. The story of American democracy, political and industrial . communitiessouth of the Ohio, — Kentucky and Tennessee, — doubledtheir numbers, rising to two thirds of a million. In 1811,1200 flatboats passed the rapids of the Ohio with cargoes ofbacon, beef, and flour, bound down river. The West hadfound a way, also, to market large parts of its corn on the 368 JEFFERSONS ADMINISTRATION hoof. Each fall, immense droves of cattle and hogs(4000 razor-backs in one drove) were driven over thewagon roads to the eastern cities, finding subsistence as theymoved. And now came the steamboat, with its pro
. The story of American democracy, political and industrial . communitiessouth of the Ohio, — Kentucky and Tennessee, — doubledtheir numbers, rising to two thirds of a million. In 1811,1200 flatboats passed the rapids of the Ohio with cargoes ofbacon, beef, and flour, bound down river. The West hadfound a way, also, to market large parts of its corn on the 368 JEFFERSONS ADMINISTRATION hoof. Each fall, immense droves of cattle and hogs(4000 razor-backs in one drove) were driven over thewagon roads to the eastern cities, finding subsistence as theymoved. And now came the steamboat, with its promise of makingthe vast western territory accessible. The Watts stationaryThe steam- steani engine had been in use in England for sev-boat ^yq\ years and in 1800 there were four or five such engines in America. But in this country, with its tre-mendous distances, and its lack of roads, the first need was toapply steam to locomotion by water. As early as 1789, John Fitch, a poor man without educationbut with marked inventive genius, built a ferryboat with. Cincinnati in 1810. From Howes Historical Collections of Ohio. paddles driven by a steam engine of his own construction,and ran it up as well as down the river at Philadelphia forsome months. But capital was still timid and conserva-tive; and, in spite of his remarkable success. Fitch couldnot raise money, east or west, to improve or continue hisexperiment; and, after a ten years struggle, he put an endto his life, in disgust and despair, in a Kentucky these same years, Philadelphia had another neg-lected genius, Oliver Evans, who likewise built a steamengine suited for locomotion; but again the inventor failed GROWTH OF THE WEST S69 to secure money to finance the undertaking to practicalsuccess. The like was true of James Rumsey of Virginia,who possibly preceded even Fitch in his successful applica-tion of steam to water navigation. Robert Fulton was more fortunate. He too had spentheartbreaking years, both i
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