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 PHILADELPHIA 
 18$
 
 LIFE 
 
 JOHN FITCH, 
 
 INVENTOR OF THE STEAM-BOAT. 
 
 THOMPSON WESTCOTT. 
 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 
 
 1857.
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by 
 J. B. LIPPIXCOTT 4 CO., 
 
 in the Clerk's Office of the Distric| Court of the United States for the Eastern 
 District of Pennsylvania.
 
 VM 
 
 HO 
 
 TO 
 
 THE OFFICERS AND STOCKHOLDERS 
 
 THE SUCCESSORS OF THOSE WHO, SIXTY-FOUR YEARS AGO, RECEIVED 
 
 THE WRITTEN MEMORIALS OF AN UNFORTUNATE GENIUS, 
 
 AND PRESERVED THEM UNTIL A TIME WHEN THEY 
 
 COULD BE APPRECIATED AND UNDERSTOOD, 
 
 THIS BIOGRAPHY 
 
 OF A MAN FAITHFUL AMID DISCOURAGEMENTS, 
 PATIENT UNDER INSULT, 
 
 AND 
 
 LOFTY IN PURPOSE AGAINST THE WORLD'S CONTEMPT, 
 Us Bespectfullg ErMcateto. 
 
 September 1, 1857. 
 
 (iii) 
 
 963574

 
 PREFACE. 
 
 "A BIOGRAPHY of John Fitch," wrote Noah Webster to R. W. 
 Griswold, in 1839, " is a desideratum yet to be supplied." 
 The world has been accustomed to consider John Fitch as a 
 theorist, who merely imagined, or unsuccessfully attempted to 
 prove, the possibility of moving boats by steam. By the general 
 voice, Robert Fulton has been most unjustly lauded as the in- 
 ventor of the steam-boat. Honor is paid to his memory by 
 statesmen, orators, and writers, and " poor John Fitch," if ever 
 alluded to, is spoken of as one who knew not how to produce 
 the effects which he was ingenious enough to conjecture were 
 possible. Perhaps a stronger instance of the tendency of man- 
 kind to elevate the fortunate and to degrade the unfortunate, 
 cannot be adduced. It is the design of this volume to remove 
 all pretext for error upon this point, and to endeavor to place- 
 the fame of the original in the favorable position now occu- 
 pied by the imitator and copyist. If the United States arc en- 
 titled to the distinction of being the scene of the first practical 
 applications of steam to the propulsion of vessels, reliance must 
 be placed upon Fitch's successful experiments in 1786, 1787, 
 1788, and 1789, and which in 1790 were crowned by the practi- 
 cal proofs afforded by the passages of a packet, passenger, and 
 freight steam-boat on the Delaware, which, for more than three 
 months, made trips between certain places as regularly as do 
 the steam-boats of the present day, with ease and safety, and 
 without material stoppage, accident, or delay. If we cannot 
 rely upon Fitch's claims to the invention of the steam-boat, Eng- 
 land is entitled to that honor. Symington's steam-boat was 
 tried in 1788, and practically succeeded in 1801. Fulton's ex- 
 periments at Plombieres were made in 1803, whilst his triumphs 
 on the Hudson (entirely destitute of originality) were delayed 
 until 1807 ; or twenty-one years after Fitch propelled his first 
 skiff steam-boat on the Delaware, and nearly as long after Mil- 
 1* (v)
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 ler and Symington built the first Scottish steam pleasure-boat 
 at Dalwinstom 
 
 In this narration are sketched the early career of the subject 
 of the biography ; his Revolutionary services to the State of 
 New Jersey ; his adventures in the wilds of Kentucky and Ohio; 
 his captivity by Indians, and as a British prisoner ; his exer- 
 tions to obtain means to construct a steam-boat ; his trials, fail- 
 ures, difficulties in building machinery, and his successful appli- 
 cation of steam to the propulsion of three steam-boats on the 
 Delaware ; the abandonment of a fourth when nearly finished ; 
 the propulsion of a steam-boat at New York ; his mortification 
 at the lukewarmness of bis countrymen as to the merit of his 
 invention, and his final suicide, to escape from an existence per- 
 secuted by continual misfortunes. 
 
 As collateral to some of these events, and proper to an under- 
 standing of them, full reference is made to the steam-boat plans 
 of James Rumsey, together with notices of the experiments of 
 Samuel Morey, Nicholas I. Rooseveldt, William Longstreet, the 
 Stevens family, and Oliver Evans, after the time of Fitch, and 
 before the appearance of the Clermont, Fulton's first steam- 
 boat on the Hudson. To these have been added, references to 
 steam-boat trials in Europe, by De Jouffroy, Auxiron, Perrier, 
 Miller, and Symington ; together with a sketch of the contests 
 between various inventors in the United States after 1807, no- 
 tices of early ocean steam navigation as well as of Western navi- 
 gation, and whatever could be adduced to add interest to the main 
 narrative, and to render the volume within the limits assigned a 
 record of the origin and progress of the propulsion of vessels 
 by steam. 
 
 The cotemporaries of John Fitch have nearly all passed from 
 the stage of life. To a new generation appeal is made for jus- 
 tice to the memory of one whose fame has long been obscured 
 by an usurped credit, improperly allowed to another. If the 
 present age does not, posterity, it is hoped, will, reverse, as far 
 as is now possible, the foreboding prophecy of the derided and 
 despised genius, written in 1791: "The day will come when 
 some more powerful man will get fame and riches from my inven- 
 tion ; but nobody will believe that poor John Fitch can do any- 
 thing worthy of attention." 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 1, 1857.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INFANCY AND BOYHOOD. 
 
 Page 
 
 Reasons given by John Fitch for writing an account of his 
 life Origin of the Fitch family Emigration of the ances- 
 tors of John Fitch to America They settle in Connecti- 
 cut Marriage of Joseph Fitch Birth of John Is sent to 
 school Death of his mother Second marriage of his 
 father Heroism of the boy, and punishment therefor 
 Is taken from school when ten years of age His progress 
 in arithmetic Studies at home Procures a copy of Sal- 
 mon's Geography His efforts to earn sufficient money to 
 pay for it Assists Governor Wolcott in making surveys 
 Disappointment The Governor and the road-menders 
 Fitch hired out to a store-keeper Goes to sea Returns 
 
 . 25 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 APPRENTICESHIP MANHOOD MARRIAGE. 
 
 Bound apprentice to Benjamin Cheany, to learn clock- 
 making and watch-making Compelled to labor on the 
 farm Scarcity of food The story of the twelve-days-old 
 
 (vii)
 
 Ill CONTEXTS. 
 
 broth Is prevented from learning anything about the 
 business Badly treated by Cheany His indentures can- 
 celled Goes to Timothy Cheany Still deprived of oppor- 
 tunities of learning his trade Nearly starved Leaves 
 him, at length, at manhood, ignorant of the business 
 Sets up brass-founding Is allowed to take a clock apart 
 and put it together Engages in the manufacture of pot- - 
 ash Failure in that speculation Marries Lucy Roberts 
 Unhappy union Birth of Shaler Fitch Domestic dis- 
 sensions Abandons his wife and family 41 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 '"' * *< * ! ^- 
 
 THE SILVERSMITH THE GUNSMITH. 
 
 ^ ' . .-.. 4 . . J . 
 
 Fitch goes to Pittsfield, New York,, and successively visits 
 Albany and New York Proceeds toward Elizabethtown, 
 New Jersey Adventure with a termagant Settles at 
 Trenton, New Jersey Is aided by Matthew Clunn Be- 
 comes journeyman to a silversmith Makes buttons Tra- 
 vels through the country to dispose of them Buys the 
 tools of his former employer Gets into a prosperous 
 business as a silversmith Breaking out of the Revolu- 
 tion Fitch elected a lieutenant in the New Jersey line 
 Disputes about rank Injustice done him Leaves the 
 service Is employed by New Jersey as armorer of the 
 troops His services Approach of the British to Tren- 
 ton Removal to Bucks County, Pennsylvania Becomes 
 a member of the Hatborough Library Company ... 51 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE SCTTLER THE SURVEYOR. 
 
 Fitch supplies the American army at Valley Forge with 
 tobacco, beer, and other articles Buries his gold and 
 silver in Bucks County It is discovered and stolen Dis-
 
 CONTENTS. IX 
 
 covery of the thief, and partial restitution Commences 
 work again as a silversmith Great depreciation of Con- 
 tinental money Determines to lay out his Continental 
 money in Virginia land-warrants Is appointed a deputy- 
 surveyor in Kentucky Adventures on the Ohio River 
 Stirring fight with. Indians, who capture a boat Escape 
 from the enemy Arrival in Kentucky Surveys of lands 
 there Profitable investments Patents for 1600 acres of 
 land . . 63 
 
 CHARTER V. 
 
 THE INDIAN'S CAPTIVE. 
 
 Journey to Kentucky in the spring of 1782 Buys flour at 
 Pittsburg Voyage down the Ohio Boat runs aground 
 near the Muskingum River Flour taken out to set her 
 afloat Scouts sent out on the island Do not return 
 The parties in the boats attacked by Indians Tw_o men 
 killed Resistance Capture by Indians Magee and 
 Bradley scalped Boat set adrift with a war-club tied to 
 the steering-oar Attempt of Captain Buffaloe to toma- 
 hawk Fitch Interposition of Captain Crow Fitch, bare- 
 headed, marches with his companions through the wilder- 
 ness toward Detroit Division of the prisoners among 
 their captors Fitch becomes the property of Captain 
 Buffaloe Manner of securing the prisoners by day and 
 night Scarcity of food The pains of hunger They 
 reach a village of the Delawares The scalp halloo Cere- 
 mony with the scalps of Bradley and Magee William- 
 son's massacre of Moravian Indians on the Muskingum 
 Consequences of that ruthless act to the prisoners March 
 toward the principal town of the Delawares Prepara- 
 tions for running the gauntlet The flight toward the 
 council-house Assaults received by the prisoners on their 
 way there The worst treatment from the women The 
 council-house gained .... 73
 
 X CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ADVENTURES AMONG THE SAVAGES. 
 
 The Grand Council deliberate on the fate of the prisoners 
 Preparations for a dance Firea built Curious steps 
 and ceremonies The prisoners invited to join Refusal 
 of Fitch Offer made to him by a chief for his breeches 
 His refusal Another prisoner more compliant The 
 prisoners suffered to proceed Four of them given up to 
 the Delaware chief Fitch and six others marched to Cap- 
 tain Buffaloe's town Separation from Captain Washing- 
 ton's party The prisoners set to house-building by Buf- 
 faloe Scarcity of food Buffaloe and his handmaid 
 The march resumed towards Detroit Meeting of Buffaloe 
 with his wife and child Their separation The party 
 proceeds Bad weather Arrive at the trading-post of 
 Cochran and Saunders, at an Ottawa town on the Mau- 
 niee River Arrival of Delawares Murder of a servant 
 of Saunders by one of them Fearful peril of the prison- 
 ers from the drunken Indians The scalp halloo The 
 Ottawa Indians take the part of the captives The Dela- 
 wares retire Captain Buffaloe dooms the prisoners to 
 destruction, and orders them to go to the Delaware camp 
 Special protection accorded to Fitch Danger of the 
 others Narrow escape of Jarrad Interposition of Saun- 
 ders in their behalf They go with him in a canoe to De- 
 troit Capture of Sturgeon, and great feast ..... 86 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE PRISONER OF WAR IN CANADA. 
 
 Arrival at Detroit They give the garrison the first informa- 
 tion of the capture of Cornwallis Incredulity of the offi- 
 cers The prisoners are closely confined, to prevent them 
 from spreading the news Means of evasion adopted
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Fitch earns money by engraving Voyage over the Lake 
 Arrival at Niagara Departure, and final arrival at 
 Prison Island, opposite Coteau de Lac Large number of 
 prisoners there Occupations of Fitch while on the island 
 He cultivates a garden Makes tools out of hoops and 
 rough pieces of iron Builds a furnace Makes buttons 
 and wooden clocks Makes his own charcoal Takes 
 journeymen and apprentices from among the prisoners- 
 His workshop a favorite place of resort for the British 
 officers Jealousy of the other prisoners Attempts of 
 prisoners to escape . . . ; , _", ^1-',* . 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE EXCHANGE THE SEA VOYAGE. 
 
 Exchange of the prisoners Fitch sent to Quebec Placed 
 on board the cartel-ship Baker and Atly, bound to Phila- 
 delphia The voyage A severe storm Fears of ship- 
 wreck Curious preparation for the expected disaster 
 Encounter of an American 1 frigate The South Carolina 
 chased by three British men-of-war The sea-fight Cap- 
 ture of the South Carolina The Baker and Atly steered 
 for New York Release of the prisoners Fitch returns 
 to Bucks County Joins a Masonic lodge ...... 104 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ADVENTURES IN KENTUCKY AND OHIO. 
 
 A company formed to survey lands in Ohio The party go 
 to that region Survey from. the Hockhocking to Wheel- 
 ing Island Difficulty Fears of Indians Fitch goes with 
 frontier men into the woods Rapid surveys Return to 
 Pennsylvania on foot Journey to Ohio in the spring of 
 1785 Survey in the neighborhood of the Muskingum and 
 the Ilockhocking Indian signs Division of the party
 
 Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 Narrow escape of Fitch and his companions Sterrett and 
 his associates captured Surveys at the great Kanawha 
 
 Return to Bucks County Resolution of Congress for 
 laying out new States Another journey to Ohio More 
 surveys Return to Bucks Petition to Congress for the 
 post of surveyor A map of the North-western Territory 
 engraved by Fitch and printed on a press made by him- 
 
 eeif. .^^~-4:*^^\ +. *.;- fy^*;-^* m 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE INTENTION OF THE STEAM-BOAT JOURNEY TO VIRGINIA. 
 
 First idea of steam land-carriages, April, 1785 The idea 
 given up for the plan of a steam-boat Trial of a model 
 with paddle-wheels Daniel Longstreth Hon. N. B. 
 Boileau Application to Congress Letters of Dr. John 
 Ewing, William C. Houston, and Provost Smith, of Prince- 
 ton Fitch's letter to Congress, asking assistance Re- 
 ferred to a Committee, who make no report Application 
 to the Spanish Minister Drawings and model of the 
 steam-boat laid before the American Philosophical So- 
 ciety Application to Dr. Franklin Accusation that Dr. 
 Franklin attempted to deprive Fitch of the honor of the 
 invention Fitch sets out for Kentucky, to gain assistance 
 Visit to William Henry, at Lancaster Interview with 
 Governor Johnson, of Maryland Interview with Wash- 
 ington James Rumsey's pole-boat, working by mechani- 
 cal power Petition to the Legislature of Virginia for 
 assistance Bond to Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia, 
 conditioned to apply the proceeds of the map of the 
 North-western Territory to building a steam-boat Peti- 
 tions to the Legislatures of Pennsylvania and Maryland 
 
 Interview with Franklin Insulting conduct of the 
 latter. >W/ri/s* J^ V V '-\ -.: t < 1 ...v .; *1 . 119 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE STEAM-BOAT COMPANY THE SKIFF STEAM-BOAT, 1786. 
 
 Proposal to Arthur Donaldson to build a steam-boat Ap- 
 plication to the State of New Jersey for an appropriation
 
 CONTENTS. Xlll 
 
 of loan-certificates refused Donaldson pretends to be the 
 inventor of a steam-boat Fitch presents a petition to the 
 Legislature of Pennsylvania for a law giving him an ex- 
 clusive right to the navigation of vessels by fire and 
 steam Donaldson contests his claim The matter referred 
 to a committee Law of New Jersey in favor of Fitch 
 New petition to the Legislature of Pennsylvania The 
 Steam-boat Company formed Difficulty about getting a 
 steam-engine made Sketch of Christopher Colics, who 
 built the first steam-engine ever constructed in America, 
 in 1773 Introduction to Henry Voight, who is induced 
 to interest himself in the scheme Working model 
 of a steam-engine with one-inch cylinder made Failure 
 
 Larger model (three-inch cylinder) made Trial of 
 a skiff with the screw of paddles Not very successful 
 
 Disheartened Invention of the mode of rowing by 
 oars at the side of the boat Trial of the first skiff, moved 
 
 by steam Success of the experiment, July 27, 1786 . . 148 
 
 y 'CHAPTER xn. 
 
 ENCOURAGEMENT BY THE STATES LARGE STEAM-BOAT COMMENCED. 
 
 The Steam-boat Company resolve to build a large steam- 
 boat, to be moved by an engine with twelve-inch cylinder 
 
 Difficulty about getting the subscribers to contribute 
 the required sums Indifference of the shareholders 
 Distress of the projector Application to the Legislature 
 of Pennsylvania for the loan of 150 to build the boat 
 and machinery Favorable report of Committee The 
 Assembly reject the proposition Letter to General Mif- 
 flin for assistance The controversy with Donaldson The 
 latter meets with no favor Laws granting special rights 
 to Fitch for fourteen years passed by Pennsylvania, New 
 York, and Delaware 163 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE FIRST STEAM-BOAT FINISHED SUCCESSFUL TRIAL EXPERIMENT, 
 
 1787. 
 
 The Company resolve to go on with the boat Description 
 of the steam-boat of 1786, with paddles at the sides 
 2 I-
 
 XIV CONTENTS. 
 
 The steam-engine Difficulties attending its construction 
 Deed of reciprocal advantage Names of the members 
 of the Steam-boat Company The steam-engine com- 
 pleted, and found defective Taken out of the boat from 
 the foundation and set up again The condenser imper- 
 fect New pipe condenser adopted on a plan of Henry 
 Voight's Steam-valves will not work Double cock in- 
 vented by Voight The steam-boat propelled The engine 
 brought to work briskly, but the boiler does not furnish 
 enough steam Shareholders discouraged Some abandon 
 the project Appeal to the public prepared by Fitch 
 Effect of this paper on the stockholders More money 
 furnished Successful trial on the 22d of August, 1787, 
 in presence of the members of the Convention to frame a 
 Federal Constitution Certificates of Dr. Johnston, of 
 Virginia, David Rittenhouse, John Ewing, and Andrew 
 Ellicott The Company order a larger steam-engine to be 
 constructed, with an eighteen-inch cylinder First infor- 
 mation that James Rutnsey, of Virginia, claimed to have 
 invented a steam-boat Application by Fitch to the Le- 
 gislature of Virginia for a law securing his 'rights Oppo- 
 sition by the friends of Rumsey Rumsey's boat proved 
 not to be a steam-boat Report in favor of Fitch, and 
 passage of a law securing his rights Law in favor of 
 Fitch asked of Maryland Resisted by Ex-Governor Tho- 
 mas Johnston 177 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 APPLICATION TO CONGRESS JAMES RUMSEY's STEAM-BOAT. 
 
 Return to Philadelphia Petition to Congress for assistance 
 Congress not full enough to vote on the proposition 
 Favorable report of the Committee of Congress A vote 
 not pressed Appearance of Rumsey's pamphlet upon 
 the steam-boat Fitch's reply, " The Original Steam-boat 
 supported " The report on Fitch's proposition called up 
 in Congress, and laid on the table Chagrin and mortifi- 
 cation of the inventor . 199
 
 CONTENTS. XV 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 CONTROVERSY M r I T H RUMSET. 
 
 The controversy with Rumsey The allegations on each 
 side The invention of the pipe or tubular boiler The 
 pamphlets by Rumsey, Fitch, and Barnes Collocation 
 of proofs Reasons for believing that Fitch was entitled 
 to priority in actual experiment Action of Congress on 
 the claims of Rumsey's heirs, 1837-8-9 207 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE SECOND SUCCESSFUL STEAM-BOAT OP 1788. 
 
 Work on the boat continued Improvements by Voight 
 The pipe boiler put in use The eighteen-inch cylinder 
 defective Broken up by the founders Dilemma of the 
 Company Resolve to procure a new boat Abandonment 
 of the oars at the sides of the boat They are placed at 
 the stern The steam-boat goes to Burlington, July, 1788 
 The pipe boiler springs a leak The boat floats back to 
 Philadelphia Visit of Brissot de Warville, and descrip- 
 tion of the steam-boat The leak in the boiler repaired 
 Frequent trips to Burlington The great principle 
 made manifest Certificate of the services of the steam- 
 boat, by Ewing, Rittenhouse, Ellicott, Matlack, Smilie, 
 Captain Hart, and others Speed, four miles an hour 
 Not fast enough for a packet-boat Several stockholders, 
 disheartened, abandon the Company Withdrawal of the 
 assistance of Voight New appeal An auxiliary com- 
 pany proposed Names of the members Distress and 
 destitution of Fitch Insults offered to him and suffered 
 by him The Rumseian Society Dr. Franklin's con- 
 duct Barnes and the Rumseian Society attack Fitch's 
 law in Pennsylvania Argument before the Committee 
 of the Legislature Report adverse to Rumsey, and fail- 
 ure of the effort Attempts made to procure the repeal
 
 yi CONTENTS. 
 
 of Fitch's laws in Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and 
 Delaware Second attempt in Pennsylvania also unsuc- 
 cessfulFitch visits Sbepherdstown, Virginia, in order to 
 procure evidence in relation to Ramsey's experiments Al- 
 tercation and quarrels with the townspeople Fresh proofs 
 procured, etc. The steam ice-boa* . ; s . . ". . . 248 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 HIW MACHINERY IMPERFECTION OP THE WORK DESTITCTIOH 
 
 OF FITCH. 
 
 Work on the new boat resumed Eighteen-inch cylinder 
 The boat ready for trial in August, 1789 Difficulties 
 about the condenser Petition to Congress for a patent 
 Hall's condenser taken out of the boat, and Thornton's 
 pat in The latter crushed by atmospheric pressure The 
 new steam-boat tried with Hall's condenser Propelled as 
 swiftly as in the previous year The new Thornton con- 
 denser tried The boat is propelled, but not fast enough 
 Voight's pipe condenser tried Voighf s forcing-pump, 
 to throw water in the condenser Constant failures At- 
 tention turned to the air-pump It is enlarged The engine 
 works better The boat catches fire It is sunk, to extin- 
 guish the fire The damage repaired The steam-boat 
 tried again, and propelled with greater speed than hitherto 
 obtained The boat laid up for the winter Distressing 
 and destitute condition of Fitch A new boiler to be put 
 in the boat Trouble and disputes with the shareholders 
 about a new condenser The Directors order a very large 
 one A complete failure Fitch's views of the difficulty 
 A condenser obtained on his plan Very successful 
 result, April 16, 1790 The steam-boat tried in a strong 
 north-east storm Visit to Burlington Trip in tlfe boat 
 by the Governor and Supreme Executive Council of Penn- 
 sylvania They present the steam-boat with a suit of 
 colon Speed of the boat, eight miles an boor at slack-
 
 CONTENTS. XVU 
 
 water The steam-boat ran as a passenger-boat on the 
 Delaware to Burlington, Bristol, Bordentown, Trenton, 
 Lambertville, Chester, Wilmington, and to Gray's Ferry, 
 on the Schuylkill Advertisements of the trips Descrip- 
 tion of the steam-boat in the New York Magazine Rem- 
 brandt Peale's account The steam-boat passes over two 
 thousand miles Speed, seven miles and a half an hour 
 Fulton's letter, denying the possibility of propelling a 
 steam-boat six miles an hour, 1811 Dr. Thornton's reply 270 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 COWIESCEMBXT OF THE STEAK-BOAT PERSKTIBAXCB. 
 
 The two steam-boat companies consolidated The stock- 
 holders determine to build a new steam-boat, to be named 
 the Perseverance, to be sent to Virginia A new levy 
 made on the shareholders Difficulty of collecting the 
 money Aid sought from members of the Pennsylvania 
 Legislature from the western counties General Gibson 
 requested to become a partner in building a boat at Pitts- 
 burg A great storm The Perseverance blown aground 
 at Potty's Island Expiration of the time limited in the 
 law of Virginia for the navigation of steam-boats on the 
 waters of that State The old steam-boat and the Perse- 
 verance laid up fur the winter Fitch petitions for a pa- 
 tent under the laws of the United States Letter to Ro- 
 bert Morris A trading-house proposed at Xew Orleans 
 Curious estimates of the cost of navigating the Missis- 
 sippi, and of the great profit of steam-boats as compared 
 with other boats Address to the stockholders of the 
 Steam-boat Company Fitch becomes interested in the 
 doctrines of Socinianism, or Unitarianism Formation 
 of the Universal Society Subjects proposed for essays 
 Dissolution of the Society 294 
 
 2*
 
 xviii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 DISASTERS LUKEWARMNESS OF THE COMPANY UNITED STATES 
 PATENT. 
 
 Fitch petitions the Legislature of Pennsylvania for the ap- 
 pointment of Sergeant-at-Arms or Supervisor of Roads 
 Unsuccessful Fitch and Voight petition General Wash- 
 ington for appointments in the Mint as Assay Master and 
 Chief Coiner Yoight appointed Chief Coiner Fitch's 
 application refused Delay in obtaining a hearing before 
 .the Commissioners of Patents Estimates and proposals 
 submitted to Robert Morris and Oliver Pollock Agree- 
 ment made with Aaron Vail to build steam-boats in 
 France, Holland, Germany, Russia, Prussia, Denmark, 
 Sweden, and Switzerland Proceedings to obtain a patent 
 Rumsey offers to submit his claims to arbitration, but 
 afterwards refuses Patents finally granted to Fitch, and 
 Rumsey, all bearing even date. . . . '. , . i '. , ". . 313 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 WORK ON THE PERSEVERANCE ABANDONMENT OP THE SCHEME. 
 
 A permit for the navigation of the Mississippi by steam 
 granted by the Governor of New Orleans The Company 
 order the engine to be taken out of the old steam-boat, 
 and direct the hull to be sold Resolution to finish the 
 Perseverance Delay about collecting money Fitch 
 draughts plans whereby the new boat may, in addition to 
 the oars, be propelled by sucking in and voiding water, 
 and by ejections of currents of air Distress of the pro- 
 jector for decent clothing Work on the boat resumed 
 The Perseverance ready to be tried Trouble about the
 
 CONTESTS. XIX 
 
 boiler-case and condenser New air-pump and condenser 
 exhausted The funds of the Company all spent Dis- 
 pute with Voight about the cattle-boat Letter to David 
 Rittenhouse Notice of the Savannah ; the first steam- 
 ship that ever crossed the Atlantic The Siriua The 
 Great Western The shareholders in the Company -will ad- 
 vance no more money Efforts by Fitch to raise money 
 on the credit of his lands in Kentucky Final abandon- 
 ment of the scheme by the Steam-boat Company Games 
 and Blanchard's balloons Ambroise's gas-lights Rev. 
 Nathaniel Irwin, Disti'ess of Fitch -Thomas P. Cope's 
 reminiscences of Fitch and the steam-boat Fitch medi- 
 tates suicide Letter to Jefferson Deposits his papers in 
 the Philadelphia Library Recollections of a passage in 
 the steam-boat by Samuel Palmer Sale of the steam- 
 engine in 1795 329 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 FITCH GOES TO FRANCE HIS RETURN GOES TO KENTUCKY- 
 SUICIDE. 
 
 A new method of distillation invented Fitch sails to 
 France The building of steam-boats prevented by the 
 
 / French Revolution Publishes a pamphlet and tables in 
 London, with an explanation of a ready way of keeping 
 a ship's reckoning at sea Robert Leslie Fitch returns, 
 to the United States Lives with his brother-in-law, Timo- 
 thy King, in Connecticut, for two years Goes to New 
 York, and, by aid furnished by Chancellor Livingston, 
 propels a steam-boat with a screw-propeller on the Col- 
 lect, 179G Goes to Philadelphia Entertains the pro- 
 ject of forming a steam-boat company in Kentucky 
 Goes there Suits against trespassers Reminiscences 
 of his career at Bardstown, by Hon. Robert J. Wickiiffo
 
 X CONTENTS. 
 
 and Hon. Nathaniel Wickliffe, of Kentucky The plan 
 to form a steam-boat company fails A model steam-boat 
 made Death of Fitch by suicide, 1798 His will Pro- 
 position to erect a monument to his memory never carried 
 out. . 356 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 STEAM-BOAT EXPERIMENTS IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 
 
 Steam-boat experiments in Europe and America by other 
 projectors Rumsey's boat in Virginia, December 1787, 
 and on the Thames, February, 1793 Patents in England 
 for propelling boats by powers not described Bourne, 
 1578 Ramsay, 1630 Grant, 1632 Lin, 1637 Ford, 
 1640 Marquis of Worcester, 1667 Twogood, 1661 
 The Chatham horse-boat, with paddle-wheels at the sides, 
 1682 Allen, 1730 Hulls describes a plan for navigating 
 a boat by steam, 1736 No boat built by him Difficulty 
 in converting the vibratory rectilinear motion of the pis- 
 ton into a rotary one Watt's double-acting steam-engine 
 Perrier and Count Auxiron's steam-boat experiments 
 on the Seine, 1774 and 1775 De Jouffroy's boat on the 
 Saone, 1782 John Fitch the first person who succeeded 
 in making the steam-boat of utility by using it for the 
 transportation of freight and passengers Experiments, 
 July 1786, 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, at Philadelphia, and 
 at New York in 1796 The first steam-boat propelled in 
 Great Britain by Patrick Miller and William Symington, 
 at Dahvinston, Scotland, October, 1788 The first practi- 
 cable steam-boat for useful purposes, the " Charlotte Dun- 
 das," built by Symington in 1803 Samuel Morey's 
 steam-boats with paddle-wheels on the Connecticut, Hud- 
 son, and Delaware rivers, 1793, 1794, and 1795 Long-
 
 CONTENTS. XXI 
 
 street, of Georgia Oliver Evans propels the Eruktor Am- 
 phibolis, as a steam-wagon on land and as a steam-boat 
 on the water, 1804 Latrobe's opinions of the impossi- 
 bility of steam navigation, . 1803 Rooseveldt's steam- 
 boat experiments John Cox Stevens' steam-boat on the 
 Hudson, 1804 The Phoenix the first steam-boat naviga- 
 ting the ocean The New Philadelphia Robert Fulton a 
 resident of Philadelphia in 1785 and 1786, after Fitch's 
 steam-boat scheme was made known, and the first experi- 
 ment made Fulton visits Symington's steam-boat in 
 Scotland, in 1801 Is on board during atrip Takes 
 drawings of the machinery Aaron Vail lends Fulton, in 
 France, all the papers, drawings, and specifications of 
 John Fitch, which are retained for some months Dr. 
 Cartwright gives Fulton a plan of a steam-boat, 1799 
 Fulton's experiment at Plombieres, 1803 Fulton's steam- 
 boat, the " Clermont," on the Hudson, 1807 The claims 
 of Fulton to originality considered His appropriation of 
 the discoveries of others Livingston procures an assign- 
 ment, or re-transfer and extension, of the law of New 
 York in favor of Fitch The steam-boat controversy be- 
 tween the citizens of New York and New Jersey, in con- 
 sequence A retaliation law passed in New Jersey Ef- 
 fort to repeal it The prior invention of Fitch relied upon 
 
 Evidence of the usefulness of his boat The affair 
 made a party question Repeal of the New Jersey law 
 Application made by Colonel Ogden, of New Jersey, to 
 the Legislature of New York, to repeal the Fulton and 
 Livingston [Fitch] steam-boat law Governor Bloomfield, 
 of New Jersey, testifies to having been a frequent pas- 
 senger in Fitch's boat on the Delaware The Committee 
 report in favor of repeal, and that the boat of Robert 
 Fulton is in substance the invention of John Fitch Du- 
 er's controversy with Golden in relation to this matter 
 
 Law-suits The Supreme Court of the United States 
 declares the New York law unconstitutional 373
 
 xxii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 STEAM-BOAT AFFAIRS IN THE UNITED STATES AFTER FULTON'S 
 EXPERIMENTS. 
 
 New interest aroused in steam-boats Dr. William Thorn- 
 ton's vindication of the claims of Fitch, 1810 Reasons 
 why Fitch rejected the use of paddle-wheels Henry 
 Voight invents a new method of rowing a steam-boat with 
 three banks of oars or paddles, 1809 Fernando Fairfax 
 claims to have sole right to license the building of steam- 
 boats under John Fitch's patents, 1815 Rooseveldt 
 builds the first steam-boat to navigate the Ohio and Mis- 
 sissippi, 1811 The eventful first voyage of the New Or- 
 leansThe Comet, French's steam-boat The Vesuvius, 
 Fulton's steam-boat The Enterprise, French's patent 
 Captain II. M. Shreeve builds the Washington, 1816 
 Lawsuit with Fulton and Livingston Decision in favor 
 of Shreeve The Western waters free to steam-boat navi- 
 gation 399 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 PERSONAL MATTERS CONCLUSION. 
 
 Appearance of Fitch his family emigrate to Ohio Their 
 descendants Death of Mrs. Lucy Fitch Conclusion. . 411
 
 Illttstraii0ns; 
 
 1. The Grave af John Fitch, Bardstown, Ky. FRONTISPIECE. 
 
 2. Title-page ."''<'. i.*, -, }:'t. -V VIGNETTE. 
 
 3. John Fitch's Model of 1785, with Endless Chain and 
 
 Floats, or Paddle-boards . . J '" -' . . 131 
 
 4. A Section of Chain and Paddles "./ ''"".' . .131 
 
 5. Dr. Franklin's Plan of a Pumping-boat, to go by ejec- 
 
 tion of Water .' * '. ' - '.' '* . . . . 135 
 
 6. Dr. Franklin's Plan of a Pumping-boat, to go by forc- 
 
 ing out Air against Water. ''^' 135 
 
 7. John Fitch's Steam-boat ; Philadelphia, 1786, '87. . 178 
 
 8. James RumseyV Steam-boat; Virginia, 1788 . . 212 
 
 9. Section of Pipe-boiler .'. \" . . . ..' f .* *'..-.. , . 228 
 
 10. Section of Pipe-boiler -. . -/ . _'. v*v-'V.v 229 
 
 11. Section of Pipe-boiler in its Furnace . - .'' ' . .229 
 
 12. Double-cylinder Boiler, Grate, and Furnace (Henry 
 
 Voight's) % '"'^ ' .; :-- ""* ., " .; '' ;;' *. 232 
 
 13. James Rumsey's Steam-boat, English Patent . . . 254 
 
 14. James Rumsey's Steam-boat, English Patent . . 254 
 
 15. Cylinder, Condenser, and Air-pump of Fitch's Steam- 
 
 boat . .' . . . . . .275 
 
 16. Cylinder, Condenser, and Air-pump of Fitch's Steam- 
 
 boat . . . y ' .**'.~i.~" ; . . 276 
 
 17. Dr. Thornton's Condenser, Cylinder, and Air-pump 
 
 (fac-simile, from pen-and-ink drawing) . . . 279 
 
 (xxiii)
 
 XXIV LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 18. John Fitch's Condenser, Cylinder, and Air-pump (fac- 
 
 simile, from pen-and-ink drawing) 280 
 
 19. John Fitch's Steam-boat ; Philadelphia, 1788, 1789, 
 
 1790 , x, > j 7 - f ,;- ..."; V . t./ .<*''- . 284 
 
 20. John Fitch's Screw-propeller Steam-boat on the Collect, 
 
 New York, 1796 '/ ' V. *. . '.*''":. - - 362 
 
 21. Fitch's Model Steam-boat; Bardstown, Kentucky, 1797, 
 
 1798 368 
 
 22. The Charlotte Dundas, William Symington's Steam- 
 
 boat; Scotland, 1801 . /;-. '/." V* '* ' "" 378 
 
 23. The Eruktor Amphibolis ; Oliver Evans, Philadelphia, 
 
 1804. r^'Y' "'/"^:-; .'- '*,'-?' 0- 381 
 
 24. The Clermont, Robert Fulton's Steam-boat; New York, 
 
 1807 -s'-. ; ,^' > ^;:^' V "*' ; -*'-- ; . 390 
 
 25. Henry Voight's improved Triple Paddles; Philadel- 
 phia, 1809. '.:'-;'.' ' >' . .'., >* v ^" "> : ' 403 
 
 ^-^ :-:- . r>1
 
 THE LIFE 
 
 JOHN FITCH 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INF A JN CY AND BOYHOOD. 
 
 FAITHFULLY and thoughtfully written, the narrative 
 of the course of existence of every man may have 
 something in it to benefit those who come after him. 
 The general landmarks of life, for those who reach 
 adult years, are the same. Birth, education, employ- 
 ment, love, marriage, and death, are set up as tokens 
 at the great boundaries ; but the intermediate fields 
 are too often passed over without special interest. 
 Forgetfulness spreads oblivion over transactions which, 
 during the brief hours when they were transpiring, 
 excited ardent interest, noble emotion, or base passion. 
 Hope looks forward and never turns back. It is 
 Memory's task to dwell upon the vanishing hues of the 
 past ; but, even as she views them the colors grow 
 fainter, gradually fading until for ever lost. The re- 
 membrances of the living are treacherous, but Death 
 buries cotemporary knowledge with the bodies of those 
 who possess it. Hence it is that History becomes 
 more unreliable as time advances, and that events, well 
 3 (26)
 
 26 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 known to the men of a certain era, become, in after 
 years, vague, mysterious, or misunderstood. 
 
 It is with some hope that the veil which has so long 
 obscured the merits of an unfortunate and ingenious 
 man, shall be lifted, that these pages have been writ- 
 ten. Justice to the memory of one whose conceptions 
 and anticipations far exceeded the shallow wisdom of 
 his cotemporaries, demands that, on the roll of those 
 who haye benefitted their country shall be placed the 
 name of John Fitch, the successful inventor of the 
 steamboat, who demonstrated the merits of his inven- 
 tion beyond the power of denial. The record of his 
 trials and sufferings is now to be placed before a gene- 
 ration able to appreciate his qualities. The invention 
 of the steamboat has been a matter of importance to 
 the civilized world. It is our aim to show that such a 
 machine was not only suggested in the United States, 
 but that it was brought to such practical perfection, as 
 to be used for purposes of freight and passage many 
 years before it was usefully employed in any other 
 country, and many years before the luckier but less 
 original demonstration, by the adapter of the ideas of 
 others, Robert Fulton. 
 
 Very much of the story of the life of John Fitch was 
 written by himself, in compliance with the desire of his 
 friend, the Rev. Nathaniel Irwin, of Bucks County, 
 Pennsylvania, who, during the course of an acquaintance 
 extending through several years, had always taken an 
 interest in the fortunes of the ingenious and struggling 
 enthusiast. In the first page of his written autobi- 
 ography, Fitch testifies his attachment to Mr. Irwin, 
 in the following quaint manner :
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 27 
 
 To THE WORTHY NATIIAXIEL IRWINE, OF NESHAMINEV. 
 
 SIR Was I a Bigott in your Beliefs and doctrines, which 
 vou so zealously, and with the greatest ingenuity that I ever 
 heard from a Pulpit, weekly support, I should think that the 
 word Reverand would bearly do you justice, and for fear if I 
 used that word, it might be imputed to the function of a Chris- 
 tian preacher, I omited it; but, Sir, you may be assured that 
 I rever you more than any man, but not because you are a Chris- 
 tian Preacher, but because I esteem you one of the most valu- 
 able citizens of Pennsylvania, and have frequently felt a secret 
 Pain that such an exalted Genius should be confined to the Piti- 
 ful business of Neshaminey Congregation, whilst many of the 
 first offices of Government are filled by those much less de- 
 serving. 
 
 The last conference I had with you, Sir, you requested a detail 
 of my life. I, sir, would not have gratified even Mr. Irwin him- 
 self, in this, were it not for several reasons : the first is, I have 
 already made myself so noticed that I never can in future con- 
 ceal myself; and knowing, Sir, that there is every malignant 
 disposition, as well as friends, to Laudable endeavours ; and the 
 curious of this world will hardly be satisfied without some story 
 to tell, if they have to frame stories out of their own brain re- 
 specting me; but a Principle reason is this my life sir has 
 been filled with such a variety of Changes which will afford 
 Buch useful lessons to mankind, I think I should hardly do my 
 duty which I owe to my fellow men, was I to suppress it. 
 
 From that autobiography, commenced Jan. 12, 1790, 
 which was afterward deposited in the Philadelphia Li- 
 brary, we take the greater part of the curious and 
 interesting facts which will be related in these pages. 
 
 The Fitch family were supposed, by the descendant 
 whose eventful story is about to be told, to be of Saxon 
 origin. Thomas Fitch, the great-great-grandfather of 
 John Fitch, became by descent the proprietor of an 
 estate near Brantry [Braintree] in Essex, England,
 
 28 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 and after, it is presumed, an honest and peaceful life, 
 died, leaving five sons. Those descendants left Eng- 
 land shortly after their father's death, and emigrated 
 to New England, bringing their mother with them. 
 Joseph Fitch, the great-grandfather of John Fitch, 
 purchased one-twentieth part of the township of Wind- 
 sor, Hartford County, in the Province of Connecticut. 1 
 He had three sons Joseph, Nathaniel, and Samuel. 
 The two latter died unmarried, after having wasted 
 their estates. Their brother Joseph patterned after 
 their improvidence, but did not adopt their views as to 
 the benefits of celibacy. He married, had two sons, 
 Joseph and John, and died insolvent, leaving his chil- 
 dren to the charity of the world. Joseph Fitch, the 
 father of the subject of our biography, was brought up 
 in an industrious and affluent family settled at Hart- 
 ford, where he was taught to read, write, and cipher. 
 His studies were of such a nature that he acquired a 
 taste for astronomy, mathematics, and natural philoso- 
 phy, in none of which he attained any brilliant profi- 
 ciency. In due time he married Sarah Shaler, of Bol- 
 ton, an active, enterprising, good woman. During her 
 life there were born to this couple three sons and three 
 daughters. 
 
 John Fitch was the fifth child, and was ushered into 
 what to him was a world of misfortune, on the 21st of 
 
 1 In Holmes' American Annals, Vol. I., page 378, it is said : 
 "The township of Norwich, in Connecticut, having been pur- 
 chased [1660] of the natives, the Kev. James Fitch, with the 
 principal part of the Church and congregation, removed from 
 Saybrook, and planted that town." It is probable that this 
 James Fitch was a brother of the Joseph Fitch here spoken of.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 29 
 
 January, 1743, old style. The house where his parents 
 resided was situate, upon the boundary line between 
 the townships of Windsor and Hartford ; but, as the 
 greater part of the dwelling was in Windsor, John al- 
 ways understood that his birthplace was in the latter. 
 When the boy was about four years old he was sent 
 to " a dame school," maintained by a tax on the resi- 
 dents of the township. Mrs. Rockwell, the mistress, 
 found in young Fitch no inapt scholar, and during the first 
 summer he learned to spell such words as " Command- 
 ment" and "Jerusalem" with facility. Whilst at this 
 school he met with his first great misfortune. His 
 mother died when he was about four years and eight 
 months old. The children of the family then were 
 Joseph, Augustus, Sarah, Anne, John, and Chloe. The 
 bereaved father soon found the management of this 
 progeny to be a task which he was incompetent to dis- 
 charge with propriety, and he accordingly turned his 
 attention to the serious business of wooing a second 
 wife. His choice was determined by prudence, and it 
 fell upon Abigail Church, of Hartford, a maiden lady, 
 who was "an orderly, easy-tempered, good woman," 
 and "had some little property." *>-.{ 
 
 During the time of the courtship, John was kept at 
 school, where his advancement was satisfactory. His 
 father was necessarily and frequently away from home 
 whilst engaged in " paying attentions" to Miss Church, 
 and the house, during such expeditions, seems to 
 have been left in the charge of the children. Upon 
 one of those occasions, after John had returned from 
 school, it being near the dusk of the evening, he and 
 his youngest sister, Chloe, were alone in the house. 
 3*
 
 30 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Augustus and Sarah were in the barnyard milking the 
 cows. Chloe had some important little secret to tell 
 her brother having received some gift during the day 
 which she wished to show him. Lighting a candle, she 
 went with it to the far side of the room, and while 
 searching for the present, unfortunately set fire to two 
 bundles of flax which were upon the floor. The in- 
 flammable material started into a blaze. Little John 
 seeing it, ran and seized one of the burning bundles, 
 which was so heavy that he could only carry it by rest- 
 ing it against his knees. He conveyed it in this man- 
 ner to the chimney, and cast it down on the hearth, 
 his hands being sadly burned, and his hair on fire. 
 The latter he quenched, and then seized the second 
 bundle, which was also ablaze, and put it on the hearth, 
 where he tramped out the fire until it was extinguished. 
 "Whilst he was engaged in this heroism, his sister, af- 
 frighted, had fled to the barnyard, where, in her agita- 
 tion, she must have said something which was misun- 
 derstood. Whilst little Johnny was yet smoking, his 
 hair nearly singed off his head, his hands and feet 
 blistered arid smarting, and his eyes full of dust and 
 cinders, his brother Augustus rushed in, and, without 
 asking a word of explanation, fell upon the young hero, 
 boxed his ears and beat him most severely. This was 
 the reward for his bravery. He felt the injustice which 
 was done him, and, on his father's return, made com- 
 plaint, but received no redress. This incident seemed 
 to him in after years to be the first in a career in which 
 his efforts to do good were misunderstood and pun- 
 ished, instead of being rewarded. At a later period, 
 after having labored to convince his countrymen of the
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 31 
 
 value of the steamboat, and receiving nothing but dis- 
 trust, indifference, and the punishment of poverty and 
 neglect, he reverted to this childish occurrence, as if to 
 show that a malignant fate had pursued him almost 
 from his infancy. "This, sir," says he, addressing the 
 Rev. Mr. Irwin, "being what I may call the first act 
 of my life, seemed to forebode the future rewards I 
 was to receive for my labors through life, which have 
 generally corresponded exactly with that." 
 
 About two years after the death of the mother of 
 John, his father having won the affections of Miss 
 Church, brought her home and established her in the 
 position of wife, and ruler over the destinies of her 
 step-children. The change, as it often happens, soon 
 produced some alteration in the family. Joseph and 
 Augustus were apprenticed to learn trades ; Sarah 
 was married at sixteen years of age ; Anne was most 
 of the time with her uncle, John Fitch, in Massachu- 
 setts ; so that, generally, there were only at home, the 
 father, his wife, and John and Chloe. After Joseph 
 had been away for a year he returned. He had learned 
 to be a cooper, and set up that business at his father's 
 house. John was permitted to go to school until he 
 was about ten years of age, being subject, however, to 
 many demands for his services, and being required to 
 relinquish his studies during busy seasons, whenever 
 his father thought it would be more for his benefit to 
 employ his son at home. Joseph Fitch was a stern, 
 close man, who lived in rigid economy, and had but 
 little liberality of principle where the happiness of 
 others ought to have been consulted. He was very 
 economical, and spent but little upon self-indulgence.
 
