocitychanging　the　scenes　in　such　rapid　successionwill　be　the　most　exhilarating；　delightful　exercise。　A　carriage　will　set　out　from　Washington　in　the　morning；　and　the　passengers　will　breakfast　at　Baltimore；　dine　in　Philadelphia；　and　sup　at　New　York　the　same　day。

〃To　accomplish　this；　two　sets　of　railways　will　be　laid　so　nearly　level　as　not　in　any　place　to　deviate　more　than　two　degrees　from　a　horizontal　line；　made　of　wood　or　iron；　on　smooth　paths　of　broken　stone　or　gravel；　with　a　rail　to　guide　the　carriages　so　that　they　may　pass　each　other　in　different　directions　and　travel　by　night　as　well　as　by　day；　and　the　passengers　will　sleep　in　these　stages　as　comfortably　as　they　do　now　in　steam　stage…boats。〃*

*Cited　by　Coleman　Sellers；　Ibid。；　p。　13。


Another　early　advocate　of　steam　carriages　and　railways　was　John　Stevens；　the　rich　inventor　of　Hoboken；　who　figures　in　the　story　of　the　steamboat。　In　February；　1812；　Stevens　addressed　to　the　commissioners　appointed　by　the　State　of　New　York　to　explore　a　route　for　the　Erie