American inventions and inventors . appened that James Watts steam engine was per-fected just as the treaty of peace with Great Britain ac-knowleged the independence of the United American inventorswere able to make use ofthe steam engine to aidtravel and once they began Morey built asteamboat on the upperConnecticut River; JamesRumsey experimented onthe Potomac; John Fitchon the Delaware, and Wil-liam Longstreet on theSavannah; Oliver Evanswas at work in Philadel-phia, and John Stevens onthe Hudson. One of these boats usedthe steam engine to move oars;
American inventions and inventors . appened that James Watts steam engine was per-fected just as the treaty of peace with Great Britain ac-knowleged the independence of the United American inventorswere able to make use ofthe steam engine to aidtravel and once they began Morey built asteamboat on the upperConnecticut River; JamesRumsey experimented onthe Potomac; John Fitchon the Delaware, and Wil-liam Longstreet on theSavannah; Oliver Evanswas at work in Philadel-phia, and John Stevens onthe Hudson. One of these boats usedthe steam engine to move oars; another pumped water in atthe bow and forced it out again at the stern; a third had awheel in the stern; and a fourth had a paddle wheel on eachside. Some of the vessels used upright, and some hori-zontal engines. Most of these inventors succeeded in run-ning their boats against the tide or the current of rivers, andproved that steam could be thus used. Each may be said tohave invented a steamboat. But these men were all without14. FITCHS STEAMBOAT. 2IO AMERICAN INVENTIONS AND INVENTORS. means; they did not succeed in awakening the interest ofwealthy men; and the public cared little about such inven-tions. Therefore each of these steamboats was given up inturn and soon forgotten; the eighteenth century passed away,and no practical result had appeared. It is natural to havemore interest in the account of an invention which proved ofpractical value than in the stories of even successful at-tempts which were given up almost as soon as made. Robert Fulton was born in Pennsylvania just as Wattbegan his study of the steam engine. Almost as soon asWatt had completed his improvements on the engine, Fultoncame of age, and went to England to study painting withBenjamin West, the famous American artist. In the midstof his art studies he became interested in mechanical pur-suits. He attracted the attention of some English scientists,and, by their encouragement, he abandoned painting andde
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