 32 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 His son says of him, however, in a tone of thankful- 
 ness, or admiration, it is difficult to determine which, 
 that he had " always plenty of victuals in the house," 
 and was "never out of cider but two weeks," during 
 all the time that he lived with him. Little John be- 
 came at school " quite a scholar." Before he was ten 
 years old he " could say the New England primer all 
 by heart, from 'Adam's fall' to the end of the cate- 
 chism."- There was at his father's house an old copy 
 of Hodder's arithmetic, which he got hold of and studied 
 without assistance. He had a natural aptitude for 
 figures, and when nine years of age had mastered 
 addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and 
 could tell "how many minutes old" he would be when 
 he reached ten years of age. He had now become a 
 great enthusiast, and describes himself as "almost 
 crazy for learning." Yet his father took him from 
 school and put him to work, although he was so small 
 that he could not swingle more than two pounds of 
 flax, or thresh more than two bushels of grain in a day. 
 For this " pitiful, trifling labor" he was deprived of the 
 benefit of education, which he looked upon as a serious 
 piece of injustice. Yet, he observed, in reference to 
 his father's conduct, " There was a great deal to plead 
 for him. He was educated a rigid Christian bigot, a 
 most strenuous Presbyterian, and carried it to such 
 excess, that I dare not go in the garden to pick cur- 
 rants, or in the orchard to pick up an apple on the 
 Sabbath, and he probably thought that the extent of 
 his duty towards me was to teach me how to read the 
 Bible, that I might find the way to heaven, and when 
 he had done that he felt perfectly easy, and if I could
 
 LIFE OF JO UN FITCH. 33 
 
 earn him 2c? per day, it ought not to be lost." Still 
 his father did not prevent him from studying at home, 
 lie was at his book mornings and evenings, was a very 
 zealous student, and got through Hodder as far as 
 "Alligation Alternate." 
 
 When he was about eleven years old he heard of a 
 book which would give him " information of the whole 
 world." This treasure was Salmon's Geography. He 
 asked his father to buy it for him, but the investment 
 was greater than his frugality would allow him to in- 
 dulge in. In this emergency John cast about for some 
 means to raise money sufficient to purchase it. Having 
 hit upon a plan, he requested of his father permission 
 to plant potatoes on some headlands on the farm, and 
 obtained the desired license. On a training day, when 
 all others who had time were enjoying themselves at 
 the muster, this little farmer devoted his holiday to 
 the task of digging up the ground and planting his 
 stock. He cultivated this small patch through the 
 season, at noon, and after his regular work was done 
 in the evening. The result of the adventure was the 
 growth of several bushels of potatoes, which were sold 
 in the fall for ten shillings. A merchant in the neigh- 
 borhood, who was going to New York, engaged to 
 buy the coveted book, but when he purchased it the 
 cost was twelve shillings, leaving the poor little fellow 
 two shillings in debt, a vast and troublesome obligation ; 
 in addition to which his frugal father called upon him 
 to return potato-seed equal to the quantity originally 
 loaned him to plant. Good luck soon enabled him to 
 discharge this heavy debt. He studied his prize with 
 intense energy, and in a short time was " the best
 
 34 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 geographer, according to Salmon, -which Connecticut 
 could produce." No question could be asked him about 
 any nation, its situation, population, boundaries, chief 
 towns, &c., which he could not answer " according to 
 Salmon." 
 
 Having now attained some geographical knowledge, 
 and having been instructed by his father in surveying, 
 as far as he himself understood it, the young Fitch 
 began to have considerable conceit of his abilities. A 
 very amusing exemplification of his self-sufficiency had 
 been given before that time. Among the neighbors 
 of the Fitch family, was his Excellency, Governor 
 Roger Wolcott, father of Oliver Wolcott, afterwards a 
 signer of the Declaration of Independence, and 
 governor of Connecticut. He had a piece of meadow 
 land adjoining the Fitch farm, and sometimes during 
 mowing time, would come beneath the shade of the 
 trees where the laborers were resting. John was a 
 pert, forward, smart little boy, and the governor having 
 some pieces of land to apportion off, requested the 
 father that he would allow his son to carry the chain 
 for him while making the surveys. The youngster was 
 hugely flattered at this honor, and his good opinion 
 of himself was much enhanced by the deference which 
 Governor Wolcott paid to his suggestions. He con- 
 sulted him upon all doubtful points, and seemed to 
 adopt all his recommendations without hesitation as to 
 their correctness. They surveyed several small tracts 
 lying upon the Podunck river, a very crooked stream. 
 John, being expert in " Hodder," was ready in his 
 calculations of the parts left out by the tortuous cha- 
 racter of the watery boundary, and in estimating what
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 35 
 
 ought to be taken in to reduce the whole to square 
 measure. As a specimen of the operations of the boy 
 of eleven years old, with the great man who had 
 honored him with his confidence, the following is told. 
 " He asked me," said Fitch, " how we should go square 
 across the end that we did not go out or in, but square 
 oft' with the lines the first run." I instantly told him 
 thus : 
 
 " As we had a four pole chain, that we -would begin at the 
 bush at the corner, and measure off two poles upon the trail that 
 we had made through the grass, and for him to hold one end of 
 the chain at that place, and I would walk round with the other 
 end through the grass, and then he should hold the other end at 
 the bush, whilst I trampled the grass in another circle, and one 
 pole from where the grass was trampled both ways would be a 
 square from the first line. The old gentleman indulged me in 
 this experiment, but what his views were I don't know, but I 
 did it on the same principles that I now raise a perpendicular 
 on paper, but did not know at that time a single geometrical 
 problem, and he laid off the end line according to my perpen- 
 dicular. There was another thing which has ever been a mys- 
 tery to me. We had measured off one piece for one Isaac 
 Morton, which was to contain one acre, and it happened to be 
 just thirty poles in length. lie asked me 'how wide we should 
 go to make one acre.' I readily answered, 'six rode.' He 
 seemed to doubt, or rather question with me if I was right. I 
 positively asserted that I was, and told him that ' 40 rods long 
 and 4 rods wide was an acre, and 20 rods long and 8 rods wide 
 was an acre, and that 30 and 6 was a medium between the two.' 
 The old gentleman laid it out agreeably to my direction. In 
 this I honestly cheated him, but did not know it till some years 
 after. I can impute it to nothing but an oversight in him, as his 
 abilities as a surveyor cannot be doubted." 
 
 The job of surveying thus commenced, was not 
 completed upon that day. The Governor left his chain
 
 36 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 with little John, and gave him directions how to lay 
 out some other pieces of ground, which task was com- 
 pleted by the young surveyor entirely to his own satis- 
 faction. When the Governor came to the house of the 
 father to receive the chain, the hoy proudly produced 
 it with the notes of his work, and was not unreasonable 
 in expecting some remuneration for his labor ; but the 
 Governor coolly received the chain as a matter of right, 
 placed it in his saddle-bag, and without deigning to 
 notice his fellow-laborer, or even to thank him for his 
 trouble, rode away with much dignity. This was a 
 great disappointment to the young associate ; but he 
 solaced himself with the thought that he ought to have 
 expected such treatment. Gov. Wolcott was a pru- 
 dent man, and very careful of the means which he pos- 
 sessed. This disposition had already been proved by 
 an incident which happened some time before, the 
 memory of which was preserved in the Fitch family, 
 as a perpetual monitor of the niggardly disposition of 
 the Governor. At that period, it was the custom, in 
 Connecticut, to make the mending of roads a township 
 affair, and the assistance of all able-bodied residents 
 was demanded at certain times for that purpose. It 
 was a constant practice of the road-repairing parties 
 to keep a sufficient store of New England rum for the 
 solace of themselves and travellers. The latter were 
 always requested to take a drink whenever they reached 
 the place where the road-menders were stationed. It 
 jvas a portion of the etiquette of such occasions, that 
 the invitations should always be accepted ; and it was 
 equally a trait of good manners to recompense the 
 voluntary hosts for the liberality which they thus exer-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 37 
 
 cised. It -was a rare thing in any one to disregard 
 such requests ; and it was considered mean for a person 
 to pass on without making some contribution to re- 
 plenish the bottle. It once happened, when Joseph 
 Fitch, with many others, were mending the highway 
 near the farm, that Gov. Wolcott, majestically arrayed 
 in scarlet, was passing along on his way to Hartford. 
 The bottle was tendered him, and he did not refuse it, 
 but, taking a generous dram, recompensed the expect- 
 ant hosts who looked for a liberal donation, with a 
 single copper. The circumstance so chagrined Joseph, 
 that he was determined to make visible commemoration 
 of the paltry gift. He took the farthing to his fa- 
 ther's house, and punched a hole in it. He got a post 
 and set it firmly in the ground on the edge of the road ; 
 and, procuring a scarlet rag to make it more conspicu- 
 ous, nailed the copper and the rag to the post, as a 
 memento of the Governor's avarice, and as a hint to 
 other travellers that they were expected to pay more 
 liberally for their rum. " This," said John Fitch, many 
 years afterward, "was a mean way of getting money, 
 but the Governor took an improper way to suppress it, 
 and one which was very imprudent in the first officer 
 of the government." The circumstance certainly 
 proved that he was very careful of his wealth, and it 
 explained very satisfactorily the reason why the boy, 
 who had been so useful to him in surveying, received 
 no pecuniary acknowledgment. 
 
 The situation of the lad at this time was very un- 
 comfortable. He had a strong desire to acquire know- 
 ledge ; but with this disposition there was little sym- 
 pathy. His father and brother were more anxious that
 
 38 LIFE OF JO if X FITCH. 
 
 he should work in the field than go to school and study. 
 His labors were severe, and so heavy that he ascribed 
 his weak and stunted condition to them. He was small 
 boned and diminutive a condition of body which con- 
 tinued until he was about eighteen years of age, and 
 then he "started up all at once," (without giving nature 
 time to.consult herself,) into a disproportioned shape. 
 When he was about thirteen years of age, his father 
 so far relaxed his stern demands upon him for labor, 
 that he permitted him to go to school for about six 
 weeks. In that time he got through the arithmetic, 
 and -had learned all that the school-master could 
 teach of mathematics. The latter suggested that he 
 would instruct the boy in surveying, if the proper in- 
 struments were procured. The demand for the neces- 
 sary outlay was not agreeable to the father of John ; 
 but, after earnest solicitation, he consented to make 
 the advance, he went to Hartford, and procured a 
 scale and dividers, which were received by his son with 
 warm expressions of gratitude. With these simple im- 
 plements he became proficient, in two weeks, in what 
 was then called surveying in New England. But he 
 learned "nothing of logarithms, or of calculation by 
 latitude and departure, but only geometrically." 
 
 This was the last opportunity of studying allowed 
 him by his family. He wished to perfect himself in 
 the science of astronomy, but that taste met with no 
 encouragement. Foiled in his most ardent wishes, he 
 became at length discouraged, and, abandoning Ijig 
 books, fell gradually into the ways of boys of his own 
 age, and devoted to play such hours as were permitted 
 him to abstain from labor, and which formerly he had
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 39 
 
 diligently dedicated to study. "When he was about 
 fifteen years old, his father hired him out one winter 
 to Roswell Mills, for eleven shillings a month. Mills 
 kept a large country store at Simsbury, in Hartford 
 County. The principal article of payment for the 
 goods sold to customers was pork, of which large 
 quantities were received. Here the boy served faith- 
 fully, and acquired the friendship of Mr. Mills, who, 
 afterwards abandoning store-keeping, took up the prac- 
 tice of the law at Windsor. 
 
 At the age of seventeen, John became heartily dis- 
 gusted with the farm labor which had been imposed 
 on him. He was desirous of obtaining some other em- 
 ployment, but was undecided whether he should go to 
 sea, or become an apprentice to learn some trade. On 
 a day, when all the residents of the parish, who were 
 supposed to be able to work, were invited to assist in 
 raising a new and stately meeting-house at Windsor, 
 Fitch, who was affronted by not receiving an invitation 
 to participate, procured a horse and rode over to Rocky 
 Hill, on the Connecticut river, at which place a num- 
 ber of coasting vessels were usually to be found. Here 
 he made an agreement with one Captain Abbott, to go 
 with him upon a voyage to New York. Returning 
 home, he secured all the money which he possessed, 
 about three shillings, and, informing his father of his 
 determination, was presented with twenty shillings and 
 his blessing. His experience on board the craft be- 
 longing to Capt. Abbott was not of a nature to add to 
 any happy anticipations which he might have had of 
 the pleasures of a life upon a vessel. The mate, one 
 Starr, treated him with roughness. He would not per-
 
 40 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 mit him to sleep at night in a berth, although some in 
 the craft were vacant, but compelled him to slumber 
 on a chest much shorter than he was, and without co- 
 vering. The next day he was abused and beaten by 
 this ruffian, and at night again banished to his chest. 
 This treatment was sufficient to admonish him as to 
 what he might expect during the voyage ; and, as the 
 vessel still laid at Rocky Hill, he quitted it on the 
 second day, and engaged himself with one Capt. Ebens, 
 who was bound for Rhode Island. By the latter he 
 was treated with some humanity, and had nothing to 
 complain of. They met with a severe storm in Provi- 
 dence, much to the discomfort of the young voyager, 
 w r ho, during its continuance, had no sanguine hope of 
 safety. Capt. Ebens went to Providence and Newport, 
 and after having been away five weeks, John returned 
 to Rocky Hill, and sought his father's house.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 41 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 APPRENTICESHIP. MANHOOD. MARRIAGE. 
 
 PLEASED with the experience gained by his voyage, 
 the youth was undecided whether to go sea again, or 
 to endeavor to procure a place at which he might learn 
 a trade. Whilst the settlement of this question was 
 yet in abeyance, he was sent to mill with a load of 
 grain. At the cross-roads he met Benjamin Cheany 
 and wife, who told him that they wanted just such a 
 boy as he to learn the clockmaking business. The 
 idea was agreeable to him, and a few days afterward 
 he called upon Cheany in reference to the subject. 
 The result of the conference satisfied him that his ser- 
 vices were wanted to cultivate the farm rather than to 
 assist in the workshop. This Avas not what he desired; 
 but, being anxious not to miss the opportunity, he de- 
 clared that he would have no objection to work upon 
 the farm some little time, if the precise period was 
 specified in the indenture. Cheany proposed that six 
 months in every year should be given to farm labor. 
 This was not what should have been granted; "but," 
 said Fitch, "being too conceited that I could learn a 
 trade in a short time, if I only had the first principles 
 of it, and an expectation that my master would not 
 call me off half that time from my trade, I agreed to 
 his proposal." 
 
 Liberal as this concession was, it was not equal to 
 Cheany's desire, as his apprentice soon discovered. 
 4*
 
 42 LIFE OF JO UN FITCH.' 
 
 The indentures were executed when John Fitch was 
 about eighteen years old, and by their terms he Avas to 
 have instruction in clockmaking during seven months 
 of each year. It was one of the stipulations of the 
 contract, that the boy should find his own clothing. 
 This proposition had caused some difficulty during the 
 family consultation. His father and step-mother ob- 
 jected to such an agreement, and the whole business 
 was in danger of failure. In this dilemma, Timothy 
 King, of Windsor, who had married Sarah Fitch, de- 
 termined to aid his young brother-in-law. He agreed 
 to furnish John with clothing, trusting that he would 
 pay him when able. A new trouble arose in conse- 
 quence of the father of John desiring his services dur- 
 ing three weeks of harvest time. This demand occa- 
 sioned a serious dispute, which nearly broke off the 
 arrangement, and was only quieted by Cheany's yielding 
 to the request. The youth was now installed in his 
 place with this couple, whose dispositions were not very 
 liberal. Cheany had many oddities, and was in per- 
 son deformed from the effect of rickets in his youth, 
 which, among other marks of its power, had left its 
 victim with an immense head, double the usual size. 
 The mistress was weak and penurious, and kept the 
 apprentice in a state of semi-starvation, his appetite 
 seldom being fully satisfied. As an example of the 
 household economy of this prudent couple, Fitch re- 
 cords an anecdote : 
 
 "In my second year my master bought four sheep, 
 and from the flesh of one of them my mistress made some 
 broth in a large iron pot, with beans. It was as good 
 u, pot of broth as perhaps was ever made in the parish."
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 48 
 
 Of this he ate heartily for some days, always twice, 
 and occasionally three times. After persevering with 
 this food for a week, he became somewhat tired of it, 
 and sighed for variety. He now, hoping to get rid of 
 it, complained that it was "too salt." This fault was 
 one which the liberal Mrs. Cheany was willing to cor- 
 rect ; and she accordingly added sufficient water to 
 visibly increase the quantity. Such a favor was not 
 desired by the apprentice ; but he continued at the 
 soup with a stout heart until it was nine days old : "but 
 finding," said he, "that no one eat it but myself, and 
 that it rather increased on my hands, I got almost dis- 
 heartened, and on the tenth day eat but a very little, 
 and on the eleventh day eat none, but a piece of dry 
 bread only. On the twelfth day, after many com- 
 plaints, and expatiating on its loss by its being thrown 
 away, it was finally condemned to the hogwash, which 
 sacrifice I thought but just ; nor did I ever think that 
 the gods were offended at it." 
 
 It was not the desire of Cheany that his apprentice 
 should really learn anything about the business speci- 
 fied in the indentures. He wanted him to labor in the 
 field, and in the course of two years he had succeeded 
 in getting from him more work of that kind than by 
 the agreement was to have been done in three years. 
 Beside that, his business was but small, his labors being 
 principally in repairing wooden clocks. Even of this 
 branch of the trade he contrived to keep John in igno- 
 rance. He paid but little attention to the indentures, 
 and kept the lad "almost the whole of the time at tri- 
 fling, pottering brass work," and the latter was, when 
 he left him, "almost totally ignorant of clock work."
 
 44 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 During the time lie was in his house, young Fitch kept 
 a regular account of the days and half days during 
 which he was called out of the shop into the field. He 
 showed this account to his master at one time when he 
 was desired to leave something which he was doing, to 
 labor on the farm. Cheany was surprised at the state- 
 ment, and was much affronted at it. After John had 
 been with him two years and a half, Benjamin, finding 
 that he would work no more in the field, having ex- 
 hausted that term of service, suggested that his brother 
 Timothy, who followed brass and wooden clock mak- 
 ing and the repairing of watches, would be a much 
 better person than himself to teach the youth all the 
 branches of the trade, which he wished to learn. This 
 suggestion was listened to, and arrangements were 
 made to transfer the young man to the new place. He 
 was now over twenty years of age, and, although he 
 had spent thirty months under the instruction of Ben- 
 jamin Cheany, he did not know how to make either a 
 wooden or brass clock. It was with a hope that he 
 would be enabled to make up for lost time, that he 
 went to his master's brother. It^was agreed that he 
 should stay with him for a year ; and, as he would be 
 of full age before that time, his father gave a bond to 
 Timothy Cheany that John would serve faithfully after 
 he was twenty-one years old. This instrument was 
 executed June 8th, 1763. Fitch was to be taught 
 brass and wooden clock making, and watch making. 
 The wife of Timothy Cheany was a sister of the wife 
 of Benjamin, and was "a pretty, sensible, good kind 
 of a woman." The first disagreeable experience which 
 the new apprentice encountered was in reference to his
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 45 
 
 food. In this family the abstemious person was the 
 master. "He was a very small feeder. He seldom 
 or ever sat down without exclaiming against gluttony. 
 The family always eat as " quick as him, but had 
 victuals to command. When Cheany was through, he 
 started up and returned God thanks for what we had 
 eaten ; or, I believe I may say, because I had eaten 
 no more." In this place the subject of our history 
 learned to eat very fast, so that he was after a while 
 able to "nearly get a bellyful between prayers." 
 
 The hope which had been indulged that he might 
 here at least acquire a knowledge of the branches of 
 trade which he was desirous of learning, was cruelly 
 disappointed. He was kept at brass work from early 
 sunrise to ten o'clock at night, but he was not taught 
 anything relating to clock work or watch work. In 
 reference to the manner in which he was treated, he 
 said, many years after : " I never saw a watch put to- 
 gether during my apprenticeship. When I attempted 
 to stand by to see him put one together, he would order 
 me to my work. I seldom got to see any of his tools 
 for watch work; they were kept locked up in his 
 drawer. He never told me the different parts of a 
 watch, and to this day I am ignorant of many parts by 
 name. He never permitted me to turn a piece of iron 
 or brass in his shop." In eight months' service Fitch 
 had not been taught how to complete a single clock. 
 He had commenced one, but was not allowed to finish it. 
 He worried through these months of injustice until 
 after he was twenty-one years of age, when he had a 
 controversy with Timothy about the treatment which 
 he received. A quarrel ensued. Fitch threatened to
 
 46 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 seek redress by law, but, finally, it was agreed that lie 
 should be released from further service, on payment 
 of 8. He set out to his father's house to find the 
 means to secure the payment of this amount. The 
 feelings of the young man as he trudged homeward 
 may be faintly imagined. He had " learned his trade," 
 according to the belief of the world, but he knew 
 nothing. He was a clockmaker who had never made 
 a clock, a watchmaker who had never taken a watch 
 apart or put one together, and who had never seen the 
 tools necessary for such delicate operations. The por- 
 tion of his life most necessary to enable him to get 
 forward in the world had been utterly wasted. No 
 wonder that his heart was heavy as he thought of this 
 injustice. He said, "I saw the cruelties with which I 
 was treated the wickedness of the man the dilemma 
 which I had brought myself into by running myself in 
 debt three years, to wear out them clothes for mon- 
 sters, and 8 more added to it, and I sat out for home 
 and cried the whole distance, and doubt not but nearly 
 as much water came from my eyes that day as what I 
 drank." 
 
 When he got home he was ashamed to represent the 
 case as it really was, for fear of being sent back. He 
 therefore concealed the extent of his ignorance of his 
 business, and represented himself to have been badly 
 treated. His brother-in-law, Timothy King, and his 
 brother, Augustus, gave their joint note to Cheany, 
 and took up the bond of their father. 
 
 At the age of twenty-one John Fitch now found 
 himself at liberty, having but a limited knowledge of 
 brass working, and without skill as a clockmaker or
 
 LIFE OF JO UN FITCH. 47 
 
 watchmaker. His clothing was scant, he was in debt 
 20, and could not work at journey-work in the trades 
 which he was reputed to have learned, for fear of 
 showing his ignorance. He resolved to set himself up 
 as an artificer in small brass work ; but how was he to 
 to obtain capital ? At that time, one Reuben Burnham 
 was courting his sister Chloe. This young man lent 
 him twenty shillings, and with that small capital and 
 some credit, he commenced business. His father, with 
 more liberality than could have been expected from 
 him, offered him board and lodging for one month 
 without charge ; and thus furnished, the young and in- 
 experienced brass-founder went to work. He succeeded 
 admirably, he thought, and in two years had paid all 
 his debts and was worth 50. 
 
 He had also, in that time, learned something about 
 the construction of brass clocks. Timothy Cheany 
 had stopped at his shop once, whilst on an errand to 
 clean a clock in the neighborhood, and either in a spirit 
 of irony or of unwonted good-nature, offered to permit 
 Fitch to go with him and see how it was done. This 
 proposition was declined, but shortly afterward hearing 
 that Roger "VYolcott, a grandson of Governor Wolcott, 
 had a clock which was out of order, our brass-founder 
 went to him and requested that he might be allowed to 
 take it apart. He candidly confessed that he never 
 had done work of that kind, but declared that he had 
 confidence in his ability to clean and put it together 
 in good order. Mr. Wolcott consented to this proposal, 
 and Fitch, having taken the clock apart, succeeded, 
 after much trouble, in getting it together rightly, and 
 it went very well. After that attempt he undertook
 
 48 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 to clean brass clocks whenever he could get an oppor- 
 tunity. He made some blunders at first, but after a 
 time become tolerably proficient at such work. 
 
 At that time he was induced to enter into partner- 
 ship with two young men having less capital than him- 
 self, in a scheme for manufacturing potash. Fitch 
 supposed that he could manage his brass work himself, 
 and entrust the potash works to them. He soon dis- 
 covered the unpleasant situation in which he was 
 placed. One of his partners could not be relied upon 
 to do the work, -and the other had no money to advance 
 upon his share. Under these circumstances, Fitch was 
 compelled to purchase the interest of both. He was 
 entirely ignorant of the method of manufacturing pot- 
 ash, and to understand it, he neglected his brass busi- 
 ness and went into another potash house at small 
 wages to learn the process. 
 
 The place for the potash works was badly chosen. 
 It was twenty-five miles from the house of his father, 
 and in Hartland township, which was not inhabited by 
 more than thirty or forty families. The ashes supplied 
 by them was not sufficient ; the gatherings in the dis- 
 trict did not exceed one thousand bushels in a year. 
 
 While he was at the potash works he boarded with 
 one Beamen, who had married a daughter of Mr. 
 Roberts, of Simsbury. During his residence there, 
 Lucy Roberts came to visit her sister, and Fitch be- 
 came acquainted with her. She was several years older 
 than he, "and rather inclining to be an old maid." 
 These disqualifications were not much thought of by 
 the subject of our biography, and after a short court- 
 ship of six months, in which he had "but little oppor-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 49 
 
 tunity of learning her character," ho was married to 
 Lucy Roberts on the 29th of December, 1769. He 
 said of her afterwards, "she was deaceant woman 
 enough, and no ways ugly, but delicate in her make." 
 Her father was a man of some repute, and had a con- 
 siderable estate. On the 3d of November, 1768, a 
 son was born to this couple, who was named Shaler 
 Fitch. 
 
 The potash works had been carried on in the mean- 
 while to little profit, and after it had ceased to be 
 worth attending to, Fitch resolved to build a shop for 
 brass work, which, as his views were rather magnificent, 
 was three times more extensive, and expensive, than it 
 should have been. He became embarrassed in conse- 
 quence, but managed to disentangle himself after some 
 effort. Meanwhile his family affairs were most un- 
 happy. His wife was high-tempered, and although he 
 avers that he never gave her an angry word, he was 
 continually subject to her displeasure. He became 
 convinced that he could not live happily with her, and 
 resolved to leave her. This was not the hasty passion 
 of an hour, but the cool determination of six months 
 of endurance, during which period he repeatedly told 
 his wife, that unless she restrained her temper he would 
 separate from her ; which intimations she treated with 
 ridicule and scorn. He brought his business to a 
 narrow compass, and left his affairs in a good condition 
 for settlement. Not desiring to increase his family, he 
 was compelled to depart sooner than he had intended, 
 leaving some of his business unfinished. In reality, 
 his wife was enciente with a daughter, afterwards born, 
 who was named Lucy. He averred that he did not 
 5
 
 50 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 suspect this fact, and assured his friend, Mr. Irwin, in 
 after years, that if he " had known it" he would never 
 have left her, but would have worried through life " as 
 well as he could." 
 
 On the 18th of January, 1769, the unhappy husband 
 left the residence of his wife forever, having no fixed 
 place to which he intended to proceed, going away with 
 a small supply of clothing, and with less than eight 
 dollars in his pocket. Twenty years afterward, on re- 
 lating this fact to Mr. Irwin, he said : 
 
 This day, sir, was the most dismal of any I ever saw ; to set 
 off from home and leave my friends and relations, neighbors and 
 acquaintances, and a child which I valued as much as my own 
 life, and to go almost bare of money I knew not where, nor what 
 distresses might come upon me when friendless and among 
 strangers ; and although I had almost every day seriously told 
 my wife that I would do what I did, for six months before, she 
 never would believe me, nor affect to believe me, till about an 
 hour before I sat out, when she appeared affected and distressed, 
 and in the most humble manner implored my stay, and followed 
 me about half a mile, where I stopped. This added double 
 grief, and I really felt an inclination to try her once more; but 
 my judgment informed me that it was my duty to go, notwith- 
 standing the struggles of nature I had to contend with.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 51 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE SILVERSMITH THE GUNSMITH. 
 
 AFTER parting with his wife, Fitch plodded onward 
 despondingly. During that afternoon he walked eight 
 miles. The next morning he went on toward Albany. 
 "When he arrived at Pittsfield (now a township of Ot- 
 sego County, New York,) he resolved to stay there for 
 a time. He worked for three months, merely main- 
 taining himself, and gaining nothing beyond his sub- 
 sistence. He then went on to Albany, where, seeing 
 no chances of obtaining work, he resolved to go to 
 New York, and, if possible, procure passage to Ja- 
 maica, where his uncle Timothy Shaler, a man of con- 
 siderable fortune, was settled at Savannah la Mar. 
 His route was by land, and he cleaned clocks at the 
 farm-houses which he passed on his way, and by that 
 means reached New York better off than when he left 
 Albany. He was disappointed in obtaining a passage 
 from that port to Jamaica, and he determined to go on 
 through New Jersey. 
 
 Elizabethtown Point was the place to which he had 
 first determined to go. He walked along under great 
 depression, and about two miles before he reached his 
 proposed destination, stopped at a house where he ob- 
 tained lodging and went to bed in keen distress. He 
 thought of his child, his parents, and relations, and 
 what might ensue if sickness should overtake him. 
 After a restless night, he arose, and once more sought
 
 52 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 the road, undetermined what he should do. He was 
 inclined to return to New England, but the people of 
 the tavern where he had lodged had been informed 
 whence he came, and whither he was going. He was 
 ashamed to retrace his steps, while they were wonder- 
 ing at his seeming irresolution. He thought he would 
 get out of the sight of the house, and return by a cir- 
 cuitous course, avoiding the tavern and gaining the 
 road beyond. His mind was not resolved upon any- 
 thing, and he walked on until he reached the village 
 of Woodbridge, now a part of Rahway. He had car- 
 ried a heavy bundle of clothes, and was fatigued. He 
 stopped before the house of one Benjamin Alford, and 
 determined to seek refreshment there. Passing through 
 the gate and a little garden, he heard a noise within 
 the dwelling. He had a mind to withdraw, but going 
 up to the door, which was in two parts, according to 
 the fashion of the time, he knocked against the lower 
 half, and looked into the room through a space left by 
 the upper half, which was open. He saw an old man 
 sitting in the chimney corner, with his head against 
 the back, smoking a pipe. There was an old woman 
 and a young one in the room. The former was in high 
 wrath, and scolding the old man with loud invective. 
 This employment did not cease upon the appearance 
 of the stranger. No notice was taken of him, and 
 with a confidence which he soon regretted, he ventured 
 to walk in. His adventure there, and the reception 
 he met with, were afterwards related in a letter to his 
 friend, Roswell Mills, in the following atrocious dog- 
 gerel lines, which the reader will only pardon because 
 they were the composition of the man, and the very
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 53 
 
 best evidence that could be adduced that he was not 
 born a poet : 
 
 SIR Now I will a story tell, which does upon me centure: 
 Near Woodbridge Town there I did meet a true but strange ad- 
 venture. 
 
 It was a hot, long, melting day, and I grew almost weary ; 
 To a small house I did repair, thinking a wh'ile to tarry. 
 I knocked and entered in the door, without cither's permission, 
 And when one moment's space I found, I spoke without com- 
 mission. 
 
 Said I, " Good woman, tell me why that you live so uneasy 
 Come try some other plan to live, and see if it wont please ye?" 
 " No, faith," said she "no other plan shall ere come in my notion ; 
 For since he has a villen grown, this shall be his Portion." 
 " Well, then," said I, " now for your peace, let both consent for 
 
 parting, 
 
 That the remainder of your days be not so full of smarting." 
 They both consented to the thing, but she was for full hire 
 One-half of all she did demand, before she would retire. 
 Then my judgment soon was made (it was without permission), 
 That the whole I'd rather give, than live in that condition. 
 Then quick her eyes like lightning streams begsin to be a flying: 
 I was apprized of the same methought I was a dying. 
 Then quick a Brand out of the Fire toward me was coming, 
 And with my Pack I made a shield, and hindered it from hum- 
 ming. 
 
 Then soon I made toward the door sure I waa not for staying, 
 And when I made into the street, she followed me close after 
 Had any one but seen the sight, I'm sure 'twould made a 
 
 laughter. 
 
 The Brand soon coming 'bout my ears, and I for it was dodging, 
 Which made me fly to quit the place, and seek for better lodging. 
 If you think my courage was not good, permit me, sir, the favour 
 To tell you true and honestly, I'd rather run and leave her. 
 If you will sond a hero brave that will make her for yealding, 
 One Guiney I will freely give, and pay the cost of healing. 
 But the last which I have said, I think is something jocking. 
 For woman kind can't be subdued, without a little choaking. 
 5*
 
 54 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 This adventure was a most unfortunate one in its 
 effect upon his mind. Subdued by his situation and 
 his lonely condition into a state of feeling in which his 
 heart yearned for his home, the fierceness of the virago 
 whom he encountered reminded him of the contentions 
 which had driven him forth from his family. He was 
 now resolved not to return to New England, and he 
 offered himself as a laborer on a plantation ; " but 
 being slender made, and having the appearance of one 
 considerably advanced in the consumption," he could 
 find no employment. At Brunswick he endeavored 
 to enlist in the king's service as a soldier, but he was 
 refused for the same reasons which had caused his re- 
 jection by the farmers. He left New Brunswick for 
 "Greggstown on the Millstone" (probably the present 
 village of Millstone), where he got a clock to clean. 
 The next day he went to Princeton, where lie cleaned 
 two clocks. 
 
 About the middle of May, 1769, he reached Trenton. 
 Here he obtained the sympathy of one Matthew Clunn, 
 a tinman, who was "a friend to strangers." Clunn 
 was a generous-hearted man, and, wishing to give the 
 traveller some encouragement, enployed him to make 
 a quantity of brass buttons. Such, work was out of 
 the usual line of business of Fitch ; but he undertook 
 it, and, although under many disadvantages for want 
 of proper tools, he had the job completed in a short 
 time. He did other work, and now essayed to make a 
 set of watchmaking tools. Clunn had an old watch, 
 which he ventured to trust to Fitch, who took it apart 
 and put it together again. This was the first time that 
 the latter had ever touched a watch, although in Timo-
 
 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 55 
 
 thy Cheany's shop such work had been performed daily. 
 The result gave him confidence, and he added the re- 
 pairing of watches to the accomplishments which he 
 claimed to possess. 
 
 Next door to Clunn lived one James Wilson, who, 
 with few qualifications, was ambitious to have the cha- 
 racter of a man who carried on a profitable business. 
 He was a silversmith by trade, and the son of a rich 
 man, who once owned the Amboy ferry. Being an 
 only child, young "Wilson had been too much indulged, 
 lie was at the proper age apprenticed to a silversmith 
 at New York, to whom a large fee was given for his 
 instruction. Wilson's board was paid by his father's 
 estate ; and, being a gentleman apprentice, the young 
 man only worked when he chose, and his master paid 
 little attention to him. He was now in Trenton, a 
 silversmith in name, possessing a fine set of tools, but 
 having only a small degree of practical skill. Clunn 
 prevailed upon Wilson to engage Fitch, and the latter 
 being very ingenious and observant, soon managed to pick 
 up the trade. Wilson was deficient in the steady quali- 
 ties which his journeyman possessed, and being addicted 
 to dissipation, soon fell into trouble. The business was 
 light, and with great economy Fitch restricted his 
 expenses to three pence a day, which was within his 
 income, and he subsisted mostly upon fruit. Business 
 became so dull that he determined to travel in search 
 of customers. With eight or ten shillings in his pocket, 
 and with clothing much the worse for wear, he set out 
 on the 4th of September, 1769, as an itinerant pedlar. 
 His stock in trade was fifty or sixty pair of brass 
 sleeve-buttons, and with that small store he went into
 
 56 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 the townships of Springfield and Mansfield, Burlington 
 County, hoping to eke out the profits of his adventure 
 by cleaning clocks for the farmers, and without having 
 any settled design of returning to Trenton. His suc- 
 cess was gratifying. He sold all his buttons for lOd 
 per pair, and cleaned twelve clocks while upon his cir- 
 cuit. After a tour of two weeks he returned to Tren- 
 ton, and determined to try another trip as soon as he 
 could prepare for it. He bought an old brass kettle 
 and worked it up into sleeve-buttons, with a supply of 
 which he went some days afterward into Monmouth, 
 where he did nearly as well as upon his first journey. 
 He now hired a room, of William Smith at Trenton, 
 and went into the manufacture of brass and silver but- 
 tons, and in two weeks was off again to the Raritan, 
 where he succeeded admirably. Meanwhile, Wilson 
 had got into difficulties with one Daniel Pegg of Am- 
 well, who had given him a watch to repair which was 
 never returned. Wilson was arrested, and by way of 
 compromise it was agreed that he should hire his tools 
 to Fitch at a small rate, to be paid to Pegg, until the 
 claim was satisfied. Other creditors were importunate, 
 and in a short time afterward Fitch was induced to 
 purchase the tools for 40, of which sum he paid <30 
 in cash. He then congratulated himself that he had 
 the finest set of tools in America. He was destitute 
 of money to carry on trade, but went on in a small 
 way, gradually increasing his stock and acquiring 
 credit. lie was soon enabled to borrow on occasion, 
 and, being very particular in his payments, was ena- 
 bled to command the confidence of those capitalists 
 to be found in all communities, who are always
 
 LIFE OF JO UN FITCH. 57 
 
 willing to lend money at round rates of interest. He 
 employed Wilson as a journeyman, and afterwards 
 others, and became a famous silversmith, having a 
 greater run of business than any silversmith in Phila- 
 delphia, as his journeymen told him. He still con- 
 tinued his trips with his buttons throughout the sur- 
 rounding country, often carrying a budget worth .200. 
 By these means he waxed rich, and when the Revolu- 
 tionary war broke out he estimated himself to be worth 
 800. 
 
 As the political disputes between the Colonies and 
 Great Britain arose into importance, Fitch became a 
 strong partisan upon the American side. At an early 
 stage of the contest, he petitioned for the command of 
 a company in the Jersey line, and was assured of ob- 
 taining a commission. The members of the Conven- 
 tion of the Province, when the raising of troops was 
 first proposed, were of opinion that every soldier should 
 be compelled to furnish himself with arms, ammunition, 
 and clothing a plan which would have been griev- 
 ously burdensome upon the privates, most of whom 
 were poor men. As they were not on an equality in 
 point of means, it was obvious that there would have 
 been such hardship by enforcing the order that the 
 condition of the troops would have been demoralized 
 at the beginning, and their effectual force would have 
 been greatly weakened by the discontents which would 
 have arisen, as well by the want of uniformity in equip- 
 ment consequent upon diversity in pecuniary ability. 
 Fitch was one of those who protested against the en- 
 forcement of that resolution, and the opposition evoked 
 against it was successful in causing a reconsideration
 
 58 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 
 
 and recision of the regulation. When the first com- 
 pany was raised at Trenton, John Fitch was chosen 
 1st lieutenant, and Wm. Tucker 2d lieutenant. The 
 latter was an old resident, whilst his superior officer 
 was but a stranger. Lieut. Fitch was of opinion that 
 his comrade ought to have the principal position, and 
 he made a proposition that they should change places. 
 This arrangement was agreeable to Lieut. Tucker and 
 the company, and accordingly Lieut. Fitch was com- 
 missioned as second lieutenant. 
 
 Hardly had this arrangement been made before the 
 Committee of Safety of the Province of New Jersey 
 solicited Lieut. Fitch to undertake the duties of gun- 
 smith for them ; and in order to encourage artificers 
 necessary for the efficiency of the troops, they passed a 
 resolution that the gunsmiths should not be liable to be 
 called upon to do military duty. Although this regula- 
 tion exonerated Lieut. Fitch from service, he did not de- 
 sire to avail himself of it, but attended company train- 
 ings as usual. He had begun the business of armorer 
 according to the request of the Committee of Safety, 
 and had several workmen employed. In the summer of 
 1776, a large number of the militia were ordered to go 
 to Amboy, and Fitch was called upon for arms to fit 
 them out. Not having sufficient, he went through the 
 townships and obtained all the arms that were to be 
 had with the consent of the owners. In this business 
 he became involved in a dispute about a gun with 
 Alexander Chambers, who had been Barrack-master 
 of the King's barracks, and was then a commissary to 
 furnish the provincial troops The quarrel was further 
 embittered by a demand made on Chambers by Fitch
 
 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 59 
 
 for blankets for the use of some poor soldiers, and 
 which articles were, by the interposition of superior 
 authority, obtained from the unwilling commissary. 
 The result of these difficulties was, that from a friend 
 Chambers became a bitter enemy of Fitch, and subse- 
 quently exerted his whole influence against him wher- 
 ever it was possible to do so. At this time Lieut. Fitch 
 took the temporary command of his company, land 
 marched with it to Maidenhead, the place of rendez- 
 vous. There a new trouble arose about the rank of the 
 officers. The first lieutenancy was now vacant, in con- 
 sequence of the promotion of Lieut. Tucker to a cap- 
 taincy. Lieut. Fitch was fairly entitled to the posi- 
 tion, but enemies attempted to deprive him of it. 
 Under the influence of Alex. Chambers, jr., one John 
 Yard, of the light infantry, was brought forward as 
 the candidate for the first lieutenancy, to the exclusion 
 of Fitch. There could have been no difficulty as to 
 the right of the latter, who had the post by election 
 originally, and now by seniority. Gen. Dickinson 
 hesitated what to do, and finally, in a seemingly 
 friendly way, advised him to leave the question to the 
 vote of the company. lie consented, and was beaten 
 by Yard, who received a majority of two votes. The 
 resentment and mortification of Fitch were very great 
 at this result. He took his gun and knapsack, and 
 marched back to Trenton alone. His presence was 
 very much wanted there, and he was of infinitely more 
 service to the State in the gun-factory than he could 
 have been in the field. Troops were coming in daily 
 from all quarters, and there was plenty of work to do 
 in the repairing and fitting of arms of all kinds. To
 
 60 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 keep up with the demand for his lahor, Fitch and his 
 workmen were in the shop from early dawn until late 
 night. He worked without intermission, on Sundays 
 as well as week days, which course got him the enmity 
 of the Methodist sect, with which he was then con- 
 nected, and they expelled him from their society. 
 
 In the autumn of the year 1776, three companies were 
 called for, out of the battalion to which he belonged. 
 Col. Smith, the commanding officer, appointed Fitch to 
 the captaincy of the third company. No sooner was this 
 known to Green, Smith, and Chambers, than they set 
 up a candidate for the commission, and endeavored to 
 persuade the colonel to degrade Fitch. The new aspirant 
 thus brought out was one Ralph Jones, a younger officer 
 than Lieut. Fitch. In consequence of this, a dispute arose 
 which occupied two hours, and was only stopped by Col. 
 Smith declaring that he would recall the appointment 
 and defer the nomination to the voice of the officers 
 present. Here again Fitch unwisely submitted, if the 
 power of legal resistance was in him. Ralph Jones 
 was appointed, and Fitch, a second time disgraced and 
 unjustly used, determined to have nothing more to do 
 with the campaign. In due time his commission was 
 vacated, -and a new lieutenant elected in his stead. 
 Meanwhile the factory had been carried on with fidelity, 
 and it was continued until the approach of the enemy 
 rendered further labor dangerous. In the latter part 
 of November, 1776, the British were approaching Tren- 
 ton, occupying successively, as they progressed, the 
 principal points between the Hackensack and the Dela- 
 ware. On the 8th of December, Washington crossed 
 the Delaware, and took post on the right bank between
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 61 
 
 Coryell's Ferry and Bristol. At this time all active 
 Whigs evacuated New Jersey. Fitch fled with them, 
 and took refuge with John Mitchell, at the Four Lanes 
 End, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Whilst there, 
 his battalion was at Yerley's Ferry. He was uncer- 
 tain what to do, and was vexed by the conflicting coun- 
 sels tendered him. At one time he prepared a petition 
 to Gen. -Dickinson, that he might be brought to trial 
 by a court-martial, but was persuaded not to present 
 it. At another time he draughted a memorial asking 
 to be reinstated, but withheld it from like influence. 
 Meanwhile his character suffered, and although his 
 services as armorer exonerated him entirely from mili- 
 tary duty, some of his enemies did not scruple to call 
 him a deserter. He expected a weary, disagreeable 
 round of disputes if he went to camp, and whilst in a 
 state of irresolution as to his course of action, time 
 went on, and exciting incidents changed the position 
 and the relations of his countrymen who were in arms. 
 Meanwhile, he had obeyed the orders upon the inhabit- 
 ants of Bucks to muster in the militia, and had been 
 at training in a company commanded by Capt. Hart. 
 
 Whilst he remained in Bucks County he devoted 
 himself to study, according to the, opportunities which 
 he could obtain, at a time when books were scarce. 
 
 Mr. William J. Buck says of him in the "History 
 of Bucks County," Part II. Chapter xxvi., published 
 in 1854-5, in the Bucks County Intelligencer: 
 
 . . . . During his residence here (Warminster), as I learn 
 from the minutes of the Hatborough Library, he became one 
 of its members in November, 1778, having purchased the share 
 of James Ogleby. It further appears that, at the annual meet-
 
 62 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 ing of Xovember 6th, 1779, " The Company taking into consi- 
 deration the depreciation of the currency, conclude that the fines 
 on delinquent members are too small ; they therefore choose 
 Samuel Irvvin, Daniel Longstreth, and John Fitch a committee 
 to regulate and fix the fines according to the currency." There 
 is no report from this committee in their records. We next 
 learn that, at a meeting of the directors on the 6th of May, 1780, 
 "John Folwell, making it appear that he had purchased the 
 share of John Fitch, is admitted a member." These records also 
 contain his autograph, which is written in a neat hand. He 
 was a member of the library company about a year and a half. 
 As I had a desire to know what books he had out, on examina- 
 tion, found the following entry : 
 
 "John Fitch. 17th of llmo. Du Pretz His. Lousiana ; returned 
 
 ye 22nd of llmo., 1779. 
 22nd of llmo. Life of Charles XII. King of 
 
 Sweden ; returned 4th of 12mo. 
 4th of 12mo. History of Late War." 
 
 By his love of history we see the practical turn of his mind. 
 Soon after, in 1780, he went to Kentucky as a surveyor. . . . 
 His prevailing temperament seems to have been of a melancholy 
 cast ; nor need we be surprised at this, for his whole life appears 
 to have been a continual series of misfortunes. . . .
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 63 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE SUTTLEK THE SURVEYOR. 
 
 
 
 FROM Mitchell's, Fitch removed to Charles Garrison's 
 place, in Warminster township, where he began busi- 
 ness in a small way, and prosecuted it until the ad- 
 vance of the British by the head of Elk to Philadel- 
 phia and the region above drove him away from what 
 was to become "a bloody ground," lying between the 
 outposts of both armies, and liable to the predatory 
 incursions of each. When he fled from Trenton, he 
 had been successful in bringing away in one small 
 wagon-load some of his tools and most valuable effects. 
 After the battles of Trenton and Princeton, he visited 
 his old home, and found things in a sad condition. 
 Many of his tools had been broken, his household fur- 
 niture had been destroyed, his chairs had been cut 
 down to stools, and his desk split up for fuel. Re- 
 claiming what he could, he returned to Bucks County, 
 and set up silversmithing in a portion of a wheelwright 
 shop belonging to James Scout, usually called "Cobe 
 (Jacobus) Scout." The approach of the enemy from 
 below rendered it necessary for him to fly once more. 
 He buried his silver and gold by night in a retired and 
 safe situation, as he supposed, upon Garrison's place, 
 and sought the head-quarters of the American army, 
 where he made himself acquainted with the wants of 
 the troops. There was a scarcity of tobacco, and of 
 some kinds of dry goods. He went to Baltimore,
 
 64 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 where he purchased enough articles to fill two wagons, 
 which, by slow and toilsome journeys, were driven to 
 the camp at Valley Forge. When he arrived there, 
 he found that large supplies of tobacco had been re- 
 ceived, and that which he had brought did not meet 
 with ready sale. He had to keep it on hand a long 
 time, and to manufacture some of it into merchantable 
 shape. He now turned his attention to supplying the 
 suttlers of the army with beer. He engaged all which 
 was prepared at one brewery in Bucks County, and 
 had two wagons and teams in constant communication 
 with the camp. In this adventure he cleared <5 per 
 barrel. Business slacking, he engaged beer at York 
 and Lancaster, and sent one team to Valley Forge 
 each week. Good sales were met with there, and what- 
 ever was not disposed of was taken to Trenton, where 
 customers were readily found. On these trips he real- 
 ized from 50 to ,150 Continental currency per week. 
 He put a considerable sum of his earnings into pur- 
 chases of goods, but kept a large amount of notes on 
 hand, and was distressed at the continual depreciation 
 of the Continental money. It was now, before the 
 camp had quitted Valley Forge, valued at forty dollars 
 of paper money for one in specie, and he had forty 
 thousand dollars of that currency on hand. 
 
