Inventor Of The Steamboat
By Hon. Daniel B. Lucas
Few of your readers perhaps are aware
of the fact that the inventor of the steamboat was a citizen of
Virginia and a resident of Jefferson County, now in West
Virginia. His name was James Rumsey. That he was an
extraordinary mechanical genius, thoroughly absorbed in
inventions and life-plunged in his ideals, is proved by
tradition and by his literary remains. That he first applied
steam power to the propulsion of vessels is as capable of
historical demonstration as is the fact that Columbus discovered
America. Notwithstanding this fact, our public teachers, many of
them at least, are in the habit of instructing the young of West
Virginia that Robert Fulton was the inventor of the steamboat. A
notable exception among our teachers is Virgil A. Lewis, who in
his School History of West Virginia, gives credit to Rumsey.
I have collected a large amount of
material, but in a short article like the present I must be
content to state briefly some salient facts. The late Hon. A. R.
Boteler, or Shepherdstown, took a profound interest in this
subject, and conceived the idea of erecting a monument to the
memory of Rumsey at Shepherdstown upon "the rocky cliff which
rises for a hundred feet above the right bank of the river,"
overhanging and overlooking the very spot where Rumsey floated
the first steamboat the world had ever seen. I have in his own
handwriting the manuscript of Mr. Boteler's lecture when a
member of the legislature in 1887. I prepared a joint resolution
for an appropriation to the erection of a monument to the memory
of Rumsey, but the uproar of the senatorial contest prevented
any ordinary legislation from obtaining a hearing.
Among other material collected, I
have unearthed, so to speak, the following letter from one James
Sharpless to the celebrated doctor, James Mitchell, father of
Dr. Weir Mitchell, of Philadelphia, the elder Mitchell was a
native of Jefferson County, born near Shepherdstown, where
Rumsey resided. No doubt his interest in this matter was excited
by his citizenship in common with that of Rumsey.
An Historic Letter
Anecdote of the late Mr. Rumsey and
remarks on the steam engine, in a letter from James Sharpless,
Esq., to Dr. Mitchell, dated New York, October 3, 1809:
Dear Sir:
As I expressed to you in a desultory conversation on
Sunday last, several objections to the applications made
by the ingenious Mr. Fulton tor impelling boats by
steam, which I presume you did not wholly comprehend, on
account of my defective mode of expressing myself, I
take the liberty of endeavoring more fully to explain
myself and offer my reasons for the preference, I give
to the applications of the late Mr. Rumsey, in order
that, if my observations should be found correct, some
advantages may be thereby derived to society.
The float boards of Mr. Fulton's engine, as near as I
can recollect, pass through the water at the rate of
seven miles per hour and it is to be presumed that the
power of the engine would support this velocity of the
float boards, though the boat were at rest. Then this
striking force of the boards against the water is seven
at the commencement of action, but when the boat has
attained its utmost velocity of five miles per hour, its
striking force, or resistance to the water is only two;
for when the boat has attained this uniform velocity of
five miles per hour, and the propelling power is
diminished in the same ratio, hence it is evident that
two-sevenths of the power of Mr. Fulton's engine would
be necessary to sustain the same boat at five miles per
hour, provided the apparatus were so constructed as to
support a uniform action from the commencement, so that
the reacting inert force should be the same with
whatever velocity the boat might be sailing at. This
property I have always considered Mr. Rumsey's plan to
possess, which is extremely simple, ingenious and
philosophical. His inventions were carried into effect
about twenty years ago upon a small scale, both in
America and England; and had he not been injured in his
constitution by intense study, and in his pecuniary
circumstances by a constant change of his mechanical
pursuits, he probably would have enriched himself, and
have been considered as one of the greatest ornaments of
his country. Drawings of his hydraulic inventions were
laid before the society for the encouragement of arts,
and a committee appointed to inspect them, and they were
considered so ingenious and of such general importance
that the society petitioned him to give an explanatory
lecture. He appointed an evening; his drawings were
spread on the table; at the time appointed the society
and a number of visitants interested in mathematical and
mechanical subjects were collected; a pause of perfect
silence marked the general esteem, as the self-taught
philosopher approached. He commenced with modest
confidence; but unused to the sound of his own voice in
public, and struck with the respectability of the
assembly to whom he was acting as preceptor, his extreme
sensibility overcame him, and a few sentences that he
uttered were his last. He spoke no more, and the tears
of general sympathy and regret were increased by the
peculiar circumstances of his death." |
This letter was published in the
"Portfolio." an early Philadelphia magazine, and so far as I
know is now republished for the first time.