 When the British evacuated Philadelphia, June 18th, 
 1778, this trade was broken up, and Fitch turned his 
 attention to his old business. Repairing to Bucks 
 County, he sought his buried treasure on the estate of 
 Chas. Garrison, but to his dismay and grief the pre- 
 cious deposit was missing. He had imprudently buried 
 it at night by the light of a lantern, and his move-
 
 LIFEOFJOHNFITCH. 65 
 
 ments had been observed. The treasure had been dis- 
 covered and dug up. It was some time before any clue 
 to the mystery could be found, but at length it was 
 established that one of Garrison's negroes had pos- 
 sessed himself of the treasure trove. This fellow had 
 been induced to give the whole, or nearly all of the 
 money to a young white man who lived in the neigh- 
 borhood, and who was of a wealthy and respectable 
 family. Fitch boldly determined to bring him to jus- 
 tice, and he had him arrested. 1 The father of the re- 
 ceiver of the money became his s'urety, after which the 
 son absconded. Eventually the father settled with 
 Fitch, giving him Continental money at rates more 
 favorable than the current value, although there was 
 considerable loss upon the transaction. 
 
 His tools were again put in requisition, and he en- 
 deavored to carry on his old brass and silver smith 
 business in Bucks County, where he could live cheaper 
 than in New Jersey. He persevered in this effort for 
 more than a year with but poor success, and what was 
 worse, was compelled to see his wealth depreciate 
 daily, so that his forty thousand dollars, which was 
 worth one thousand dollars specie when the army left 
 Valley Forge, was now of no greater value than one 
 hundred dollars. In this extremity he bethought him 
 what it was best to do, and he concluded that the only 
 way for him to save his money from becoming utterly 
 worthless, was to invest it in land-warrants in Virginia, 
 
 1 In order to procure the warrant, he walked to Spring Mill 
 and back to Warminster, before sunset, forty miles. 1 Wat- 
 son's Annals of Philadelphia, page 586. 
 
 6*
 
 66 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 and to go out to that unknown region Kentucky, and 
 locate his claims upon the most valuable lands. 
 
 In the spring of 1780, he left Bucks County, and 
 repairing to Philadelphia, obtained letters of recom- 
 mendation from Dr. John Ewing, provost of the Uni- 
 versity of Pennsylvania, addressed to Dr. James Madi- 
 son, afterwards Bishop of Virginia, who was at that 
 time President of William and Mary College at Rich- 
 mond. In that epistle Dr. Ewing declared that John 
 Fitch was a worthy man, and had the proper qualifica- 
 tions to become a deputy-surveyor. Mr. William C. 
 Houston, afterwards a member of Congress, and some 
 others, joined in these encomiums, and their influence 
 was sufficient to procure for Fitch the coveted com- 
 mission. The journey to Richmond was made upon 
 foot, and it must have been attended with a variety of 
 incidents, but of the particulars we have no record. 
 The country was desolated by war, and wherever our 
 adventurer went there were traces of its influence in 
 wasted fields and dilapidation. From Richmond he 
 travelled, in company with William Tucker, whom he 
 had engaged to assist him in his surveys, westward 
 through what was almost a wilderness, and, after many 
 fatigues, found himself at Wheeling island on the Ohio 
 river, in the spring of the year 1780. Here eleven 
 boats were moored, and they were preparing to descend 
 the stream. A consultation was held among the voy- 
 agers as to the best means of securing their mutual 
 safety. The banks of the river were uninhabited, and 
 Indians, whose friendship was not to be depended upon, 
 were supposed to be lying in wait at favorable points, 
 to attack and rob such boats as were not strongly
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 67 
 
 manned, and able to repel the aggression. Fitch pro- 
 posed that all the boats should be lashed together, 
 urging as a reason that if they were separate they 
 would become spread out over a considerable distance, 
 and could not give assistance as easily to any one or 
 more which should be selected out by the foe. This 
 proposition led to considerable debate. The Rev. 
 Mr. Barned. a Baptist clergyman, coincided in this 
 opinion, and advocated it strongly. But contrary re- 
 solutions prevailed. Foremost among the opponents 
 was one Tombleston, who owned two boats which 
 seemed to be well manned, who was selfish enough to 
 suppose that their speed would be sufficient to enable 
 them to escape, even if his companions should suffer. 
 Finally, it was decided not to adopt Fitch's plan, and 
 the proposer was even accused of cowardice because 
 he had ventured to suggest it. These taunts did not 
 deter him from what he thought was proper, and al- 
 though he was but a passenger on the boat in which he 
 was to descend the river, he directed Tucker to cut a 
 number of grape vines and bring them on board. 
 This excited the displeasure of one Stone, who directed 
 that they should be thrown overboard; but Fitch re- 
 presented that they would be useful in fastening the 
 boat to some object on shore at places where they de- 
 sired to stop, and they were reluctantly permitted to 
 remain. 
 
 It was a bright morning when the voyagers left 
 Wheeling, and the sun shone serenely upon the thick 
 vegetation on the banks of the river, which were gay 
 with the garniture of spring. They floated along amid 
 scenes of wild beauty, drinking delight from the ever
 
 68 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 varying natural panorama which opened upon them at 
 each bend of the river, revealing to the eye the ma- 
 jestic terraces of hills which stretched away on either 
 side into the blue distance. It was not long before the 
 little fleet became scattered along the stream, extend- 
 ing over two miles. About eleven o'clock, the boat on 
 which was the Rev. Mr. Earned came near that in 
 which Fitch was, and the latter invited his friend to 
 come on board and "get a drink of grog." The pro- 
 posal was accepted, and as the craft drew near they 
 were lashed together, and the crews of both partici- 
 pated in "drinks all around." The connection was 
 found to be no detriment to their speed, and they did 
 not sever it. Shortly afterward two other boats were 
 thus united, and after that two more, and finally both 
 of those couples were fastened together. Towards eve- 
 ning the boats of Fitch and Earned joined them, and 
 the six, now having a common interest, prepared for 
 the night. There were eighteen men in them, and they 
 divided themselves into six classes of three each. Two 
 persons pulled the bow-oars, and one steered all the 
 boats. The watches were strictly kept and relieved, 
 and in the morning all congratulated themselves on a 
 plan which permitted so much rest. If each boat had 
 floated along singly, the services of three men would 
 have been required in each, and the crew would have 
 been much more fatigued. 
 
 When daylight enlivened the scene, the boats of 
 Tombleston were discovered ahead, and as that indi- 
 vidual acted in perfect independence of his companions, 
 he stopped at the mouth of the Big Sandy River, and 
 his party went on shore. The others were under no
 
 LIFE OF JOHN. FITCH. 69 
 
 obligation to wait upon the movements of Tombleston, 
 and they proceeded onward, and nothing more was 
 seen of him during that day. After they left him, a 
 fine canoe was discovered tied to a sapling growing 
 upon the bank. The sight of this prize incited some 
 of the persons in the boats to go to the shore and se- 
 cure it. This was done safely, although the act was 
 very imprudent, as there could be but little doubt that 
 Indians were in the immediate vicinity. 
 
 The next morning, when the sun was about an hour 
 high, smoke was discovered ascending from the banks 
 of the river several miles ahead of them. This cir- 
 cumstance ought to have warned them of the necessity 
 of using great circumspection, but it did not. When 
 they got near the place from which the smoke had as- 
 cended, four fine canoes were seen moored near the 
 shore. The avarice of some of the boatmen was 
 aroused at the sight, and they made preparations to 
 seize the booty in the same manner as on the previous 
 day. Fitch, who was in the cabin, came out upon deck, 
 and remonstrated against this rashness. Tucker was in 
 one of the canoes, and he commanded him to come out. 
 Scarcely had this order been reluctantly complied with 
 when a party of Indians were discovered running down 
 the bank. On perceiving this, Fitch went below, 
 brought up a supply of cartridges and a loaded gun, 
 and laid it down on the deck along-side of him. He 
 then seized the steering-oar, and not only endeavored 
 to get the boats away from the bank, but to protect 
 them from the guns of the Indians. The sides of the 
 boat nearest the shore were low, and the men in it 
 were very much exposed. In order to shield these
 
 70 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 people, endeavor was made to turn all the boats round, 
 and set the bows up the stream. In executing this 
 movement their sterns were brought fair in toward the 
 Indians, two of whom fired at Fitch, whose life was 
 preserved by a cask of flaxseed in which the balls 
 lodged. This danger brought him down on his knees, 
 and not being able in that position to manage the oar, 
 he called for help. With some difficulty, Stone was 
 induced to assist. Their bodies were protected, but 
 their hands were exposed, and the Indians fired at 
 them. Stone was wounded in the wrist, and it was 
 with much difficulty that he could be persuaded to con- 
 tinue his help ; but finally the low-sided boat was got 
 out of the range of the fire-arms of the Indians, so that 
 the crew could bestir themselves. The places where 
 the bow-oars were fixed were barricaded with bedding, 
 and the oars being double manned, the boats were soon 
 got out into the middle of the stream, and toward the 
 other bank. Upon perceiving this, about thirty In- 
 dians crowded into the canoes, and crossing the river 
 behind the voyagers, began to annoy them from the 
 shore then nearest them. To defeat this manoeuvre, 
 the bows of the boats were now steered down the 
 stream, towards the bank from which the danger first 
 arose. Upon perceiving the movement, the Indians 
 divided their forces. Two canoes loaded with warriors 
 were paddled across the river again, and the voyagers 
 were subjected to shots from both shores. The battle 
 was now spirited. The Indians had the advantage of 
 the cover afforded by trees and bushes, and the people 
 in the boats had to lie close, and fire at the enemy with 
 great caution, so as not to expose themselves too much.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 71 
 
 For two hours this contest continued, when Fitch and 
 his companions were relieved from the annoyance by 
 the intervention of a new object of prey for the atten- 
 tion of the red men. This was caused by the appear- 
 ance of Tombleston and his boats. He had followed 
 after the others, and there was now an opportunity for 
 him to understand how foolish he had been in his own 
 conceit, and how he suffered by rejecting prudent coun- 
 sel. A small party of the foe held Fitch and his com- 
 panions in check, whilst the main body of the savages 
 made a descent upon the self-reliant braggart. One 
 of his boats, which was loaded with lumber and valu- 
 able property, was captured. Three of his crew were 
 wounded, but escaped in the second boat, which by 
 strenuous rowing, and amid much peril, was brought 
 up to the others about dusk. Tombleston was now 
 perfectly willing to fasten his craft to them, and they 
 parted no more during the voyage. With the going 
 down of the sun this fight ended. None of the crews 
 were killed. Stone, the three men of Tombleston, 
 and a negro, were wounded. One cow was shot dead, 
 two or three were wounded, and fourteen horses were 
 injured in various ways. Whether the Indians suffered 
 any is not known ; but it may be doubted whether they 
 sustained any serious loss. 
 
 In due time the adventurer arrived in Kentucky, 
 where he proceeded to make surveys, and to locate his 
 land-warrants. In this business the Rev. Mr. Earned 
 assisted. He was a good woodsman, and an intelligent 
 man. He was very poor, and Fitch made a proposi- 
 tion of partnership to him. In addition to his own 
 land-warrants, he had brought with him from Virginia
 
 72 LIFE OF JOHH FITCH. 
 
 Borne which belonged to other persons, upon agreement 
 that for his trouble and skill in locating them upon 
 good tracts, he was to have one-half of the ground. 
 He now proposed that Earned should explore the coun- 
 try and note the best locations, whilst he would sur- 
 vey the tracts which were chosen. The gratitude of 
 Mr. Earned at this offer was very great, and he em- 
 braced it with alacrity, being promised an equal share 
 in the profit of the undertaking. The two accordingly 
 set about the employment Earned explored and Fitch 
 surveyed. They were engaged in this task during the 
 whole of 1780. In the spring of 1781, Fitch returned 
 to Virginia, where he had his surveys recorded, leaving 
 Earned in Kentucky, whom he expected to meet again 
 in the ensuing spring. Fitch never saw him again, 
 but in 1790 he heard that he had done exceedingly 
 well, and was worth fifty thousand pounds. The lands 
 thus acquired by John Fitch amounted to sixteen hun- 
 dred acres. Owing doubtless to the number of such 
 claims, the warrants and returns of survey were filed, 
 but patents were not prepared for many months after 
 ward, by the officers at Richmond. They bear the 
 following dates : For three hundred acres in Jeffer- 
 son County, on Coxe's creek, June 1, 1782 ; for three 
 hundred acres on the south-west branch of Simpson's 
 creek, Sept. 1, 1782 ; for one thousand acres on Coxe's 
 creek, Sept. 1, 1782. In a power of attorney to Jo- 
 nathan Longstreth, given in 1788, Fitch describes 
 these lands as located in Jefferson, Nelson, Lincoln, 
 and Fayette Counties.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 73 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE INDIAN'S CAPTIVE. 
 
 IN the summer of 1781, Fitch returned to Bucks 
 County, where he applied himself to settling up his 
 business and collecting all the money he could, as he 
 believed that by proper purchases of land in Kentucky 
 it was possible for him to lay the foundation of an im- 
 mense fortune. He was not as successful as he desired 
 to be, but he obtained about 150 specie, having still 
 some interests which would require his return. 1 In 
 thinking over what would be the best method of in- 
 vestment, he determined to go to Fort Pitt, buy flour, 
 and go down the Ohio and Mississippi to New Orleans, 
 intending to return thence to Philadelphia. He 
 expected to be able to finish the trip before the end of 
 the surveying season. Meanwhile Earned was engaged 
 
 1 Whilst here, his heart seems to have yearned towards his 
 family, and he addressed a letter to his son, who was then thir- 
 teen years old, of which the following is an extract : 
 
 " WARMINSTER, BUCKS Co., June 16, 1781. 
 "My DARLING BOY. Believe me, when I took you in my 
 arms and kissed you for the last time, and took my last farewell, 
 you may be assured that I felt every emotion that it is possible 
 for a tender father to feel. How my heart dissolved into tears, 
 and how my sinews wanted strength, I can better feel than ex- 
 press. Be assured, your father loves you, and that there ia 
 nothing would make him more happy than to take you under 
 his parental care." IVhiltlcfsry's Life of Fitch. Sparks' Ameri- 
 can Biography, second series, Vol. VI., page 98. 
 7
 
 74 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 in examining lands^nd exploring in Kentucky for their 
 joint benefit. 
 
 The scheme was accordingly resolved upon. He 
 reached Fort Pitt early in March, 1782, where he laid 
 out his money as intended. The boat was a large 
 one, and was chartered by four adventurers, but Fitch 
 had the greatest portion of the cargo. The captain 
 was Joseph Parkerson, a person unfitted for the sta- 
 tion, as subsequent events clearly established. There 
 were nine others on board, viz., John Fitch, Capt. Ma- 
 gee, Thomas Bradley, Houston, Williams, 
 
 Ealey, Sigwalt, Wm. Jarrad, and one whose 
 
 name has not been recorded. 
 
 On the 18th of March, 1782, they departed from 
 Pittsburg. Stopping at Wheeling island for a short 
 time, they left that place in company with three other 
 boats. On the morning of the 21st, they were oppo- 
 site the mouth of the Muskingum. Parkerson, by 
 mismanagement, contrived to set the boat so hard upon 
 the point of an island below that river (having extra 
 oars full-manned at the time), that it was impossible to 
 get it off. Capt. Hopkins and two men who were in a 
 smaller boat near to them, came to their assistance, but 
 all effort was unavailing. After wasting much time in 
 an endeavor to push off, it was agreed that no other 
 plan could be successful than the removal of a consi- 
 derable portion of the cargo. All hands were conse- 
 quently put to the labor of taking out the flour. They 
 piled it upon the shore, and about sunset the boat 
 floated. It was taken down the river about forty pole 
 and tied to a sapling. The crew were very much fa- 
 tigued, and they determined they would re-load the
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 75 
 
 boat with the flour the next morning. Yielding to the 
 entreaty of Fitch, who was thought over-timid, they 
 kept a watch that night. When it was his turn to 
 keep guard, he procured an axe and laid it near the 
 bow-fastening, so that it might be used in case of ne- 
 cessity. The others slept soundly. Nothing was ob- 
 served to mark the presence of any danger. 
 
 At daylight a man was sent out to scout the island, 
 and with particular caution not to fire his gun at any 
 game, but only as an alarm. Meanwhile, the rest of 
 the crew gathered round the caboose, and indulged 
 themselves with "a hot buttered dram." The axe 
 which had been placed in the bow the night previous, 
 was now sought for by Fitch, but it could not be found. 
 He looked for it all over the boat, but could not dis- 
 cover it. He did not ask about it for fear of being 
 laughed at for his cowardice, a timidity which he had 
 afterwards much cause to regret. The scout was ab- 
 sent a longer time than was expected, and whilst he 
 was away, a man was sent out of Hopkins' boat which 
 was moored near the place where the flour was piled. 
 No sooner had he gone behind the barrels than he was 
 secured by some Indians who were lurking there, and 
 he was taken before he could give the slightest alarm. 
 The first scout had been captured in the same way. 
 About sixty feet from the boat was a large pile of drift- 
 wood. Upon the top of this the Indians managed to 
 crawl unperceived, and the first intimation which the 
 crew had of the danger, was by a volley from their 
 rifles, by which discharge Capt. Magee was instantly 
 killed. Directly afterwards, Thos. Bradley, with more 
 courage than prudence, went on deck to cut the fasten-
 
 76 LIFE OF JOHX FITCH. 
 
 ing of the boat, and was shot dead. The others now 
 retreated below, where Fitch and Houston stationed 
 themselves at port-holes, and with guns ready cocked 
 watched for the enemy. The others yielded themselves 
 up to fear, and laid down close in the bottom of the 
 boat. After waiting half an hour without perceiving 
 the foe, who laid quiet behind the bank, Fitch took up 
 a tomahawk and began to cut a hole through the bow 
 of the boat near the deck. His design was to make 
 an aperture large enough to allow the passage of a 
 knife fastened to a stick, with which the fastening 
 might be cut. He succeeded in making an opening 
 about three inches square, when a ball from a gun fired 
 upon shore passed through the plank about two inches 
 from his face. He was cut slightly by the splinters. 
 Finding this work rather dangerous, he got two boards 
 and set them on each side of the hole. He was cut- 
 ting down another, which was too long, when one of 
 the prisoners was sent on the bank to demand their sur- 
 render. Fitch entreated Parkerson not to listen to 
 him, nor to think of yielding. He assured him that 
 he would have the boat loose in less than half an hour. 
 He told him that there was nothing to fear, as the 
 number of Indians could not be more than six, judging 
 from the reports of the guns which were fired. He 
 even said, that if all on board would rush out, they 
 could drive the Indians off. But Parkerson was con- 
 stitutionally timid, and while Fitch continued cutting 
 the plank, the Captain told the prisoner on shore that 
 he would surrender. Being nearest the bow, he 
 marched out, followed by five others. Fitch and Hous- 
 ton remained, but, finding their companions had yielded,
 
 LIFEOFJOHNFITCII. 77 
 
 the former said to the latter, " If it must be so, I sup- 
 pose we had better march out too." Hopkins and an- 
 other, who were in the other boat, also yielded. 
 "Thus," said Fitch to Mr. Irwin, "we ran aground for 
 want of judgment, and gave ourselves up prisoners to 
 the savages for want of courage, as nine stout healthy 
 men of us, all well armed, marched out to eight In- 
 dians, which was more than I expected there was, as I 
 imagined they all fired at the first shot." 
 
 He blamed himself that he did not ask in the morn- 
 ing for the axe for fear of being laughed at as a cow- 
 ard. If he had found it, he might have cut the boat 
 loose at the first fire, and not been made a prisoner. 
 He also regretted that he did not request Houston to 
 stand by him when the others left the boat, as all their 
 loaded guns remained ; "but," he said, " I had not that 
 presence of mind, and so I became a captive on the 
 22d of March, 1782." 
 
 It was somewhere near the site of the present town 
 of Marietta, in Ohio, where this disaster occurred, and 
 the eleven unlucky adventurers had to prepare for a 
 march through a wilderness which is now included in 
 the finest portion of Ohio and Michigan, until they 
 reached Detroit. The Indians were not harsh towards 
 them after they submitted. The party was commanded 
 by three principal braves, who were named Capt. 
 Bnffaloe, Capt. Crow, and Capt. Washington. They 
 remained on shore for half an hour before they went 
 upon the boats. Their first care was to scalp Magee 
 and Bradley, after which their bodies were thrown 
 overboard. They then went below and brought out 
 the goods, which were taken on shore ; they carried 
 7*
 
 78 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 off, also, all the blankets, guns, and ammunition. After 
 this, C;ipt. Crow tied a war-club to the steering-oar, 
 and set the boat adrift. Flour, which was on board of 
 Hopkins' boat, was also taken and concealed upon the 
 bank. The savages then held a consultation as to what 
 they should do. The majority of the prisoners must 
 have been in an awful .state of suspense ; but Fitch, who 
 was very drowsy in consequence of having been on the 
 watch during the previous night, asked permission of 
 Capt. Crow to lie down and sleep. This request was 
 granted, and wrapping an old camlet cloak about him, 
 he consigned himself to slumber. In the meanwhile, 
 Capt. Buffaloe having helped himself freely to liquor, 
 which was among the stores, became drunk. In that 
 condition he was not very amiable in his temper. Per- 
 ceiving the prostrate prisoner, he rushed toward him, 
 exclaiming in a language not understood, "Zeak! 
 Zeak !" Fitch opened his eyes, sat up and said "no," 
 when Buffaloe, again saying "Zeak," drew a tomahawk 
 and aimed a fair blow directly at the forehead of the 
 captive. Crow was by, and rushing forward he seized 
 the arm of Buffaloe in time to prevent the fatal conse- 
 quence. After this incident, there was little desire to 
 attempt to sleep again, and the prisoner went and sat 
 down with his fellows. The Indians now began to 
 make up the goods in bundles, graduating the weight 
 according to the apparent strength of those who were 
 to carry them. Some of the prisoners were loaded 
 with thirty pounds, but Fitch, who was not robust, was 
 only burthened with a pack weighing seven or eight 
 pounds. The Indians themselves took much heavier 
 bundles, some of which weighed as much as sixty
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 79 
 
 pounds. Their superfluous clothing was then taken 
 from the captives; Fitch lost his camlet cloak, and 
 what was worse, his cap and night-cap were seized, and 
 without any covering for his head, he commenced the 
 tedious journey. They were also bound, hut very 
 slightly, and more as a sign of captivity than of ser- 
 vice. Some were tied with rope-yarns. Fitch was 
 secured with a hark string, not thicker than a goose- 
 quill, which he could have snapped with one finger. A 
 division was also made of the prisoners among the cap- 
 tors. Fitch and six others were assigned to Capt. Buf- 
 faloe. C.ipt. Crow had two, and Capt. Washington 
 two. They then took up their toilsome march towards 
 the north-west. Strict precautions were used through- 
 out this journey. Scouts were sent out in front, and 
 two Indians remained behind the party all day, and 
 never came up until after dark, and when they were 
 prepared to encamp for the night. 
 
 About an hour before sundown they came to a camp 
 where they had their suppers. All ate heartily, and 
 sat about the ground until it was time to sleep. The 
 prisoners were now pinioned with stout cords, and then 
 a rope was run from one to the other, until all were 
 fastened together. They were commanded to lie down 
 on their backs, and their feet were secured in the same 
 way. They were unused to such confinement, and the 
 ligatures being very tight some of them suffered ex- 
 cruciating pain. 
 
 In the morning they started early, and marched all 
 day without any special incident. At night, Captain 
 Crow took the scalps of Magee and Bradley, cut them 
 in a circular form and stretched them upon little hoops
 
 80 LIFEOFJOIINFITCH. 
 
 about three inches in diameter, which were painted red. 
 The pi-isoners were again secured, and slept as they 
 had done on the previous night. The only dependence 
 they had for provisions was upon the game which they 
 might he ahle to shoot. As they advanced further 
 upon the road, and came near the Indian towns, these 
 supplies hecame stinted. A buck was shot on the fifth 
 day, which was the last supply of importance which 
 they received. Food became scarce, the party being 
 nineteen in number, and the prisoners suffered severely. 
 The captors dealt fairly by them, and there was an 
 equal division of what there was to eat among all 
 alike. Fitch, who seems to have had a good appetite 
 on all occasions, felt these privations acutely, and lost 
 his strength. Deprived of a covering for his head, he 
 caught a severe cold, and his eyes became so sore that 
 he could scarcely see. During the latter part of the 
 march the weather was wet and drizzling, and the 
 prisoners laid down at night in water an inch deep, 
 and were compelled to bear the pelting of snow, mixed 
 with rain, to their grievous discomfort. The Indians, 
 who had treated them with considerable kindness, now 
 became more strict and severe, and in addition to 
 being pinioned and hoppled at night, cords were tied 
 round their necks. Before they reached the first 
 Indian town, Captain Buffaloe came to Fitch, who was 
 dressed in a striped linsey-woolsey coatee and jacket, 
 with home-made silver buttons. He cut off all the 
 buttons on this coat. Giving the prisoner the knife, 
 he motioned him to cut off those upon his jacket, and 
 by signs directed him to put them in his pocket. The 
 intention of this was to prevent his being stripped of 

 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 81 
 
 his clothing by other Indians, in whose eyes the buttons 
 would have been sufficiently dazzling to incite them to 
 deprive the poor captive of all his garments. Fitch 
 appreciated the kind motive of this act, and was duly 
 grateful. 
 
 On the twelfth day of their march, they reached the 
 first town of the Delawares. Before approaching it 
 Captain Crow had cut a straight stick, about twelve 
 feet long. To this he attached the prepared scalps of 
 Magee and Bradley, which were tied to strings, and 
 fastened to the pole six or eight inches apart. When 
 the party approached the first town, they were halted 
 three or four poles from it, and thirteen hallooes were 
 given by the captors, which signified the number of 
 prisoners and scalps. 
 
 A boy of ten or twelve years of age came out, and 
 seizing the scalp-pole ran with it into the principal 
 house. There were no Indians in it, there being a grand 
 council of the nation at another town, to which the 
 chief warriors had gone. A large number of Indians 
 flocked around them, however, and stripped them of a 
 good part of their clothing, but no further harm was 
 done them. At this town they heard, for the second 
 time, of the massacre of the Moravian Indians on the 
 Muskingum, at which the Delawares seemed to be very 
 much enraged. 1 That night they were more severely 
 
 1 The particulars of this atrocious barbarity are thus related 
 in Howe's Historical Collections of Ohio, page 784: 
 
 " Several depredations had been committed by hostile Indians 
 about this time [1782] on the frontier inhabitants of western 
 Pennsylvania and Virginia, who determined to retaliate. A 
 company of one hundred men was raised and placed under the
 
 82 -LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 
 
 treated than usual, and they drew from the seeming 
 temper of the Indians, very sorrowful forebodings of 
 the nature of the usage which they were about to re- 
 ceive. The next day they were marched toward the 
 
 command of Colonel Williamson, as a corps of volunteer militia. 
 They set out for the Moravian country on the Tuscarora [Olna], 
 and arrived within a mile of Gnadenhutten on the night of the 
 5th of March. On the morning of the 6th, finding the Indians 
 were employed in their cornfield on the west side of the river, 
 sixteen of Williamson's men crossed, two at a time, over in a 
 large sap trough or vessel used for retaining sugar-water, taking 
 their rifles with them. The remainder went into the village, 
 where they found a man and a woman, both of whom they 
 killed. The sixteen on the west side, on approaching the Indians, 
 found them more numerous than they expected. They had their 
 arms with them both for purposes of protection and for killing 
 game. The whites accosted them kindly, told them they had 
 come to take them to a place where they would be in future pro- 
 tected, and advised them to quit work and return with them to 
 the neighborhood of Fort Pitt. Some of the Indians had been 
 taken to that place in the preceding year, had been well treated 
 by the American governor of the fort, and had been dismissed 
 with tokens of warm friendship. Under these circumstances, it 
 is not surprising that the unsuspecting Moravian Indians readily 
 surrendered their arms, and at once consented to be controlled 
 by the advice of Colonel Williamson and his men. An Indian 
 messenger was despatched to Salem, to apprize the brethren there 
 of the new arrangement, and both companies then returned to 
 Gnadenhutten. On reaching the village, a number of mounted 
 militia started for the Salem settlement, but ere they reached it 
 found that the Moravian Indians at that place had already left 
 their cornfields, by the advice of the messenger, and were on 
 the road to join their brethren at Gnadenhutten. Measures had 
 been adopted by the militia to secure the Indians whom they 
 had first decoyed into their power. They were bound, confined 
 in two houses, and well guarded. On the arrival of the Indians 
 from Salem (their arms having been previously secured without
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 83 
 
 principal town of the Delawares, where there was a 
 large council of the several nations. Their masters, 
 knowing what was intended for them, halted them, 
 before they reached it and took their bundles from 
 
 suspicion of any hostile intention), they were also tethered and 
 divided between the two prison-houses the males in one and 
 the females in the other. The number thus confined in both, 
 including men, women, and children, has been estimated at 
 from ninety to ninety-six. 
 
 "A council was then held to determine how the Moravian 
 Indians should be disposed of. This' self-constituted military 
 court embraced both officers and privates. The late Dr. Dod- 
 dridge, in his published notes on Indian wars, says : ' Colonel 
 Williamson put the question, Whether the Moravian Indians 
 should be taken prisoners to Fort Pitt, or put to death f request- 
 ing those who were in favor of saving their lives, to step out and 
 form a second rank. Only eighteen out of the whole number 
 stepped forth as advocates of Mercy. In these the feelings of 
 humanity were not extinct. In the majority, which was large, 
 no sympathy was manifested. These resolved to murder (for 
 no other word can express the act) the whole of the Christian 
 Indians in their custody. Among these were several who had 
 contributed to aid the missionaries in the work of conversion 
 and civilization, two of whom emigrated from New Jersey, after 
 the death of their spiritual pastor, the Rev. David Brainard. 
 One woman, who could speak good Englrsh, knelt before the 
 commander and begged his protection. Her supplication was 
 unavailing. They were ordered to prepare for death. But the 
 warning had been anticipated. Their firm belief in their new 
 creed was shown forth in the sad hour of their tribulation, by 
 religious exercises of preparation. The orisons of these devoted 
 people were already ascending to the throne of the Most High 
 the sound of the Christian's hymn, and the Christian's prayer, 
 found an echo in the surrounding woods, but no responsive feel- 
 ing in the bosoms of their executioners. With gun, and spear, 
 and tomahawk, and scalping-knife, the work of death progressed 
 in these slaughter-houses, till not a sigh or moan was heard to
 
 84 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 them. The shoes were taken from Fitch and a pair of 
 moccasins given him, he did not know exactly why, but 
 soon was better instructed. Captain Crow was a Dela- 
 ware Indian, born in New Jersey, who had come west- 
 ward to the chief settlements of his people. He could 
 speak English very well, and before they reached the 
 great town he told the prisoners that if any Indians 
 came out to abuse them, they must run to the long 
 house at the end of the village, and after they got in 
 it nobody would hurt them. They marched on coolly 
 until they were within sight of the town, and about a 
 quarter of a mile from it, when their captors gave the 
 scalp halloo, a practice in which they often indulged, 
 and which, therefore, attracted but little attention from 
 4he prisoners. Passing on a little further, they saw 
 the Council House with crowds of savages around it, 
 and distant from them about fifty pole. The halloo 
 was repeated thirteen times, and when the last one was 
 given all the Indians joined in a loud shout. A stout 
 savage, painted black, and entirely naked, except a 
 
 proclaim the existence of human life within all, save two. Two 
 Indian boys, escaped, as if by a miracle, to be witnesses in after 
 times of the savage cruelty of the white man toward their un- 
 fortunate race. 
 
 " Thus were upwards of ninety human beings hurried to an 
 untimely grave by those who should have been their legitimate 
 protectors. After committing the barbarous act, Williamson 
 and his men set fire to the houses containing the dead, and then 
 marched off for Shoenbrun, the upper Indian town. But here 
 the news of their atrocious deeds had preceded them. The in- 
 habitants had all fled, and with them fled for a time the hopes 
 of the missionaries to establish a settlement of Christian Indians 
 on the Tuscarawas. The fruit of ten years' labor in the cause 
 of civilization was apparently lost." 

 
 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 85 
 
 breech-cloth, now ran like a deer towards Captain Crow, 
 and seizing the pole with the scalps, sped swiftly with 
 it towards the Council House. When the captives 
 reached the top of a hill, they saw that he was near 
 the building, and, to their great dismay, they saw a 
 large body of Indians rushing towards them with 
 terrible shouts. The prisoners had been marching in 
 single file until this time, but when the first one of 
 them was reached by the Indians, and was struck by 
 the foremost, the party took to their heels and scoured 
 across the plain towards the haven of safety. They 
 were not severely used Fitch was slapped by several 
 with open hands on the sides, face and back. One 
 brave caught him by the hair, pulled him to the ground, 
 and then abandoned him. He scampered on as fast as. 
 he could, but near the house was doomed to receive 
 the severer punishment of the "gentler sex." These 
 specimens of womanhood were armed with thick sticks 
 about the stoutness of walking-canes. With these 
 cudgels they struck the fugitive as he passed, with their 
 hardest blows. About twenty feet from the door he 
 stumbled and fell over a log ; he did not get up, but 
 scrambled in upon his hands and feet, and, having got 
 his head and a part of his body in the doorway, sup- 
 posed he was safe. But, like the ostrich under a simi- 
 lar miscalculation, he was soon satisfied of his mistake 
 by some very sturdy thwacks.
 
 86 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ADVENTURES AMONG THE SAVAGES. 
 
 THE Council House was about sixty feet long, and 
 twenty broad, having large doors at each end. When 
 the prisoners entered they found it very much crowded 
 with chiefs and warriors. The first ceremony observed 
 was the bringing of a number of kettles containing 
 cooked hominy, of which the chiefs partook, and of 
 which the prisoners were invited to participate. After 
 a long silence, the Indians began to speak to each 
 Bother in a solemn manner. The captives were unable 
 to understand their remarks, but the gestures used 
 caused them considerable alarm. The massacre by 
 Williamson was a matter which, it was guessed, occupied 
 the greater part of their deliberations, and it was 
 feared that a bloody revenge would be wreaked upon 
 those who had fallen into the hands of the aggrieved. 
 The debates continued without intermission all the 
 afternoon, but were broken off at sunset. The prisoners 
 were ignorant of the resolution which the Indians had 
 taken, and they were depressed in spirit. The Council 
 House was now prepared for a grand dance. Six small 
 fires were built upon the earthen floor at equal distances 
 from each other. Three or four women commenced 
 the movement to the rude music produced by rattling 
 a calabash filled with beans or pebbles, and the sound 
 of a drum made by drawing a skin over a tub. The 
 step was regular, the dancers lifting their feet as if 

 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 87 
 
 marching, but only advancing some three or four 
 inches by a graceful spring, which brought both feet 
 together. As they became warmer they threw off their 
 blankets, dexterously twining them around their waists 
 and securing them there. Those who commenced, 
 danced around one fire, and their number was increased 
 by young girls who had scarcely seen thirteen years, 
 and women of all ages up to seventy. When those 
 who were round one fire increased to twenty, they 
 separated and danced in half circles round two fires. 
 The men had looked upon this preparatory ceremony 
 with apparent unconcern ; but now, they themselves 
 undertook the task. Each warrior sang his own song, 
 and his highest ambition was to exceed his companions 
 in the grotesqueness and variety of his capers. In 
 these exhibitions they were exceedingly extravagant. 
 Some of them would stoop and put their heads into the 
 fire, and jump up with prodigious leaps, yelling with 
 wild fury at the top of their voices. The scene was 
 strange and impressive. The ear was deafened with 
 the sound of rattling calabashes and beating drums, 
 mingled with barbarous songs and outlandish shouts. 
 The eye was fatigued with a variety of motion, in 
 which stalwart forms in picturesque and active exercise 
 were for a moment lighted up with the glare of the 
 flames, and then hidden from the sight amid the throng. 
 The scene made a very deep impression upon the 
 memory of the captives, which was more vivid because 
 they supposed it was a prelude to tortures to which 
 they feared that they would be subjected. They were 
 invited to participate, and all thought it prudent to do 
 so, except Fitch, who was sulky and stubborn, and who
 
 88 v LIFE OF JO UN FITCH. 
 
 brooded angrily over the situation in which they were 
 placed hy the barbarity and inhumanity of Colonel 
 Williamson. He expected that he would be put to 
 death, and he cared not how soon, and was unwilling 
 to do anything which might cause the savages to look 
 favorably upon his condition. Whilst he was thus 
 moodily engaged in thought, a portion of his apparel 
 awakened the avarice of one of the Indians. The 
 coveted article was no less a garment than his breeches, 
 of linsey-woolsey, which, although threadbare and 
 broken at the knees, was desired by one of the chiefs. 
 He sent an Indian to Fitch, with a valuable breech- 
 cloth richly decorated with wampum, and proposed an 
 exchange. This request was unceremoniously refused 
 by the captive, and he determined that he would sooner 
 die than do the least thing to please those whose power 
 over him was absolute. What the result would have 
 been cannot be told, but the chief, more reasonable 
 than was expected, again sent his agent to another 
 prisoner with a like demand, but did not offer the 
 breech-cloth in barter. The latter complied at once, 
 and slipping off the envied treasure, it was borne 
 away in triumph by the new owner. 
 
 After the dance was concluded the Indians withdrew^ 
 and the prisoners remained in the Council House all 
 night. The next morning, when the chiefs assembled, 
 persons were brought there who could read English, 
 and the writings and papers found on Fitch and his 
 companions were read. It seemed that they were sus- 
 pected to have belonged to Williamson's party, but it 
 was discovered by the nature of the papers they bore 
 that they "were no warriors," "although," remarked
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 89 
 
 Fitch, "they might have known that before." Another 
 debate an hour long ensued, after which the captives 
 were taken out of the Council House. 1 Captain Crow 
 gave up his two captives to one of the chiefs, and 
 Captain Buffaloe parted with two which belonged to 
 him. The two which were assigned to Captain Wash- 
 ington, and the five which remained to Captain Buffaloe, 
 were now marched to the town in which the latter 
 resided. On the way, Crow told them that they had 
 been in great danger of death, and it was their belief, 
 from what he said, that the four prisoners who were 
 left behind were relinquished in order to save the lives 
 of all of them, as captives then brought a good price 
 at Detroit. At Buffaloe's town they halted ; Captain 
 Washington went on with his two prisoners, but those 
 who remained were put to work in building a house for 
 the old chief. Fitch refused to labor on account of the 
 weak and miserable condition in which he was ; not 
 only on account of his sore eyes, but from bodily suffer- 
 ing. Parkerson and Hopkins quarrelled with him, 
 during the course of which controversy reference was 
 made by Fitch to their cowardice at the time of cap- 
 ture, which incensed them very much. Buffaloe had 
 but a scanty stock of provisions for the sustenance of 
 so many persons, and their usual rations were a half- 
 pint of dried corn a day, pounded into hominy and 
 boiled. They suffered very much for want of salt, to 
 which they had been accustomed, and when the Indians 
 
 1 The Delaware towns were mostly situated within the boun- 
 daries of the present county of Delaware, Ohio. The present 
 town of Delaware occupies a portion of the site of an Indian 
 village. 
 
 8*
 
 90 LIFE OF JOHN PITCH. 
 
 occasionally killed cranes or turkeys, and brought them 
 to be cooked, they were boiled in fresh water, which 
 made them tasteless and somewhat unpalatable, but, 
 nevertheless, welcomed by hunger. Being just able to 
 walk about, Fitch gathered wild onions and artichokes 
 for his companions, and one day he caught five or six 
 fish with a pin hook. Buffaloe used no severity towards 
 him, but got some calamus-root which he made him 
 take as a tonic and strengthener. They remained at 
 this town some ten or twelve days. While there, 
 Buffaloe was attended by a likely young squaw. His 
 wife was in another town about five or six miles off, but 
 her husband did not visit her during the whole time, 
 nor did the wife intrude herself upon him. When they 
 left Buffaloe's town, they marched within half a mile 
 of the village in which the wife was living. About four 
 o'clock in the afternoon they came to a camp where 
 they stopped. After they had been there some time, 
 the wife came up, carrying a fine child about eight 
 months old. She approached the chief in silence, and 
 sat down. No word passed between them for about a 
 quarter of an hour, when they began to converse in a 
 low musical tone such being the Indian mode of 
 meeting among the best friends. The young squaw 
 now withdrew to a distance, and that night slept about 
 ten feet from the chief. In the morning Buffaloe killed 
 a deer. He gave his wife one half of it ; she withdrew 
 well pleased, and returned to the village leaving the 
 young squaw with her husband, who accompanied him 
 the rest of the journey. There seemed to be no ill 
 feeling between these women, and the wife was thereby 
 relieved of drudgery which she would have been com-
 
 LIFEOFJOHNFITCH. 91 
 
 polled to undergo if she had gone along. Beside the 
 young woman, Buffaloe was attended by two nephews, 
 nine and eleven years old, and the five prisoners 
 trudged on submissive to this escort of one old Indian, 
 a woman, and two boys. 
 
 Their route lay for several days through wide prai- 
 ries, the only objects upon which to attract the sight 
 were ''islands," covered with hazel bushes and trees. 
 The weather was wet, and the rain was constant. They 
 marched in water, generally ankle-deep, sometimes as 
 high as their knees, and even up to their waistbands. 
 Provisions became very scarce toward the latter part 
 of their journey, Buffaloe not ])eing able to leave the 
 prisoners and kill game for fear that they might escape. 
 Parkerson and Hopkins proposed that they should rise 
 upon them, but it was sagaciously opposed by Fitch, 
 who thought that, if at liberty, they would only die of 
 starvation. On the seventh day they came to the 
 Maumee river, about eighteen miles from Lake Erie. 
 A trading post was here established, and kept by Saun- 
 ders and Cochran, at an Ottaway town. The prisoners 
 were ferried across in a bark canoe. Here was obtained 
 a reasonable allowance of provisions. They remained 
 at the store and lodged there for three days. Buffaloe 
 encamped upon a hill, about forty pole from the house. 
 While he was there, a number of Delawares returned 
 from Detroit, and pitched their tents near Buffaloe. 
 This party amused themselves by getting drunk, and 
 they made a great noise. A servant of Saunders was 
 so imprudent as to go among them, and one of the 
 Indians supposing him to belong to the prisoners, struck 
 him with his tomahawk, from the effects of which he
 
 92 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 died the next day. He managed to get down to the 
 house after he was wounded, and Saunders and Coch- 
 ran, taking their tomahawks, went among the Dela- 
 wares. They found the temper of the Indians to be 
 very dangerous, and they soon returned with marks of 
 fear upon their countenances. Scarcely had they got 
 in the house, before the Indians upon the hill gave the 
 scalp halloo, repeating it five times according to the 
 number of prisoners. Fitch knew that some serious 
 difficulty might be expected, and, seizing an axe, he 
 slipped through the window of the kitchen into the 
 garden, where he had seen some bean-poles, and cut- 
 ting them into clubs he took them into the house to his 
 companions. He told the latter what he feared, but 
 they only laughed at his frenzy. He had not re- 
 turned more than a quarter of an hour, when he again 
 heard the scalp halloo and war-whoop, and going into 
 the next room he got through a window into the yard, 
 taking the axe with him. He went to the stable, where 
 he fastened himself in, and put affairs in as good a 
 posture of defence as possible. These hurried pre- 
 parations were not made before the whole body of In- 
 dians were heard coming down the hill with horrible 
 yells. The inhabitants of the Ottaway town were 
 alarmed. Saunders and Cochran had been adopted in 
 their tribe, and the warriors rallied round them in order 
 to pi-event injury. When the Delawares approached 
 the house, they saw a superior force posted to receive 
 them. Saunders stood by the prisoners, tomahawk in 
 hand. The Delawares were very angry, and menaced 
 the captives, but were held in check by the bold front 
 of the Ottaways, who were an overmatch for them.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 93 
 
 Finally, they changed their intention, and returned to 
 the camp, where they kept up the frolic all night with 
 much noise. Fitch remained in the stable, half asleep, 
 being occasionally aroused from his drowsiness by the 
 scalp halloo, which was shouted many times. In the 
 hostile demonstration which had been made, Buffaloe 
 had taken no part, and he was not seen. The Dela- 
 wares were still in full riot at sunrise, when, after an- 
 other scalp halloo, the old chief was discovered coming 
 down the hill, and when near the bottom, he too broke 
 out with the dreadful yell. Coming to the house, he 
 spoke very angrily to the prisoners, and ordered them 
 to go up to the camp, and drove them out of the room. 
 Fitch, who was in the yard, and heard all that occurred, 
 thought he would have to meet his fate sooner or later, 
 and that it was best to do what he could to avert it. 
 He therefore got in the window, and going into the 
 room where Buffaloe was, put on an air of cheerfulness 
 and said " How do you do this morning, Capt. Buf- 
 faloe?" The latter was sitting in a chair and talking 
 to an Indian trader. Getting a low stool, Fitch placed 
 himself down by the chief, laid his arm over his bare 
 thighs, and sat gazing in his face. When Buffaloe got 
 up, he made motions that his prisoner should remain. 
 As soon as he was gone, the trader told Fitch that the 
 chief requested him to tell him not to leave the house, 
 as "he always spoke good" to him, and "the Indians 
 were all mad !" Fearful that by this time the prison- 
 ers had all been massacred, he run to the door, where 
 he told Hopkins what had occurred, who received the 
 information with a sneer at the seeming friendship 
 manifested towards his informant. When the captives
 
 94 LIFEOFJOHNFITCH. 
 
 had been excluded from the house, they had the good 
 sense to disregard the command to go to the camp, for 
 if they had done so, the whole party would most pro- 
 bably have been murdered. When Buffaloe returned 
 to the hill, and found that his directions had been dis- 
 obeyed, he was much enraged. He returned and 
 searched, with tomahawk and knife, for the skulking 
 captives, and chased such of them as he could find, in 
 order to drive them to the place of execution. The 
 prisoners dodged, and being generally fleet of foot, 
 managed to keep out of his way. Wm. Jarrad had a 
 very narrow escape. He was a short, clumsy man, 
 and could not run fast. Buffaloe started him in a cor- 
 ner of the garden, and being swifter, soon outran him. 
 
 Having got before him, and having the knife in his 
 right hand, he aimed a back-handed blow, which, if 
 Jarrad had been nearer, would have struck him about 
 the heart. But luckily at this time, Buffaloe was so 
 far ahead that he was beyond his intended victim, and 
 stretching backward to give effect to his stroke, he 
 reached too far, and, losing his balance, fell at full 
 length. Whilst he was recovering from the shock, 
 Jarrad managed to escape. Buffaloe then went up to 
 the camp. The Indians kept up their frolic till noon, 
 by which time all of them had become dead drunk, and 
 their noise ceased. The next morning the Delawares 
 went off at an early hour, and Buffaloe came down to 
 the house perfectly sober, and ashamed of himself. 
 
 Saunders, who was friendly to the prisoners, thought 
 it imprudent for them to go further with the old chief, 
 for fear of some other occurrence of a similar nature. 
 He therefore proposed to take the young squaw and the
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 95 
 
 prisoners to Detroit in a canoe, leaving Buffaloe to go 
 by land with a horse-load of skins. This was acceded 
 to by the old warrior, who there parted with them, and 
 whom they never met again. Saunders had one man 
 with him, an Indian boy, the squaw, and the prisoners, 
 with some goods. When they got to Lake Erie, Hop- 
 kins and Parkerson proposed to rise upon them, and 
 after taking the canoe, to attempt to make the best of 
 their way to Fort Pitt. Fitch remonstrated against 
 such ingratitude, as Saunders had been their friend 
 when they were menaced by the frenzied Indians. 
 The scheme was abandoned, but the proposers were 
 thereby strengthened in their dislike to their com- 
 panion. The little bark coasted the shores of the lake. 
 At a place called Stony Point, they saw a great num- 
 ber of sturgeon. Six of these they struck with their 
 tomahawks, and took them on board the canoe. When 
 they got into the Detroit river, they took out the 
 spawns and boiled them in fresh water. This mess 
 afforded them the first good meal they had obtained 
 for thirty days. They had no bread, but they got 
 along very well without it. They ate for nearly an 
 hour, after which they desisted for a while, but again 
 ate by turns during the whole afternoon. The next 
 day, they arrived at Detroit.
 
 96 LIFEOFJOHNFITCH. 
 
 i 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE PRISONER OF WAR IN CANADA. 
 
 AT the gate of the Fort, Saunders gave up the pri- 
 soners to a sentry, and they saw no more of him. 
 They were conducted to the commandant, Major Du- 
 posters, who enquired the news. They told him of the 
 capture of Cornwallis. Although this event happened 
 on the 19th of October, 1781, more than six months 
 before the prisoners reached Detroit, knowledge of that 
 important event had not reached the post, so distant 
 was it from the centre of intelligence, and cut off from 
 communication with the eastern part of the continent. 
 The major received the story of the prisoners with 
 much doubt, and took measures to prevent their state- 
 ment from getting abroad. After having been taken 
 to the Commissary and Provost, they were ordered to 
 be closely confined, and directions were given that no 
 one should have access to them. They soon suspected 
 the reason why they were treated with such severity, 
 and in order to obviate the necessity for rigor, they 
 took every opportunity to spread the news. The sen- 
 tinels were changed at stated periods, and every fresh 
 guard was informed of the important event. The pri- 
 soners also stationed themselves at the windows of the 
 prison, and cried out to the people in the streets, that 
 Cornwallis and all his army were taken. By this means 
 the intelligence was soon spread over the town. 
 
 When Fitch was captured on the Ohio, he had with
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 97 
 
 him a graver. With that instrument he pleased his 
 Indian captors by marking fancy devices on their pow- 
 der-horns. When he reached Detroit he had it with 
 him, and now gratified his guards by similar work. He 
 was so industrious that during two weeks while at that 
 station, he earned eight dollars, with which he bought 
 himself a supply of sugar, tea, cheese, butter, and other 
 stores for his use during the voyage which he expected 
 shortly to take over Lake Erie. About two weeks 
 after the arrival at Detroit, the prisoners were sent off 
 in an armed brig commanded by Capt. Burnett, a good 
 and humane man. Afterx a tedious voyage over the 
 Lake, during which they encountered a severe storm, 
 they reached Fort Erie, at the entrance of the Niagara 
 river, in two weeks' time. They were immediately 
 despatched thence to Fort Schlosser, and arrived at 
 Niagara that evening, where they remained about a 
 day and a half. They were then placed on board the 
 ship Linebye, to cross Lake Ontario. This voyage was 
 very uncomfortable. The prisoners, together with a 
 horse and cow, were placed in the hold, and two per- 
 sons only were permitted to be on deck at the same 
 time. This uncomfortable situation was luckily of 
 short continuance. The day after their departure they 
 arrived at a fort situate on Carleton Island, at the en- 
 trance of the St. Lawrence river. They were confined 
 there for twenty-four hours in a small room without 
 fire or light, and compelled to eat their food raw. Es- 
 corted thence to Fort Oswagatchie by a party of sol- 
 diers, who were ordered to blow their brains out in case 
 of misbehavior, they gladly heard at the latter place 
 that they were to have new guards, under whose guid- 
 9
 
 98 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 ance they were marched to Coteau du Lac, their place 
 of destination. Here they were mustered, and their 
 names, birth-places, and occupations noted, under the 
 direction of Capt. Anderson, the superintendent. To 
 an island opposite Coteau du Lac, then named Prison 
 Island, Fitch and twenty others were finally conveyed, 
 on the 25th of May, 1782. This place was the depot 
 for prisoners taken by the British in the north and 
 north-west. An area of seventy or eighty acres gave 
 ample room for exercise, and the island being situate 
 amidst a dangerous rapid, was deemed sufficiently pro- 
 tected for the purpose of confinement. There were a 
 large number of prisoners there, who were idle, dis- 
 contented, ready for any kind of mischief, and 'disposed 
 to think unfavorably of any of their companions who 
 manifested different opinions. Fitch was of an active, 
 industrious temperament, and he could not bear the 
 listless way of life to which he was now introduced. 
 He accordingly com'menced preparations to plant and 
 cultivate a spot of ground. One James McKollock 
 aided him, and they cleared a space of twenty pole, 
 which they planted with corn, squashes, peas, cucum- 
 bers, and other things, the seeds of which were given 
 them by the British. This project was very unpopular 
 with the other prisoners, and a rer/ort was spread about 
 that the intention of the laborers was to give the Bri- 
 tish a hint, and suggest to them a species of work to 
 which they might all be put, for the benefit of their 
 jailors. This was very unjust, and it could have had 
 its foundation only in the fears of those whose laziness 
 caused them to dislike the prospect of any kind of em- 
 ployment.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 99 
 
 The prisoners were very carefully provided -with ra- 
 tions, and Fitch and McKollock, who were "not great 
 caters," generally saved about eight pounds of pork 
 every two weeks out of their supplies. With this they 
 obtained, by exchange, tea, butter, cheese, and other 
 luxuries, and with the first produce of this economy 
 Fitch procured a fur cap, which was the first covering 
 which he had for his head since his capture. He now 
 turned his thoughts to the necessity, and, in fact, the 
 comfort of labor in the way of his usual business, and 
 he gives the following interesting account of the expe- 
 dients to which he resorted : 
 
 As soon as I had got my seeds in the ground, I began to think 
 of carrying on my trade, for I could not endure the Thought of 
 being Idle ; and all the tools I had was my old Graver, and no 
 steel on the island to make any with. And all the tools I could 
 find on the Island was an ax, a handsaw, a Chissel, and Iron 
 Wedge fr splitting wood, and a shoemakers hammer, also a fore 
 plain. My first thought was to make a Vice, but before I could 
 make that, I must have a turning lath, to turn the screw ; with 
 the saw, ax, Chissel, and foreplain, I got it compleated. I ought 
 also to have mentioned, that there was an augure and grindstone 
 on the Island. I got a peace of ramrod of a gun, and made the 
 Centures for my Popets ; I also got a large blade of a jack knife, 
 and broke it in two, one part of which I made a Chissel, the other 
 a Gouge for turneing. The Iron wedge I fixed in a Block, and 
 made my anvil. The shoemaker's hammer I forged with, and 
 our common fire, blowed by my mouth or hat, I forged by. I 
 made a punch out of an Iron hoop, and punched two holes thro' 
 fach Broken Blade, and then took an Iron Hoop and punched 
 two holes at each end uniform with the first, and bent the Hoops, 
 & Hiveted the Broken Blade between the ends of the hoop, and 
 after the Chissel and Gouge was made and hardned, filled the, 
 hoop with wood, which made a very good handle. Thus I got 
 my lath completed, and turned an augure for cutting the Box of 
 the Vice, and at the same time turned a peace for the screw. I
 
 100 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 then got the Jaws of my Vice, and cut a peace of Paper of an 
 equal weadth, and paisted on to the peace designed for my au- 
 ger, and laid out my screw, which I sawed round conformable, 
 and in the proper place fixed a peace of iron made out of a hoop, 
 to cut the screw, but was first to make a file to point it properly. 
 I had the Back spring of said Knife, and by axcedent got an 
 old razor Blade, of which I made Chissels, and forged and cut 
 a file out of the spring, which enabled me to complete my vice. 
 After it was done I put jaws to it with Iron hoops nearly as nice 
 as could be done in the City of Philad., that for some time would 
 punch almost any thing that come between them. 
 
 Some of the British soldiers obtained for him a flat 
 and saw file at Coteau du Lac. Of the flat file he made 
 a "wire plate." A thin iron hoop was turned into a 
 blow-pipe, the edges being hammered close, and being 
 free from leaks. A "sliding-tongs" to hold buttons 
 was made out of an iron hoop. In ten days he had a 
 "fine set of tools," and was ready to commence work. 
 He bought an old worn-out brass kettle from a soldier. 
 The bottom only was fit to make buttons of. The sides 
 were cut into strips, which were afterward worked into 
 brass wire for the shanks of the buttons. He was now 
 ready to manufacture, but was sadly impeded by the 
 want of borax, with which to prepare his solder. None 
 was to be had nearer than Montreal, and opportunity 
 of sending there and obtaining a return of the article 
 wanted, was not easily to be had by one in his condi- 
 tion. A soldier who was going down was induced to 
 undertake the errand, and to endeavor to obtain the 
 article for him. Whilst he was gone, Fitch bleached 
 ashes and boiled it down, calcined the residuum as well 
 as he could, and made an inferior kind of pearlash, 
 which he intended to use instead of borax. He had
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 101 
 
 great difficulty to make the solder adhesive with this 
 substitute, but he persevered in his task. Thirty or 
 forty pairs of buttons were made before the soldier re- 
 turned with the borax. These had all met with a good 
 sale, and upon some he had cut cyphers with his graver, 
 and he declared that they looked "but little inferior 
 to gold." One John Segar, of Massachusetts, an in- 
 genious, handy man, desired to work with him, and he 
 gave him wages. Whilst embarrassed for the want of 
 borax, they procured enough timber to make twelve 
 wooden clocks, boiled it, and took every means to sea- 
 son it quickly. Some of the prisoners were hired to 
 bring all the wood they could find to the barrack-yard, 
 and were paid oif in buttons. A German coal-burner, 
 who was among the prisoners, was induced to turn the 
 wood into charcoal ; and Fitch had as much as eighty 
 bushels of this fuel stored away in the loft of the bar- 
 racks at one time. He also erected a furnace for 
 melting silver ; made moulds and crucibles out of sheet 
 iron, and could make silver buttons as well as brass 
 ones. His business was now increasing, and John 
 Reynolds, of Vermont, was taken as an apprentice, and 
 towards the latter end of the time, one Clark, of Vir- 
 ginia, was admitted into the company. During the five 
 months that this party was upon Prison Island, they 
 made nine wooden clocks, which they sold at four dol- 
 lars each; three hundred pair of brass sleeve-buttons, 
 and eighty pair of silver buttons. Tools were also 
 made to repair watches, and three or four of those ar- 
 ticles were put in order by Fitch whilst in captivity. 
 With the proceeds of his industry, he obtained a super- 
 fine suit of clothing, plenty of coarse working clothes, 
 9*
 
 102 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 and a good hammock of Russia sheeting, which he 
 swung midway in the barrack, to escape the vermin 
 which the dirty habits of his fellow-prisoners had in- 
 troduced. He had also five blankets, and two or three 
 cords of wood, laid up for winter. He had also, dur- 
 ing the whole time, aided the sick among the prisoners 
 with such comforts as he could procure for them, 
 spending on an average a dollar a week in that way 
 a very considerable sum, taking into view the means of 
 sale which he had, and the low prices which he was com- 
 pelled to charge. Beside this, his garden furnished 
 his fellow-prisoners with vegetables and provisions of 
 other kinds, which to the sick were glad substitutes for 
 the unvarying round of pork and other coarse rations. 
 The British officers, oppressed with the monotony of a 
 garrison life, were glad to have any method of passing 
 away the time, and they made his workshop their re- 
 sort, where they would sit for hours, watching the pro- 
 cesses of manufacture, and conversing with the indus- 
 trious prisoners. By this means he made friends 
 among them, and received many little indulgences 
 at their hands which his companions could not obtain. 
 These manifestations caused considerable envy among 
 the latter, and Parkerson and Hopkins took occasion to 
 inflame their dislike by innuendoes and unfriendly 
 speeches, which caused the manifestation of frequent 
 insults towards him. Having borne this usage for some 
 time, he bethought himself of a means of protection, 
 by appealing to the New England men, as a New Eng- 
 land man, and representing the affronts as being offered 
 because he was a Yankee. This policy had its effect ; 
 the natives of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and other 
 eastern States, rallied to his support. In a short time
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 103 
 
 Fitch had a party of defenders as strong as his oppo- 
 nents, which fact kept the latter in check, and caused 
 them to cease their annoyance. 
 
 Although it was supposed that Prison Island was 
 guarded by the dangerous rapids in the river surround- 
 ing it, those natural obstacles did not prevent some of 
 the captives from making their escape. They would 
 construct rafts at the upper end of the territory, and 
 dare the perilous navigation. Some got off, some were 
 drowned, and some were brought back in irons. These 
 occurrences became so common, that the barracks were 
 picketed in ; but this precaution did not suffice. Dur- 
 ing midsummer, thirty escaped in one night. Ten or 
 fifteen more were caught attempting to get away, and 
 being brought back, were confined in an inside picket. 
 Some of the prisoners in the next barrack to Fitch, 
 began to burrow towards the place of the confinement 
 of their associates. They had proceeded about ten 
 feet beyond the walty and under the soil of the parade 
 square, when a heavy rain caused the pickets to sink 
 through the burrow, so that all their labor was in vain, 
 and further progress Avas impeded. In this dilemma 
 some of them consulted Fitch (who was looked upon as 
 an ingenious man) as to what could be done. He told 
 them that he was going to work in the garden that day, 
 suggested that there was plenty of old iron hoops on 
 the island, and that with a file some of them might be 
 easily notched into saws. They took the hint, and 
 acted accordingly. That night forty or fifty got out- 
 side of the pickets, and between twenty and thirty 
 escaped from the island. 
 
 Capt. Anderson had been succeeded in the command 
 at this post by Capt. Carleton, a humane and kind man.
 
 104 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE EXCHANGE THE SEA VOYAGE. 
 
 IN the beginning of October, intelligence was received 
 that the prisoners had been exchanged, and orders 
 were given for their immediate departure. The an- 
 nouncement was made in the evening at roll call, and 
 they were directed to be ready to go off the next day. 
 Fitch, who had .become a man of business, and of for- 
 tune, was embarrassed by the order, and he besought 
 more time. The British officers made merry at this, 
 saying, that he was " as rich as Robinson Crusoe, and 
 unwilling to quit his wealth on the desert island." He 
 also requested permission to go with the Vermont 
 people by way of Crown Point, but this favor was 
 denied, and he was ordered to go to an Atlantic port. 
 He therefore made 'a summary disposition of his effects. 
 His tools he packed in a cedar case, which he took 
 away with him. He had plenty of clothing, and 
 money to buy little luxuries to serve on the voyage, 
 besides having a sum in his pocket. 
 
 The prisoners were taken from Coteau du Lac to 
 Montreal. Here Fitch tried to induce some of his 
 companions to desert, and attempt to reach the states 
 by land, but he could get none to undertake so wild a 
 journey. They continued down the St. Lawrence to 
 Quebec, where he and others were put on board the 
 ship John, bound to Boston. For some unaccountable 
 reason the vessel did not sail, but remained before
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 105 
 
 Quebec for more than a month, during which time 
 there were heavy snows and rains, and the weather 
 was very cold. All the prisoners suffered much, the 
 only fire on board being in the* caboose. Whilst the 
 John was thus moored, another ship, the Baker and 
 Atly, was put under a cartel commission, and ordered 
 to sail to Philadelphia. On board of that vessel, Fitch 
 and seventy others were placed, much to his dissatis- 
 faction, as he wanted to go to Boston. He remonstrated 
 against the change, but in vain, and incurred the dis- 
 pleasure of Colonel Campbell, an American officer, who 
 had been a prisoner ; but now, in consequence of his 
 rank, was placed in command of his countrymen. 
 Captain Tung, a king's officer, was put in commission 
 as commander of the Baker and Atly. On the 25th 
 of November they left Quebec, during a violent storm 
 which lasted until they had passed Cape Breton, and 
 was so severe that they had no opportunity of putting 
 the pilot on shore. In this tempest the magnificent 
 ship of the line Ville de Paris, and other fine vessels 
 were cast away. 1 The voyage was very unpleasant, 
 there being continual storms and head-winds. Fitch 
 did not get along harmoniously with his companions, 
 especially Colonel Campbell and Captain Tung, with 
 whom he quarrelled. On one occasion it was feared 
 that the ship would go on shore, and our voyager pre- 
 pared himself in a singular way for the expected 
 
 1 The first-rate ship of the line, Ville de Paris, carrying 
 104 guns, had belonged to the French fleet under Count de 
 Grasse, but was captured in the famous sea-fight in which Ad- 
 miral Rodney was victorious. Under the English flag and under 
 the command of Captain A. Wilkinson, the Ville de Paris left 
 Jamaica in November, 1782, and was never heard of afterward
 
 106 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 catastrophe. Having dressed himself in costume 
 which he thought suitable for the struggle, he put a 
 biscuit in one pocket, and a shoemaker's nippers in the 
 other. With that instrument he thought that if cast 
 ashore he could catch at the sand, sea plants, or -what- 
 ever object would offer a purchase, and thus prevent 
 his being worked off by a receding wave. The idea 
 was not a bad one, but the wind suddenly changing 
 and blowing off shore as hard as it had blown toward 
 it, these preparations were useless. They were noticed, 
 however, and the next day Captain Tung ridiculed the 
 prudent passenger in the presence of all who were on 
 board, an affront which exasperated Fitch's sensitive 
 nature to great resentment. The succeeding day they 
 were near the capes of Delaware. The sky was clear 
 and a gentle breeze filled the sails. Whilst all were 
 enjoying the contrast between the present pleasure, 
 and past discomforts, the sound of cannon was heard at 
 a distance on' the waters. At length a fine man-of-war, 
 with every sail spread, was seen approaching, another 
 frigate following in chase, whilst another was half a 
 mile to windward, and another three, miles in the rear. 
 As the leading ship came up, without colors flying, the 
 pursuer fired at her. The Baker and Atly was directly 
 between these combatants, and Captain Tung was 
 scared at his perilous situation, not knowing the relative 
 nationalities of the combatants. He thought it most 
 prudent to hoist the British flag, and was preparing to 
 display it,- when the nearest ship, which was but a 
 pistol-shot distant, run up the stripes and stars of the 
 United States. Captain Tung at once saw his danger, 
 and preferred to remain between the combatants rather
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 107 
 
 than peril himself by what would seem to have been a 
 defiance of a foe which could have sunk his ship with 
 one broadside. The American frigate (it was the 
 South Carolina) had no time to challenge or examine 
 the humble merchantman, and the three British frigates 
 continued the chase. When he was out of danger 
 Captain Tung held up to witness the battle. The 
 South Carolina fired ten or twelve guns during the 
 afternoon, but towards night the Americans on board 
 the Baker and Atly had the misfortune to see the 
 American flag hauled down, after (as Fitch thought) 
 a badly managed fight. 1 
 
 1 The South Carolina was manned by the State of that name. 
 Other vessels had previously been sent out by the same authority. 
 Concerning the history of its marine, and particularly in regard 
 to the loss of the frigate South Carolina, Cooper gives the follow- 
 ing particulars : 
 
 " Commodore Gillon, who was at the head of the little marine, 
 went to Europe, and large amounts of Colonial produce were 
 remitted to him in order to raise the necessary funds. In his 
 correspondence, this officer complains of the difficulty of pro- 
 curing the right sort of ships, and much time was lost in fruit- 
 less negotiations for that purpose, in both France and Holland. 
 At length an arrangement was entered into for one vessel, that 
 is so singular as to require particular notice. This vessel was 
 the Indien, which had been laid down by the American com- 
 missioners at Amsterdam, and subsequently presented to France. 
 She had the dimensions of a small 74, but was a frigate in con- 
 struction, carrying, however, an armament that consisted of 28 
 Swedish thirty-sixes on her gun-deck, and of 12 Swedish twelves 
 on her quarter-deck and forecastle, or 40 guns in the whole. 
 This ship, though strictly the property of France, had been lent 
 by Louis XVI. to the Duke of Luxembourgh, who hired her to 
 . the State of South Carolina for three years, on condition that 
 the State would insure her, sail her at its own expense, and
 
 108 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 The Baker and Atly now met -with the British fleet, 
 and, instead of continuing the voyage to Philadelphia, 
 was ordered to steer for New York, in company with 
 the three British frigates and the South Carolina. 
 
 render to her owner one-fourth of the proceeds of her prizes. 
 Under this singular compact the ship, which was named the 
 South Carolina for the occasion, got out in 1781, and made a 
 successful cruise in the narrow seas, sending her prizes into 
 Spain. Afterwards she proceeded to America, capturing ten 
 sail, with which she went into Havana. Here Commodore 
 Gillon, with a view to distress the enemy, accepted the command 
 of the nautical part of an expedition against the Bahamas, that 
 had been set on foot by the Spaniards, and in which other 
 American cruisers joined. The expedition was successful, and 
 the ship proceeded to Philadelphia. Commodore Gillon now left 
 her, and, after some delay, the South Carolina went to sea in 
 December, 1782, under the orders of Captain Joyner, an officer 
 who had previously served on board the vessel as the second in 
 command. It is probable that the movements of so important 
 a vessel were watched, for she bad scarcely cleared the capes, 
 when, after a short running fight, she fell into the hands of the 
 British ship Diomede, 44, having the Astrea, 32, and the Quebec, 
 32, in company. 
 
 "The South Carolina was much the heaviest ship that ever 
 sailed under the American flag, until the new frigates were con- 
 structed during the war of 1812, and she is described as being 
 a particularly fast vessel, but her service appears to have been 
 greatly disproportioned to her means. She cost the State a large 
 sum of money, and is believed to have returned literally nothing 
 to its treasury. Her loss excited much comment." Cooper's 
 Naval History, Vol. I., page 212. 
 
 Bivington's Royal Gazette, December 25, 1782, says, " The 
 Quebec was commanded by Christopher Mason, the Diomede by 
 Captain Frederick, and the Astrea by Matthew Squires. They 
 chased the South Carolina eighteen hours, when she fired a 
 stern-chaser at the Diomede, which was returned by one of the ' 
 latter's bow guns. The Diomede gave her six broadsides, and
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 109 
 
 During the last part of the voyage the prisoners were 
 treated badly, being locked under hatches, and not 
 more than two being allowed to come upon deck at 
 once. This treatment would scarcely have been 
 submitted to, if the ship had been without a convoy. 
 Although a rescue was'spoken of among the Americans, 
 it was not attempted. On Christmas, 1782, forty days 
 after leaving Quebec, the Baker and Atly arrived at 
 New York, the prisoners having been ten weeks on the 
 water from the time they left Prison island. When the 
 ship cast anchor, Fitch wrote to William White, brass- 
 founder, and Richard Laws, cutler, two persons whom 
 he knew, to come and see him and bring him what 
 articles he wanted. Although they had formerly been 
 great friends of his, they paid no attention to him, but 
 told the commissary to attend to him. He concluded 
 that they were afraid that he would ask them for 
 charity, and that they thought it would be economical 
 for them to stay away. This gave him disgust White 
 and Laws were leading Methodists, to which sect Fitch 
 then belonged, and the affair, with others which have 
 been related, no doubt had an effect upon his mind, 
 and unsettled religious opinions which never were very 
 firm. The prisoners were sent up the river to Dobbs' 
 
 she received one from the Quebec, through a running fight of 
 two hours, when her colors were struck to this superior force. 
 She was taken the day after she sailed. She lost six killed and 
 wounded, but the British not a man. 
 
 " Fifty German, and eight British soldiers of General Bur- 
 goyne's army, taken out of the jail at Philadelphia, and com- 
 pelled on board the Carolina (rather than submit to be sold by 
 the rebels), were, on this occasion, happily released from a 
 service ever obnoxious to their principles." 
 
 10
 
 110 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 ferry, where a parole was asked of them. Fitch re- 
 fused to give one, without a copy, so that he might 
 know its terms. This act of justice was denied him, 
 and he was finally discharged without it. Meeting one 
 John Burnett who had been a fellow-prisoner, ho 
 travelled with him to Warminster, in Bucks County, 
 where they arrived on a Saturday night. 
 
 "He went directly," says Longstreth, "to the log- 
 shop where he met with his bosom friend Cobe Scout, 
 as related to me by an eye-witness, Jonathan Delany. 
 * It was,' said he, ' a rainy Saturday that Fitch opened 
 the shop door, and he and Cobe rushed into each other's 
 arms, and gave vent to their emotions in a flood of 
 tears.' " l The next day Burnett, who was a Baptist, 
 attended meeting, where thanks were publicly returned 
 to God for his deliverance from captivity. The an- 
 nouncement drew forth the sympathies of the simple 
 congregation, and a collection was taken up to assist 
 him in his need. With twelve dollars in his pocket, 
 the proceeds of this contribution, and with a sum 
 borrowed from Fitch, Burnett went on towards Ken- 
 tucky. 
 
 1 "John Fitch, of steamboat memory," by Daniel Longstreth, 
 Bucks County Intelligencer.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. Ill 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ADVENTURES IN KENTUCKY AND OHIO. 
 
 AFTER his return from captivity, Fitch remained 
 some time in Bucks County, without any particular em- 
 ployment. He had not relinquished his belief that 
 vast riches might be made by the selection and pur- 
 chase of lands in the western country. After the 
 treaty of peace with England, the question, How the 
 lands north-west of the River Ohio should be disposed 
 of, was mooted in Congress. It was thought that they 
 would be sold, to pay the debts of the Confederacy. 
 Fitch was now a land-jobber, and supposing that a good 
 operation might be made by a pre-survey of the coun- 
 try, so that when Land Offices were opened warrants 
 might be taken out immediately for choice tracts, he 
 disclosed his thoughts to some of his friends. He found 
 no difficulty in forming a company to forward such an 
 enterprise. It was composed of Dr. John Ewing, Rev. 
 Nathaniel Irwin, Wm. C. Houston, Jonathan Dickin- 
 son Sergeant, Stacy Potts, of Trenton, and Colonel 
 Joshua Anderson, of Bucks County. These gentlemen 
 put ,20 each in a fund to pay expenses. Fitch was 
 to have an equal share in the titles, and the money 
 raised was to pay the expenses of subsistence, etc., for 
 the surveying party. Col. Anderson went along, and 
 he took with him some of his friends who were unac- 
 customed to rough work, and who really were obstacles 
 to the success of the expedition. Although they
 
 112 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 should have commenced their labors at early dawn, it 
 \vas generally eight or nine o'clock in the morning be- 
 fore they could be got to business, and they were soon 
 tired out, so that the progress of the company was but 
 slow. Fitch kept the minutes, made draughts, and at 
 night corrected each day's work ; but much time was 
 lost in consequence of the laziness of members of the 
 party. 
 
 They began at the mouth of the Hockhocking, on 
 the north-western side of the Ohio, and surveyed up 
 to Wheeling Island, a distance then computed by Fitch 
 to be between eighty and ninety miles. They selected 
 the most valuable tracts in that range, and surveyed 
 about thirty-six thousand acres. They returned to 
 Decker's Fort, from which point they had started, with 
 an intention of going into the woods. But here an 
 obstacle arose from the indisposition of the majority 
 of the party to proceed further. They were afraid of 
 hostile Indians. It had been resolved that they should 
 survey one hundred thousand acres, and but little more 
 than one-third of the task had been executed. Con- 
 tention ensued, and Fitch determined to get frontier 
 men accustomed to the country, whilst Col. Anderson 
 and his friends, who had seen enough of life in the 
 woods, were preparing to return to Bucks County. 
 With the hands thus obtained, Fitch set out westward, 
 and all who were with him worked so energetically, 
 that they surveyed forty-eight thousand acres in two 
 weeks. Anderson and his party set off homeward two 
 days before their return to Decker's Fort. The frost 
 was now setting in, and nothing more could be done. 
 Fitch remained at the mouth of Ilockhockiug, one day,
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 113 
 
 to settle up his affairs, when he also took the road to 
 Pennsylvania on foot. At Wright's Ferry, he over- 
 took Colonel Anderson and his party. Leaving them 
 there, he travelled on, and got to Bucks County a day 
 before them. 
 
 Arrived at home, his thoughts turned once more to 
 his children, and in December, 1781, he addressed a 
 letter to his son, of which the following is an extract : 
 
 " Heaven forbid that I should endeavor to raise an irreverent 
 thought in your heart against your mother. But our separation, 
 you may be assured, was no trifling matter to me. There was 
 nothing that I more ardently wished for, at the time, than that 
 Heaven would call me to the world of spirits. You, my child, 
 staggered every resolution, and weighed more to me than a 
 mountain of diamonds. Finally, I resolved, and re-resolved, and 
 then resolved again, and gave you a sacrifice to the world more 
 unwillingly than the patriarch of old." 1 
 
 Whilst waiting the advent of spring, he became "& 
 brother of the mystic tie." He joined Bristol Lodge 
 No. 25 A. Y. M., of the State of Pennsylvania, on the 
 4th of January, 1785. 2 He was a faithful member of 
 the Masonic order, and attached to the institution, as 
 appears by various expressions in his journal. 
 
 The share-holders were satisfied with the results of 
 this trip, and with the prospects before them, and they 
 prevailed upon Fitch to take the field early in the 
 spring of 1785. He accordingly left Bucks County in 
 the winter, and crossed the Susquehanna river on the 
 ice. At Monongahela, he met with one John Sterrett, 
 
 1 Whittlesey's Life of Fitch. Sparks' American Biography, 
 page 100. 
 
 2 Historical Sketches of Bristol Borough, by Wm. Bache, 
 page 53. 
 
 10*
 
 114 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 
 
 to whom he made proposals to accompany him. Hands 
 were also hired, sufficient in number to carry two chains, 
 and the whole party, numbering thirteen, went down 
 the Ohio in the month of March, to the mouth of the 
 Muskingum. They surveyed up that river a distance 
 of eighty-five miles, until they came upon fresh Indian 
 signs ; finding a large camp, which had been but re- 
 cently occupied. They thought it prudent to leave 
 that dangerous vicinity, and taking to their canoes, 
 paddled down the Muskingum, until they reached the 
 Ohio, and thence proceeded to the mouth of the Hock- 
 hocking. Up that stream they proceeded about forty- 
 seven miles, surveying the best lands. They reached 
 a large island, about one hundred acres in extent; the 
 stream on each side was choked with large logs, and 
 impassable for canoes. Upon the land were the marks 
 of fresh tracks, and other Indian signs. Fitch decided 
 that he would return, but Sterrett was desirous of pro- 
 ceeding, and offered to go himself to the head of the 
 river Hockhocking, and then cross the country to 
 White Woman's Creek 1 (Walhonding River), a tribu- 
 tary which, joining the Tuscarawas atCoshocton, forms 
 the Muskingum. Thence Sterrett proposed to return 
 by land to the Ohio. This was contrary to the opinion 
 and policy of Fitch, but he reluctantly consented. 
 Sterrett divided the party, and loading each man with 
 twenty pounds of flour, other provisions, and baggage, 
 
 1 This name was applied to it from the circumstance that a 
 white woman named Harris, who in early life was captured by 
 Indians, and became domiciliated among them, lived upon the 
 stream. She had been educated religiously when young, and in 
 later life retained enough of her early education to lament the 
 wickedness of the white people who came to the West.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 115 
 
 they parted. Fitch and liis companions embarked in 
 their canoes, and proceeded down the river. Before 
 night they saw three Indians standing on the hank, 
 near a great bend, which was seven or eight miles 
 round by the course of the river, but which was only a 
 mile and a half across by land. The darkness was 
 coming on, and the party paddled about a mile, when 
 they ceased, loaded their guns, and inspected them to 
 see if they were in good order. They then proceeded 
 cautiously, and near the end of the bend they heard 
 the Indians walking on the land, stepping among the 
 willows, and breaking off twigs and sticks as they went 
 along. Whether the savages were armed is not known, 
 but they did not fire upon the voyagers nor attempt to 
 molest them. The white men floated on until the night 
 became so very dark that it was impossible to see to 
 go further. They then went on shore, but took every 
 precaution to give no indication of their situation. 
 They kindled no fires, and were very quiet. They 
 rose an hour before day, and waited impatiently until 
 the first glimmer of dawn enabled them to proceed. 
 They succeeded in escaping, and in good time reached 
 the Ohio. 
 
 Sterrett and his party were not so lucky. They 
 had travelled not more than eight or ten miles after 
 the separation from Fitch, when they fell in with six 
 Indians. The "hunter" and one of the hands were 
 separated from them and escaped the danger, but the 
 rest were made prisoners. They were kept two nights 
 and a day, when, after taking all their property from 
 them, the Indians set them at liberty. The two men 
 who were not captured returned to Fitch and reported
 
 116 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 their disaster, and Sterrett and his companions after- 
 wards joined them. The party then went down to the 
 Great Kanawha, from which they surveyed up along the 
 Ohio, and to some distance inland, to the Muskingum, 
 when they left off. The assistants were discharged 
 and Fitch returned home, believing that one day he 
 would be " a man of fortune." In this trip two hun- 
 dred and fifty thousand acres were surveyed. 
 
 "When he reached Bucks County, intelligence awaited 
 him which was unexpected. Whilst he was away, 
 Congress had passed resolutions that the North-Western 
 Territory should be divided into States, and that all 
 lands there should be laid out at right angles, and in 
 sections of one mile square, and should be in that 
 manner located. His expectations, and those of the 
 company, were thereby partially frustrated, as there 
 was every probability that much worthless land would 
 have to be taken in every section, with that which was 
 good. He however deemed it judicious to set off 
 again and re-survey, or rather note the most valuable 
 sections, according to the plan contemplated by Con- 
 gress. He accordingly went once more to the frontiers, 
 where, hiring three men, they rode through the coun- 
 try, and when they came to good tracts they made 
 notes of the land-marks, so that when the sections were 
 located by official surveys, they could tell which sec- 
 tions were most valuable. Governor Harrison, of 
 Virginia, hearing of these transactions, published a 
 proclamation, forbidding private surveys of lands on 
 the western side of the Ohio. This was aimed particu- 
 larly at Fitch, but before it was promulgated the mis- 
 chief had been done, and the admonition was for the
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 117 
 
 benefit of the company, as it deterred other adventurers 
 from doing that which had already been accomplished 
 by them. 
 
 After his return, Fitch petitioned Congress for an 
 appointment as surveyor in the western country, and 
 was backed by good recommendations. 1 Whilst await- 
 ing the result of this application, he made a draft of 
 the North- Western country, from Hutchins and Mor- 
 row's maps, with additions from his own knowledge, " to 
 keep the ideas of the country" in his mind. He 
 thought that it might be useful if engraved, and he got 
 a sheet of copper and hammered, polished, and en- 
 graved it, and then made a press and printed it. 2 
 Speaking of this map afterwards, he said, " It is true 
 it was but Coursely done; it was cheap, portable to 
 any one who wanted to go to the woods, and more to 
 
 1 The following is a copy of that paper : 
 
 " These are to certify that we have been acquainted with Mr. 
 John Fitch for some time past, and that he is a sober and in- 
 dustrious man, and is worthy of confidence for his honesty and 
 integrity, that he understands the business of surveying, and 
 having travelled through a great part of the Indian country, he 
 appears to be well acquainted with it. Should Congress, there- 
 fore give him a deputation as surveyor of a district in one of the 
 new States, we believe that he would do honor to the appoint- 
 ment by his knowledge, industry, and fidelity, in the discharge 
 of his duty. 
 
 "Given under our hands this 29 Decembr., 1784, at Phila- 
 delphia. "JonN EWING, 
 
 "Wit. HuxcHiNa, 
 
 " CADWALADER MORRIS, 
 
 "JoNA D. SERGEANT." 
 
 2 The first copies were printed on a cider press. Longstreth.
 
 118 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 be relyed upon than any published." 1 Whilst thus 
 engaged his interests were suffering. Relying too 
 much upon his own merit, and the strength of the 
 recommendations offered by him, he did not push his 
 petition to Congress for appointment as a surveyor 
 with the assiduity necessary, and others who were at 
 the seat of government were working against him. 
 The consequence was that he did not get the appoint- 
 ment. Mr. Hoops obtained it, and Fitch, now fully 
 possessed of the idea of a great invention which had 
 been partly conceived whilst he remained at home, had 
 scarcely time or disposition to regret his failure. 
 
 1 In reference to this map, Mr. Whittlesey says : 
 " The general positions of the great rivers and lakes are given 
 with surprising accuracy, -when we regard the circumstances 
 under which it was made. Lake Superior appears somewhat 
 magnified to the north and east, but the outlines of lakes Huron, 
 Erie, and Michigan, bear a striking resemblance to more modern 
 representations. The extent of his personal acquaintance with 
 the country may be inferred from some remarks engraved upon 
 the map. For instance, 'The lands on this lake [Erie] are 
 generally thin and swampy, but will make good pasture and 
 meadow lands.' 'From Fort Lawrence and thence by the 
 mouth of the Scioto, a westerly course, to Illinois, is generally 
 a rich level country, abounding with living springs and naviga- 
 ble waters, the air pure, the climate moderate.' ' This country 
 [Illinois] has once been settled by a people more expert in war 
 than the present inhabitants.' Regular fortifications, and some 
 of these incredibly large, are to be found, also many graves, or 
 towers, like pyramids of earth. Spark's American Biography, 
 2d Series, Vol. VI., page 109. 
 
 A copy of this map is now in possession of John L. Long- 
 streth of Philadelphia, son of Daniel Longstreth.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 119 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE INVENTION OF THE STEAMBOAT JOURNEY TO 
 VIRGINIA. 
 
 IN the month of April, 1785, upon a Sunday, John 
 Fitch was walking in "the street road" near Nesha- 
 mony, in Bucks County, in company with James Ogil- 
 bee. They had been at a religious meeting, at which 
 the Rev. Mr. Irwin preached, and they were now re- 
 turning home slowly. A rheumatism, contracted no 
 doubt during his recent surveying tours in the Ohio 
 country, had stiffened the limbs of Fitch, and his pro- 
 gress was somewhat difficult. Whilst he was limping 
 along, a gentleman, Mr. Sinton, and his wife, who 
 were seated in a "chair," drawn by a noble horse, 
 passed them at a rapid pace. The circumstance was 
 not uncommon, but just at that moment the progress 
 of those travellers was so much more rapid than the 
 pace of the pedestrians, that the circumstance set one 
 of the latter to thinking. Mr. Fitch thought that it 
 would be a great thing to have a means of conveyance, 
 without keeping a horse. He considered within him- 
 self, whether it might not be possible to find some force 
 which would accomplish this important end. The ex- 
 pansive qualities of steam seem to have been observed 
 by him before that time, and the idea of a steam engine 
 presented itself to his fancy as an efficient method of 
 propelling carriages upon land. 1 At this time, he 
 
 1 This statement is made by Fitch in his papers. It is vouched 
 by James Ogilbee, by certificate published in Fitch's pamphlet,
 
 120 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 avers, he was altogether ignorant that a steam engine 
 had ever been invented. Full of enthusiasm with the 
 idea, when he reached home he proceeded to make 
 drafts of a steam land carriage. He worked diligently 
 at this thought for about a week, but doubtless soon 
 became disheartened when he reflected upon the rough- 
 ness of the common roads in America the plan of a 
 railway not having presented itself to his imagination. 
 His own quaint account of the consequences of that 
 discovery is curious. He says : 
 
 "I was so unfortunate in the month of April, 1785, as to have 
 an idea that a carriage might be carried by the force of steam 
 along the roads. I pursued that idea about one week, and gave 
 it over as impracticable, or, in other words, turned my thoughts 
 to vessels, which appeared to me that it might be applied to ad- 
 vantage on the water. From that time I have pursued the Idea 
 to this day, with unremitted assiduity, yet do frankly confess 
 that it has been the most imprudent scheme that ever I engaged 
 m. The mechanism has been the grandest, altho executed 
 upon a small scale, that was ever executed by mortal man, al- 
 tho it does not make the grand appearance that it would in 
 a first-rate man-of-war. The difficulties have been infinitely 
 greater, as in a small boat we are confined to room and weight, 
 therefore the works are much more noble than if we had carried 
 one thousand tons one hundred miles in a day. And to reflect 
 on the disproportion of a man of my abilities to such a task, I 
 
 " The Original Steamboat Supported." Mr. 0. says a gentle- 
 man and his wife passed us by in a riding-chair; he (Fitch) 
 grew immediately inattentive to what I said. Sometime after- 
 ward he informed me that then the first idea of a steamboat struck 
 his mind. James Scout, under date April 15, 1788, certifies 
 that Fitch told him that while walking with Ogilbee he first 
 thought of a steamboat in consequence of Sinton's passing him 
 rapidly; and that in May or June following Fitch showed him 
 (Scout) a plan of the boat on paper.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 121 
 
 am apt to charge myself with being deranged at the time of 
 my engaging in it, and had I not the most convincing proofs to 
 the contrary, that I have now by me, I most certainly should 
 suppose myself to be non compos mentus at that time. 
 
 But on examining over my papers, I find that there was 46 
 capital, and many of them principal characters, for Philosophy 
 and machanism, that gave me their opinions that the scheme 
 was rational. I may add to them the Committee of the Assem- 
 bly of Virginia of 7 members, of Maryland 5, of Pennsylvania 
 3, and to that number 27 that have engaged and advanced 
 money on it, which are generally men of the first character 
 in all 90 that has testified either by Certificate or otherwise 
 that I absolutely was in my senses at the time. 
 
 Yet notwithstanding all this, I should have doubted both 
 them and myself, had not the God of Nature testified the same. 
 What I call Lunccy, is a train of deranged unconnected ideas. 
 It is well known that a steam engine is a complicated machine, 
 and to make that and connect it with the works for propelling a 
 boat, must take a long train of Ideas, and them all connected, 
 and no one part of them disjointed ; for the Laws of God are so 
 positive that the greatest favorite of Heaven would not succeed 
 contrary to the fixed Laws of Nature, no sooner than the most 
 profain sinner. 
 
 I have now made use of a long train of reasoning to prove 
 that I was not a Lunitic, and doubt not but that my reasons will 
 convince the world in general, that I was not. Yet, notwithstand- 
 ing the infaliablo evidences which I have produced, it does not 
 bring full conviction with me ; for had I the abilities of Cissaroe, 
 it ought to be esteemed madness in me to have undertaken it in 
 my state of penury. Had I been a Nobleman of 3000 per year, 
 it would bearly justified my Conduct, than as the world from the 
 evidence which I have produced are obliged to justify my Con- 
 duct. I, on the other hand, have a right to declare myself a 
 Madman, and I think I can prove this on the following princi- 
 ples: 
 
 As I know of nothing so perplexing and vexatious to a man 
 of fealings as a turbulant Wife and Steamboat building. I 
 experienced the former, and quit in season, and had I been in 
 11
 
 122 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 my right sences, I should undoubtedly treated the latter in the 
 same manner; but for one man to be teised with Both, he must 
 be looked on as the most unfortunate man of the world. There- 
 fore I find I must leave the World and myself as much in the 
 dark as ever about my interlects, and inform them how I pro- 
 ceeded." 
 
 Discouraged by the difficulty of completing land 
 carriages, Fitch turned his attention to the perfecting 
 of some method of propelling vessels upon the water. 
 He immediately set to work with ardor to perfect the 
 draft of a boat to be moved by steam, and after two 
 or three weeks he took his drawings to his friend, the 
 Rev. Mr. Irwin, of Neshamony. The latter had in 
 his library "Martin's Philosophy," 1 in which was a 
 description of a steam engine. "Although it was not 
 to my credit," confesses Fitch, frankly, "I did not 
 know that there was a steam engine on earth, when I 
 proposed to gain a force by steam;" and he adds, that 
 upon being shown the drawing at Mr. Irwin's, he was 
 "very much chagrined." But upon reflection this 
 knowledge strengthened his resolution, now being as- 
 sured that the machinery would not fail of propulsion, 
 if he could gain the force. 
 
 The first and most obvious course, was to try by ex- 
 periment to obtain a proper method of propulsion, by 
 which the vessel could be moved by the active power. 
 Jn casting about for the best means, paddle-wheels simi- 
 lar to those afterward used by Fulton, seem to have 
 suggested themselves. Mr. Longstreth says :' 
 
 1 "Philosophia Brittanica," by Benj. Martin. London, 1747. 
 This contains descriptions of Newcomen's, Savary's,and Cowley'a 
 old-fashioned atmospheric steam engine. 
 
 2 "John Fitch of steamboat memory." Bucks Co. Intelli- 
 gencer. Watson's Annals of Philad., Vol. II., page 450.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 123 
 
 "It was in this log shop [Cobe Scout's] that Fitch made his 
 model steamboat, with paddle-wheels as they are now used. 
 
 The model was tried on a small stream on Joseph Longstreth's 
 meadow, about half a mile from Davisville, in Southampton 
 township, and it realized every expectation. The machinery 
 was made of brass, with the exception of the paddle-wheels, 
 which were made of wood by Nathaniel B. Boileau, whilst on a 
 visit during vacation from Princeton College. 1 
 
 1 Daniel Longstreth deserves honor for his efforts to impress 
 upon his countrymen the just merits of John Fitch. He was 
 the first person who, after the circumstances attending the ori- 
 ginal steamboat experiments were generally forgotten, attempted 
 to interest the world in the history of this neglected man. His 
 father, Daniel Longstreth, of Bucks County, had been the friend 
 and associate of Fitch, and from his lips young Longstreth had 
 often heard the singular story of the neglected genius, of whom 
 he also had some memory among the recollections of his boy- 
 hood. After the publication of Colden's Life of Fulton, Daniel 
 Longstreth the younger, pained at the cold disdain with which 
 the claims of the original inventor of steamboats was treated, en- 
 deavored to call attention to the labors of the friend of his father. 
 He succeeded in interesting John F. Watson, the author of "An- 
 nals of Philadelphia," in the matter, and the brief notice taken 
 by the latter of the merits of Fitch, has done much to give interest 
 to a history but little understood. Concerning Daniel Longstreth 
 the younger, the following particulars have been obtained from 
 "VVm. J. Buck, author of the History of Bucks County: 
 
 His ancestor, Bartholomew Longstreth, was an early settler 
 of Warminster tp., Bucks Co., having come from Yorkshire, 
 Eng., in 1099, and was married to Ann, the daughter of John 
 Dawson, an early settler of the present village of Ilatborough. 
 B. L. built himself a house in Warminster about the year 1714> 
 not far from the present village of Johnsville. Daniel L. was a 
 farmer, and in addition kept a boarding-school for boys. He 
 died in Warminster tp. (5 miles N. E. of Willow Grove) about 
 the year 1850, at an advanced age. He was regarded by many 
 of his neighbors as an eccentric man. His greatest study was 
 astronomy. He was a man of blameless life, and was much
 
 124 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Mr. Boileau, a highly respectable man, who was at 
 one time an influential politician in Pennsylvania, and 
 who was Secretary of State under Governor Snyder, 
 made this statement to Daniel Longstreth. 1 
 
 respected. Himself and ancestors belonged to the society of 
 Friends. Most of Watson's information concerning Fitch he 
 derived from Daniel Longstreth, whom he calls in his Annals, 
 "D. L." 
 