Fames Ramsey was of English descent, but
was born on "Bohemia Manor" in Cecil County, Maryland, in 1743,
some writers have it in 1748 and I have not had time to test
their accuracy. It is said that he was a millwright, but
whatever his occupation he early discovered an inclination and
genius for mechanical inventions. It is a circumstance worthy of
remark that three or four of America's greatest men took a
profound interest in Rumsey's experiments. Among these were
Washington, Jefferson, Patrick Henry and Franklin. At home,
however, in Shepherdstown, Rumsey was known as "crazy Rumsey'"
Verily, "'a prophet is not without honor save in his own
country!"
After the Revolutionary war, Rumsey
settled at Rath, Virginia, now Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.
Washington was in the habit of spending the summer at these
springs, then known as '"Hot Springs" or "Warm Springs." and
owned and occupied a summer residence there. He fell in with
Rumsey and saw in this poor inventor a genius capable or
projecting "a discovery of vast importance." He witnessed
Rumsey's first experiment by daylight on the Potomac River near
the mouth of Sir John's run in Morgan County, Virginia now West
Virginia, on the 7th day of September, 1784. Washington
thereupon gave Rumsey a certificate as follows:
Washington's certificate. "I
have seen the model of Mr. Rumsey's boat, constructed to
work against the stream, examined the powers upon which
it acts, been the eye witness to an actual experiment in
running water of some rapidity and give it as my
opinion, although I had but little faith before, that he
has discovered the art of working boats by mechanism and
small manual assistance against rapid currents: that the
discovery is of vast importance: may be of the greatest
usefulness in our inland navigation, and if it succeeds,
of which I have no doubt, that the value of it is
greatly enhanced by the simplicity of the works; which
when seen and explained, may be executed by the most
common mechanic.
Given under my hand at the Town of Rath, County of
Berkeley, in the State of Virginia, this 7th of
September, 1784. "George Washington." |
This certificate has been misrepresented
or misunderstood. It will be observed that Washington does not
mention the word ''steam" at all, and this fact has been made
use of to the detriment of Rumsey's claim over Fitch for
priority in the invention. Washington's failure, however, to
describe the character of the ingenious machinery to which he
refers is abundantly explained by his subsequent correspondence.
For example, a letter on the 31st of January, 1786, and in
another on March 15th, 1785 and in still another of December 3rd
1787. Washington's precaution in not using the word "steam" or
'"steam power" is plainly elucidated and is attributable to his
apprehension that Rumsey's invention would be stolen by parties
well known to Washington, as he himself describes them in his
letter of December 3rd 1787.
It was this apprehension that induced
Rumsey to try his first experiment after night, in the month of
October, 1783, on the Potomac at Sir John's run. A few days
after he made another nocturnal experiment with much better
results and in September, 1784, he made the daylight experiment
which was witnessed and testified to by General Washington.
These experiments, however, were not with steam, although the
use of steam was then conceived, as is proved by the fact that
the great inventor applied to the legislature of his native
State by petition filed on the 15th of November, 1783, to grant
him a monopoly in the use of steamboats for ten years, which
grant was at the next session of the Legislature of Maryland,
accorded. About the same period the State of Virginia passed a
similar act of legislations in favor of Rumsey. These records
show conclusively the priority of Rumsey over Fitch in the
invention citation of Rumsey's invention to Fitch controversy
between these two inventors Fitch dates his own invention in
April, 1875 and none of his biographers claim an earlier period.