 Charles Whittlesey, of Cincinnati, also has done much to 
 awaken attention to the claims of Fitch. He published a pam- 
 phlet in 1845, entitled " Justice to the Memory of John Fitch," 
 and in 1845 wrote A Sketch of the Life of John Fitch, Sparks' 
 American Biography, Vol. 6, new series, which contains eighty- 
 eight pages. 
 
 1 " The Hon. Nathaniel B. Boileau's father was Isaac Boileau, 
 who came from Long Island, and settled in Mooreland [Bucks 
 County, Pennsylvania,] about 1750. He was descended from 
 ancestors driven from France by the repeal of the edict of 
 Nantes. During the Revolution he was the ardent friend of 
 his country ; he died October 22, 1803, in the 81st year of his 
 age. Nathaniel was born on his father's plantation, near Hat- 
 borough, in 1762, and at an early age graduated at Princeton 
 College, though he never adopted a profession. For twelve 
 years he was an active member of the State legislature, where 
 he took a leading part in the impeachment of the judges in 
 1805-6. In 1808 he was appointed Secretary of State by 
 Governor Snyder, and continued the entire period of three terms. 
 This was a trying time in the history of our State, and embraced 
 the last war with England. During his official intercourse he 
 won the entire confidence of Governor Snyder, and returned his 
 warm friendship ever afterward. In 1817 he was a candidate 
 for Governor, but the choice fell upon the Hon. William Findley. 
 In 1835, Governor Ritner appointed him Register of Wills for 
 Montgomery County, which was the last office he held, and since 
 1839 he lived in retirement on his farm in the lower part of 
 Hatborough, adjoining the academy. In 1849 he removed to 
 Abington, where he died the IGth of March, 1850, at the 

 
 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 125 
 
 Mr. Whittlesey says upon the same subject : 
 "The buckets of the wheels were found to labor too much in 
 the water, entering, as they did, at a considerable angle, and de- 
 parting at the same. They lost power by striking at the surface 
 and afterwards lifting themselves out of water. This led to the 
 substitution of oars or paddles." 
 
 A further evidence will be seen in the letter of Dr. 
 Ewing, which will be shortly quoted, which shows that 
 his method was by turning wheels, or a single wheel in 
 the water. A still further confirmation is found in the 
 General Advertiser of November 29, 1791. The diffi- 
 culty under which the small paddle-wheels labored is 
 there concisely noticed. 
 
 Whilst engaged in experiments, he had printed a 
 number of copies of his map of the North- Western 
 country for sale, and thus announced the fact in the 
 Pennsylvania Packet of June 30, 1785 : 
 
 "JOHN FITCH, 
 
 Having traversed the country North- West of the Ohio, in the 
 several capacities of a Captive, Surveyor, Traveller, &c. Aa 
 the result of his labors and remarks, has completed, and now 
 wishes to sell, a new accurate map of that country, generally 
 distinguished by the Ten new States, including Kentucky, which 
 opens immense sources of wealth and advantageous speculation 
 to the citizens of the United States, and is, therefore, an object 
 of general attention. And having performed the engraving and 
 printing himself, is enabled to sell at the very small price of a 
 French crown. 
 
 " To be sold by William Prichard, on the North side of Market 
 Street, opposite Laetitia Court." 
 
 advanced age of 88 years, in the midst of a warm circle of 
 friends. In all the relations of life, he commanded the esteem 
 and confidence of the community, and was favorably known for 
 many kind and benevolent acts." History of Mooreland, by 
 William J. Buck; Collections of the Historical Society of Penn- 
 sylvania, Vol. I., page 212. 
 11*
 
 126 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Every thought encouraged Fitch in his plan, and 
 after spending more time upon the details of his inven- 
 tion he determined to seek the assistance of Congress. 
 On the 20th of August, 1785, Dr. John Ewing, pro- 
 vost of the University of Pennsylvania, gave Fitch a 
 letter to William C. Houston, formerly a member of 
 Congress, and who, by some mistake, was supposed to 
 be a representative at that time. 
 
 " PHILAD., 20 August, 1785. 
 
 "DEAR SIR: I have examined Mr. Fitche's machine for rowing 
 a Boat, by the alternate operation of steam, and the atmosphere, 
 and am of opinion that his principles are proper, and Philosophi- 
 cal, and have no doubt of the success of the scheme if executed 
 by a skilful workman. It is certain that the extensive force of 
 Water, when converted into steam, is equal to any obstruction 
 that can be laid in its way, so as to burst any metalick vessel 
 in which we would endeavour to confine it, and the application 
 of this force to turn a wheel in the water, so as to answer the 
 purpose of Oars, seems easy and natural by the machine which 
 he proposes, and of which he has shown me a rough model. 
 Should such a machine be brought into common use in the in- 
 land navigation through the United States, it would be exceed- 
 ingly advantageous in transporting the productions of America 
 to market, and thereby greatly increase the value of our back 
 Lands. He proposes to lay his invention before Congress, and 
 I hope he will meet with the incouragement which his mechani- 
 cal genius deserves. The project deserves .a trial to be made of 
 it, to see how far the execution will answer the theory; the 
 countenance of Congress in these productions of Genius, will 
 encourage others and thereby give birth to discoveries that may 
 be infinitely Beneficial. As you are a Gentleman of Knowledge 
 in these matters, I make no doubt of his receiving your patron- 
 age so far at least as to give him an opportunity of laying his 
 scheme before Congress. 
 
 " I am, sir, 
 
 " &c., &c., 
 
 " JOHN EWING. 
 " To WILLIAM C. HOUSTON, ESQ."
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCII. 127 
 
 The letter of Dr. Ewing to Mr. Houston, was de- 
 livered to the latter in a day or two after it was written. 
 Mr. Houston, not being a memher of Congress, enclosed 
 the recommendation of Dr. Ewing to Lambert Cad- 
 wallader, then a delegate for New Jersey, accompany- 
 ing it with a letter of his own in the following terms : 
 
 "TRENTON, 25 August, 1785. 
 
 "Sin: I have examined the Principles and construction of 
 Mr. Fitche's steamboat, and though not troubled with a Pen- 
 chant for projects, cannot help approving the simplicity of the 
 plan. The greatest objections to most pretensions of this sort, 
 is the delicacy and complication of the machinery. This does 
 not seem liable to such objections ; as to the moving force of the 
 whole, we know very well that the power of steam is beyond 
 conception, it is everything but omnipotent, and almost that. 
 
 " The model is plain, and you will at once form a judgment 
 of its probable general effect. The difference produced by 
 standing or running water is to be more attentively considered. 
 I enclose you Dr. Ewing's letter. He is certainly an able judge 
 in these cases, and I cannot help expressing a wish that it may 
 be practicable to do something toward procuring an experiment. 
 The person who offerS it, you know. He is a man highly de- 
 serving, as modest, ingenious, enterprising and of good morals. 
 "I am, sir, 
 
 " &c., &e., 
 
 " WILLM. C. HOUSTON. 
 
 " HONORABLE L. CADWALADER, ESQRE." 
 
 Congress was then in session in New York, and 
 while upon his way thither Fitch stopped at Princeton, 
 where, having shown his plans to Dr. Smith, provost 
 of the College, the latter gave him the subjoined letter 
 to the Hon. Mr. Read, member of Congress from North 
 Carolina :
 
 128 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 " PRINCETON, Aug. 27, 1785. 
 
 "SiR: The bearer, Mr. John Fitch, has shown me a model 
 of an instrument to row a Boat against streams, which appears 
 to me to be constructed on just and Philosophical principles. 
 As he desires to propose it to Congress, in order to obtain their 
 encouragement and assistance to construct a Boat on the same 
 principles, he has requested to be introduced to some gentlemen 
 of distinction in the honorable Body, supposing it may be of uso 
 to forward his intentions. After convincing them of its practi- 
 cability and utility, if he should obtain adequate assistance for 
 that purpose, he makes no doubt that Congress will give him 
 such reward as they may think his Mechanical ingenuity and 
 the benefit of his inventions may entitle him to, or perhaps that 
 they will so recommend him to the Legislators of particular 
 States that are likely to derive the most benefit from it, as that 
 he shall not want a proper compensation. You will best judge, 
 sir, how far Congress may think it their duty to attend to, or to 
 promote, an object of the kind, or to refer it immediately to 
 particular Legislators. But I am assured that if it be consistent 
 with their duty, a scheme that is the effect of ingenuity and 
 application, and promises to be of public service, will not want 
 a proper patron in you. 
 
 " I am, sir, 
 
 " &c. 4 &c., 
 
 " SAML. SMITH. 
 
 " HONORABLE MR. READ." 
 
 The following was the letter to Congress : ! 
 
 " August 29, 1785. 
 
 ^ SIR : The subscriber begs leave to lay at the feet of Con- 
 gress, an attempt he has made to facilitate the internal Naviga- 
 
 1 It is to be regretted that reports of the proceedings of the 
 Congress of the Confederation are very meagre. The published 
 minutes are composed of short notes, which seem to have been 
 kept as a record of the most important matters only. Motions 
 which were unsuccessful, reports upon subjects which were 
 never definitely acted upon, and the presentations of petitions
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 129 
 
 tion of the United States, adapted especially to the "Waters of 
 the Mississippi. 
 
 "The Machine he has invented for the purpose, has been 
 examined by several Gentlemen of Learning and Ingenuity, who 
 have given it their approbation. 
 
 "Being thus encouraged, he is desirous to solicit the attention 
 of Congress, to a rough model of it now with him, that, after 
 examination into the principles upon which it operates, they 
 may be enabled to judge whether it deserves encouragement. 
 And he, as in duty bound, shall ever pray. 
 
 " JOHN FITCH. 
 
 " His Excellency, the President 
 of Congress." 
 
 The application was referred to a committee, con- 
 sisting of Messrs. Read and King of Massachusetts, 
 and Mr. Henry of Maryland. This committee made 
 no report, much to the disappointment of the inventor. 
 
 Failing here, in September he made an application 
 for assistance to the minister of the King of Spain, 
 who was then at New York. The ambassador listened 
 to the proposals with interest, and gave encouragement, 
 
 and memorials which were referred or laid on the table, are not 
 noticed. This peculiarity has prevented the procurement of 
 some important documents, etc., confirming the statements of 
 Fitch as to what was done by Congress in reference to his steam- 
 boat plan. Wherever it has been possible to find evidence on 
 the subject in other quarters, his narrative has been confirmed 
 to the letter, and he was so truthful that the writer of this 
 biography has had no difficulty in accepting his statements with 
 confidence. The reader is requested to bear this in mind as we 
 proceed. The letter to Congress here given is referred to by 
 Fitch, but no copy is given, nor is there any note of it on the 
 minutes of Congress as published. Dr. Thornton supplied this 
 document in his pamphlet, " A Short Account of the Origin of 
 Steamboats," written in 1810.
 
 130 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 but, like a faithful subject, he desired that the invention 
 should be for the benefit of his Royal master. Fitch, 
 on the contrary, wished that the invention should be 
 for the advantage of mankind. If he had accepted 
 the offers of the Spanish minister, he might have been 
 rich. " God forbid !" exclaims he, writing in great 
 distress of mind and while meditating suicide in 1792, 
 " God forbid that I should ever be in the like error 
 again, if ever in my power to prevent it. The strange 
 ideas I had at that time of serving my country, with- 
 out the least suspicion that my only reward would be 
 nothing but contempt and opprobrious names, has 
 taught me a mighty lesson in mankind and to do it 
 at the displeasure of the whole Spanish nation, is one 
 of the most impolitic strokes that a Blockhead could 
 be guilty of." 
 
 Fitch returned to Bucks County very much incensed 
 at the cool treatment he had met with in New York, 
 and with a determination to persevere and show the 
 committee of Congress that they were " ignorant boys." 
 He had not much else to occupy his mind, for in the 
 meantime a new misfortune had fallen upon him. 
 Congress had resolved that the public lands should be 
 sold at public vendue, and in such a manner that all 
 the hopes of the land company, in consequence of their 
 superior knowledge, were swept away. This was a 
 severe disappointment not only to our adventurer, but 
 to his associates. In reference to his own hopes he 
 said, "Thus was an immense fortune reduced to nothing 
 at one blow. I could have located two hundred thou- 
 sand acres, beside what the company were entitled to 
 for the halves, and found plenty of encouragement."
 
 LIFE OF. JO UN FITCH. 131 
 
 He had nothing to do now but to apply his energies to 
 the project of the steamboat, to which he lent every 
 thought. 
 
 On the 27th of September, 1785, he presented a 
 drawing of his boat and models to the American 
 Philosophical Society, at Philadelphia, and was per- 
 mitted to attend their meeting. He said, " that upon 
 that occasion no new ideas were advanced more than 
 he had previously thought of, and some of the most 
 material were not touched." 
 
 John Fitch's model of Sept., 1785, with endless chain and floats and paddle- 
 boardg, in possession of the American Philosophical Society. 
 
 He had now modified his plan by substituting for 
 paddle-wheels an endless chain, passing over screws or 
 rollers, to which blades or floats were attached to 
 answer as paddles. 
 
 A section of chain and paddle 
 
 The model thus prepared is the only memorial of 
 Fitch now preserved by the society. The drawings, 
 descriptions, and all other papers are missing. The 
 following entries on the minutes are the only recorded 
 evidence on the subject :
 
 132 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 " Tuesday, September 27, 1785 
 
 "The model, with a Drawing and Description, of a Machine 
 for working a Boat against the stream by means of a steam- 
 engine, was laid before the Society by Mr. John Fitch." 
 
 " December 2d, 1785. 
 
 " A copy of the Drawing and Description of a Machine for 
 rowing a boat against the current, which sometime ago was laid 
 before the Society by Mr. John Fitch, he this evening presented 
 to them." 
 
 He now determined to set out for Kentucky, in the 
 hope that encouragement might be obtained there. 
 His intended course was by way of Virginia, where he 
 wished to stop at Richmond to look after his patents. 
 Not having relinquished his idea of the steamboat, he 
 appealed to the distinguished American whose reputa- 
 tion in philosophy had attained a world-wide celebrity, 
 in the anticipation that he would extend a helping 
 hand to genius struggling against the most dispiriting 
 difficulties. He tells the story thus, in 1790 : 
 
 "Before I went I called on Dr. Franklin, who spoke very flat- 
 teringly of the scheme, and I doubted not of his patronage in 
 it, although I could obtain nothing from him in writing before 
 the 2nd day of December, when he laid a scheme of a steam- 
 boat before the Philosophical Society ; but not knowing him then 
 as well as I do now, before I set out I wrote him a letter on the 
 occation, setting forth the practicability of the scheme, the Great 
 use it would be to the United States, and praying his patronage, 
 and of my determination of Returning from Kentucky early in 
 the Spring ; but as the Dr. had other things in view, he did not 
 answer it, but being desirous of gaining the Honour to himself, 
 laid down some what of a different plan to the Philosophical So- 
 ciety in December. Had the Doctor acted himself, he might 
 easily ingroced the whole honours, as I was no ways tenatious 
 for that, but my grand Views were to render service to my Coun- 
 try, and Chastize the Ignorant Boys of Congress."
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 133 
 
 The letter thus referred to, is in the possession of 
 the American Philosophical Society, and is as follows : 
 
 BUCKS COUNTY, 12 October, 1785. 
 MAY IT PLEASE TOUR EXCELLENCY 
 
 The subscriber most humbly begs leave to trouble you with 
 something further on the subject of a Steam Boat. His san- 
 guine opinion in favour of its answering the purpose to his ut- 
 most wishes, emboldens him to presume it will not give offence. 
 And if his opinion carries him to excess, he doubts not but your 
 Excellency will make proper allowance. As it is a matter in 
 his opinion of the first Magnitude not only to the United States, 
 but to every Maratime power in the World, as he is full in the 
 belief that it will answer for sea Voiages, as well as for inland 
 Navigation, in particular for Packets where there should be a 
 great number of Pasengers. He is of opinion that fewel for a 
 short Yoiag, would not exceed the weight of water for a long 
 one, as it would produce a constant supply of fresh water. He 
 also believes that it would be able to make head against the 
 most Violent Tempests, and thereby escape the dangers of a Lee 
 Shore. And that the same force may be applied to a Pump, to 
 free a leaky Ship of her Water. What emboldens him to be 
 thus presuming in the good effects of the machine, is the almost 
 Omnipotent force by which it is actuated, and the very Simple, 
 easy and natural way by which the Screw or Paddles are turned 
 to answer the purpose of Oars. 
 
 expect to return from Kentucky about the first of June next, 
 and nothing would give me more secret pleasure than to make 
 an Essay under your Patronage, and have your Friendly assis- 
 tance in introducing another useful art into the World. 
 With the most perfect Respect, 
 
 I am your most Devoted 
 
 Humble Servant, 
 
 JOHN FITCH. 
 His Excellency, Dr. FRANKLIN. 
 
 The presentation of Franklin's plan referred to by 
 Fitch is noted in the minutes of the American Philo- 
 sophical Society, as follows : 
 12
 
 134 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 DEC. 2, 1785. Mr. Ilopkinson presented to the Society a Dis- 
 sertation written by Dr. Franklin, containing a great number of 
 curious and useful observations and discoveries relative to voy- 
 ages and maritime affairs, which being read, 
 
 On motion, ordered that the thanks of the Society be returned 
 to his Excellency for this entertaining and valuable communi- 
 cation. 
 
 The accusation made by Fitch against Franklin is 
 not borne out precisely "in manner and form" as pre- 
 ferred, but it is substantially sustained. The article 
 "on Maritime Affairs" is published in the Transac- 
 tions of the Society, but easy reference for general 
 purposes may be made to Sparks' Life of Franklin, 
 Vol. VI., page 463. It purports to be a dissertation 
 written at sea, on board the London packet, Captain 
 Truxtun, August, 1785, and is in the shape of a letter 
 to David Leroy, Paris. The subjects treated of are 
 various, and have no reference to steam navigation what- 
 ever. Among other things, Dr. Franklin speaks of plans 
 of propulsion by circular paddles on the circumference of 
 wheels a method frequently used, but which had never 
 been found so effectual as to encourage a continuance of 
 the practice. He then refers to the plan of M. Bernoulli, 
 as being most singular. It was to have fixed in the 
 boat a tube, in the form of an [_, with an upright fun- 
 nel opening at the top, convenient for filling it with 
 water, which, descending and passing through the lower 
 horizontal part, and issuing from the middle of the 
 stern of the boat, under the surface of the water, 
 should push the boat forward. The Doctor observes 
 that a defect of this plan would be, that every bucket- 
 ful dipped or pumped from one side, or both, must have 
 its vis inertiae overcome, so as to receive the motion
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 135 
 
 of the boat before giving motion to its descent, and 
 thus be a deduction from the moving power. To 
 remedy this, Dr. Franklin proposed that another tube, 
 same shape, having a valve for the entrance of the 
 water below at the bow should be placed along-side the 
 other L pip e > back to back, thus JL . The water 
 pumped in front would thus help to give motion to the 
 boat. 
 
 Dr. Franklin's plan of a Pumping Boat to go by ejection of water. 
 
 He also suggested that a stream of air might be 
 made to issue from the stern, so as to give means of 
 propulsion by the reaction against the water. In all 
 these suggestions there is no hint of employing steam 
 to do the pumping ; and for aught that appears, Dr. 
 Franklin, who speaks of it more as a curiosity than of 
 presumed utility, contemplated no other moving power 
 than the strength of men. 
 
 Dr. Franklin's plan of an Air Boat to go by forcing out air against water. 
 
 But there is evidence to sustain Fitch from other 
 sources. The most important is an article printed in 
 the General Advertiser for Nov. 29, 1791, which was
 
 136 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 edited and published by Benjamin Franklin Bache, a 
 grandson of the philosopher. What is therefore said 
 in relation to Franklin's plan for a steam-boat has the 
 stamp of family authority. The article was an edito- 
 rial. It depreciates Fitch's efforts, and asserts that 
 Franklin proposed to apply steam to a boat for pumping 
 and ejecting water, as early as 1785. It is also curi- 
 ous upon account of its containing a suggestion of the 
 employment of a screw propeller. The following is 
 what was said on this subject : 
 
 Some attempts have been made to propel boats by the force 
 of steam. The power of steam is certainly prodigious, and there 
 can be but little doubt of its answering this desirable object, if 
 properly applied. Hitherto, the machinery made use of has 
 been complex, occasioning much friction, and wanting frequent 
 repairs. Besides, the force has been applied to give motion to 
 paddles, whereby power has been always misapplied. In the 
 first experiments the force was applied to turning an axis, which 
 carried a number of paddles as radii. In this mode of proceed- 
 ing, power was lost ; for when the paddle began to act in the 
 water, it acted obliquely, tending but in a small degree to propel 
 the boat, but chiefly only to lighten it. In this manner of 
 operating, the paddle in its progress produced more and more 
 of its desired effect, until it acquired a perpendicular position, 
 at which point only for an instant all its force acted in propel- 
 ling, after which, while emerging its propelling power decreased, 
 and its action tended more and more to sink the boat deeper. 
 To avoid this misapplication of power, a more complex and un- 
 wieldy machine was constructed, in which the paddles dipped 
 into the water perpendicularly when operating, acting altogether 
 in propelling, and emerged also in a perpendicular position. 
 This contrivance had its inconvenience. While the paddle was 
 immerging and emerging it opposed a considerable surface to 
 the action of the water, and checked the progress of the boat. 
 
 Dr. Franklin, in the year 1785, planned a simple method of 
 applying steam to give motion to boats. He proposed that the
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 137 
 
 steam should act immediately upon a piston, which should move 
 in a cylinder perpendicularly fixed in the centre of the boat. 
 The bottom of this cylinder connected with a horizontal cylinder 
 fixed from bow to stern, and there communicating with the sur- 
 rounding water. Two valves in the horizontal cylinder on each 
 side of the perpendicular one, each opening towards the stern. 
 When in this simple machine the piston rose by the force of the 
 steam, the bow valve would open and the water rush in with 
 considerable force, fill it, and also the perpendicular cylinder. 
 The piston would then descend, the bow valve shut, that nearest 
 the stern open, and the body of water rush thro' the after part 
 of the horizontal cylinder, and out with considerable violence 
 against the surrounding fluid, and consequently propel the boat. 
 
 He conceived also that when the piston ascended the boat 
 would acquire a small quantity of motion by water being sucked 
 in at the bow. These cylinders he proposed should be of a con- 
 siderable diameter, the exact size to be fixed by experiment, and 
 suggested the propriety of doubling the apparatus, the pistons 
 to work alternately. 
 
 The simplicity of this contrivance, and the little friction it 
 would occasion, are considerable recommendations to it ; but a 
 striking objection to this is a waste of power. The whole force 
 of the water rushing out of the stern would not tend to propel 
 the boat, as the surrounding fluid would not oppose an absolute 
 resistance to the column of water acting on it. 
 
 The following is proposed as free from the objections to the 
 above contrivance. 
 
 Let the steam act in turning an axis, bearing a number of thin 
 metal vanes fixed like the vanes of a windmill, in the proper 
 angle, and let these vanes act under water at the bow or stern 
 of the boat, as most convenient. By the rotary motion of the 
 axis the vanes would all continually screw themselves into the 
 water, and give motion to the boat. All the power would here 
 propel the boat, and th continued action of the vanes give the 
 advantage of accelerated motion. It might perhaps be found 
 more convenient to apply the force of two sets of vanes, one 
 fixed on each side of the boat. This might, without much com- 
 plexity, be done. 
 12*
 
 138 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 An actual experiment gave rise to this idea. 
 
 At the time when balloons were in vogue in France, and all 
 heads were at work in devising means to give them motion ad 
 libitum, an ingenious mechanist, to the bow of a common boat, 
 adapted four vanes like those of a windmill, but smaller, and 
 gave motion to them by means of a simple crank. The boat 
 thus equipped, by the action of the vanes in the air crossed the 
 Seine in less time than another crossed the same river by means 
 of a pair of common oars, and returned to the place whence she 
 started, notwithstanding the force of the current. 
 
 Mr. Latrobe confirms this statement, that Franklin 
 advocated the use of a steam-engine to draw in and 
 eject water from a boat. He made a similar averment 
 in his report on steam-engines, presented to the Ame- 
 rican Philosophical Society, in 1803. Dr. Franklin 
 was the chief among the patrons of James Rumsey, 
 whose steam-boat was, in principle, a practical adapta- 
 tion of Franklin's plan, using the steam engine to do 
 the work of pumping in and ejecting water. 
 
 It is a matter for conjecture, whether Rumsey was 
 not altogether indebted for his idea of propulsion to 
 the paper of Dr. Franklin, which was published in the 
 Transactions of the Philosophical Society, Vol. II., 
 page 294, which volume was issued from the press 
 about the beginning of July, 1786. 
 
 On the 20th of October, 1785, Fitch left Philadel- 
 phia, on his way to Kentucky. He called upon Wm. 
 Henry at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who told him that 
 he had himself thought of steam, as early as 1776, and 
 held some conversations with Andrew Ellicott upon the 
 subject, and that Thomas Paine had suggested it to 
 him in 1778, but that he never did anything in the 
 matter, further than drawing some plans, and inventing
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 139 
 
 a pattern of a "steam-wheel," which he showed Mr. 
 Fitch, and said that as the latter "had first published 
 the plan to the world, he would lay no claim to the in- 
 vention." He promised that he would make a model 
 of a steam-wheel, as his visitor did not exactly under- 
 stand how it would work. This undertaking was never 
 fulfilled. 
 
 At Frcdericktown, in Maryland, Fitch visited Thomas 
 Johnson, Ex-Governor of Maryland. It is probable 
 that he there, for the first time, learned that James 
 Rumsey, of Virginia, had, in the previous year, made 
 some experiments with a boat designed to move against 
 streams, by the force of the water acting on a wheel, 
 to which setting-poles were attached. This mechan- 
 ism, with some manual assistance, had been successfully 
 tried. In their conversation, Fitch averred that Gov. 
 Johnson said nothing about Rumsey's being about to 
 employ steam for the purpose of propulsion, and he 
 was easy in the belief that Rumsey's plan was entirely 
 different from his own. Gov. Johnson advised him to 
 call on General Washington, on his way to Richmond ; 
 and accordingly he stopped at Mount Vernon. 
 
 Washington received him with courtesy and listened 
 to his plans, but did not give him the encouragement 
 he so much desired. Fitch says, in reference to this 
 great man, " I believe that his greatest failure is a too 
 great delicacy of his own honour, which we hardly can 
 suppose can be carried to excess. The certificate which 
 he gave to Rumsey's pole-boat was, perhaps, one of the 
 most imprudent acts of his life." 1 The projector saw 
 
 1 This certificate, dated September 7th, 1784, set forth that 
 according to the experiment witnessed by Washington, Mr.
 
 140 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 signs of agitation in his countenance, and he asked 
 him if his boat \vas on the same plan as Rumsey's. 
 Washington replied that he could "not give Rumsey's 
 plan by negatives." After this he went out, and return- 
 
 Piumsey had " discovered the art of working boats by mechanism 
 and small manual assistance against rapid currents." In his 
 petition to the Legislature of Pennsylvania, presented November 
 26, 1784, Rumsey declared that he proposed " to construct boats 
 of ten tons burthen each, which shall sail or be propelled by the 
 combined influence of certain mechanical powers thereto applied, 
 the distance of between twenty-five and forty miles a day, against 
 the current of a rapid river, notwithstanding the velocity of the 
 water should move at the rate of five miles the hour, and 
 upwards, with the burthen of ten tons on board, to be brought 
 at no greater expense than of three hands." Manuel Eyre 
 afterwards certified that at the time there was no mention, nor 
 any idea held up, to the committee of the Pennsylvania Legis- 
 lature, that Rumsey's boat was to be propelled by steam. 
 
 Long after the two projectors had passed away, and when 
 their contests had been forgotten, the following letter of General 
 Washington to Hugh Williamson, M. C., was published. See 
 Sparks' Washington, Vol. I., page 104. It bears date, March 
 15th 1785, before Fitch's plan of a stejim-boat was conceived, and 
 it gives Washington's own explanation why he gave the certifi- 
 cate to Rumsey, of 1784, which was not for a steam-boat. 
 
 "Mr. McMeiken's explanation of the movements of Rumsev's 
 boat is consonant to my ideas, and warranted by the principles 
 upon which it acts. The small manual assistance to which I 
 alluded, was to be applied in the water and to the steerage. 
 The counteraction being proportioned to the action, it must 
 ascend a swift current faster than a gentle stream, and both with 
 more ease than it can move through dead water. But in the 
 first there may be, and no doubt is, a point beyond which it 
 cannot go, without involving difficulties which may be found in- 
 surmountable. Further than this I am not at liberty to explain 
 myself, but if a model, or a thing in miniature, is a just repre- 
 sentation of a greater thing in practice, there is no doubt of the
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 141 
 
 ing after a time, " told me," says Fitch, " that it was 
 not the same as Rumsey presented to him at Bath, but 
 that, sometime after that, at Richmond, he had men- 
 tioned something of the sort to him, but he was so 
 
 utility of the invention. A view of this model, with the expla- 
 nation, removed the principal doubt I ever had of the practica- 
 bility of propelling against a stream by the aid of a mechanical 
 power, but as he wanted to avail himself of my introduction 
 of it to public attention, I chose previously to see the actual 
 performance of the model in a descending stream before I 
 passed the certificate, and, having done so, all my doubts were 
 satisfied." 
 
 General Washington was a friend of Rumsey, and he deemed 
 it prudent to inform him that a new inventor was in the field. 
 This letter, like the other quoted above, was printed long after 
 the parties were dead (See Sparks' Washington, Vol. XII, page 
 279). In this epistle it will be again seen that the only reference 
 is to a mechanical boat. No reference is made to a steam-boat. 
 
 " MOUNT YERNON, January 31, 1786. 
 
 "SiR: If you have no cause to change your opinions 
 respecting your mechanical boat, and reasons unknown to me do 
 not exist to delay the exhibition of it, I would advise you to give 
 it to the public as soon as it can be prepared conveniently. The 
 postponement creates distrust in the public mind, it gives time 
 also for the imagination to work, and this is assisted by a little 
 dropping from one, and something from another, to whom you 
 have disclosed the secret. Should a mechanical genius there- 
 fore hit upon your plan, or something similar to it, I need not 
 add that it would place you in an awkward situation, and per- 
 haps disconcert all your prospects concerning this useful dis- 
 covery, for you are not, with your experience in life, now to 
 learn, that the shoulders of the public are too broad to feel the 
 weight of the complaints of an individual, or to regard promises, 
 if they find it convenient and have the. shadow of plausibility 
 on their side to retract them. I will inform you further that 
 many people in guessing at your plan, have come very near the
 
 142 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 
 
 engaged in company that he did not attend to it, but 
 he made no mention of Rumsey's writing to him on 
 the subject." This is the statement in the MS. auto- 
 biography. In "The Original Steam-boat Supported," 
 Fitch says, in reference to this interview, that "Washington 
 informed him " that the thought of applying steam was 
 not original, that Mr. Rumsey had mentioned steam to 
 him," but nothing that passed in the conversation with 
 General Washington had the least tendency to convey 
 the idea of Mr. Rumsey's relying upon steam. * * * 
 " Knowing that the thought of applying steam to boats 
 had been suggested by other gentlemen long before, I 
 left his Excellency, General Washington, with all the 
 elated prospects that an aspiring projector could enter- 
 tain, not doubting but I should reap the full benefit of 
 the project, for although I found that some had con- 
 ceived the thought before, yet I was the first that ex- 
 hibited a plan to the public, and was fully convinced 
 that I could not interfere with Mr. Rumsey, otherwise 
 the well-known candor of General Washington would 
 have pointed out such interference." 
 
 At Richmond, Fitch found that his deeds were made 
 out for his lands in Kentucky, and being infatuated 
 with the scheme of the steam-boat, he was persuaded 
 by John Edwards, a delegate in Congress from Ken- 
 mark, and that one who had something of a similar nature to 
 offer to the public, wanted a certificate from me that it wag 
 different from yours. I told him that as I was not at liberty to 
 declare what your plan was, so I did not think it proper to say 
 what it was not. 
 
 " Whatever may be your determination after this hint, I have 
 only to request that my sentiments on the subject may be 
 ascribed to friendly motives, and taken in good part."
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 143 
 
 tucky, to petition the Legislature of Virginia for 
 assistance. His memorial was presented by James 
 Madison. A committee was appointed, the members 
 of which spoke favorably to the inventor in reference 
 to the subject, but made no formal report. Patrick 
 Henry, who was the Governor of Virginia, was pleased 
 with the novelty of the plan, and Fitch, finding that 
 there was no hope of legislative assistance, conceived 
 the idea that he might sell a sufficient number of copies 
 of his map of the North- Western country, to raise 
 funds to enable him to demonstrate the practicability 
 of the scheme. In this over-sanguine. anticipation, he 
 executed a bond on the 16th of November, to Governor 
 Henry, in the sum of X350, conditioned that if he 
 should sell one thousand copies of his map, at 6s. 8d. 
 each, he would in nine months thereafter, exhibit a 
 steam-boat in the waters of Virginia, or forfeit the 
 penalty. There was also a provision in the instrument 
 that he should produce one thousand copies of the map 
 at Richmond, before the second Monday of November, 
 1786. One hundred and fifteen subscription papers 
 were given out to the members of the Assembly, and it 
 was expected that they Avould return them full of names, 
 but they paid no attention to the matter, and all that 
 was realized from this plan was twenty subscriptions, 
 obtained by Mr. Dunscomb, of Richmond, to whom 
 forty maps were sent, and from whom eight crowns 
 were received. 
 
 When Fitch entered into this agreement, he had not 
 a sufficient number of maps ready, and he determined 
 to postpone his visit to Kentucky, and return to Bucks 
 County to print the required number of copies. At
 
 144 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Fredericktown he again called on Governor Johnson, 
 who urged him to try -what he could do in Maryland. 
 There was some conversation here about Eurnsey, and 
 Fitch declared that no hint was given that he intended 
 to use steam. Governor Johnson took some subscrip- 
 tion papers for the map, and also gave him the follow- 
 ing letter to Governor Smallwood, of Maryland. 
 
 " FREDERICKTOWN, November 25, 1785. 
 
 "SiR: Mr. John Fitch, of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 
 called on me in his way to Richmond. He has gone through a 
 variety of scenes in the back country, which has enabled him to 
 collect a knowledge of a great part of the new States, on which 
 and other helps he has made a map, useful and entertaining. 
 His ingenuity in this way strongly recommends him, but hia 
 genius is not confined to this alone he has spent much thought 
 on an improvement of the steam-engine, by which to gain a first 
 power applicable to a variety of uses, amongst others to force 
 vessels forward in any kind of water. 1 
 
 " If this engine can be simplified, constructed, and made to 
 work at a small expence, there is no doubt but it will be very 
 useful in most great works, amongst them, in ship-building. 
 
 "Mr. Fitch wants to raise money to make an experiment on 
 boats. The countenance he has met with in Virginia, he hopes 
 will enable him to do it. He wishes also to make other experi- 
 ments, and is willing to enter into engagements to apply a large 
 proportion of the sales of his maps to his principal fund. I be- 
 lieve his passion for the improvement will be ample security for 
 his applying the money in that way. All that I have to request 
 of you, sir, is, that you give him an opportunity to converse 
 
 1 Fitch, with good reason, believed this peculiar phrase was 
 used to distinguish his boat from Rumsey's, which could only 
 go against the current.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 145 
 
 with you, you will soon perceive that he is a man of real genius 
 and modesty. Your countenancing him will follow of course. 
 " I am, sir, 
 
 " Your Excy's 
 
 " Most obed. and most H'ble serv't, 
 
 " TH. JOHNSON. 
 " To His EXCELLENCY, 
 
 "GOVERNOR SMALLWOOD." 
 
 From Fredericktown Fitch repaired to Philadelphia, 
 where the Assembly of Pennsylvania was in session. 
 He there presented a petition for assistance. The 
 committee to whom it was referred, made a flattering 
 verbal report, but there was no definite action. Leaving 
 that application to its fate, he set out for Annapolis, 
 Maryland, where he arrived in the latter part of 
 December. Governor Johnson's letter was delivered, 
 arid the matter brought to the attention of the Assem- 
 bly. Here he ventured to petition for money to procure 
 an engine from Europe, to be expended under the 
 direction of Andrew Ellicott. On the 9th of January, 
 1786, three days after the memorial was received, the 
 committee reported as follows : " However desirous 
 it is for liberal and enlightened Legislators to encourage 
 useful arts, yet the state and condition of our finances 
 are such that there can be no advance of public money 
 at present." About the same time he prepared the 
 following advertisement, which is to be found in the 
 Maryland Gazette of January 6, 1786. 
 
 TO THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF USEFUL ARTS. 
 
 The subscriber humbly begs leave to inform the public, that 
 he has proposed a Machine for the improvement of NAVIGA- 
 TION, with other useful ARTS that it has been honored with the 
 approbation of many men of the first characters for philosophi- 
 cal and mechanical knowledge, in each of the middle States 
 
 13
 
 146 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 that he has laid it before the honorable assembly of Pennsylva- 
 nia now sitting, whose committee have been pleased to make a 
 very favorable report on the subject. The result has been that 
 a number of Gentlemen of character and influence, have under- 
 taken to promote subscription for his Map of the New part of 
 the United States, in order to enable him to make a full experi- 
 ment of said Machine. He flatters himself, the Subscribers will 
 think the Maps well worth the money, yet he pledges himself to 
 employ one-half the money contributed in constructing and 
 bringing to perfection a machine that promises to be of infinite 
 advantage to the United States. 
 Dec. 20, 1785. JOHN FITCH. 
 
 The subscriber is of opinion that said machine will be able to 
 make head against the most violent tempest, and at any time 
 ware a vessel off from a lee shore ; and that the same force may 
 be applied to free a leaky ship of her water, and that it will 
 produce a constant supply of fresh water, and beside the above 
 mentioned conveniences, he believes it will shorten voyages very 
 considerable: He therefore flatters himself that few gentlemen 
 would think much of contributing towards an experiment so 
 well supported by such numbers of characters, in each of the mid- 
 dle states, as he does not ask their aid without full compensation. 
 
 N. B. The following opinion was given to said Fitch, and 
 subscribed by a number of gentlemen, whose names would do 
 honor to any projection in Philosophy or mechanism : 
 
 Upon considering the extent of the principles on which Mr. 
 Fitch proposes to construct his steam-boat, and the quantity of 
 motion that may be produced by the elastic force of steam, we 
 are of opinion that if the execution could by any means be 
 made to answer the theory when reduced to practice, it might 
 be beneficial to the public, and it seems to be deserving of a fair 
 experiment, which alone can justify the expectation of success. 
 
 Subscriptions taken in by the Printer hereof and Messrs. 
 Spotswood & Clarke, Booksellers and Stationers in Market 
 Street. 
 
 Returning from Maryland, he stopped at Dover, in 
 Delaware, where the Legislature of the latter State 
 was in session. He did not present a memorial to that 
 body, but conversed generally with the members, in 
 reference to his plans. Without receiving such encour- 
 agement as made him sanguine of obtaining aid from 
 that quarter, he returned to Philadelphia. Anxious
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 147 
 
 to have the patronage of so influential a man as Dr. 
 Franklin, he again waited upon him and requested his 
 good offices. He asked him for a certificate of the 
 merits of his invention, but the wily philosopher evaded 
 a compliance, whilst he spoke in a very complimentary 
 manner of the plan. Finally, he asked Fitch to corne 
 into the next room, where he opened a desk and took 
 from it five or six dollars, which he offered to the pro- 
 jector. The latter was highly offended at this mode 
 of giving him alms. He refused the money, except as 
 a subscription to the boat, which Franklin refused to 
 make. He afterwards wrote, in referring to this inter- 
 view, ' k l esteem it one of the most imprudent acts of 
 my life, that I had not treated the insult with the in- 
 dignity which he merited, and stomped the poltry Ore 
 under my feet." Greatly incensed, he withdrew and 
 directed his course to his home in Bucks County.
 
 148 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE STEAM-BOAT COMPANY fHE SKIFF STEAM-BOAT, 
 
 1786. 
 
 IT was impossible for the ardent enthusiast to remain 
 long at home, and in a short time he returned to Phila- 
 delphia, in the hope of gaining assistance. Arthur 
 Donaldson, a citizen, had at that time considerable 
 reputation as a person of ingenuity, and was possessed 
 of means. He had been one of the contractors to re- 
 move from the Delaware river chevaux defrise, placed 
 there during the Revolutionary war, which task was 
 executed to the satisfaction of the public. He had 
 also invented a machine for cleaning out docks, which 
 he called "the Hippopotamus,'* and had been granted 
 special privileges in the invention, for a term of years, 
 by the Assembly of the State. To this person Fitch 
 applied, in the hope of assistance, and requested him 
 to join him as partner. Donaldson seemed enamoured 
 of the scheme. " It did not appear," says Fitch, " that 
 he had ever thought of it, from his discourse with me," 
 although the plan of the steam-boat had been before 
 the Assembly of the State two months previously. 
 Donaldson did not finally decide upon the subject, but 
 said he would consult with Levi Hollingsworth, before 
 giving an answer. This interview took place on the 
 4th of February, 1786.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 149 
 
 The Assembly of New Jersey was in session at this 
 time, and Fitch repaired to Trenton with the hope of 
 accomplishing something by the assistance of that body. 
 A law to provide for the emission of paper money had 
 just been passed, and as the funded certificates were 
 only worth five shillings in the pound, according to 
 the market value, although interest at par was paid 
 upon them, it was hoped by the friends of the steam- 
 boat that some scheme might be perfected to obtain the 
 assistance of the State. The plan was, to induce the 
 the Legislature to pass a law, appropriating certificates 
 to the value of XI 000, for the encouragement of the 
 steam-boat. Stacy Potts, an intelligent citizen of 
 Trenton, lent his aid to the scheme. It was argued, 
 that thereby the State would save the payment of the 
 interest upon the certificates, which would have to be 
 liquidated if they were in the hands of other holders, 
 beside which, there was the chance of a return of the 
 whole sum in specie, or its equivalent, if the steam-boat 
 should succeed. The proposition met with a number 
 of advocates, but it was opposed by Mr. Clerk, a lead- 
 ing member, whose influence was very considerable, and 
 the bill was lost. 
 
 Baffled in this endeavor, Fitch returned to Bucks 
 County. Whilst there, he heard from an old woman 
 who had lately been to Philadelphia and nursed an ac- 
 quaintance of Arthur Donaldson, that there was much 
 conversation in the family about the wonderful inven- 
 tion of a steam-boat which had been made by Mr. 
 Donaldson, and it was said that he intended to apply 
 to the Legislature of Pennsylvania for an exclusive 
 right to the machine. Alarmed at this intelligence, he 
 13*
 
 150 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 hastened to the city, and visited Mr. Donaldson, who 
 acknowledged that he had invented such an improve- 
 ment, and intended to apply for an exclusive privilege 
 to use it. It appeared that Mr. Donaldson had either 
 hit upon or had been informed of the method of suck- 
 ing in and voiding water through a tube, suggested 
 by Dr. Franklin to the Philosophical Sogiety, and 
 which was a modification of the idea of Bernouilli. 
 Donaldson declared that he had a right to the sole 
 ownership of any method of propulsion by steam ; which 
 differed from the plan of Fitch, which was a paddle- 
 wheel or the endless chain of paddles. Fitch, on the 
 contrary, maintained that the force and power which 
 was applied to navigation was the great principle of the 
 invention, and that the method by which that power 
 was rendered available, Avas an immaterial matter. 
 
 Determined not to be supplanted in his claim by 
 means which he considered unfair, he immediately pte- 
 sented a petition to the Legislature of Pennsylvania 
 for an exclusive right to the propulsion of vessels " by 
 fire and steam." This memorial was presented on the 
 llth of March. The next day Donaldson's memorial, 
 claiming like privileges, for his method of navigation, 
 was also laid before the Assembly. 
 
 Leaving the matter thus, Fitch immediately set out 
 to Trenton, where he petitioned the Legislature of New 
 Jersey for a special law, fortifying his application by 
 the following recommendation : 
 
 We, the subscribers, have examined the principles of the 
 steam-boat constructed by John Fitch, and are of opinion that 
 it may be the means of improveing the navigation of these States
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 151 
 
 to great advantage, and therefore deserves the protection and 
 
 encouragement of the Legislature. 
 
 ISAAC SMITH, SAMUEL TUCKER, 
 
 JOHN Cox, RANSOLER WILLIAMS, 
 
 SAMUEL STOCKTON, JOHN STEVENS, JUN., 
 
 WM. C. HOUSTON, WILLIAM McBEN, 
 
 ROBERT PERSON, JUN'R, ABM. HUNT, 
 
 STACY POTTS, THOS. YARD, 
 
 ' JOHN CLUNN, CHAS. CLUNN. 
 
 This measure was successful. In three days the law 
 was passed. It bears date March 18th, 1786, and se- 
 cured to John Fitch for fourteen years " The sole and. 
 exclusive right of constructing, making, using and em- 
 ploying, or navigating, all and every species or kinds 
 of boats, or water craft, which might be urged or im- 
 pelled by the force of fire or steam, in all the creeks, 
 rivers, &c., within the territory or jurisdiction of this 
 State." 
 
 Returning to Philadelphia, Fitch prepared another 
 petition to the Assembly of Pennsylvania, in which he 
 set forth the circumstances attending his first idea of 
 the invention, and produced the certificates of Rev. 
 Nathaniel Irwin, Abraham Lukens, Seneca Lukens, 
 Daniel Longstreth, James Scout, and John Folwell, of 
 Bucks County, that as early as June, 1785, he had 
 told them, that he had invented a machine for working 
 a boat by steam, and had shown them drafts of it. He 
 stated what his proceedings had been in Virginia, and 
 referred to the bond given to Gov. Patrick Henry. He 
 then offered to prove by Mr. Burrows that he, himself, 
 had first informed Donaldson of the invention of the 
 steam-boat, and described the force and power, and 
 that Donaldson did not at that time say that he had
 
 152 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 ever thought of such a means of propulsion. Refer- 
 ring, also, to the law lately passed in New Jersey, he 
 prayed for an investigation into the truth of his alle- 
 gations. The conflicting claims on the 23d of March 
 were referred to a committee, consisting of Messrs. 
 Clymer, Rittenhouse, Gray, Whitehill, and Irvine, who 
 deferred any action upon them until the next session. 
 The formation of a company, to assist in the necessary 
 experiments by the advancement of money, was now 
 the principal thought of this persevering man. He 
 came to Philadelphia for that purpose on the 17th of 
 April, and in one week had obtained a sufficient num- 
 ber of subscribers. The number of shares was to be 
 forty, of which Fitch was, for his merit as original in- 
 ventor, and for his subsequent labor, to have one-half. 
 No particular amount was settled upon as the limit to 
 be paid on each share. The subscribers very generally 
 made a payment of twenty dollars per share, and with 
 a sum exceeding three hundred dollars the experiments 
 were commenced. The first great difficulty was the 
 making of a steam-engine, a piece of machinery which 
 the mechanical capability of the country was scarcely 
 able to furnish. John Nancarrow, of Philadelphia, 
 the proprietor of a steel furnace, was employed for the 
 purpose of constructing this important agent for the 
 future working of the experiment. He delayed the 
 impatient projector very much, but in thirty days he 
 produced his drafts, which were such as Fitch could 
 not approve. " It was to work upon the old-fashioned 
 plan of engine [atmospheric, it is presumed], and was 
 to have a weight to raise the piston." Although Nan- 
 carrow had considerable reputation, and the steam-boat
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 153 
 
 projector had none, he stood out stoutly against the 
 design, and succeeded in persuading the company to 
 reject it. Propositions were then made, that the in- 
 ventor should proceed to New York, to procure the aid 
 of Mr. Hornblower, 1 or Christopher Colles, an ingeni- 
 ous and scientific Irishman, whose learning and skill 
 in machinery, and particularly steam machinery, were 
 widely known and respected throughout the States. 2 
 
 1 There were at that time but three steam-engines in operation 
 in America. Two were in New England, and had been imported 
 from England forty years before the Revolutionary war. There 
 was one at the Schuyler copper-mine, Passaic, N. J., which had 
 also been imported from England in parts, which had been put 
 up by Mr. Hornblower. This had been in use for thirty years. 
 Hornblower's success in that work naturally suggested him as 
 a proper person to make the engine for the steam-boat, All 
 those engines were on the atmospheric plan. 
 
 2 The career of Christopher Colles was in many particulars 
 like that of John Fitch. Both were ingenious beyond the great 
 majority of the people of their time, and both reaped a reward 
 in poverty. Colles deserves mention here, as the first man, it is 
 believed, who constructed a steam-engine in America. Born in 
 Ireland, Colles became in youth a proteg6 of the learned Rich- 
 ard Pococke, bishop of Ossory. By the latter the youth was 
 educated in the languages, mathematics, and physical sciences. 
 After the death of Bishop Ossory, in 17G5, Colles left his native 
 land. In March, 1772, he was at Philadelphia, delivering lec- 
 tures at the hall of the American Philosophical Society, South 
 Second street, " upon Pneumaticks, illustrated by a variety of 
 curious and entertaining experiments in an air-pump lately in- 
 vented by him." Tickets were 5s. for the course. In his an- 
 nouncement he requested patronage for a more important series 
 of lectures, in the following language : " The said Colles, if 
 thereto encouraged, proposes to deliver a course consisting of at 
 least three lectures, upon the practice as well as theory of Hy- 
 drostatics and Hydraulics. In these Lectures will be explained
 
 154 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Whilst this matter was under consideration, Fitch be- 
 came acquainted with Henry Voight, a watchmaker, 
 with whose ingenuity he became very much impressed. 
 After three or four conversations with him, he felt confi- 
 
 the gravity, pressure, and motion of fluids, with their action 
 upon different machines, as wind and water mills, various kinds 
 of pumps, the centrifugal and steam-engines, and other machines 
 for raising water for different purposes, by different powers, to 
 the greatest advantage, and as said COLLES has been engaged 
 as principal director in some inland navigations, and other works 
 of that nature, and made these branches his particular study, 
 he also intends to explain the principal parts of Hydraulic 
 architecture, as canals, locks, aqueducts, &c. The whole to be 
 elucidated by working models of several engines, & more imme- 
 diately adapted to point out the defects and improvements of 
 these works, and for the consideration of the artificers concerned 
 therein : beside the apparatus commonly exhibited at Hydro- 
 statical lectures, the following will be shown, viz. : 
 
 The steam-engine, 
 
 The Centrifugal engine, 
 
 Model of a wind-mill with different kinds of sails, 
 
 Model of an overshot and undershot water-mill, 
 
 Model of a piece of a canal, with locks, aqueducts, and other 
 appendages belonging to inland navigation. 
 
 As the preparation of a sufficient apparatus to exhibit these 
 lectures will be attended with great expense, the said Colles ex- 
 pects on this occasion a particular encouragement of his friends 
 and the public, by taking at least 100 tickets at One Dollar each, 
 and as soon as so many tickets are disposed of, he will prepare 
 the apparatus with all speed." 
 
 On the 22d of June he advertised that the lectures would 
 commence in a fortnight, the illustrations being much more ex- 
 tensive than was at first intended. 
 
 The consequence of these lectures was, that Colles undertook 
 to build a steam-engine for a distilfery in Philadelphia. He 
 succeeded to a certain extent, but the machine was too defective 
 to be useful, and the poor philosopher was forced to seek a
 
 155 
 
 dent that it would be unnecessary to go to New York, 
 for the purpose of obtaining plans for a steam-engine, 
 but that the man to construct it was to be found nearer. 
 Voight took an interest in the scheme, and made such 
 sensible suggestions, that Fitch desired no better as- 
 public subscription to recompense him for his outlay. In pur- 
 suance of this design, he prepared the following petition : 
 " To THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY for Promoting useful 
 
 Knowledge, held at Philadelphia. 
 " GENTLEMEN* : 
 
 " As your society seems particularly calculated to forward all 
 useful undertakings, I beg leave to address myself to you on the 
 following subject : 
 
 " I have a long time been of opinion that^re might be advan- 
 tageously employed as a power, to work a variety of mechanical 
 engines, and machines, and previous to my trying any thing 
 new in that way, I have erected one very little differing from 
 the common construction, for raising water for a distillery, & 
 having tried a variety of experiments in order to bring the ex- 
 pence into a narrow compass, do find that the form & dimensions 
 of the boiler are not sufficient to furnish a proper quantity of 
 steam to make it operate with the necessary velocity, & as the 
 expence has exceeded my expectation and ability, I propose mak- 
 ing application to the public by way of subscription, for to reim- 
 burse what I have already expended, & to enable me to complete 
 my design. But as all persons are not competent judges of the 
 nature & utility of such contrivances, I request the favour of the 
 Society, that such gentlemen of their body as they shall think 
 convenient, may look at the machine and report their opinion 
 thereof, which will enable the subscription to go on with the 
 greater facility, & much oblige 
 
 " Their most h'ble serv't, 
 
 " CHRISTOPHER COLLES. 
 
 "Philadelphia, 20 August, 1773." 
 
 The Society appointed a committee, as requested, who made 
 the following report :
 
 156 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 sistant. He offered him a share in the Company, if 
 he would aid him, to which the watch-maker assented. 
 Some years afterward, Fitch recorded his .opinions of 
 his coadjutor in this manner : 
 
 "AUGUST 25th, 1773. 
 
 "Agreeably to the direction of the Society, the Committee 
 went to view the Steam-Engine erected by Christopher Collea 
 in this city, which they saw perform several strokes (tho' some 
 of the materials not being sufficiently large and strong, owing 
 to his attempting the execution at a very low expence), it did not 
 continue in motion long : but that a steam-engine may be 
 brought to answer the purpose of raising water, much cheaper 
 than by men or horses, is a fact well known, and we are of 
 opinion that the undertaker is well acquainted with the princi- 
 ples of this particular branch of mechanics, & very capable of 
 carrying it into execution, and therefore worthy of publick en- 
 couragement. DAVID RITTENHOUSE, 
 
 OWEN BIDDLE, 
 RICHARD WELLS." 
 
 The Society received the report, with the cautious direction 
 "a copy of which may be given him by the secretaries, for to 
 encourage the Public to contribute toward the expence of making 
 it, provided he don't print the s d report." 
 
 In 1773 Colles was in New York, -where he lectured upon 
 lock navigation, steam-engines, &c. He realized but little from 
 this source, and was compelled to eke out means of subsistence 
 by making band-boxes. In 1775 he encouraged the warlike 
 American spirit by giving lessons in gunnery. During the war, 
 he manufactured Prussian blue, and other pigments, and made 
 astronomical calculations for almanacs. Before the Revolution 
 was over, he penetrated the wild country about the Mohawk 
 river, examined the obstructions of that stream, and, returning to 
 New York, published, in 1785, his opinions in favor of a system 
 of canal navigation, such as was afterward perfected by DeWitt 
 Clinton. He was among those seeking the contract to convey 
 water into New York in 1797. In 1807 he published another
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 157 
 
 " Mr. Voight is a Plain Dutchman, who fears no man, and 
 will always speak his sentiments, which has given offence to 
 some of the Members of our Co., and some of them have effec- 
 ted to have a contemptable an opinion of his Philosophic abili- 
 ties. It is true he is not a man of Letters, nor mathematical 
 Knowledge, but for my own part, I would depend on him more 
 thnn a Franklin, a Rittenhouse, an Ellicot, a Nuncarrow, and 
 Matlack, all combined, as he is a man of superior Mechanical 
 abilities, and Very considerable Natural Philosophy; and as we 
 have many of the first Geniuses in our Co., perhaps nearly equal 
 to those I have mentioned, it is Certain that he has pointed out 
 more defects than them all, and pointed out ways to remedy 
 those defects, when consternation sat silent in every brest for 
 the disaster." 
 
 Deferring to the scientific authority of Dr. Franklin, 
 Fitch seems to have determined to build his boat so 
 as to suck in and eject water, and the hull was ordered 
 to be built on that plan, but Voight soon induced him 
 to give up that design. 
 
 The first suggestion made by the new colleague was, 
 that a working model of a steam-engine should be 
 
 pamphlet, proposing a system of inland canals. This activity 
 for the public good met with but poor encouragement. At 
 times Colles delivered itinerant lectures on electricity, and other 
 sciences. He occasionally made proof glasses to test the spe- 
 cific gravity of spirits. Subsequently receiving a situation as 
 superintendent or janitor of the American Academy of Fine 
 Arts at New York, he increased his gains by exhibitions of the 
 microscope and telescope, "and the size of the head of cabbage 
 he brought home from market [says Dr. J. W. Francis] was 
 diagnostic of the receipts of the previous 24 hours." The same 
 authority says, " He was retiring, religious, modest, and tole- 
 rant. Jarvis, the painter, pronounced him a genius, and painted 
 his portrait. In the celebration of 1825, when the waters of Lake 
 Erie were joined to those of the Atlantic, his effigies were borne 
 with honour." He died in 1821, aged eighty-four years. 
 
 14
 
 158 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 made. They accordingly commenced a small one, the 
 cylinder being only of one inch diameter, which when 
 completed would not work regularly, the force not 
 being sufficient to overcome the friction. The expense 
 was but trifling, being 3 Pennsylvania currency. 1 It 
 was the first steam-engine of any kind that Fitch had 
 ever seen, and although he had for so long a time in- 
 dulged an enthusiastic opinion of the wonderfully elas- 
 tic powers of the vapor, we can easily imagine his joy 
 when he saw his ideas practically although imperfectly 
 demonstrated. 
 
 Immediate attention was given to the preparation of 
 a new model, with a three-inch cylinder. At the same 
 time a small skiff was prepared, "in order to try the 
 effect of the propelling apparatus by hand." 
 
 The following letter in relation to the hopes enter- 
 tained of the experiment about this time, was written 
 to Stacy Potts, of Trenton, N. J., who was then a 
 shareholder in the company : 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, 13 July, 1786. 
 
 SIR We have not got our engine to work yet, owing to the 
 pumps for the injection water which we have had to make over 
 new, yet see no reason why we should not get it to work in 3 or 
 four days ; our machinery is nearly compleat for trying the 
 Boat, which we shall do next week by hand ; when we can 
 nearly assertain what effect it will have when the engine is put 
 to it ; I hope. in a short time to be able to inform you what suc- 
 cess we are like to meet with, when these experiments are made ; 
 we shall have about 100 to make the experiment with, but be- 
 lieve if this engine works well it will sell for nearly as much ag 
 
 1 The Pennsylvania currency was 7s. 6d. to the dollar. When- 
 ever pounds, shillings or pence are spoken of in this book, they 
 must be understood to be according to Pennsylvania currency.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 159 
 
 wo have expended, which may put us on our former footing. 
 Sir, I would not sent an order for the three dollars, but out of 
 necessity which obliges mo to make it, my expectations are 
 daly increasing as to the success of our undertaking, and dout 
 not but it will be a matter of the first magnitude to the World. 
 With the most Perfect Respect I beg leave to subscribe myself 
 Your Most devoted 
 
 and humble servant 
 
 JOHN FITCH. 
 MR. STACY POTTS. 
 
 Voight and Fitch tried experiments on the skiff with 
 "a screw of paddles," the endless chain, and one or 
 two other modes, "which did not answer their expecta- 
 tions." These trials probably took place about the 20th 
 of July, 1786, and they were witnessed by several per- 
 sons who, expecting a better result, "jeered and 
 scoffed" at Fitch smd Voight when they came on shore. 
 Much disheartened, the inventor went off to a tavern, 
 mid in his journal he says that he "used considerable 
 West India produce that evening." The next day he 
 felt very much ashamed of himself, and in the evening 
 he went to bed at an early hour, but not to sleep, 
 In narrating his thoughts at this time he says, "About 
 twelve o'clock at night the idea struck me about cranks 
 and paddles for rowing of a boat, and after considering 
 it some time, was sure it would be the best way that a 
 vessel could be propelled by oars." At length he became 
 so uneasy, for fear that he should forget, or lose the 
 idea, that he got up about one o'clock, struck a light, 
 and drew a plan, at which he was delighted. He was 
 BO excited that it was altogether impossible for him to 
 sleep. At sunrise he sought the residence of Voight, 
 and showed him the draft. It gave them much en-
 
 160 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 couragement, and they at once determined to get a 
 small crank in order to try the invention in the skiff. 
 The working of the oars was perfect, and the success 
 of this method of propulsion gave them fresh spirits. 
 The first plan was improved by a suggestion of Voight. 
 Fitch had proposed that the oars should run through 
 holes in a stationary frame-work, which produced much 
 friction and noise. In place of this method, Voight 
 proposed that the oars should be attached to arms, 
 which obviated the specified objection. The engine 
 now seems to have been completed, and being placed 
 in the boat, it was attached to the new working oars. 
 The result is thus told in a letter to Mr. Potts : 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, 28 July, 1786. 
 
 MY WORTHY FRIEND This may inform you that I have com- 
 pleted my experiments yesterday and find that they exceed my 
 most sanguine expectations, we let out 7 knot of Log line and 
 had not more than half of the Purchase that we shall have on a 
 Large Boat; we have now tried every grot and reduced it as 
 certain as any thing can be that we shall not come short of 10 
 miles per Hour, if not 12 or 14 I will say fourteen in Theory, 
 and Ten in practise the company is to meet tomorrow Eve- 
 ning, and I doubt not they will Pursue it on a larger scale and 
 make a Boat of 20 Tons Burthen, and a 12 Inch Cylinder. 
 
 I have lately invented an easy, simple and practicable way 
 of rowing a Boat, applicable for an Engine, where 1 am per- 
 fcuaded that the strength of two men will do the work of three, 
 at any rate with one man in our Boat we fear no one man going 
 before us, notwithstanding our oars are not properly adjusted. 
 I shall do myself the pleasure of letting you hear from time to 
 time how we proceed, and expect there will be Greater advances 
 of Money called for as there is upward of 60 of the money 
 expended. 
 
 I beg leave to subscribe myself Your Ever Faithful Friend 
 and Humble Servt JOHN FITCH. 
 
 MR. STACY POTTS.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 161 
 
 Speaking of his success, lie says of the model, " It 
 fully convinced me that the steam-engine might be 
 worked both ways as well as one." His letter of con- 
 gratulation to Mr. Potts was followed by a reply from 
 the latter, which showed that already one patron was 
 lost. It was in these words : 
 
 TRENTON, Sept. 2d, 1786. 
 
 FRIEND FITCH It affords me great satisfaction to find that 
 the invention of the Stearn-Boat is likely, now, to be applyed to 
 useful and valuable purposes, to the benefit and advantage of 
 mankind in general, and the emolument and aggrandizement 
 of the Proprietors in particular ; and I shall reflect with plea- 
 sure on the encouragement I have given, and the ardent wishes 
 I have entertained for its success : But as it has now become a 
 matter of property, is likely to be lucrative and interesting to 
 the sharers, and may soon be made very extensive on the diffe- 
 rent waters of the united States ; in order to avoid the difficul- 
 ties and embarrassments of a scheme of such Magnitude, and 
 support a harmony and friendship among the members who are 
 interested, I have thought it absolutely necessary that the parties 
 should live so contiguous, as to enjoy without difficulty the ad- 
 vantage of frequent consultation, therefore conclude it best for 
 me to decline any further concern in the scheme, which is now 
 capable of carrying itself on, with advantage to such company 
 of proprietors as may unite for that purpose in and about Phila- 
 delphia ; yet with a hope, that if the company should hereafter 
 conclude to divide the care of the different departments of the 
 plan, when extended to its great expanded usefulness, some part 
 thereof may perhaps come with propriety within the compass 
 of my convenient attention, when I should be glad to be con- 
 sidered as one of its friends and promoters. 
 
 from thy friend 
 
 STACY POTTS. 
 
 The model had done its work ; It had moved the 
 small boat on the Delaware, and as the funds of the 
 company were getting low, the idea of disposing of the 
 14*
 
 162 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 engine was acted upon, in a manner which the follow- 
 ing letter will show : 
 
 PHILAD., 4 Septm., 1786. 
 
 SIB In a conference that I had the honour of with your Ex- 
 cellency, I heard you mention, that the Philosophical Society 
 ought to be furnished with a Model of a Steam Engine, and 
 having compleated one upon a small scale, would be exceedingly 
 happy should it meet your Patronage so far as to recommend 
 the purchase of it, to the s d learned Society, of whome Honoured 
 Sir, you are President. I am now morally sure from Experience, 
 that a vessel may be propelled to great advantage thro the Wa- 
 ter, by means of a steam Engine, and have undertaken the work 
 upon a large scale, but am apprehensive that the money raised 
 will be insufficient for the purpose. This Engine which we 
 would wish to dispose of, cost us about One hundred Dollars, 
 but notwithstanding, whatever may be offered by the Society, 
 will be thankfully accepted of. The principles upon which it 
 operates are good, and will in every respect communicate a 
 satisfactory Knowledge of a steam Engine, and in some mea- 
 sure of its power. Yet it has some defects, which are chiefly 
 the following, viz. 1" the stove and Boiler, being small, the 
 steam is not sufficient to move the Piston, more than about 
 twenty strokes per minut. 2" d The Piston being worked both 
 ways by steam, its rod soon becomes heated, that it cannot move 
 home one way, by a space of from half an inch to Two inches, 
 by its then creating steam. 3 d The Pumps which alternately 
 inject water into the Cylinder causes too small friction : yet not- 
 withstanding these Dificulties the Piston moves with considera- 
 ble Velocity, when unloded, and is supplied with steam. I 
 humbly beg leave to submit this to your excellency and beg per- 
 mition to subscribe myself 
 
 Your Excellencya ever Faithful 
 
 and most Devoted Humble Servant 
 
 JOHN FITCH. 
 
 His Excellency, DR. FRANKLIN. 
 
 This application was not favorably received. No 
 action was taken by the society in reference to the 
 purchase of the model. 

 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 163 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ENCOURAGEMENT BY THE STATES LARGE STEAM-BOAT 
 COMMENCED. 
 
 THE members of the Company were very much 
 pleased with the result of the experiment made with 
 the skiff steam-boat, and they were now satisfied that 
 the invention might be made useful. In this belief, it 
 was resolved by them, in the month of August, to con- 
 struct a new and larger boat, with a twelve-inch cylin- 
 der. It was expected that the performances of this 
 vessel would forever silence those who cavilled at the 
 scheme. With an energy of spirit which was illy jus- 
 tified by the prospect before them, Fitch and Voight 
 commenced the necessary work to forward the resolu- 
 tion. Voight was made the assignee of two additional 
 shares, for his past assistance and expected aid. But 
 there was a trouble which impended, that was more 
 serious than they anticipated. The sum of money first 
 collected had all been expended in the experiments 
 which were made; and if a larger boat and engine 
 were to be built, fresh contributions were necessary. 
 The Company was composed of three classes of indi- 
 viduals : some had subscribed to forward the experi- 
 ment, with no hope of after benefit ; others had 
 embarked in the business merely as a speculation, and 
 were impatient for a lucrative return for the amount 
 invested ; whilst a third class had associated themselves
 
 164 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 in the affair out of good-will to Fitch, and to encourage 
 him. Funds were now needed, but there was no 
 cheerful contribution made. Meetings of the society 
 were called, which but few attended, and at which, in 
 consequence, it was not deemed prudent to pass reso- 
 lutions calling for new instalments. " If levies had 
 been then made," said Fitch, "they would have es- 
 teemed the money as taken from them by me, and 
 would much prefer a common beggar to come to their 
 doors than myself. All the hardships that I had ever 
 experienced were nothing to the distress of feeling in 
 raising money from my best friends. Could money 
 have been extracted from my limbs, amputation would 
 have often taken place, provided the disjointed part 
 could have been readily joined, rather than to make 
 the demands which I have. I need not add to this the 
 insults of the populace ; for none were felt by me, 
 excepting only those designed for my patrons, and 
 those that were offered by them." 
 
 He could not give up the work. He felt himself 
 bound in honor to go on. He was baffled in obtaining 
 money from all but a generous few. He determined 
 to try what success would attend an application for a 
 loan to the Pennsylvania Legislature. In that design, 
 he prepared the following petition : 
 
 GENTLEMEN : I have no doubt in my own mind but that 
 every person who is acquainted with the principles of my 
 scheme feels a conviction that it ought to be incouraged. From 
 whome, then, ought we to expect incouragement ? Undoubtedly, 
 from those who are to be benefited. And can Individuals be so 
 benefited by it as the Public? Individuals cannot be benefited 
 by it unless the public pleases to make it beneficial to them. 
 And it is in the Confidence that Individuals have placed in the
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 105 
 
 Legislature for giving incouragement to it, that it is brought so 
 far as it is ; and it is in the Confidence that I have placed in 
 the Legislature that I have resigned rny all, and been at such a 
 vast expenee, and labour, to promote an art that may be advan- 
 tagious to my Country. I have ever demeaned myself as a 
 faithful, good Citizen of the State, and therefor have some reason 
 to expect every incouragement due to such a character. Neither 
 is there one of the Gentlemen who promotes it, but are and have 
 been useful members of the Community. I doubt not but every 
 one of the members of the Committee feels an inclination of 
 rewarding us according to the utility of the invention, and do 
 not know of any mode that can be adopted to reward a person 
 for an improvement so equitable as an exclusive Privaledge for 
 a certain number of years. 
 
 But, Gentlemen, I have made you acquainted with the imber- 
 rassments and difficulties which I labour under, and that I do 
 not know of any other way of compleating the Work but by 
 taking a subscription from door to door. Now could this Com- 
 mittee see fit to reccommend it to the House to lend me 150, I 
 should be willing to pos pone an exclusive right until such times 
 as I returned the money into the Treasury again. I do not wish 
 to handle a shilling of the money myself; but let it be given to 
 the Treasury of our Co., and disposed of agreeable to the dis- 
 cretion of the Committee of s.d Co. ; and since the scheme is 
 approved of by all men of science who have examined it, and 
 there never has been one, even of my most bitter enemies, that 
 has ever attempted to point out how it will miscarry Then I 
 query whether the assembly of Pennsylvania could not with 
 great propriety take notice of the scheme, so as to give it proper 
 incouragement? On the other hand, provided they should not, 
 what could be said of us in other Countries? "Would they not 
 say that there was a poor fellow in America that proposed a plan 
 that would inrich America at least 3 times as much as all that 
 country N. W. of the Ohio, as it would make that country four 
 times as valuable, beside the inconceivable advantages to the 
 settled portion of the Continent and this he demonstrated as 
 clear as one of Euclid's Problems ; and not only that, but asser- 
 tained it in miniture, so as it could not admit of a doubt and
 
 166 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 
 
 notwithstanding he applied to Congress, and to each of the 
 Middle states, they would not give him a single souse to execute 
 his plan, because that they thought that he could do it by 
 beging, and save them the expence. May heaven forbid that 
 such a stigma should be placed to the ac' of the Country that 
 gave me birth ! 
 
 Permit me, Gentlemen, to inform you the prospects that we 
 have before us. Mr. Voigt and myselfe are sure that we can 
 build an Engine ; nay, we are vain enough to believe that we 
 can make one as good as they can in Europe. 
 
 We know that an equal force applied to the turning an axil 
 tree will row a boat faster than the same force applied to an 
 Oar. These, Gentlemen, are indisputable facts, and have been 
 assertained in miniture. Could I by any means raise sufficient 
 money, I would not ask it from the Legislature ; but there is 
 such a strange infatuation in mankind, that it seems they would 
 rather lay out their money in Beloons and Fireworks, and be a 
 pest to Society, than to lay it out in something that would be of 
 use to themselves and Country ; for even if we should miscary 
 in our Boat, we make something woth our money, and introduce 
 a most useful art into our nation, and bring one of the first 
 powers in nature into the service of our Empire ; without sending 
 our money too, or being beholden to foreign nations. Then I 
 beg leave to query, "Which will be most for the hon r of the State 
 to incourage or discourage the undertaking ? If it succeeds, 
 and our Legislature does nothing but discourage or take no 
 notice of it, what will or can be said to their discredit? espe- 
 cially when it is so clearly demonstrated, and my imbarrass- 
 ments made known to them. Pardon me for mentioning it, 
 but, on the other hand, provided the House should lend me 
 150, what reflections or discredit could the House suffer by it? 
 Could any one say that the House threw away 150, on a whim 
 of a mad projector ? No ! because it is supported in this opinion 
 of upward of forty principal Characters in the middle States. 
 Can they say that the money is lost ? No ! because it is laid 
 out in something worth itself, and on that which will be of pub- 
 lic utility. But to make the worst of every thing, the State 
 gets two Engineers by it, for by this we make ourselves Musters 
 of that art, and in all probability, we may save many hundred
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 167 
 
 pounds, from going to Europe for that Very article. But if we 
 had but one chance in a thousand of succeeding, it ought by no 
 means to be neglected, as its success will make more than Ten 
 thousand to one, in favour of it; but where we have a thousand 
 chances to one of success, it ought to be incouraged. And 
 where the honour of the State is so much at stake for a neglect, 
 and on the other hand there can be nothing derogatory for give- 
 ing proper encouragement, especially as New Jersey has taken 
 notice of it before them, I cannot let in the most distant thought, 
 but you will report to the House full as favourable as my most 
 Sanguine Wishes. JOHN FITCH. 
 
 This communication was sent to the Committee ap- 
 pointed at the previous session, to consider his Petition. 
 On the llth of September, they made the following 
 favorable report : 
 
 "The Committee on the Petition of John Fitch, report: 
 That they have viewed his model of an invention for moveing a 
 Boat by means of a Steam Engine, of which they entertain a 
 favourable opinion. That the s d Fitch represents to the Com- 
 mittee, that he has began a boat on the river Delaware, but 
 which from the narrowness of his funds, he shall not be able to 
 compleat, without some public assistance. The Committee con- 
 ceiving the design, if executed, will be of considerable public 
 utility, recommend the following resolution : 
 
 Resolved, that a Committee be appointed to bring in a Bill, to 
 authorize the Supream Executive Council, to direct payment of 
 Mr. John Fitch's drafts, to any amount, not exceeding in the 
 sum of 150, on proof made to them that the money so drawn 
 for, has been applied to the purpose of compleating his Steam 
 Boat, they taking his security for repayment thereof, in twelve 
 months." 
 
 The members of the Assembly were not as well dis- 
 posed to the project, although money had been previ- 
 ously loaned to an individual, 1 they would not follow 
 
 1 April 8th, 178G, the Assembly of Pennsylvania passed an 
 act to loan "Whitehead Humphreys 300 for the purpose of 
 manufacturing bar iron.
 
 168 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 the precedent. On the question, as to the adoption 
 of the report, the ayes were 28, the nays 32. The 
 persevering spirit of the projector would not permit 
 him to abandon the hope of assistance, even after this 
 rebuff. From the strong vote which his application 
 received, he was led to hope that he might obtain in- 
 dividual subscriptions from the members of the House. 
 In this view he wrote a letter to Gen. Thomas Mifflin, 
 who was then the Speaker. He set forth at length 
 the nature of his discovery, stated what had been done 
 in reference to it, and continued with the following 
 language : 
 
 HONOURED SIR I seem now, for the want of money, to be 
 under the necessity of giveing my opinion, and risqueing my 
 reputation on the success of the scheme. I am of opinion, that 
 a vessel may be carried six, seven, or eight miles per hour, by 
 the force of steam, and the larger the vessel, the better it -will 
 answer, and am strongly inclined to believe that it will answer 
 for sea Voiages as well as for inland Navigation, which would 
 not only make the Mississippi as navigable as Tide Water, but 
 would make our vast Territory on those waters an inconceivable 
 fund in the Treasury of the United States, and altho it will be 
 too expensive for boats on Tide water, yet I believe it would 
 answer a valuable purpose for Stages, Packets, and armed ves- 
 sels, and that it would always be able to veer a vessel off a Lee 
 shore, and make a quick and safe Yoiage and should I say, 
 that we could always overtake any of the Pirattical cruzers on 
 the Coast of Barbary, so as to give them proper chastizement, 
 perhaps I should not be thought more extravigent than I already 
 have been, especially when I assert, if any oars can work mine 
 can, and in the most violent gale, if it be a head wind, and that 
 six tons of Machinery will act with as much force as ten tons 
 of men ; and should I suggest that the Navigation between this 
 and Europe may be made so easy as shortly to make us the most 
 popular Empire on Earth, it probably, at this time, would make
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 169 
 
 the whole very laughable. I am thus obliged, in some measure, 
 to make myself liable for the success of the scheme, for the 
 pitiful sum of 150, which the Original unfortunate thought 
 has given me more trouble than my Savage Captivity did. 
 
 Yet, I cannot indure, since it is so nearly compleated, to give 
 over the persute. I ask the subscription only till I can get my 
 boat compleated, when I will return the money again. 
 
 I wish no gentleman to risque his reputation on my projects. 
 Yet, if Mr. Mifflin could at some convenient time, as the report 
 of the Committee having been favourable, see fit to encourage a 
 subscription among the members of the House, he probably 
 might render singular service to his country. I do not expect 
 that the money which I need could be raised amongst so small 
 a body; yet it would be a President for other Citizens, and I 
 know of no way it could be compleated without. Was it a thing 
 of trifling consequence to my Country, I would not persue it 
 with such assiduity. But whilst I have the last glimmer of hope 
 of compleating it, or one shilling to pay my hands, my ardour 
 will not be abated. But if Heaven will not permit it, I will 
 chearfully leave the execution of it to some who may be more 
 fortunate. 
 
 Honoured sir, I do not present this to you as Speaker of the 
 House of Assembly, but as a most worthy Citizen of the State ; 
 and pray you to pardon me for troubling you with this, as I 
 shall ever be delicate in future in matters of this sort. 
 With the most perfect respect, Sir, 
 
 I beg leave to subscribe myself, 
 Your ever Faithful 
 
 And very humble Servant, 
 JOHN FITCH. 
 
 From the usual fortune which attended the efforts 
 of this struggling man, it may be supposed that his 
 appeal met with no response. General Mifflin did not 
 interest himself in behalf of the scheme, nor was any 
 subscription promoted among the members of the 
 House of Assembly. 
 15
 
 170 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Notwithstanding this failure, he was still desirous of 
 obtaining an exclusive right to use his invention. He 
 renewed his petition to the Legislature of Pennsylvania 
 for that privilege t>n the 2d of November. The me- 
 morial was referred to Messrs. Moor, Ross, and White- 
 hill, whose report was favorable. A bill was brought 
 in giving to John Fitch, his heirs and assigns, the 
 exclusive right to all boats propelled "by fire and 
 steam." On the 20th of November it was read by para- 
 graphs and passed to a second reading; and on the 
 28th of December, having abandoned the pumping 
 boat, Arthur Donaldson, who now relied upon a steam 
 wheel, " petitioned that Fitch might be restrained to 
 steam navigation as he is now attempting it:" namely, 
 by oars. 
 
 To this suggestion a long reply was written. The 
 first portion of the answer boldly approached the in- 
 quiry whether Donaldson's plans were original. To 
 this point Fitch cited the fact that Bernouilli had long 
 before suggested the propulsion of a boat by voiding 
 water from a trunk ; which was partially the method 
 spoken of by Franklin, and relied upon by his adver- 
 sary. Further than that, it was declared that Thomas 
 Paine, in 1776, and Mr. Henry of Lancaster, afterward, 
 had suggested the plan of applying steam to the verge 
 of a wheel as the method of producing a moving 
 power. Coming down still later, it was proved, by 
 documents . obtained from the Philosophical Society, 
 that after Fitch had laid his model and drawings before 
 them, Dr. Franklin had, in December 1785, and before 
 the date of Donaldson's pretended invention, suggested 
 the identical plan which now was claimed by Donald-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 171 
 
 son, whose first annunciation of his steam-boat was 
 made some months afterward. 
 
 Leaving this branch of the subject, Fitch took up 
 the great question of the controversy; which was, 
 whether, having proposed certain accessories to the 
 means of propulsion, he was to be confined to them, 
 and restrained from the use of the steam-engine which 
 was the motive power in any other way. He claimed 
 for himself every method that might be devised to 
 move a boat by the propelling assistance of steam. In 
 reference to this matter, he said, 
 
 " I here produce seven different plans of applying the force 
 of steam to a boat, and could produce four different models, if 
 necessary ; and if I should produce all the different methods 
 that I have thought of, it would increase the number to fifty; 
 and amongst these the very mode which he proposes." 
 
 " It is the force and power that I contend for. As to the 
 thought of applying that force to vessels I claim priority, and 
 not the mode of application ; as I do not expect to invent any 
 new mode of propelling vessels, and I believe it may be applied 
 a great number of ways with equal success. In short, it would 
 be the height of imprudence for any man to undertake it unless 
 every mode of propelling was given him." 
 
 * * * . * * * 
 
 " But it is an undoubted fact that I am the first inventor of 
 the steam-boat; and the difficulties that I have surmounted to 
 bring it so far to perfection as I have, would be incredible were 
 I to relate them ; and not only that, but as I could not do it in 
 a corner, I have set myself up as a mark of derision, and have 
 Buffered every insult that the contempt which the populace have 
 for projectors could inflict. In short, I will venture to say very 
 few persons would have undertaken so arduous a task. Is it 
 reasonable to suppose that a man in my station of life would 
 throw away near two years of the prime of his days, and en- 
 counter the difficulties that I saw before me, to accomplish this,
 
 172 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 when I knew at the time I ought to exert every faculty to keep 
 myself from the jaws of want. It must be supposed that I 
 undertook it to make something by it; this is the case with 
 some others ; no person is willing to throw away their time or 
 money except they make something by it in case they succeed. 
 
 ****** 
 "The propelling of a boat with steam is as new as the rowing 
 of a boat with angels ; and I claim the first thought and inven- 
 tion of it. 
 
 ****** 
 " I never pretended to be the first inventor of the steam engine, 
 nor ever did Petition for an Exclusive right for them. I have 
 never asked it in any other way than where it has never been 
 applied, and I presume the World cannot produce a steam engine 
 floating on the water. Neither do I conceive that all the Im- 
 provements that are yet to be made on steam are to be done on 
 the water. He seems to intimate that I claim the whole use of 
 steam. I have no pretensions to it for Pumps, Mills, Forges, 
 Furnaces, &c., &c., nor for any thing whatever, except in water- 
 craft. 
 
 ****** 
 I am obliged to say, that I have made the Greatest improvement 
 on inland navigation that was ever made, since the first inven- 
 tion of Paddles or Oars that is, Oars worked by Cranks, or 
 Wheels to answer the purpose of Cranks, this applies to 
 strength of a horse, or Steam, or any other power, to equally as 
 good advantage as men with Oars ; therefore I can say that I 
 have improved inland Navigation, nearly so much as the labours 
 of men exceed the labours of horses." 
 
 ****** 
 
 "Sirs, there is another great improvement that I have made 
 on the improved Steam Engine, that is to throw the Water out 
 of the Vacuum against the Atmosphere without any friction, by 
 which means there is a heavy friction of pumping water avoid." 
 
 This memorial was given to the Committee of the 
 House in March, 1787, to be read before the Assembly 

 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 173 
 
 if necessary. It contained in addition to the argu- 
 ments refei-red to, some further account of his own 
 affairs. lie had at that time given Voight five shares 
 out of his own twenty, and had already parted with 
 four more to raise money to complete the work, thus 
 retaining only eleven to himself, at a period too when 
 it was evident that the hardest portion of the work 
 was yet to be done. 
 
 The Committee of the Legislature was not impressed 
 with the belief that Donaldson had a meritorious cause, 
 and they presented no report whatever upon his claims. 
 The bill securing the rights of Fitch was again taken 
 up in the Assembly, and passed finally on the 28th of 
 March, 1787. 1 This law was a copy of that already 
 
 1 During the Confederation, and before the adoption of the 
 Federal Constitution, the States generally exercised the prero- 
 gative of passing laws for the encouragement of useful inven- 
 tions, which were analogous to patent laws. The acts for such 
 purposes ratified in Pennsylvania, were as follow: 
 
 Arthur Donaldson, for " the Hippopotamus," Feb. 7, 1785 
 
 Jarries Rumsoy, for a boat to go against 
 
 streams [the Pole boat] Mar. 25, 1785. 
 
 Whitehead Humphreys, for the purpose of 
 
 manufacturing bar iron, a loan of 300.. April 8, 1786. 
 
 John Fitch, for the Steamboat Mar. 28, 1787. 
 
 Oliver Evans, for various machines Mar. 29, 1787. 
 
 John Hague, for a machine for carding cotton Oct. 3, 1788. 
 
 John Hewson, for calico printing and bleach- 
 ing Mar. 27, 1789. 
 
 Robert Leslie, for improvements in clocks 
 
 and watches Sept. 7, 1789. 
 
 James Rumsey, for certain machines and 
 devices, the pipe boiler, improvement in 
 
 Grist mills, &c Sept. 2, 1789. 
 
 15*
 
 174 LIFE OF JOIIX FITCH. 
 
 passed by New Jersey, and as the acts afterwards 
 passed ia favor of Fitch by other States (as will be 
 hereafter noticed), were similar, the terms of the Penn- 
 sylvania Statute will furnish a proper understanding 
 of the nature of all the rest, except that of Virginia, 
 to which there was a proviso, which will be mentioned 
 in the proper place. 
 
 An Act, for granting and securing to John Fitch, the sole 
 right and advantage of making and employing the Steam-Boat, 
 by him lately invented, for a limited time. 
 
 SECT. I. Whereas John Fitch, of Bucks County, hath repre- 
 sented to the Legislature, that he hath constructed an easy and 
 expeditious method of impelling Boats through the water, by 
 the force of steam, praying that an act may pass, granting to 
 him, his executors, admin", and assigns, the sole and exclusive 
 right of making, employing, and navigating all boats impelled 
 by the force of steam, or fire, within the jurisdiction of this 
 State, for a limited time Wherefore, in order to promote and 
 encourage so useful an improvement and discovery, and as a 
 reward for his ingenuity, application, and diligence, 
 
 SECT. II. Be it therefore enacted, and it is hereby enacted, by 
 the Representatives of the Freemen of the Commonwealth of 
 Pennsylvania, in General Assembly met, and by the authority 
 of the same, that the said John Fitch, his heirs, exec, admiri, 
 and assigns, shall be, and they are hereby, vested with the sole 
 and exclusive right and privilege of constructing, making, using, 
 employing, and navigating all and every species or kind of boats, 
 or water craft, which may be urged or impelled through the 
 water by the force of fire, or steam, in all creeks, rivers, bays, 
 and waters whatsoever, within the territory and jurisdiction of 
 this State, for 'and during the full end and term of Fourteen 
 Years, from and after the present session of the Legislature. 
 
 SECT. III. And be it further enacted, by the authority afore- 
 said, that if any person, or persons, whatsoever, without being 
 properly authorized by him, the said John Fitch, his heirs, 
 exec, or admin, shall make, use, employ, or navigate any boat, 
 or water craft, which shall .or may be urged, impelled, forced, 

 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 175 
 
 or driven through the water by the force, power, or agency of 
 fire or steam, as aforesaid, within the territory or jurisdiction 
 of this State, every person or persons so offending, against the 
 tenor, true intent, and meaning of this act, for each and every 
 of such offence, shall forfeit and pay unto the said John Fitch, 
 his heirs, exec, admin, or such other person or persons as he, 
 the said John Fitch, his heirs or assigns shall authorize and em- 
 power for that purpose, the sum of one hundred pounds, to be 
 recovered by action of debt in any Court of Record within this 
 State, wherein the same may be cognizable, with cost of suit; 
 and shall also forfeit to him, the said John Fitch, his heirs and 
 assigns, all such boat, boats, or water craft, together with the 
 steam-engine, and all appurtenances thereof, to be recovered in 
 manner aforesaid, with cost of suit. 
 
 SECT. IV. Provided always, and be it further enacted by the 
 authority aforesaid, That neither this act, nor any clause, mat- 
 ter, or thing therein contained, shall be taken, deemed, or con- 
 strued to prohibit or prevent any person or persons from mak- 
 ing, using, employing, or navigating within this State, any kind 
 of boats or water craft heretofore invented, or hereafter to/be 
 invented on any other principle, construction, or model, which 
 may be urged, impelled, forced, or driven along through the 
 water by any other power, force, agency, or means, exoept fire, 
 or steam. 
 
 Enacted into a law at Philadelphia, on Wednesday, the 
 twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord one thou- 
 sand seven hundred and eighty-seven. 
 
 PETER ZACHARY LLOYD, 
 
 Clerk of the General Assembly. 
 
 Signed, by order of the House, 
 
 THOMAS MIFFLIN^, 
 Speaker. 
 
 " Laws No. 3," page 213. 
 
 Whilst this application was pending, and the contro- 
 versy with Donaldson was unsettled, application for a 
 special law securing the rights of Fitch in the steam- 
 boat for fourteen years, had been made to the State
 
 176 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 of Delaware, and an act to that effect was passed Feb. 
 3, 1787. 
 
 As soon as the Assembly of Delaware had given the 
 requisite encouragement, a petition was preferred to 
 the Assembly of the State of New York. Fitch pre- 
 sented his memorial on the 24th of February. It was 
 referred to a Committee, consisting of Messrs. Sickles, 
 Jones, and Hamilton. On the 27th a favorable report 
 was made, and a bill pursuant to the prayer of the 
 petition was brought in, which was finally adopted on, 
 the 19th of March. 

 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 177 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE FIRST STEAMBOAT FINISHED SUCCESSFUL TRIAL 
 EXPERIMENT IN 1787. 
 
 WHILST the unflagging energy of the projector was 
 manfully struggling with the difficulties which sur- 
 rounded him, whilst his attention was diverted from 
 his scheme by the efforts of Donaldson, and by the 
 prosecution of measures necessary to procure the pas- 
 sage of laws securing him his rights in Delaware, New 
 York, and Pennsylvania, the work upon the boat was 
 slowly progressing. The supplies of money were but 
 small, and there were many obstacles to the indus- 
 trious continuance of the enterprise. An engraving 
 and description of the boat had been prepared, and 
 was published in the Columbian Magazine for Decem- 
 ber, 1786. * An account of the machine was then 
 given ; which, not being correct, a more detailed state- 
 ment was published in a succeeding number, as follows : 
 
 " It is to be propelled through the water by the force of steam. 
 The steam engine is to be similar to the late improved steam 
 engines in Europe, those alterations excepted. The cylinder ia 
 
 1 The drawing of this vessel, given on next page, is as it appears 
 in the Columbian Magazine. Being prepared before the boat 
 was built, the necessity of having a smoke-pipe was not adverted 
 to. There is no doubt but that the steam-boat had one from the 
 beginning ; but in this illustration we have preferred to follow 
 the original.
 
 178 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 John Fitch's Steamboat of 178ft-'87. 
 
 to be horizontal, and the steam to -work with equal force at each 
 end thereof. The mode of forming a vacuum is believed to be 
 entirely new ; also of letting the water into it, and of letting it 
 off against the atmosphere without any friction. The under- 
 takers are also of opinion that their engine will work with an 
 equal force to those late improved engines, it being a twelve inch 
 cylinder. They expect it will move with a clear force, after 
 deducting friction, of between eleven and twelve hundred pounds 
 weight ; which force is to be applied to the turning of an axle 
 tree on a wheel, of 18 inches diameter. The piston is to move 
 about three feet, and each vibration of the piston turns the axle 
 tree about two thirds round. They propose to make the piston 
 to strike thirty strokes in a minute ; which will give the axle 
 tree about forty revolutions. Each revolution of the axle tree 
 moves twelve oars five and a half feet. As six oars come out 
 of the water six more enter the water ; which makes a stroke 
 of about eleven feet each revolution. The oars work perpendi- 
 cularly, and make a stroke similar to the paddle of a canoe. 
 The cranks of the axle tree act upon the oar about one third of 
 their length from their lower end ; on which part of the oar the 
 whole force of the axle tree is applied. The engine is placed in 
 about two thirds of the boat, and both the action and reaction 
 of the piston operate to turn the axle tree the same way." 
 
 It is very much to be regretted that the information 
 given in this paragraph is the most connected state- 
 ment that remains of the nature of Fitch's steam-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 179 
 
 engine. The drawings and papers deposited by him 
 with the American Philosophical Society have long 
 since disappeared from the archives of that association. 
 The model and drawings which were in the United 
 States Patent Office were burned in 1836. The MS. 
 journals of the inventor, although full in regard to 
 everything else, contain no clear statement of the 
 manner in which the steam-engine was to be con- 
 structed. We can only judge from the short account 
 given in the Columbian Magazine, that both Fitch and 
 Voight were acquainted with the latest European im- 
 provements. It was only in 1782 that Watt patented 
 the double-acting steam-engine, working " with equal 
 force at each end ;" and except the model at Soho, he 
 made no other on that plan until 1787. Condensation 
 had previously to that time been performed in Bolton 
 and Watt's engine, by surrounding the cylinder with 
 cold water. It is to be inferred from Fitch's statement 
 that he had adopted the use of a jet of cold water at 
 the top of the condenser, which he believed to be 
 entirely new. It was so in Bolton and Watts' engines, 
 but it had been used by Desaugeliers in the atmospheric 
 steam-engine long before. Watt finally introduced the 
 jet condensation, but it does not seem to be known at 
 what period he adopted that method. Fitch believed 
 the plan to be original with. him. Up to 1780 the 
 great difficulty among engineers seemed to have been 
 to convert the vibratory motion of the piston into a 
 rotary one, so as to turn a wheel. This matter, which 
 is now seen to be simple, was in reality pans asinorum 
 to the early improvers of the steam-engine. Curious 
 contrivances by pulleys, ropes, half-ratchets working
 
 180 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 on arched tooth-sectors, ratchet-wheels, endless chains 
 moved upward and downward like a window-sash, 
 and other methods of like nature, were resorted to 
 or proposed by Hulls, Fitzgerald, Clark, Stewart, 
 and Wasbrough, between 1736 and 1779. In the latter 
 year, Matthew Wasbrough invented the most practi- 
 cable application yet proposed, by a system of ratchet- 
 wheels, and the employment of a fly-wheel, to carry 
 the action beyond the dead point. During all this 
 time, throughout the civilized world the treadle of the 
 lathe and spinning-wheel, which by a crank adjustment 
 created a perfect rotary motion, were used before the 
 eyes of these industrious schemers ; but they were too 
 blind to see that the same principle was all that was 
 needed to make a piston, working backward and for- 
 ward, turn a wheel. It was in 1780 that James 
 Pickard patented a short lever or crank, on the ex- 
 treme end of the axis to be turned round, united by a 
 pin to a rod joined to the end of the great working 
 lever, so as to turn the crank round once to every 
 stroke of the engine. This was the great desideratum ; 
 and with that simple substitution for the intricate and 
 imperfect methods previously used to obtain a rotary 
 motion, the value of the steam-engine (which before 
 that time had scarcely been employed for anything but 
 pumping) became immensely increased. 1 All these 
 things seem to have been known to the steam-boat 
 company, and their plan of an engine was essentially 
 Bolton and Watt's double-action engine by intro- 
 ducing steam alternately above and below the piston, 
 by condensation in a separate vessel, and by the air- 
 1 Farcy's History of Steam-Engines.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 181 
 
 pump, to draw off the condensing water and air from 
 the condenser, so as to form a more perfect vacuum, 
 and to add to the expansive effect of the elastic steam. 
 We shall see, however, that, perfect as were Fitch and 
 Voight in the theory, they were embarrassed in prac- 
 tical success by their ignorance of the respective pro- 
 portions which the boiler, cylinder, condenser, and air- 
 pump ought to bear to each other. The exact and 
 scientific relation of these parts of the engine upon 
 the perfect mechanism of the whole had not then been 
 ascertained by any engineer, and our American con- 
 structors were forced to grope in the dark, as it were, 
 feeling their way, and being painfully instructed by 
 the comparative failure of the different parts of the 
 engine, that they were only making experiments where 
 they had hoped for triumphant success. 
 