Moreover it is well authenticated that the communication of
Rumsey's invention to Fitch was made by Major Michael Bedinger
about the time that Rumsey had become somewhat notorious or
celebrated in the Valley of Virginia for having applied steam to
the propulsion of boats. It can also be substantiated that Fitch
visited Rumsey's workshop in Shepherdstown and was warned to
desist by the friends of Rumsey under the threat of violence
should he refuse to leave the town.
Rumsey met with, many difficulties and
obstacles in the perfection of his invention. His first boat was
carried away by a freshet and broken all to pieces in the Falls
of the Potomac below Shepherdstown. It was not until the end of
December, 1787 that he gave a public exhibition on the waters of
the Potomac at Shepherdstown.
A large assemblage of his fellow
citizens were congregated to witness the experiment, among them
some quite distinguished historical characters, such as General
Horatio Gates, General Wm. Darke and others. The inventor would
not permit anyone but ladies to go on board in this first
experimental trip. General Gates, who was in the throng on
shore, kept his eye-glass steadily bearing upon the curiously
formed new vessel. When she moved out to the middle of die
stream and then tacking about commenced her course up stream at
the rate of three miles an hour, dates threw up his hat and
cried out, "'She moves, my God, she moves!" and the crowd took
up the echo with wild cheers. In 1787-88 Rumsey went to
Philadelphia and succeeded in interesting Benjamin Franklin and
other distinguished public men in his invention. They termed
what was called the Rumsian Society of which it is said Franklin
was president. Rumsey likewise visited New York and went before
the Legislature with a petition for a monopoly such as had been
granted by the respective Legislatures of Virginia, Maryland,
and Pennsylvania. It should be remembered that there was at that
time no Patent Office or Patent Bureau organized by the Federal
Government, and inventors to protect themselves were compelled
to apply to the individual states. Before the Legislature of New
York a lively contest arose between the rival inventors, Rumsey
and Fitch. The Legislature appointed a committee to investigate
their respective claims for priority and that committee after
full investigation reported in favor of Rumsey and against their
own fellow-citizen, John Fitch. This, as it seems to me, ought
to set at rest all questions or controversy as to the first
inventor of the steamboat. Those who are curious to learn more
of the Rumsey-Fitch controversy may consult the Second Volume of
the "'Documentary History of the State of New York," where a
full account is given of the action taken by the Legislature of
that State.
In May, 1788. Rumsey went to London
carrying with him letters of introduction from such men as
Franklin. Washington, Patrick Henry, and others. While in London
he met with Mr. Jefferson and, in the correspondence of that
statesman, will be found his hearty approval of the ingenious
efforts of Rumsey in the direction of steam navigation.
Rumsey's ill fortune, however, in being
very poor followed him in his new field of labor. He built a
boat 100 feet long and equipped it with his machinery for steam
propulsion. It is said that while on the waters of the Thames
the vessel was attached by his creditors. After many efforts,
however, he succeeded in interesting a number of ingenious and
intelligent mechanics who were organized into a Society of
Mechanic Arts. He succeeded in getting an audience at the Hotel
Adelphi in the committee room of this "Society of Arts'" on the
20th of December, 1792. While preparing to produce his models
and explain his invention he was stricken with a sudden and
violent pain in the head and almost immediately fell speechless
in a fit of apoplexy. It was in this Hotel Adelphi that,
surround by sympathizing friends, a few days later the great
inventor breathed his last. A short time afterwards, however,
his boat was launched and made a successful trip on the Thames
at the rate of four miles an hour.
It may be here mentioned incidentally
that Rumsey in his correspondence from London mentions having
made the acquaintance of an ingenious youth by the name of
Robert Fulton. At that time Fulton was engaged in other
mechanical experiments and he never dreamt of a steamboat before
his acquaintance and association with Rumsey. It is, therefore,
beyond question true that Fulton conceived the idea of applying
steam to the propulsion of vessels, only after his acquaintance
with Rumsey, and the exhibition of Rumsey great and successful
invention.
Charles Town, West Virginia.
Books and Articles
~
AHGP
Source: The West Virginia Historical
Magazine Quarterly, Charleston, West Virginia, Volume 1,
January, 1901. [From The West Virginia School Journal, by
courtesy of Mr. Trotter.]
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