 The passage of the law by the State of Delaware, 
 the great probability that the experiment would be 
 successful, and the presumption that the money already 
 expended might be reclaimed, led to an agreement 
 among all concerned to make new advances. A deed 
 for that purpose was accordingly drawn. It was dated 
 Feb. 9, 1787, and is now in the possession of the Ame- 
 rican Philosophical Society, with which it was deposited 
 some years ago by Dr. Benjamin Say. It was entitled, 
 "an Indenture for reciprocal advantage," and recited 
 that "John Fitch had invented a method of propelling 
 or driving a boat through the water by the agency and 
 force of steam, but not being of an ability to carry the 
 same into an experiment and effective use and service, 
 did therefore contract with certain subscribers, convey- 
 ing unto them, in consideration of their aid and assist- 
 16
 
 182 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 ance to him rendered, for the purport of carrying the 
 aforesaid invention into effect, certain privileges, ad- 
 vantages, and emoluments, to arise from and issue out 
 of, tb.Q said invention ; and that the agreement was not 
 thought sufficient for the future interests of the com- 
 pany, and that a new one was therefore made." The 
 regulations specified by the instrument were in sub- 
 stance as follow : 
 
 1st. That the whole interest was to be divided into 
 forty shares ; and John Fitch conveyed every interest 
 and advantage that he had in the invention to the sub- 
 scribers, in proportion to their shares, the residue to 
 be held as property of John Fitch. 
 
 2d. John Fitch was to be considered as a member 
 having no greater superiority than other members of 
 the company. 
 
 3d. In balloting, every member to have a vote for 
 all shares less than three, but not to have more than 
 three votes, although he might own more than three 
 shares. Questions to be determined by a majority of 
 votes by shares. 
 
 4th. Five directors and a treasurer to be elected two 
 days after signing the articles. The same officers to 
 be elected thereafter, in January of each year. 
 
 5th. The company to have stated meetings on the 
 first Monday of the months of January, April, July, 
 and October, in each year. Alterations in the articles 
 might be proposed at one quarterly meeting, be voted 
 on at the next, and if then sanctioned, be brought up 
 for final adoption at the third quarterly meeting. Di- 
 vidends to be made in April and October. 
 
 6th. Directed how shares might be transferred and 
 assigned. 
 '
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 183 
 
 7th. Related to the organization of the Board of 
 Directors, and their powers, &c. They were granted 
 authority to lease the boats of the company for six 
 months without a vote of the shareholders, but not 
 longer. They might contract debts not exceeding 
 100. They were to have a secretary, hold regular 
 meetings, and keep minutes. 
 
 8th. Prescribed the duties of treasurer. 
 
 9th. "And whereas the said John Fitch, in the course 
 of his experiments, hath constructed a method of mov- 
 ing a boat in such manner, as that the power of horses 
 or cattle may be advantageously employed, it is agreed 
 and understood that all the benefits to be thereby de- 
 rived are to be held and enjoyed by the company in 
 the same manner and under the same rules, as in the 
 movement by steam." 
 
 This agreement was signed by all the members of 
 the company, at that time, viz. : John Fitch ; Samuel 
 Vaughan, one share ; Richard Wells, one share ; Ben- 
 jamin W. Morris, one share; Richard Stockton, three 
 shares ; John Morris, one share ; Joseph Budd, one 
 share ; Benjamin Say, two shares ; John and Chamless 
 Hart, one share ; Thos. Say, one share ; Magnus Mil- 
 ler, one share; Gideon Hill Wells, one share; Thomas 
 Hutchins, one share ; Richard Wells, junior, one share ; 
 Richard Stockton, for John Strother, one share ; Is- 
 rael Israel, one share ; William Reubel, one share ; 
 Edward Brooks, jr., one share ; Henry Voight, five 
 shares ; Henry Toland, one share ; Thomas Palmer, 
 one share. 1 It will thus be seen that twenty-seven 
 
 1 The following brief note of the residence and occupation of 
 these gentlemen will not be inappropriate.
 
 184 LIFE OF JOHNFITCH." 
 
 shares had already been parted with by Fitch, so that 
 his own interest had been reduced from twenty shares 
 to thirteen. 
 
 In May, 1787, the steam-engine was completed, but 
 
 HENRY VOIGHT, clock and watch maker, in 1785 resided in 
 Second between Race and Vine streets. 
 
 SAMUEL VAUGHAN very probably resided with his son, John 
 Vaughan, merchant, who, in 1785, lived in Chestnut st. between 
 Fifth -and Sixth, and in 1793 at 111 South Front st. He was a 
 member of the American Philosophical Society, and a useful 
 citizen. In Philadelphia he is remembered as the first person 
 who proposed that the State-House yard should be planted with 
 trees. He died Dec. 4, 1802, aged 85 years. 
 
 RICHARD WELLS, merchant, in 1785 resided at No. 28 North 
 Third st. In 1793 he was cashier of the Bank of North Ame- 
 rica. 
 
 RICHARD WELLS, JR., son of the above. 
 
 GIDEON HILL WELLS, merchant, lived in 1791 at 123 South 
 Second st. In 1793 he resided in Mulberry st. between Fifth 
 and Sixth, south side. . . 
 
 BENJAMIN W. MORRIS, wine merchant and grocer, 58 Dock 
 St., resided in 1791 at 110 South Second st. . 
 
 JOSEPH BCDD, hatter, resided in 1785 and in 1791 at No. 7 
 North Second st. 
 
 BENJAMIN SAY, physician, lived in 1785 in Second st. between 
 Arch and Race sts., and in 1791 at 64 South Second st. He was 
 the son of , '-;.:' 
 
 THOMAS SAY, who, in the Directory of 1785 and of 1791, is 
 styled "gentleman, No. 10 Bread st." Thomas Say held pecu- 
 liar views upon religious subjects, which are related in his Life, 
 as published by his son. Thomas Say, his grandson, and son 
 of Dr. Benjamin Say, was a leading member of the Academy 
 of Natural Sciences, and other important societies. A sketch 
 of his life by Dr. B. H. Coates is to be found in Vol. 5th of. 
 Waldie's circulating Library. 
 
 RICHARD STOCKTON, of New Jersey, a son of Richard Stock- 
 ton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was not at 

 
 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 185 
 
 it was found that "the wooden caps to the cylinders" 
 admitted air. They were also horizontal, and "the 
 piston was leaky." Money was advanced by the com- 
 pany to set them right. The machinery was all taken 
 out from the foundation and set up again a very 
 tedious job. After a heavy expenditure and a waste 
 of time, the works were again fixed with a perpendicu- 
 lar cylinder. It was then discovered that the con- 
 densation was imperfect. They were obliged to "throw 
 the condensers away," and procure others according to 
 
 this time a permanent resident of Philadelphia, although he 
 seems to have been often in the city. lie probably lived in 
 Princeton. 
 
 MAGNUS MILLER, merchant, in 1785 lived in Front between 
 Walnut and Spruce, and resided in 1793 at 129 South Second st. 
 
 DR. JOHN MORRIS lived in 1785 in Chestnut st. between Front 
 and Second, and in 1791 at 11 Pear st. 
 
 JOHN HART and CHAMLESS HART, merchants in 1785 in Front 
 st. between Walnut and Spruce. 
 
 THOS. HUTCHINS, Geographer-General of the United States, 
 born in New Jersey about 1730, the author of several topogra- 
 phical and historical works, became a member of the steam-boat 
 company in 1785, died in 1789, was not a citizen of Philadelphia. 
 _ JOHN STROTHER, a protege of Richard Stockton, and most 
 probably a resident of New Jersey. 
 
 ISRAEL ISRAEL, inn-keeper, in 1785 kept the Cross Keys cor- 
 ner Third and Chestnut sts. He was at one time Sheriff of the 
 City and County of Philadelphia. 
 
 WM. REUBEL. Of this gentleman we have not been able to 
 ascertain any memorial. 
 
 EDWARD BROOKS, iron-monger in 1791 at 103 High st. 
 
 HENRY TOLAND, grocer in 1785 and 1791 at Noa. 5 and 14 
 North Third st. 
 
 THOS. PALMER, merchant, in 1785 resided in Front st. between 
 Market and Arch. 
 
 16*
 
 18C LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 the draft of Voight, who entitled his invention "a pipe 
 condenser." Several other forms of condensers had 
 been previously tried, but were found to be useless. 
 The steam valves were also imperfect. In lieu of 
 these, Voight invented a double cock, "through which 
 the steam could pass to the cylinder, and when it had 
 done its work to repass said cock to the condenser." 
 Whilst these alterations were being made, the projec- 
 tors and the company were expectant, but as soon as 
 one defect was remedied another became apparent. 
 At length it was supposed that everything was perfect, 
 but, lo ! a new and unforeseen difficulty arose. The 
 engine worked so briskly that the boiler could not fur- 
 nish sufficient steam to supply it continuously. Yet 
 the boat had been moved, and at a rate, too, when 
 going, of three or four miles an hour; but frequent 
 stoppages were necessary to accumulate fresh supplies 
 of steam. The shareholders now became discouraged, 
 and some of them abandoned the project. Fitch in 
 despair was inclined to give up the attempt, but he de- 
 termined to try another appeal. He prepared a piece 
 for publication, hoping to gain new sympathy from 
 persons who had not yet aided him. This interesting 
 paper was in the following words : 
 
 The laws of God are positive ; and be that does not comply 
 with them in the strictest sence cannot expect success. His 
 laws are equally positive in every branch of Mechanism, and in 
 all sciences, as in other things, and I do not know of more than 
 one man on earth that perfectly understands them all, and 
 would willingly give 1000, if I had it, to be made infalible 
 and consecrated Pope for one year. I acknowledge I was vain 
 in undertaking a business which I knew nothing about, that has 
 taken near a Century to bring to perfection, I mean the steam- 

 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 187 
 
 engine, especially when it was to be applied to a different pur- 
 pose from any heretofore in use ; yet I doubt not but my phrenzy 
 in this will be forgiven when every circumstance which Prompted 
 it is duly weighed. When the Greatest and most Brilent King 
 of France and the Potent Empress of Rusia did not think it 
 beneath their dignity to promote one of the first powers in 
 nature into their Empires, it imboldens me to suppose that the 
 patriots of America would not look down upon it with contempt; 
 especially when so many of the first characters approved and 
 assisted in so great an undertaking. But the several circum- 
 stances which forced me into it would be too tedious a detail. 
 But may it suffise when I say I am of opinion, and ever have 
 been, tbat the force of stoam may be applied to great advan- 
 tage to vessels from Twenty tons burthen and upward. My 
 first principles are these, & I know that they are strictly con- 
 formable to the great laws above referred to : Take two equal 
 forces, and apply them in an equal manner to two vessels of 
 equal dimentions and weight, they must go equally fast. 
 t From my method of rowing, I have found by actual experi- 
 ment that an equal force will carry a Boat faster than any 
 method heretofore used ; consequently, I know that if I have the 
 force of 50 men, I can carry the boat as fast as 50 men can. 
 From these principles, I say that all boats from 20 tons burthen 
 and upward may at all times be carried as fast as a twelve oared 
 Barge can be rowed, provided we have skill to execute and to 
 proportion our works ; which propositions and assertions cannot 
 be controverted by any who are acquainted with the principles. 
 Now, on the supposition that these facts are well founded, I beg 
 leave to suggest the advantage^ would be to the United States. 
 I suppose a 12 oared barge would make equal speed with a 
 stage waggon ; and in many parts of the states travelers could 
 be accommodated with it; which would save a great expence 
 of horseflesh and feed travelers better accommodated than in 
 Waggons, their fair cheaper, and less fatig.ue. 
 
 And where streams constantly tend one way, great advantage 
 will accrue to inland navigation ; and in particular to the Mis- 
 sissippi and Ohio rivers, where the God of Nature knew their 
 banks could never be travassed with horses, and has laid in a
 
 188 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 store of fewil on their head waters sufficient to last for the latest 
 ages, for the very purpose of navigating their waters by fire ; 
 an estimate of which I beg leave to make : 
 
 It takes 30 men to take a boat of 30 tons burthen from New 
 Orleans to the Illinois. Their wages, provisions, Taffy, and 
 other perquisites, cannot be estimated at less than 100 Dollars 
 per man per trip ; which must cost 3000 Dollars to transport 
 30 tons too and from New Orleans to the Illinois. Now, I say, 
 could I be enabled to compleat the Experiment, I will obligate 
 myself to make a boat of 60 tons burthen, with the Engines and 
 all compleat for the voiag, for 2000 Dollars ; and as that could 
 work double the hours as men at Oars, it could go in half the 
 time, and transport 120 tons in the same time that the other 
 would 30 tons ; which, at the rate they now charge, would pay 
 for itself and clear 10000 Dollars whilst one boat could make 
 one trip and larger boats could be made to greater advantage. 
 It would also raise the value of land in the western territories 
 in proportion. 
 
 It may be said that the Spaniards will not allow us a trade 
 down the Iliver. They cannot refuse us one up, and I believe 
 at or near the falls of St. Anthony may be nearly as good a 
 stand for the Fur traid as Hudson's Bay, which is worthy the 
 attention of the most potant Emperor. It may be objected that 
 it takes up too much room, and is too weighty. 
 
 In a Bote of 100 Tons, it would not take up as much room as 
 in this of 15 tons ; as the Engine could then be placed throught 
 ships, and it may be made with less weight than -we have now 
 on bord in this. But nothing is more cumbersom and burden- 
 some oo Bord of a Boat than men and Baggage ; and 6 ton of 
 Machinery will take a Boat up the Mississippi sooner than Ten 
 ton of men, baggage, and provisions. It may also be said, it 
 may be liable to get out of order, it being so complicated. Was 
 that the case it could not answer so valuable a purpose for 
 Pumping mines, turning Mills, &c. But the fact is, most parts 
 cannot get out of order till wore out, if once put in good order ; 
 and those parts which may get out of order are those that may 
 in a short time be rectified. But the Grand and Principle object 
 must be on the Atlantick ; which would soon overspread the
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 189 
 
 wild forests of America with people, and make us the most oppu- 
 lent Empire on Earth, and at all times "carry on a trade on the 
 Coasts of Barbary with impunity, and Chastise them at plea- 
 sure. Pardon me, generous public, for suggesting ideas that can- 
 not be dijested at this day. What opinion future ages will have 
 of them, time only can make manifest. But it is sure that the 
 Laws of God in Machinism have permitted a steam Engine to 
 work on Board of a small Boat equally as well as if it had been 
 placed on Land, and rowed the Boat at the same time, notwith- 
 standing we had frequently to stop, and for no other reason 
 than for the Want of steam ; and the same law will permit me 
 to make steam sufficient on Board a Vessel as on Land, was my 
 Boiler properly constructed, unless nature should recoil so far 
 as that the boiling of water will not produce it. And everyone 
 even the most obstinate Blockhead that saw- it must .be con- 
 vinced, if. the Engine .worked sufficiently steady and forcible, it 
 must answer to my utmost wishes. But I know, let these 
 things be ever so well founded on reason and fact, at this day 
 they cannot be looked upon but as delusive, and the effects of 
 Lunacy. Therefore pray that I may be enabled to be useful to 
 mankind in the way that is known and practiced to advantage. 
 How many parts of America is there that Mills can scarcely 
 be obtained, and what wants of exportation for the wants of 
 proper Mills I could not attempt to describe. When future ages 
 shall rever great Lewis the 16, for promoting the happiness and 
 interest of Mankind, will there be no sons of Columbia to eclips 
 some of those dazzling rays of that Mighty Monarch, and intro- 
 duce one of the first powers of Nature into our Empire? After 
 a long, tedious, and .expensive process, Engineers are now intro- 
 duced into our' Territory, and as a Citizen' of. the States, feel 
 myself, much indebted to the gen.erious Characters which have 
 effected it, and it would give me extream pain to see so valuable 
 a Branch of machinism perish for so. trifling cultivation as is 
 necessary at present. And should I be patronized in my per- 
 sute, and did not render every service in my. power to my coun- 
 try, or State, that should do it, or fully compensate my Patrons, 
 I would suffer myselfe to be called ungrateful, and my patrons 
 must go on as sure ground as there is honour in the United
 
 190 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 States. Congress gave Mr. Ramsey assurance of a considerable 
 tract of teretory on the North side of the Ohio, provided he 
 carried a Boat on the Ohio 50 miles in a day by his machinism. 
 To estimate the Ohio to set at 1 mile per hour, which at low 
 water it does not exceed, I have carried my Boat at the rate of 
 54 miles per day, against that stream ; ' and as I had no reason 
 to believe that it was offered to him as being a favorite Citizen, 
 when I became acquainted with his principles, it induced me 
 to undertake it on others [on other principles]. And if the Car- 
 rying of a Boat up the Ohio, 50 miles per day, merits 30 thou- 
 sand acres of Land, 55 miles per day is worth 60 thousand acres, 
 and 100 miles worth three such tracts of Teretory, or at least 
 would make that country ten times as valuable, and although I 
 have not carried my boat 50 miles per day against the Ohio, yet 
 as long as I have carried it at that rate on other waters, I think 
 that I am justly entitled to the reward. Therefore, whoever 
 will patronize my scheme will lay out their money on as sure 
 ground as the Honour of our Empire, and if we can bring it to 
 the perfection which I expect, may reasonably expect very con- 
 siderable more than has been offered, and if we do no more than 
 has been done, may expect to be well rewarded for our time and 
 expence, as Congress will never take the advantage of me on 
 a'ct that there was no previous contract made. 
 
 But why those earnest solicitations, to disturb my nightly re- 
 pose, and fill me with the most excruciating anxieties ; and why 
 not act the part for myself, and retire under the shady Elms on 
 the fair banks of the Ohio, and eat my coarse but sweet bread 
 of industry and content, and when I have done, to have my 
 body laid in the soft, warm, and loomy soil of the Banks, with 
 my name inscribed on a neighbouring poplar, that future gene- 
 rations, when traversing the mighty Waters of the West, in the 
 manner that I have pointed out, may find my grassy turff, and 
 spread their cupbord on it, and circle round their chearful 
 
 1 The meaning of this passage, which is imperfectly expressed, 
 is undoubtedly that, according to the rate that the steam-boat 
 went on the Delaware, it was obvious that it could be propelled 
 on the Ohio 54 miles a day. 

 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 191 
 
 Knowing of Whiskey, with three times three, till they should 
 suppose a son of misfortuene could never occupy the place. 1 
 
 The Steamboat has been a matter of great speculation and 
 discourse, and I think it my duty to inform the public that I am 
 obliged to quit it puerly for the want of rescourses, after it is 
 demonstrated as clear as one of Euclids problems, that it may 
 answer a Valuable purpose. 
 
 But I thank my God for the persevereance he has given me, 
 in earring to such length as I have, and for the tranquility of 
 my mind which I feal at Present, altho in some respects I have 
 thrown myselfe in very allarming circumstances, but should I 
 once reach the fertile plains of Kentucky, and there injoie my 
 health, I would bid defiance to the blind unguided frouns of for- 
 tune, and when once in calm retirement, the promis of Riches 
 or favour of courts will not be solicited. I have long resided in 
 the State of Pennsylvania, and confess that I leave it with re- 
 luctance. I return them my most sincear thanks for the pro- 
 tection which I have received from the Laws, and humbly beg 
 leave to give her a cordial farewell, as I now expect to become 
 a Citizen of another state. It would have given me a heartfelt 
 pleasure, could I have rendered more and an immediate service 
 to the State than I have, yet please myself with the Idea, when 
 I am sleeping under the Poplar in the lofty forests of Kentucky, 
 my feable attempts will be found of that use which I now wish 
 them to be. Yet doubt not, but I shall be censured by the 
 guiddy and unthinking, but if the number does not exceed those 
 that could mend what I have done, I retire with content, and 
 fully satisfied to say farewell. JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Without sending this article to the newspapers, he 
 showed it to several of the principal stockholders. 
 
 1 Concerning this remarkable passage, he wrote in 1792 "I 
 confess, at the time of my writing this, that my Ideas of happi- 
 ness were somewhat singular, that the Summit of my everlast- 
 ing Bliss should extend no further than being surrounded with 
 a set of Drunken Boatmen, but as they are generally the 
 honestest part of the community, and more liberal according to 
 what they possess, I will not retract what I have said."
 
 
 192 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 They relented, and more money was furnished. The 
 necessary alterations were made. The machinery 
 worked exceedingly well, and there was plenty of 
 steam. The boat was accordingly tried on the 22d of 
 August, 1787. The Convention to frame a Federal 
 Constitution was then in session in Philadelphia, and 
 the members were invited to witness the experiment. 
 The boat was tried near the place where it was built, 
 and it was propelled by the power of steam. It went 
 but slowly, however : the cylinder was only twelve 
 inches in diameter, and the force of the machinery was 
 not sufficient to move the boat at a rate of speed which 
 would render it valuable for use on the Delaware as a 
 packet-boat. Nevertheless, those who were present 
 were satisfied that the trial had demonstrated that a 
 boat might be moved by steam. In his journal, Fitch 
 mentions that nearly all the members of the Conven- 
 tion were present, except General Washington. Gov. 
 Randolph, of Virginia, "was pleased to give the inven- 
 tion Countenance," and Dr. Johnson, of Virginia, the 
 next day sent the patient enthusiast the following note : 
 
 Dr. Johnson presents his compliments to Mr. Fitch, and 
 assures him that the exhibition yesterday gave the gentlemen 
 present much satisfaction. He himself, and, he doubts not, 
 the other gentlemen, -will always be happy to give him every 
 countenance and encouragement in their power which his inge- 
 nuity and industry entitles him to. 
 
 Thursday afternoon, 23d August, 1787. 
 
 In the Diary of Rev. Ezra Stiles, of New Haven, 
 Conn., under date 1787, Aug. 27, is the following entry : 
 
 "Judge Ellsworth, a member of the Federal Convention, just 
 returned from Philadelphia, visited me, and tells me the Con-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 193 
 
 vention will not rise under three -weeks. He there saWa Steam- 
 Engine for rowing boats against the stream, invented by Mr. 
 Fitch, of Windsor, in Connecticut. He was oil board the boat, 
 and saw the experiment succeed." 1 
 
 In December of the same year, David Rittenhouse, 
 the celebrated astronomer, Andrew Ellicott, Professor 
 in the Episcopal Academy, and Dr. John Ewing, Pro- 
 vost of the University of Pennsylvania, gave the fol- 
 lowing certificates of the performance of the boat at 
 the time to which we have referred and subsequently : 
 
 These may certify that the subscriber has frequently seen Mr. 
 Fitch's steamboat, which with great labour and perseverance he 
 has at length compleated, and has likewise been on board when 
 the boat was worked against both wind and tide, with a very 
 considerable degree of velocity, by the force of steam only. Mr. 
 Fitch's merit in constructing a good steam engine, and applying 
 it to so useful a purpose, will no doubt meet with the encourage- 
 ment he so justly deserves from the generosity of his country- 
 men ; especially those who wish to promote every improvement 
 of the useful arts in America. DAVID RITTENHOUSE. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 12th, 1787. 
 
 Having also seen the Boat urged by the force of steam, and 
 having been on board of it when in motion, I concur in the 
 above opinion of Mr. Fitch's merits. JOHN EH^ING. 
 
 From the well known force of steam, I was one of the first of 
 those who encouraged Mr. Fitch to reduce his theory of a steam- 
 boat to practice ; in which he has succeeded far beyond my 
 expectations. I am now fully of opinion that steamboats may 
 be made to answer valuable purposes in facilitating the internal 
 navigation of the United States, and that Mr. Fitch has great 
 merit in applying a steam engine to so valuable a purpose, and 
 entitled to every encouragement from his country and country- 
 men. ANDREW ELLICOTT. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, December 13th, 1787. 
 
 1 Duykinck's Cyclopedia of American Literature, vol. I., p. 161.
 
 194 LIFE OF JOHX FITCH. 
 
 Whilst the Company were pleased with the result 
 of this experiment, the fact that the engine was not 
 of sufficient power for a passage-boat or packet was 
 most apparent. That fresh expenditures would be 
 necessary to procure a larger cylinder, and to recon- 
 struct all the works to suit, was also evident. In this 
 posture of affairs, Richard Wells, Richard Stockton, 
 and Dr. Benjamin Say, three of the most earnest 
 among the shareholders, undertook to procure further 
 advances. They were successful in inducing their 
 companions to yield more assistance. The patterns 
 for an eighteen-inch cylinder were procured, and Fitch 
 set out in October to Warwick Furnace, in New Jersey, 
 to have them cast. Upon his return he was informed 
 that a person from Virginia had told some members 
 of the Company that James Rumsey, of Virginia, was 
 claiming to be the inventor of a steam-boat. 
 
 This person, it was afterwards ascertained, was Wil- 
 liam AskeAV. " He told so many unaccountable stories 
 about it," said Fitch, "that lie gained but little credit 
 with the Company as to the truth of the main story 
 itself. For my own part, I could not credit it, but sus- 
 pected him to be a man that wished to tell great sto- 
 ries ; but I could not [did not] see him myself." 
 
 It was well known to Fitch and his associates that 
 in 1784 Rumsey had invented a mechanical boat, pro- 
 pelled by hand-labor, and by the force of the streams 
 of rivers which borrowed the power of the current, to 
 work setting-poles and wheels. Being aware of the 
 real nature of Rumsey's invention, he was unprepared 
 for the claim now made by the latter that he had 
 invented a boat to be propelled by steam. He was-of 

 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 195 
 
 opinion tliat the idea of employing steam was an after- 
 thought, adopted by Rumsey after Fitch's petition to 
 Congress in 1785, and his subsequent proceedings had 
 become notorious, and after experiment had satisfied 
 Rumsey that the pole-boat was impracticable, or rather 
 not of sufficient utility to be worthy of employment. 
 
 In order to refute this claim, Fitch immediately pro- 
 cured the certificate of Edward Pennington and others, 
 who had seen Rumsey's boat work, that it was pro- 
 pelled by water-wheels and setting-poles, and that 
 there was no steam used. 
 
 With these proofs he set out to Virginia, to ask from 
 the Legislature of that State the passage of a law to 
 secure him in his rights. He reached Richmond in 
 the latter part of October, and saw in the House 
 Colonel Powell, of Loudon County, with whom he was 
 acquainted. To him he showed his papers, including 
 the letter of Ex-Governor Johnson, of Maryland, 
 given Nov. 25th, 1785. On reading the latter, Colonel 
 Powell called to Colonel Clapham, who was a brother- 
 in-law of Ex-Governor Johnson, and who also lived in 
 Berkeley County, near James Rumsey. 
 
 When Clapham read it, very significant looks were 
 exchanged between himself and Powell. Whilst Clap- 
 ham did not come out in determined opposition to 
 Fitch, he urged the existence of the law in favor of 
 Rumsey before the Committee which was appointed to 
 consider the petition of the new claimant. General 
 Wood and Colonel Wills, of the Senate, had seen 
 Rumsey's boat in motion at Bath, in 1784 : and they 
 attended before the Committee, and testified that it 
 was entirely different from Fitch's boat, and that it
 
 196 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 was not moved by steam. Beside this, the claimant 
 immediately set to work to pen his reasons why he 
 believed that Ramsey's law ought not to prevent the 
 passage of one securing to him special rights in all 
 boats "moved by fire and steam." 
 
 In that paper he argued that Rumsey was entitled 
 to nothing under the law but the use of his own boat, 
 which it was notorious was not a steam-boat. If he had 
 really invented a steam-boat, and was dishonest enough 
 not to communicate it to the public, he was not enti- 
 tled to any reward, because the public would thereby 
 be deprived of the benefit of the invention. If he 
 had even communicated his discovery to some persons, 
 he was entitled to no patronage ; because they might 
 die, and the secret die with them. It was urged that 
 the first inventor who lays his discovery before the 
 public ought to be encouraged ; and as Fitch laid the 
 plan of his steam-boat before Congress in August, 
 1785, and before the Legislature of Virginia in De- 
 cember of that year, he was entitled to the protection 
 which he asked. In New York and Pennsylvania, 
 laws had been passed giving Rumsey every right to 
 which he was entitled in his own boat. The same 
 states had afterwards given special rights to Fitch, 
 because it was not thought that the acts securing the 
 privileges of the former were in any manner infringed 
 by those protecting the latter. When Fitch was before 
 in Virginia, in 1785, there was no idea broached by 
 any one that Rumsey had invented a steam-boat. The 
 bond which Fitch had given to Governor Patrick 
 Henry, to produce a steam-boat in the waters of Vir- 
 ginia when a thousand copies of his map were sold, 

 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 197 
 
 was referred to, and it was argued that if Governor 
 Henry had supposed that Ramsey's law had any 
 reference to a steam-boat, he would not have permitted 
 the execution of an instrument the condition of which 
 was that a law of the State should be broken. It was 
 also suggested that the law securing Rumsey's rights 
 was ambiguous and imperfect, his invention was not 
 described, so that there was no ascertaining what 
 rights were secured by it except by common report. 
 These topics were urged with ingenuity, and at length, 
 and they produced an effect. The Committee reported 
 favorably, and the Legislature of Virginia, on Novem- 
 ber 7, 1787, passed a law in the terms of the Penn- 
 sylvania statute, securing Fitch's rights in the steam- 
 boat for fourteen years ; conditioned, however, that 
 the privileges thereby granted should be "void at the 
 expiration of three years from its commencement, 
 unless the said John Fitch shall then have in use, on 
 some river of this commonwealth, boats, or craft of at 
 least twenty tons burthen, constructed and navigated 
 as above described." 
 
 In Maryland the same paper was shown to the Com- 
 mittee appointed on Fitch's petition for a special law. 
 There was added to it this argument, that in his peti- 
 tion to the Assembly of that State, Rumsey had said 
 that his plan was for "navigating boats against the cur- 
 rents of very rapid rivers, at very small expence." 
 "Now," urged Fitch, triumphantly, "the cost of a 
 steam-engine is eight times that of the boat itself; it 
 was impossible that he meant the steam-boat." He 
 also referred to the favorable report in relation to his 
 scheme, made in 1785, to the Maryland Legislature, 
 17*
 
 198 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 and argued that it would not have been sanctioned if 
 his steam-boat had in any manner interfered with Rum- 
 sey's law. In the Assembly at Annapolis was Gov. 
 Thomas Johnson, to whose letter we have hitherto re- 
 ferred. This gentleman had now changed his ground, 
 and was disposed to thwart the man whom, in Nov., 
 1785, he had furnished with a very flattering testimo- 
 nial of merit and originality. He threw some obsta- 
 cles in the way of the petitioner, but finally believing 
 that Gen. Washington would certify that he had seen 
 a steam-boat propelled by Rumsey, at Bath, in 1784, 
 agreed to rest the question, whether Fitch's law should 
 be resisted on the reply to that enquiry. This created 
 delay, and Fitch, not having time to wait, left Anna- 
 polis. In consequence of his not pushing the matter, 
 the law was not passed. 
 
 Among the few evidences preserved of the inter- 
 course between Fitch and his family, is a letter written 
 about this time, and addressed to his daughter Lucy, 
 dated Dec. 18, 1787, from which the following extract 
 has been made : l 
 
 11 You express a tender regard for your mother, which strongly 
 recommends you to me. Should I be enabled to throw a fortune 
 in your way, and you should neglect your mother, I should think 
 you too base to be my daughter." 
 
 1 Whittlesey : Sparks' American Biography.
 
 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 199 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 APPLICATION TO CONGRESS JAMES RUMSEY'S STEAM- 
 BOAT. 
 
 the inventor returned to Philadelphia, the 
 funds of the company were again nearly exhausted, 
 and there seemed to be but little prospect of comple- 
 ting the boat with the means provided. Hope was now 
 indulged that Congress would act favorably, and Fitch 
 went to New York, where that body was sitting, and 
 presented the following memorial : 
 
 To His Excellency, the President of the United States, in Con- 
 
 gress assembled 
 
 The subscriber humbly begs leave through you, to represent 
 his situation, and reasons why he has presented a Petition to 
 the United States, praying encouragement to his Steam Boat. 
 I beg leave to inform you, Sir, that my imbarrassments is really 
 such, that I am under the necessity of praying Congress to give 
 ine some assistance. I Know that Congress are delicate in 
 running into projects, for fear of having the honour of our Em- 
 pire stained by adopting chymerical whims. Yet when matters 
 are well assertained, the greatest honour that Princes can do 
 themselves, is to promote Useful arts. That part of life shines 
 with much more lusture in peter the great than all his acquired 
 glories in his just Wars. I know that the finances of Congress 
 are small at present, of course ; I know that they have not mo- 
 ney to give, yet was they to give me land I could turn that into 
 money, and compleat my undertaking. The report of a Com- 
 mittee of Congress on Mr. Rumseys petition, 1 now lying on 
 
 1 This was for encouragement for the mechanical, or pole boat, 
 for working against streams.
 
 200 LIFEOFJOnXFITCH. 
 
 your files, appearing to me as a reward held forth to the public 
 for promoting inland navigation, and being convinced that I 
 have merited the reward by carrying my Boat on the Delaware 
 with velosity sufficient to move at the rate of 60 miles pr day 
 against the Ohio, when the Water is low, and also being strongly 
 urged by necessity, emboldens me to present the afore men- 
 tioned Petition. 
 
 I do not desire at this time to receive immoluments for my 
 own private use, but to lay it out for the benefit of my Country. 
 
 And should they think that a proper medium that would not 
 be too much, and so that I should not apply to them again, it 
 would probably effect one of the greatest things that was ever 
 exhibited to the World, and Congress might at a future day, 
 reward me further, accordingly as they should see the utility 
 of the scheme merited it. I know, Sir, that there is doubts yet 
 remaining, whether it will ever answer a valuable purpose or 
 not, I beg leave to say that two of the^ most obstinate questions 
 that could be asked is fully Decided.' The first is, Can an En- 
 gine be placed in a boat so as to work ; the 2nd, Can a Boat be 
 made to carry an'Engine ? We find that it is resolved to our 
 satisfaction. 
 
 There is other objections that yet causes doubts. The first is, 
 Can we make it go fast enough to answer a valuable purpose? 
 2d, Will it not be so weighty that it will not be valuable ? 3d, 
 Will it not take up so much room as to render it useless? 4th, 
 Will it not be continually getting out of repair? 5th, Will not 
 the expence over run the profits ? As to the first, we can obtain 
 any force that we wish for ; of course, we can carry it any dis- 
 tance, in a given time, we choose, provided our works are strong 
 enough to stand, and I expect they may without much difficulty 
 be made to go Eight miles per hour, and it is out of the power 
 of man to estimate the power of a vessel that would 'go at that 
 rate. And as to the room, a Vessel of 100 tons burthen would 
 not take but about seven tons of machinery to work it, and in a 
 vessel of 300 tons burthen it would be lighter than most sails 
 and Riging. Of course, for river vessels on the Mississippi, it 
 would be lighter than men, baggage, and provisions ; for Sea 
 vessels lighter than the present mode, and as to repairs, Heaven
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 201 
 
 has so decreed, that whatever Machinery is most useful to man- 
 kind is generally least liable to get out of repair, and particu- 
 larly as for the Steam Engine, as complicated as they be. I 
 expect that the labour of One man would keep three such en- 
 gines in perpetual repair as turns the Mills at Blackfriars Bridge. 
 Neither do they expect that they are Idle two days in a year, 
 on ac't of the repairs of the Steam Engines, which Engine, would 
 be sufficient for a first rate man of war. 
 
 And as to the expence, labour that could be done by three op 
 four men it would never be worth while to erect a engine to 
 do it; but where it could do the business of 10, 20, or 30 men, 
 it may be applied to advantage, and it is immaterial whether it 
 be applied to a Pump, to a Mill, or to a vessel. 
 
 I am persuaded, for a vessel of 300 tons, that an Engine suffi- 
 cient for her, could be made for less money than for masts, sails, 
 and riging. And when I have my trade fully learned, and tools 
 i^i good order, I will obligate myself to make a Boat of GO Tons 
 burthen for 2000 Dollars, with the engine all compleat for the 
 Voiage, which is much short of what it now costs to carry a 
 Boat of 30 Tons burthen, too and from New Orleans to the Illi- 
 nois. And this could do four times the business of the other, 
 as it could work double the hours as men at Oars. These are 
 stubborn facts that cannot be controverted, but by men who 
 will not reason in it. 
 
 Haveing overcome every difficulty that ocationed doubts to 
 arise, and having done what was never done before, (The world 
 has been worrying against the stream this six thousand years,) 
 but we have exhibited to the World a Vessel going against strong 
 winds and Tides, without sails, or men to labour ; the Vessel 
 carrying the Engine, the Engine propelling the Vessel, and all 
 mov-eing together against the Currents. 
 
 Now I presume, if we never carry it to any greater degree of 
 perfection, we have merited a generious reward for laying the 
 foundations for future improvemets. We have by this means 
 introduced Engineers into our Country, and Consequently, one 
 of the first powers of Nature into our Empire, which may be 
 useful in most great works which alone is sufficient to merit 
 the attention of Congress. But, as I said before, I do not wish
 
 202 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 any premiums to make a monopoly to myselfe, only to lay it 
 out for the Benefit of my country, and will wait the Gene- 
 rosity of the Legislatures for further compensation. 
 
 My situation is truely this : I have been obliged to support 
 myselfe in the City of Philad near two years, and have run out 
 the last shilling which I have. Our Company is so numerious, 
 and some of them gave their money purely to encourage the 
 undertaking, without any selfish motives ; and some others not 
 being well abel to pay thro the scarsity of cash, which brings 
 money in such small sums, I am continually iinbarrassed ; and 
 my demands being so much beyond what we ever expected, I 
 am thrown into the greatest dificulties and distress. These 
 inconceivable disopointments, delays, and expence, has a ten- 
 dency to relax the good intentions of my Patrons. Although I 
 do not know one that I think would withold supplies, yet my 
 fealings are so delicate on the matter, had I money of my own, 
 I would compleat it at my own expence sooner than at theirs, 
 as the expence has so far exceeded what I ever expected. But 
 that is not what gives me the most acute distress : the thoughts 
 of Liveing on mean and base dependance destroys my thoughts 
 from being imployed where they ought to be ; that is, on the 
 execution of my business. 
 
 Did it yet remain in a doubt, and Congress must risque their 
 reputation on projects, I would not ask any thing from them ; 
 but as long as they can give it for something already done, 
 which has merited their attention, for introducing the improved 
 steam engine, if for nothing more, that I hope they will not look 
 upon my Petition unreasonable. I beg leave, sir, to make some 
 observations more. The certificates and information that I have 
 produced to your house, will undoubtedly raise the value of our 
 Western Teritory, in a greater or less degree, more than if .the 
 scheme was returned into the Chaos of night, as it was before I 
 suggested the Idea. If I should be instrumental in raising the 
 value of them lands, it is but reasonable that I should have 
 some compensation for it; and be it ever so small, I never shall 
 need it more than at the present time,. And should any doubts 
 arrise respecting Mr. Rumsey's proposition, be assured that I 
 proved to the Committee of the assembly of Virginia, by the
 
 LIFE OF JOHX FITCH. 203 
 
 testimony of Mr. Ed. Penington, General Wood, and Conl. 
 "Wills, that my plan was different from Mr. Kumsey's; which 
 Testimonials are now in the hands of the Clerk of the Assembly 
 of Maryland, in order to obtain an exclusive right in that State, 
 as I have done in the State of Virginia, for 14 years. All 
 which observations, tho' suggested without order, the subscriber 
 humbly prays your Excellency, and the Honorable House, 
 will indulge without offence ; to whome it is humbly submit- 
 ted, by 
 
 Your Excellency's most Devoted 
 
 and very Humble Servant, 
 
 JOHN FITCH. 
 
 To his Excellency, the President 
 of Congress. 
 
 When this communication was presented, Congress 
 was not full. It was not until the latter end of Feb- 
 ruary, or about the beginning of March, 1788, that 
 nine states were represented. Before any act could be 
 sanctioned, the representatives of nine members of the 
 Confederation were required to vote upon it. This 
 peculiarity of the system was calculated to repress the 
 passage of wholesome laws. If a state was only repre- 
 sented by two persons, the negative of one of those 
 individuals would operate to prevent any vote being 
 recorded as the voice of that particular state. Thus, 
 it might be that a single representative could defeat 
 the desires of eight states, and neutralize the influence 
 which his own constituents might have on the affirm- 
 ance of important matters. The report of the Com- 
 mittee of Congress was very favorable to the wishes 
 of the petitioner, but he feared to have it pressed to a 
 vote, although he believed that there was a general 
 good feeling among the members for its advancement.
 
 204 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 He did not deem it prudent to risk so much on a con- 
 tingency which a single dissenting vote might ruin. 
 He therefore left New York, and returned to Philadel- 
 phia ; where the advance of the season required his 
 attention to the steam-boat. This procrastination 
 proved very unfavorable. Rumsey had now made his 
 appearance, claiming to be the original inventor of the 
 steam-boat, and he was distributing widely his pam- 
 phlet. This was entitled, "A short treatise on the 
 application of steam ; whereby is clearly shewn, from 
 actual experiments, that steam may be applied to 
 propel boats, or vessels of any burthen, against rapid 
 currents, with great velocity. The same principles 
 are also introduced with effect, by a machine of a 
 simple and cheap construction, for the purpose of 
 raising water sufficient for the working of Grist Mills, 
 Saw Mills, &c., and for watering meadows, and other 
 purposes of agriculture. By James Rumsey, of Berkeley 
 County, Virginia. Philadelphia : Printed by Joseph 
 James, Chestnut Street. MDCCLXXXVIII." In 
 this publication Rumsey assumed to be the inventor of 
 the steam-boat, and he pronounced Fitch to be a pla- 
 giarist. While the latter was at New York, one of 
 these pamphlets had been given to Colonel Wells, who 
 had hitherto been a warm friend of the Pennsylvanian. 
 His faith in the originality of his claims was at first 
 considerably shaken by the publication, and he received 
 Fitch on his return coldly. The latter was much 
 afflicted at this manifestation, and he resolved to fight 
 Rumsey with a similar weapon. He applied himself 
 assiduously to the pen for three or four days, and he
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 205 
 
 produced a reply, which he showed to Colonel Wells, 
 who was so much struck with its excellence and strength 
 of argument that he volunteered to re-write it, correct- 
 ing the deficiencies in style of the author, and pre- 
 senting it to the world in a more logical form. The 
 title of this pamphlet was " The Original steam-boat 
 supported ; or, a reply to Mr. James Rumsey's Pam- 
 phlet ; shewing the true Priority of John Fitch, and 
 the false datings of James Rumsey. Philadelphia : 
 Printed by Zachariah Poulson, Junr., on the west side 
 of Fourth Street, between Market and Arch Streets. 
 MDCCLXXXVIII." Whilst this literary battle was 
 in progress, the report of the Committee on Fitch's 
 memorial was called up in Congress, twelve states being 
 represented. Either the feelings of the members had 
 meanwhile been affected by Rumsey's statement, which 
 was sent to New York, or some of them who had pro- 
 fessed themselves Fitch's friends were false to him. 
 At all events, for some cause, the motion to adopt the 
 recommendations of the report was not agreed to, and 
 the motion was only saved from utter defeat by a post- 
 ponement. 
 
 In reference to that failure, he afterwards wrote 
 
 When I received information of that, and reflecting how I 
 had ruined myself to serve my Country, and how many sleep- 
 less, restless nights I had suffered to bring about one of the 
 greatest events, and such exquisit tortures of the mind, and had 
 placed myself on the base dependance of my friends, it effected 
 me beyond measure, could I have been dependant on my town- 
 ship only for my sustenance I could have supported it much 
 better, or could I have recalled my life back for four years, I 
 would gladly have offered my neck to the common executioner." 
 18
 
 206 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 His spirits were very much depressed for a time, so 
 much so that he resorted to the bottle more freely than 
 usual, although he did not indulge to an extent calcu- 
 lated to render him utterly stupid. After giving way 
 to this weakness, his energy of mind returned, and he 
 again determined to apply every faculty to the great 
 work, hoping thereby to vindicate himself in the good 
 opinions of men.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. - 207 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 CONTROVERSY WITH RUMSEY. 
 
 THE first pamphlet of Rumsey was published in 
 Berkeley County, Virginia. It is in the library of the 
 American Philosophical Society at Philadelphia, No. 
 276, Pamphlets No. 38. The date of the signature to 
 the Berkeley steamboat pamphlet is Jan. 1, 1788 : the 
 reprint was probably issued sometime in April. We 
 shall not follow the order observed in presenting the 
 statements of that publication, but give them according 
 to their chronological sequence : George Rootes, 
 Charles Orrick, and Michael Bedinger certified that in 
 1784 James Rumsey informed them that he was pro- 
 jecting a boat to work by steam. Bedinger stated that 
 his information was received in or before the month of 
 March, 1784, and that he had spoken about it freely 
 when in Kentucky, in that year, and an inference was 
 suggested that Fitch first heard of it there. This in- 
 sinuation may as well be disposed of at once by refer- 
 ence to the facts heretofore presented, which show that 
 the latter was not in Kentucky after the spring of 
 1781. It is possible that he might have heard of Be- 
 dinger's stories whilst surveying in the north-western 
 territory in 1784 and the early part of 1785, but as 
 he was not among the settlements and was at conside- 
 rable distance from Kentucky, this probability is a 
 weak one. Beside this, Fitch utterly denied ever hav-
 
 208 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 ing heard of a steam-boat, or even of a steam-engine, 
 before he conceived the idea in April, 1785. 
 
 Charles Morrow, a brother-in-law of James Rumsey, 
 and a partner in the boat, declared that the latter told 
 him, in the beginning of 1785, that he intended to 
 build a steam-boat. The same Morrow made affidavit 
 that in the summer of 1785 Rumsey had a boat built 
 near the town of Bath, which was brought down the 
 Potomac to Shepherdstown in the fall. That shortly 
 afterward Joseph Barnes, another brother-in-law, after- 
 wards Rumsey's agent, was sent to Baltimore, to have 
 some machinery cast, and that on his return he was 
 sent to Fredericktown in order to have some other 
 things made according to Mr. Rumsey's direction ; that 
 he returned about the middle of November, and that 
 he (Morrow) then saw the machinery, to wit, a boiler, 
 two cylinders, pumps, pipes, etc. ; that about the first 
 of December the boat was ready for experiment, but 
 the ice coming on prevented a trial during that winter. 
 During that winter Rumsey told him that he had in- 
 vented several improvements ; in particular, a newly- 
 constructed boiler. Smiths were set to work at it, but 
 when it was ready to be put together, the workmanship 
 was so badly executed that the machinery would not 
 answer the purpose. It was therefore determined to 
 try the experiment with the old boiler. In the spring 
 of 1786 the machinery was put in the boat, and the 
 first trial made, Morrow being on board. The boat 
 then went against the current until the steam escaped 
 by the then imperfectness of the machine. An expe- 
 riment was afterward made with the new boiler, but 
 the heat of the steam dissolved the soft solder. Hard
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 209 
 
 solder was then applied, and in July, 1787, the new 
 boiler was ready to work. Morrow also declared that 
 he conceived at the time of his affidavit (Dec. 8, 1787), 
 that the boat was near completion. 
 
 Joseph Barnes, who was employed by Rumsey to su- 
 perintend the manufacture of the machinery, declared 
 that he was engaged for that service in May, 1785. 
 The boat was first built, and Rumsey told him it was 
 to go by steam. He confirmed what Morrow had said 
 relative to his journeys to Baltimore and Fredericktown 
 to get the machinery made, the interference of the ice, 
 the construction of the new boiler, and the employ- 
 ment of the old boiler again. With the latter a trial 
 was made in April, 1786, and the boat went against 
 the current of the Potomac, but many parts being ren- 
 dered useless, the experiment was then given over. 
 After repairs, another effort was made, but it failed, 
 "though it made many powerful strokes, and sent the 
 boat forward with such power that one man was unable 
 to hold her." In December the new constructed boiler 
 was used, but the soft solder melted. In the spring 
 of 1787 the boat was repaired, and ready for trial in 
 September, when the boat moved up the river against 
 the current, with about two tons on board besides the 
 machinery, at the rate of two miles per hour, but the 
 joints opened and let great quantities of steam escape. 
 At the trial, Dec. 3d, the machine was still imperfect 
 in many parts. Barnes was of opinion that the new 
 constructed boiler was " the greatest thing of that kind 
 extant, as it did not hold more than twenty pints," and 
 in his opinion " would make more steam than a Five 
 hundred gallon boiler in the common way." Its weight 
 18*
 
 210 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 was about seven hundred pounds, and it did not occupy 
 "more space than four flour barrels." 
 
 Ex-Governor Thomas Johnson, of Maryland, the 
 same who gave Fitch the letter to Gov. Smalhvood, 
 dated Nov. 25th, 1785 (see page 144), stated that 
 Rumsey had told him in October or November, 1785, 
 that he relied on steam for his first power, and wished 
 him (Gov. J.) to promote his having cylinders cast at 
 the works of Governor Johnson and Brother. This 
 undertaking (the casting of the cylinders) did not then 
 succeed. Gov. J. considered himself "under an obli- 
 gation of secresy till in the progress of making copper 
 cylinders in Fredericktown some time afterward" he 
 found that "the designed purpose of the cylinder was 
 a subject of pretty general conversation." 
 
 Rumsey also quoted an extract from a letter to 
 General Washington, which he averred he wrote March 
 10th, 1785, in which, after speaking of the pole-boat, 
 he proceeded to say, 
 
 " I have taken the greatest pains to perfect another kind of a, 
 boat, upon the principles I mentioned to you at Richmond in No- 
 vember last [1784], and have the pleasure to inform you that 1 
 have brought it to great perfection. It is true, it will cost some- 
 thing more than the other way, but when in use it will be more 
 manageable, and can be worked with as few hands. The power 
 is immense, and I have quite convinced myself that boats of 
 passage may be made to go against the current of the Missis- 
 sippi or Ohio rivers, or in the Gulf Stream (from the Leeward 
 to the Windward islands), from sixty to one hundred miles per 
 day. I know this will appear strange and improbable to many 
 persons, yet I am very certain it may be performed ; besides, it 
 is simple (when understood), and is also strictly philosophical. 
 
 " The principle of this boat I am very cautious not to explain, 
 as it would be easily executed by an ingenious person. The
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 211 
 
 plan I mean to persue is to put both the machines on board of 
 boats built on a large scale; 1 and then, sir, if you would be 
 kind enough to see them make actual performances, I should 
 not doubt but that the Assemblies would allow me something 
 handsome ; which would be the more advantageous to the public 
 than to give me the exclusive right of using them." 
 
 To this letter it is averred that General Washington 
 made this reply : 
 
 " It gives me much pleasure to find by your letter that you 
 are not less sanguine in your boat project than when I saw you 
 in Richmond ; and that you have made such further discoveries 
 as will render them more extensively useful than was at first 
 expected. You have my best wishes for the success of your 
 plan." 
 
 Major-General Horatio Gates, Rev. Robert Stubbs, 
 teacher of the Academy in Sheperdstown, Abraham 
 Shepherd, William Brice, David Gray, John Morrow, 
 Henry Bedinger, Thomas White, and Charles Morrow 
 certified that they saw Rumsey's boat move against 
 the current of the Potomac on the 3d of December, 
 1787, with two tons on board, exclusive of the machi- 
 nery, at the rate of three miles an hour, by the force 
 of steam, without any external application whatever. 
 
 Moses Hage, Cornelius Wynkoop, John Mark, Be- 
 noni Swearingen, John Morrow, Joseph Swearingen, 
 Charles Morrow, Thomas White, Robert Stubbs, Abra- 
 ham Shepherd, and Henry Bedinger testified that 
 
 1 Two boats were connected in Rumsey's model of September, 
 1784 (the pole-boat), and he was of opinion that the experiment 
 would not succeed on that principle with a single boat. This 
 is the substance of a note in the pamphlet.
 
 212 
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 they saw the boat moved by steam, December 11, 
 1787, against the stream, at the rate of four miles an 
 hour. 1 
 
 James Rumsey's Steam-boat, Virginia, 1788. 
 
 1 Beside Rumsey's pamphlet, to which reference has been 
 made, he issued two others, viz. : 
 
 " The explanations and the annexed plates of the following 
 improvements in mechanics, &c." It contained engravings of 
 his pipe boiler, machinery for raising water, a grist and saw- 
 mill, etc. It was printed by Joseph James, Philadelphia, 
 MDCCLXXXVIII. 
 
 Another pamphlet was entitled 
 
 " Explanation of a steam engine, and the method of applying 
 it to propel a boat. Invented by James Rumsey, of Berkeley 
 County, Virginia. Philad. : Printed by Joseph James, Philada. 
 MDCCLXXXVIII. Entered 30th Aug., 1788, in the prothono- 
 tary's office of the Court of Common Pleas, at Philad." 
 
 It contained a sectional engraving of his machinery. AVe 
 copy the description : 
 
 A, a section of a small part of a boat, with the whole of the 
 machinery. 
 
 S, the kelson of the Boat. 
 
 B, part of the trunk, through which the water is forced out 
 at the stern. 
 
 C, C, valves for the admission of water into the trunk at its 
 bottom. 
 
 c, c, c, valves to admit water into the box, DT> ; which water fol- 
 lows the piston, F, of the pump. The piston is curved up by 
 
 '
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 213 
 
 William Askew testified that he was in Philadelphia 
 in September, 1787, and saw Fitch's boat, and was of 
 opinion that the boiler would hold five hundred gallons 
 of water ; that the machinery would weigh seven tons, 
 
 means of the belt, G, which connects both of the pistons, F, F. 
 
 DD, a box, to which the lower cylinder is firmly fastened ; 
 which box is seen open, for the advantage of representing the 
 valves, c, c, c. 
 
 E, a valve on the top of the trunk, near the box, DD, to admit 
 air, which follows the water that is put in motion by the strokes 
 of the engine, and lets it pass off freely, while the wate'r rises 
 gradually into the trunk through the valves, C, C, at its bottom, 
 and is then ready to resist the next stroke of the engine. 
 
 F II, the upper cylinder of the steam engine. 
 
 F G, the lower cylinder. 
 
 II, a rod, screwed on to the top of the bolt, G ; which rod 
 communicates with the apparatus for opening and shutting the 
 cock, K. This apparatus it is not thought necessary to repre- 
 sent. 
 
 I, a swelled cup in the pipe, thro which water is thrown by 
 every stroke of the engine into the upper cylinder, upon the 
 piston, F. 
 
 K, a cock at the junction of the pipes, communicating from 
 the boiler with the cylinder and condenser, which admits the 
 steam under the piston of the upper cylinder. The piston ia 
 then carried up, and, by the communication of the rod, II, with , 
 the cock, K, changes the operation, and passes off the steam for 
 condensation into the condensing vessel, N. The atmosphere 
 then forces down the piston, as it is represented in the plate ; by 
 which means the water is forced through the trunk, B. 
 
 L, a puppet valve, communicating with the boiler, and acting 
 as a regulator ; and must be weighted, to determine the requi- 
 site pressure. 
 
 M, the furnace, in which the pipe boiler is to be placed. 
 0, the gauge cock and spiral worm, connecting the forcing 
 pump, P, and the air vessel, R, with the boiler. 
 
 a, a valve, which admits the water to rise into the barrel of
 
 214 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 and would cost <300 to construct it. On the contrary, 
 Ruinsey's steam machinery would not weigh more than 
 eight hundred pounds, would not require more than 
 four bushels of coal in twelve hours, and would require 
 " no more water at one time than one pint, or perhaps 
 not so much, to keep the machinery in sufficient motion 
 to stem the stream of a river sufficiently fast to he 
 safe with a cargo of goods;" and that his machinery 
 might he made for .20. 
 
 Henry Bedinger, who had also seen Fitch's hoat, 
 certified that, according to his opinion, Rumsey's plan 
 was eligible, simple, and practicable ; whilst Fitch's 
 machinery appeared to be " bulky, weighty, and com- 
 plicated." Fitch's engine and apparatus, he supposed, 
 
 the force pump, P, and prevents it from returning, while it is 
 forced through the valve, b, into the air vessel, R ; where it lies 
 under a given pressure upon the valve, d. 
 
 Q, a pipe leading from the cup, U, fixed to the edge of the 
 upper cylinder, from which it receives some of the surplus 
 water, which is passed through the pipe to the collar, V, through 
 which a communicating bolt, G, is drawn ; and by this means 
 the admission of air is prevented. 
 
 T, a cock to regulate the quantity of water forced up into the 
 upper cylinder. 
 
 W, a valve at the insertion of the trunk, B, into the box, DD, 
 which falls when the stroke of the piston is made, and prevents 
 the return of the water or air into the Box, D D, from the trunk, 
 B, whilst the water follows the piston, F, through the valve, 
 c, c, c, into the box, D D, in order to make the next stroke. 
 
 X, the mouth of the furnace. 
 
 Y, a pipe leading from the top of the condensing vessel to the 
 box, DD, every time the piston is carried up ; and it has a valve 
 on the box, D D, which prevents the water from being forced 
 back again.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 215 
 
 weighed five tons, whilst Ramsey's "weighed but five 
 hundred pounds. 
 
 Before noticing*" the Original steamboat supported," 
 let us again present a few dates, previously given in 
 this biography, in order to make the important ques- 
 tion of time more easily understood : 
 
 1785. April, Jno. Fitch conceived the idea of a steam- 
 boat. 
 
 " Aug. 20, Letter in favour of his scheme by Dr. John 
 
 Ewing. 
 " 25, Letter in favour of his scheme by "Wm. C. 
 
 Houston. 
 
 " 27, Letter in favour of his scheme by SamueJ 
 Smith. 
 
 " " 29, Petition of Fitch presented to Congress. 
 
 " Sept. 27, Drawing of the boat, models, and tube boiler 
 presented to the American Philosophical 
 Society by John Fitch. 
 
 " Dec. 2, Dr. Franklin lays before the Am. Philos. 
 
 Society a paper on maritime affairs, sug- 
 gesting an improvement on Bernouilli'a 
 plan of propelling a boat by sucking in 
 and voiding water. 
 
 " Nov., Application made by Fitch to the Legisla 
 ture of Virginia for encouragement. 
 
 " " 16, Bond executed to Gov. Patrick Henry, con- 
 
 ditioned for the sale of maps, to raise 
 funds to feuild a steamboat. 
 
 " " 25, Ex-Gov. Thomas Johnson gives Jno. Fitch 
 
 a letter of recommendation to Gov. Small- 
 wood, of Maryland, in favour of his ap- 
 plication for a law to give him encourage- 
 ment in the building of his steamboat. 
 
 " Dec., Petition presented to the Assembly of 
 
 Pennsylvania, for assistance. Committee 
 reported favorably, but no action taken.
 
 216 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 1785. Dec. 20, Advertisment for aid to build the steamboat 
 
 in Maryland Gazette. 
 
 1786. Jan. 6, Petition presented to the Assembly of 
 
 Maryland, and 
 
 " " 19, Report favorable to the invention made, but 
 
 assistance declined, on account of a want 
 of Funds. 
 
 " Feb., Application made to the Legislature of New 
 Jersey for assistance. 1000 asked for. 
 The proposition rejected. 
 
 " March 11, Petition to the Pennsylvania Assembly, and 
 remonstrance against Arthur Donaldson's 
 claim to be the inventor of the steam- 
 boat. 
 
 " 18, Law giving John Fitch exclusive rights for 
 fourteen years in boats propelled by Fire 
 and steam, passed by the State of New 
 Jersey. 
 
 " " 23, Another petition and remonstrance against 
 
 Donaldson's pretensions, to the Legisla- 
 ture of Penna., referred to a committee. 
 
 " April 17, Steamboat Company formed. 
 
 " . Working model of a steam engine with 
 
 one inch cylinder made. 
 
 " July, Skiff moved by steam engine, three inch 
 cylinder, on the Delaware, at Philadel- 
 phia. Experiment unsatisfactory, on ac- 
 count of the paddles not working well. 
 
 " " 27, Skiff moved by steam, with the newly in- 
 
 vented oars, at considerable speed, and 
 to the satisfaction of the projectors. 
 
 " Sept., Petition to the Assembly of Pa., for a loan 
 of 150, to aid in prosecuting the experi- 
 ment, and building a boat for working 
 purposes. 
 
 " " 11, Committee report favorably. 
 
 " " The Assembly negative the proposed 
 
 law.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 217 
 
 1786. Nov. 2, Another petition to the Assembly of Penn- 
 
 sylvania, for an exclusive right in the 
 steamboat. 
 
 " Dec., Drawing and description of Fitch's steam- 
 
 boat published in the Columbian Maga- 
 zine. 
 
 " 28, Arthur Donaldson protests against the pass- 
 age of. a law in favour of Fitch. 
 
 1787. March, Reply of Fitch, and argument against 
 
 Donaldson. 
 
 " " 28, Bill giving exclusive rights in the steam- 
 
 boat to John Fitch passed, finally, in 
 Pennsylvania. 
 Feb. 3, Law securing exclusive Rights to Fitch 
 
 passed by the state of Delaware. 
 " 24, Memorial to the Legislature of New York. 
 " 27, Favorable report, and the law securing the 
 
 rights of Fitch reported. 
 March 19, Law of New York passed. 
 
 " Aug. 22, The new steamboat tried on the Delaware, 
 [cylinder 12 inches,] and the experiment 
 witnessed by nearly all the members of 
 the Convention to form the Constitution 
 of the U. S. Certificate by Dr. Johnson, 
 of Virginia, David Rittenhouse, John 
 Ewing, and Andrew Ellicott. 
 
 Oct., Fitch's company first informed that James 
 Rumsey, of Virginia, claimed to be in- 
 ventor of a steamboat. 
 " Nov. 7, Law in favour of Fitch passed by the state 
 
 of Virginia. 
 
 " " Petition to the Assembly of Maryland for 
 a law, by John Fitch. 
 
 1788. Feb., Petition to Congress for a grant of land, to 
 
 aid in the construction of the beat. 
 
 " March, Rumsey's pamphlet first circulated in Phi- 
 ladelphia. 
 
 19
 
 218 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Thus it will be seen that John Fitch had, from Au- 
 gust, 1785, (when his petition was presented to Con- 
 gress,) until October, 1787, been openly and notori- 
 ously prosecuting his schemes before public bodies. 
 During all that time, James Rumsey, who claimed to 
 have thought of a steam-boat in 1784, which was 
 ready for trial in December, 1785, and which was pro- 
 pelled by steam in the spring of 1786, and during 
 1787, did not in any manner press his claims to that 
 invention, although his rival had come into his native 
 State, Maryland, and into Virginia, in which he 
 resided, and had asked privileges from his friends and 
 fellow-citizens which, if Rumsey's allegations were 
 true, Fitch should never have obtained. In all these 
 proceedings by the Pennsylvanian he met with no 
 opposition, upon account of a want of originality in 
 his plan. 
 
 Rumsey's friends and neighbors, and even his repre- 
 sentatives, made no suggestion that Fitch infringed 
 upon him. The steam-boat was encouraged on all 
 hands, as a novel and most important invention. The 
 whole country rang with accounts of it. Yet all this 
 time, according to the statements made, thirty months 
 after the Pennsylvanian had entered upon his enter- 
 prise, Mr. Rumsey was not only the original projector 
 of the steam-boat, but had propelled one before Fitch 
 moved his skiff and larger boat by steam on the Dela- 
 ware. These circumstances are very stubborn facts in 
 this controversy, and they cannot fail in having their 
 effect upon the minds of the reflecting. 
 
 " The Original steamboat supported " was bold and 
 defiant. In that publication the ground was strongly
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 219 
 
 taken that the time at which Rumsey's steam-boat 
 experiments were represented to have taken place was 
 antedated ; that, having failed in the pole-boat, Rum- 
 sey attempted to deceive the public by assertions that 
 the favorable certificates of the performances of that 
 machine were given to the steam-boat. The question 
 as to who first thought of the steam-boat, was not con- 
 tested by Fitch. He admitted that General Washing- 
 ton told him, in November or December, 1785, that 
 Ilumsey had spoken of steam, but that he (General 
 Washington) did not think that he placed any very 
 great reliance upon it as a moving power. 1 The con- 
 troversy between these parties seemed to be most bit- 
 terly fought upon the question, Who made the first 
 experiments ? The Pennsylvanian did not scruple to 
 assert that the Virginian never determined to employ 
 that subtle agent, steam, until the pole-boat failed, and 
 until the experiments upon the Delaware were notori- 
 ous throughout the country. He commenced by giving 
 an historical account of his own proceedings, with the 
 
 1 This is manifest by the after-discovered evidence given in 
 Sparks' Life of Washington (see note to page 142), in the letters 
 of General Washington to Hugh Williamson, March 15, 1785, 
 and to James Ilumsey, January 1, 1786 ; in both of which the 
 writer speaks only of " a mechanical boat." The latter is the 
 more remarkable, as it was written a month or two after Fitch's 
 visit to Washington fourteen months after Kumsey claims that 
 he communicated his idea of a steam-boat to the General, and 
 nine months after the letter alleged to have been written by 
 Kumsey about his boat that could be propelled in the Gulf 
 Stream, etc. Notwithstanding these representations, and al- 
 though a steam-boat inventor had visited Washington a month 
 before, nothing is said about Rumsey's steam-boat ; but General 
 Washington calls his invention " a mechanical boat."
 
 220 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 proper vouchers. He showed, by the petition of Rum- 
 sey to the Assembly of Pennsylvania of November 
 26, 1784, that his boat was to be propelled, by the 
 combined influence of certain mechanical powers thereto 
 applied, the distance of between twenty-five and forty- 
 five miles per day, against the current of a rapid river, 
 " at no greater expense than that of three hands." 
 Manuel Eyre, a member of the Committee of the As- 
 sembly of Pennsylvania to whom that application had 
 been referred, declared that Rumsey made no mention 
 of steam in connection with his moving power. This 
 certificate, and that of General Washington, who saw 
 the experiment at Bath in 1784, that the machinery 
 was " so simple that it could be executed by any com- 
 mon mechanic," justified the inference and argument 
 that the steam-engine, a thing which Fitch's own expe- 
 rience had taught him was most difficult to make, was 
 not the motive power used at that time ; and that the 
 laws which Rumsey had obtained in the early part of 
 1785 in Virginia, 1 Maryland, and Pennsylvania, 
 secured him his rights in the pole-boat only. This, 
 it was argued, could not be otherwise, inasmuch as in 
 those statutes there was no mention of steam, or of a 
 steam-boat. The passage of laws securing to Fitch 
 his rights in boats propelled by the force of fire and 
 steam, without any intimation on the part of the various 
 assemblies that they conflicted in any manner with 
 Rumsey's previous laws, was also relied upon as a 
 
 1 The title of the law of A r irginia is "An act granting to James 
 Rumsey an exclusive right, for a certain number of years, to 
 navigate and build boats calculated to work with greater ease 
 and facility against rapid rivers."
 
 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 221 
 
 proof that there was really no interference. Rumsey's 
 pamphlet, page 4, furnished an additional argument 
 by the incautious confession, " I find my idea of steam 
 was nearly matured before steam had entered his 
 [Fitch's] imagination, by his confession to Governor 
 Johnson :" viz., in April, 1785. " This is a proof," 
 says Fitch, " that when he obtained these laws, his 
 idea of steam was not matured." 
 
 The application by Rumsey to Gov. Johnson for 
 castings for a steam-engine in October or November, 
 1785, was alleged to be a misstatement ; and it was de- 
 clared that the engine said to have been completed at 
 Fredericktown in December, 1785, was not begun until 
 March, 1786. The statement of Gov. Johnson, of 
 Maryland, made Dec. 18th, 1787, to the above effect, 
 was controverted, and it was asserted that either "his 
 memory or his candor was at fault." Fitch asks very 
 pertinently, how the Governor could have written the 
 favorable letter recommending his steam-boat, which 
 bears date Nov. 25th, 1785 '(see page 144), when, ac- 
 cording to Rumsey's statement, his steam-boat was 
 within six days of completion. Gov. J. attempted to 
 reconcile this disci'epancy in his letter to Rumsey, by 
 saying that he felt himself bound to keep the fact that 
 the latter intended to rely upon steam *' a, secret." He 
 says that he kept it a secret after the application to 
 him to cast a cylinder [Oct., 1785], until he found that 
 the cylinder cast at Fredericktown "was a subject of 
 pretty general conversation." Now, if the entire steam- 
 engine was finished by the 1st of December, 1785, the 
 cylinder must have been completed before Fitch visited 
 Gov. Johnson [Nov. 25th], and the obligation to se- 
 19*
 
 222 LIFE OF JOHN FITCE. 
 
 cresy was already removed, because the matter was 
 generally known. How, then, could the Governor give 
 Fitch the letter of recommendation of that date, which 
 was Avritten at Fredericktown, where this "pretty 
 general conversation" was occurring? In that epistle 
 he calls him "a man of real genius and modesty." If 
 Fitch had then come forward with a second-hand idea, 
 the commendation of his genius would have been ab- 
 surd. Governor Johnson also said that Fitch intended 
 to force vessels by steam "through any kind of water," 
 a phrase believed to be employed to distinguish the 
 power from that used in Rumsey's pole-boat, which 
 could only go against streams. How, too, could Gov. 
 Johnson, as an honest man, recommend Fitch warmly 
 to the attention of Gov. Smallwood, if he knew that 
 Ids steam boat conflicted altogether with Rumsey's 
 steam-boat ? From these difficulties there seems no 
 escape, but by the conclusion that in 1785 Gov. J. was 
 either acting hypocritically to Fitch and false to Rum- 
 s'ey, or that in 1787, through a loss of memory, or an 
 over-anxiety to aid his friend, he made misstatements. 
 
 In regard to Joseph Barnes and Charles Morrow, 
 the only persons who assign to Rumsey's experiments 
 a period anterior to the time of Fitch's trials, the 
 ground was boldly taken that both were perjured and 
 interested witnesses, both being partners of Rumsey. 
 These persons differed : Barnes declaring that all the 
 works were on board the boat in Dec. 1785, and Morrow 
 stating that although ready at the time, the engine was 
 not set up until March, 1786, when the first experi- 
 ment was made. 
 
 In order to sustain his positions, Fitch produced the
 
 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 223 
 
 affidavit of Frederick Tombough, a partner of Mr. 
 Zimmers, coppersmith of Fredericktown, who declared 
 that the copper pipes for Rumsey's steam-boat were 
 made in March, 1786, and not in October or Novem- 
 ber, 1785. The widow of Zimmers declared that'there 
 was no account in her late husband's books to show 
 wlten Rumsey obtained the copper works, but that she 
 knew that Michael Baltzell turned the works for the 
 first machinery. The latter certified that he turned a 
 round piece of wood for Zimmers to round his copper 
 works upon, in March, 1786. Jonathan Morris certi- 
 fied that in March, 1786, he was told that Zimmers had 
 begun some machinery for Rumsey, and he (Morris) 
 called at the coppersmith's shop to see it, but was re- 
 fused a sight of it, and was told that it was retained 
 "as Mr. Rumsey's secret." John Peters made affida- 
 vit that he made the tin work for the engine at the 
 same time that Zimmers was at the copper work, and 
 that it was in March, 1786. John Fry miller, who had 
 been an apprentice of Zimmers, made oath that Rum- 
 sey's work was begun in the spring of 1786. Joshua 
 Minshall, a coppersmith of Fredericktown, testified 
 that he knew that it was late in the spring or summer 
 of 1786 before Zimmers commenced the work for 
 Rumsey. Christopher Raborg, of Baltimore, who was 
 engaged to make brass cocks for Rumsey, which he was 
 told were "for the warm springs," said that,~not being 
 able to furnish them himself, he got Charles Weir & 
 Co. to complete them. He had no charge by which he 
 could ascertain the time, but believed it to be in the 
 fall of 1785. Rumsey declared that those cocks were 
 not for "the warm springs," but for the steam-boat.
 
 224 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 This latter statement was contradicted by Charles 
 "Weir and Isaac Causten, who composed the firm of 
 Chas. Weir & Co. Weir stated that, from his memory, 
 he helieved it to be in the spring of 1786 that he did 
 that work. Causten declared that the books of the 
 firm had been destroyed by fire, but that from some 
 loose papers in his possession he found that four brass 
 cocks were charged to Raborg, on the 29th of March, 
 1786. Thus it will be perceived, that opposed to the state- 
 ment of Morrow and Barnes, that the steam-engine was 
 ready by December, 1785, were the certificates and 
 affidavits of nine persons, all of whom declared that 
 the machinery was not begun until March, 1786, or 
 seven months after Fitch had applied to Congress, and 
 had spread the news of his discovery through Pennsyl- 
 vania, Virginia, and Maryland. The testimony thus 
 adduced was relied upon to show that instead of Rum- 
 sey's boat being completed in December, 1785, and 
 tested in 1786, the steam machinery was not ready 
 until December, 1786, and the boat was not tried 
 until December, 1787, more than sixteen months after 
 Fitch's skiff steam-boat was propelled on the Delaware, 
 and three months after the successful experiment with 
 the larger boat, which was witnessed by the members 
 of the Federal Convention. 1 
 
 1 In reference to these important points, Fitch afterwards, in 
 his letter to the commissioners for granting patents in 1791, uses 
 the following very pertinent and forcible argument: 
 
 " Now that he should be so expeditious as to make his pole 
 boat, & try its ineffectual experiments from the 25 March, 1785, 
 & then to change his plan to a steamboat, & bespeak none of his 
 \vorks before October or November, and the first works which 
 he bespoke to fail in the attempt, & afterwards to bespeak others
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 225 
 
 In Ramsey's pamphlet, after stating that he had 
 been experimenting upon steam-engines in secret, and 
 after having informed General Washington by letter 
 of 10th March, that he intended to apply both powers 
 (viz., steam and the pole mechanism), to a boat built 
 after the model at Bath, he says, "I was under many 
 disadvantages arising from my remote situation, and 
 could gain truth only by successive experiments, incre- 
 dible delays were produced, and though my distresses 
 were greatly increased thereby, I bore the peltings of 
 ignorance and ill nature with all resignation, until I 
 was informed some dark assassins had endeavored to 
 wound the reputation of his Excellency and the other gen- 
 tlemen who saw my exhibition at Bath, for giving me a 
 certificate. The reflections upon these worthy gentlemen 
 gave me inexpressible uneasiness, and I should certainly 
 
 and to have all his works completely fitted on Board, about the 
 beginning of Dec br , and the machinery all taken out & nothing 
 but the boat damiged, I say it was very extraordinary that it 
 should take them the whole years of 1786 and 1787 to repair 
 the boat only wher no other repairs were wanting. And it may 
 be also noticed that the attempt of casting cylinders could not 
 be a work of short time. I never could have an attempt made 
 in less than five or six weeks. Yet they are not obliged to be 
 as tedious in Maryland as in our own furnaces about Philadel- 
 phia, and as October or November is the first that he attempts 
 to prove any thing about steam engines, and when we make a 
 short allowance for the disappointments of casting cylinders, it 
 may easily be conceived what time they had to bespeak others 
 & get them made & on board by the first of December. 
 
 This boat, which grew like Jonah's Gourd the first season, 
 withered down to about one week's work for the two following 
 years, when it may be reasonably supposed that the last part of 
 the time there would be more strenuous exertions, as they knew 
 we were going on and was forward with ours."
 
 226 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 have quitted my steam-engines, though in a great state 
 of forwardness, and produced the boat for which I ob- 
 tained their certificate (the pole-boat), for their justifi- 
 cation and my own, although I had actually made 
 several experiments on a boat with steam, but Mr. 
 Fitch came out at this minute with his steam-boat, as- 
 serting that 'he was the first inventor of steam, and 
 that I had gotten what small knowledge I had from 
 him, but that I had not the essentials.'" He then 
 refers to a letter from Daniel Buckley, living near 
 Philadelphia, to a gentleman residing in Berkeley 
 County, in which, speaking of Dr. McMechen, partner 
 of Rumsey, Mr. Buckley says "I am sorry he has 
 been deluded by a person who I have reason to believe 
 is a deceiver, as Mr. Fitch, of Philadelphia, says Mr. 
 Rumsey 'got what small knowledge of steam he has 
 of him,' " &c. Rumsey then proceeds to declare in his 
 pamphlet, that as there was no time to lose, he "pro- 
 ceeded with ardour in perfecting the steam-engine, and 
 that it is now so far completed as to render the valu- 
 able purpose manifest," etc. It would seem from this, 
 that it was not until after Mr. Buckley's letter was 
 written, that Mr. Rumsey perceived that the critical 
 moment had arrived, and that it was after that time 
 that his steam-boat was produced. Now arises the very 
 important question, What was the date of Buckley's 
 letter ? It is a curious thing, that no date whatever 
 is given to it in Rumsey 's pamphlet, and the reader is 
 evidently expected to understand that the letter was 
 written shortly after the time that Barnes and Morrow say 
 the steam machinery was commenced, viz., in May, 1785. 
 In opposition to this may be noticed the fact that Mr. 

 
 LIFE OF JOIIX FITCH. 227 
 
 Buckley speaks of "Mr. Fitch, of Philadelphia." It has 
 been already shown that his residence Avas in Bucks 
 County during the whole of 1785, and it was not until 
 the formation of the steam-boat company in April, 
 1786, that he became an inhabitant of the city. Added 
 to this is the certificate of Mr. Daniel Buckley, in 
 "The Original steamboat supported," that he does 
 not know from his memory the date of the letter writ- 
 ten to Virginia, to which Rumsey refers, but it was 
 "Avhen Mr. Samuel Briggs was making patterns for 
 Mr. Fitch's castings." The affidavit of Briggs stated 
 that the first patterns for castings made by him for 
 Fitch was in the summer of 1786, and that Daniel 
 Buckley was in his shop several times during that sum- 
 mer, so that the "critical moment" when Mr. Rumsey 
 found it necessary for him to go on with his steam-boat, 
 must have been in 1786, and not 1785, and conse- 
 quently the vessel could not have been tried until 1787. 
 In addition to these arguments, there was a state- 
 ment by Fitch that the winter of 1785 was mild and 
 open, and that there could have been no ice in the Po- 
 tomac to interfere with Rumsey 's experiments, but that 
 in the month of December, 1786, the weather was pre- 
 cisely such as would have stopped the navigation of 
 the river. 1 
 
 J On the same subject he said in his communication to the 
 Commissioners for Granting Patents, which was -written in 1790, 
 " I went to Annapolis and back in the month of January, 1786, 
 and was not impeaded with ice going or returning, nor did I 
 see any which 1 beleive was an inch thick on any of the rivers. 
 From these circumstances and other proofs I have to offer, it 
 appears to me very probable that they have made a mistake of 
 one year." This journey occupied twenty days.
 
 228 
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 There was another matter of dispute about the pipe 
 boiler, which, by persuasion of Voight and order of the 
 Company, was placed in Fitch's steam-boat in the spring 
 of 1788. Rumsey declared that the whole plan had been 
 taken from him, and that it was in the essentials similar 
 to his own. To this Fitch replied, that such a boiler was 
 originally devised by himself, and described in his pa- 
 pers laid before the Philosophical Society in September, 
 1785. In proof of that fact, he exhibited a certificate of 
 Dr. John Ewing, dated Sept. 27, 1785, stating that in 
 Fitch's explanation of his draft he revealed that "his 
 intention of conveying the waters from his forcing 
 pump in a Tube that passed through the fire was, that 
 it might thereby be set a boiling before it entered the 
 Receiver, lest the cold water mixing with the boiling 
 water in the Receiver should im- 
 pede the generation of steam." 1 
 Upon this boiler Voight im- 
 proved, but being fearful of 
 risking their success upon a the- 
 ory, they thought it best to use 
 the boiler of the old plan. 
 
 The affidavits of Timothy Mat- 
 lack and John Nancarrow also 
 established this point. Mat- 
 lack declared that Henry Voight had shown him the 
 draft of a spiral tube for generating steam for his 
 
 1 The following references to the drawing of this pipe-boiler 
 (Ramsey's) are given in an essay signed " Retrograde," in the 
 possession of the American Philosophical Society : 
 
 A, B, C, an iron pipe bent as represented by the figer. 
 
 D, F, a pipe of the same eize with the valve E on the turned 
 up end. The end F is braized to the boiler A, B, C, at B, and 
 
 D 
 
 Section of Pipe Boiler.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 229 
 
 steam-boat in the latter part of June, 1786. Nancar- 
 row, who was present, was consulted about it. He ad- 
 vised Voight to use the common grate boiler, and not 
 to trust to uncertain experiments. This advice was 
 taken at first, but on the day the affidavits were made, 
 July 14, 1788, both Matlack and Nancarrow inspected 
 the pipe boiler, then set up in Fitch's steam-boat, and 
 found it to be the same in principle as that shown them 
 
 Section of Pipe Boiler. 
 
 In its Furnace. 
 
 in 1786. Voight also suggested the same principles, 
 viz., a spiral pipe or worm for a condenser. It was 
 
 hangs down in a perpendicular direction to discharge the steam 
 at the valve E when the machine is not at work. This boiler is 
 set up in a furnace of Brick and the fewel put into the caveteys 
 formed by the crossings of the pipe. The water that makes the 
 steam is forced in at the end A by a small pump. 
 
 The advantage of this boiler is, that it presents a much greater 
 surface to a small fire than any other. The furnace is two feet 
 square inside. 120 feet of pipe, two inches in diameter, is bent 
 as represented in the diagram, the surface of which will be 60 
 feet square, all of which will be in the fire, as the fewel is to be 
 burnt in the cave made by the crossing of the pipe, and must 
 therefore be very hot. 
 20
 
 230 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 thought that the best way of applying fire for evapo- 
 ration into steam, must be also the best way of apply- 
 ing cold water to condense steam, that is by bringing 
 the greatest quantity of fire into action upon the 
 greatest surface of water or the contrary. It is 
 clear that Fitch first suggested the pipe boiler, but 
 Voight having materially improved it, his partner re- 
 linquished his rights in it to him. Speaking of Rum- 
 sey's claim to that invention, Fitch said "Whether 
 I have got his mode of creating steam, or whether he 
 has got mine, I do not at present know. But as both 
 Mr. Rumsey and Mr. Yoight laid their plans before 
 the Philosophical Society the same day, it will appear 
 how far they are alike." 
 
 In reference to this matter, it appears from the mi- 
 nutes of the American Philosophical Society that on 
 the 5th of April, 1788, Rumsey's pamphlet was pre- 
 sented. On the 18th of the same month "a letter 
 signed X. Y., with a draft, model, and explanation of 
 an improved boiler for steam-engines," was laid before 
 the Society, as a candidate for the Magellanic premium. 
 The regulations concerning the manner in which this 
 prize was to be awarded, required that the communi- 
 cation should be marked with a signature or motto, and 
 that it should be accompanied by a sealed package 
 containing the name of the author, which was not to 
 be opened but in case of the success of the essay. On 
 the same evening "a letter was received from Mr. 
 James Rumsey, of the State of Virginia, accompanied 
 with a drawing and description of an improved boiler, 
 for a steam-engine;" also drawings and descriptions 
 of improvements on grist-mills, saw-mills, and pumps.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 231 
 
 On the same evening "a letter was received with draw- 
 ings and descriptions of various improvements in 
 Boilers for generating steam, from Mr. Henry Voight." 
 
 Ordered, that Dr. Ewing, Mr. Rittenhouse, and Mr. Professor 
 Patterson, be a Committee to examine the several papers on the 
 production and use of steam, and to make report to the society 
 thereon. 
 
 May 2, 1788. A letter, with a drawing and description for 
 an improved boiler for Steam Engines, was received from a can- 
 didate for the Annual Premium, under the signature of "Retro- 
 grade." 
 
 A report from the Committee to whom were referred sundry 
 papers by the Society at their last meeting, was produced and 
 read, as follows : viz., 
 
 " Your Committee have examined the several papers to them 
 referred by the Society at their last meeting, except that 
 offered for the Annual premium ; on which they do not think it 
 proper to give their opinion at present. 
 
 " The principle which Mr. Rumsey and Mr. Voight seem to 
 have adopted in their proposed Boilers to wit, to increase the 
 surface, and to diminish the quantity of water exposed to the 
 action of the fire, appears to your Committee in general to be 
 just. But what must be the best application of this principle, 
 must no doubt in some measure be determined by actual expe- 
 riments. 
 
 " The improvements w ch Mr. Rumsey proposes in Dr. Barker's 
 Grist mill, that in the saw mill, and that in the raising of water 
 by means of a steam engine, are certainly ingenious in theory, 
 and well deserve a full trial. 
 
 JOHN EWING, 
 DAVID RiTTENHor/SE, 
 ROBERT PATTERSON. 
 
 The essays of " Retrograde" and " X. Y." remained 
 on hand for two years. They were laid over for con-
 
 232 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 sideration at the meeting in December, 1789, and 
 again in 1790. In the latter year, " X. Y. presented 
 a supplementary and explanatory 
 paper to the piece presented in 
 the month of April, 1788, on the 
 subject of an improved boiler for 
 steam-engines, together with a tin 
 model." Afterwards it was re- 
 ported that 'both " X. Y." and 
 " Retrograde" were inadmissible, 
 in consequence of a noncompli- 
 ance with prescribed rules. 
 
 Donble Cylinder Boiler Grate, It will therefore be SCCn that 
 andrurnace.(Henr y Voi g ht's.) j^ y^ a nd RuniSey Openly 
 
 laid their plans of boilers before the Society on the 
 same evening. Both at the same time sought the 
 award of the Magellanic Gold Medal, in communica- 
 tions signed "X. Y." and "Retrograde." 
 
 The essay of "Retrograde" remains with the So- 
 ciety ; but that of " X. Y." has disappeared. We are 
 enabled to make up the deficiency partly by an extract 
 from the Columbian Magazine for 1789, page 602. It 
 contains a report of the proceedings of the Society, 
 as follows: 
 
 "April 18, 1788. Presented, a model drawing and descrip- 
 tion of an improved boiler for steam engines, from a candidate 
 for the annual premium, under the signature X. Y. 
 
 " This boiler is in the form of a double cylinder, or one cylin- 
 der enclosed in another, leaving a space between the inner sur- 
 face of the one and the outer surface of the other of about two 
 inches, in which the water is contained ; the cylinders being 
 joined together at both ends. Through the outer cylinder are
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 233 
 
 made two holes (the one near the top, the other near the bottom), 
 into which are fastened two tubes; through the one the boiler is 
 supplied with water, and through the other the steam is con- 
 veyed to whatever place it may be wanted. The boiler is sur- 
 rounded, buth on the concave and convex surfaces, by a double 
 cylindrical grate, (a proper space being left between it and the 
 boiler,) into which the fuel is to be put. This grate (with the 
 boiler enclosed in it) is supported by three strong iron feet, and 
 the whole surrounded by a cylindrical furnace, terminating in 
 a funnel, or large pipe, above the boiler. This furnace is pro- 
 posed to be formed of light wooden studs, joined together by 
 laths, and plastered on the inside with the composition and in 
 the manner which Lord Cavendish recommends to prevent 
 houses from burning. Such a furnace it is presumed would 
 have considerable advantages over one made of iron or brick. 
 It would be incomparably lighter, and less expensive; and 
 besides, being a worse conductor of heat, it would more effectu- 
 ally prevent an unnecessary waste of it, while at the same time 
 it would be less incommodious to the workmen who attend it." 
 
 In the same magazine, page 674, is an account of 
 the proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 
 under the date of May 2, 1788. The presentation of 
 a communication under the signature " Retrograde" is 
 noticed, and it is added, " this is precisely the same 
 with Mr. Rumsey's pipe-boiler, mentioned on the same 
 page." " X. Y." was the signature, therefore, of Henry 
 Voight; "Retrograde," of James Rumsey. 
 
 The double-cylinder boiler of Voight was an improve- 
 ment, it was thought, upon the pipe boiler of John 
 Fitch. The latter was simply a collection of pipes, 
 united at the end and bent together in a small space, 
 crossing each other like the worm of a still. About 
 two hundred feet were thus brought together ; and the 
 fire being around them, and the flames ascending 
 20*
 
 284 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 through and among them, caused a speedy creation of 
 steam. This was the first tubular boiler known to have 
 been used in any part of the world. The " improved 
 boiler," the plan of which was laid before the Society, 
 was upon the same principle, viz. : the exposure of a 
 surface of a small quantity of water to the action of 
 the fire. The double cylinder was a tube surrounding 
 a tube. The heat applied to the outer and inner sur- 
 faces created steam quickly. The idea of employing 
 a wooden furnace to enclose the whole, even although 
 coated with Cavendish's anti-combustion composition, 
 will excite a smile at this day. 
 
 But let us return to the Battle of the Pamphlets. 
 " The Original steamboat supported " was certainly a 
 very conclusive publication ; and it placed the claim 
 of Rumsey, that he had propelled a steamboat before 
 Fitch had done so, in a very doubtful situation. It 
 proved very conclusively that if the witnesses relied 
 upon by the Pennsylvanian were truthful, there had 
 been an ingenious system of "false datings " in the 
 pamphlet of the Virginian. 
 
 The agents of the latter did not rest quiet, but 
 brought out, towards the close of the year, an answer, 
 which was entitled " Remarks on Mr. John Fitch's 
 reply to Mr. James Rumsey's pamphlet, by Joseph 
 Barnes, formerly assistant, and now attorney in fact 
 to James Rumsey. Philadelphia : Printed by Joseph 
 James, Chestnut street. MDCCLXXXVIII." In 
 this publication, Barnes applied himself assiduously to 
 sustain the statements made by his principal. 
 
 Morrow was the chief witness who fixed any time in 
 1785 as that when the machinery was all on board
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 235 
 
 Rumsey 's steamboat ; and in his first affidavit he de- 
 clared that it was ready by December, when the ice 
 prevented the boat from being tried. He now reiter- 
 ated that statement, and declared that 9 16s were 
 paid Raborg for the four brass cocks, on the 29th of 
 October, 1785. Conrad Byers made oath that in 
 October or November, 1785, he put hands on two brass 
 or copper cocks for Rumsey, some springs for opening 
 and shutting them, two pistons, and some flanches ; 
 and that he understood that they were for the steam- 
 boat. Francis Hamilton declared that in December, 
 1785, Barnes and James McMechen brought a boat of 
 about six tons burthen, with a variety of machinery 
 on board, to the Shenandoah Falls ; that there were 
 copper cylinders, or copper boilers, copper cocks, 
 pumps, etc. ; that they continued fixing the machinery 
 until January 7, 1786, when, the ice driving in the 
 river, they desisted, drew the boat up, took out the 
 machinery, and laid it in his (Hamilton's) cellar; that 
 on the 14th of March, 1786, a trial was made, when 
 the boat moved against the current, though not with 
 much success, owing to the imperfections of the ma- 
 chinery, he, the said Hamilton, with Barnes, McMe- 
 chen, and Morrow, being on board. Mrs. Zimmers 
 now declared that it was in November, 1785, that her 
 husband made " two round copper things " for Rumsey, 
 and that they were finished and taken away before 
 Christmas of the same year ; and that she recollected 
 that certain brass cocks were fixed to them. Christo- 
 pher Raborg also changed his statement, and said that 
 Weir & Co. made the brass cocks for him in the fall 
 of 1785. Weir, too, declared that he had made the
 
 236 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 cocks for Raborg, and delivered them October 15, 
 1785, having since found a receipt which enabled him 
 to specify the time. Causten (or Cursten) stated that 
 the four brass cocks made for Raborg in March, 1786, 
 which he spoke of in the affidavit furnished by him to 
 Fitch, could not have been the same that were made 
 for Rumsey, which he was persuaded were finished by 
 October 14, 1785. No retraction was obtained from 
 Tombough, Peters, Baltzell, Morris, Minshall, or Fry- 
 miller. So that, of the ten who originally testified 
 that the machinery of Rumsey's boat was made by 
 Zimmers & Raborg in 1786, six persons still maintained 
 their original allegations. Beside that, Barnes him- 
 self furnished evidence that the boiler could not have 
 been finished in December, 1785. This was contained 
 in affidavits and statements by John Ritchie, Michael 
 Entler, and Jonathan Osborn, that they prepared and 
 welded barrels, or "scalps," for the boiler, in January 
 and February, 1786. William Askew testified that in 
 Philadelphia, in September, 1787, he had communi- 
 cated to Voight that Rumsey had been making experi- 
 ments, and that in January, 1788, he informed Voight 
 of the principles of the pipe-boiler, of which the latter 
 professed to have never heard, and the utility of which 
 he doubted. In the written part of the pamphlet, 
 Barnes admitted that work had been made for Rumsey 
 by Zimmers in March, 1786, as was alleged in Fitch's 
 statement; but it was declared that those articles 
 belonged to a second engine. In regard to the equi- 
 vocal position of Governor Johnson, it was argued 
 that, as he was aware that Fitch's plan of a steam-boat 
 differed from Rumsey's, he thought it his duty to en-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 237 
 
 courage both. The statements alleged to have been 
 made in a letter of Rumsey to Washington, March 10, 
 178"5, that the newly invented plan of propulsion would 
 make boats go against the current of the Mississippi 
 or Ohio, and in the Gulf Stream, it was said must 
 have alluded to a steam-boat, as the pole-boat could 
 not have made such performance. There was also a 
 certificate of John Wilson, of Philadelphia, that Rum- 
 sey had told him, in 1783, that he intended to build a 
 boat, to go by steam ; and one of like character from 
 Moses Hunter, certifying to a conversation held in 
 1784. 
 
 To rebut these allegations, new affidavits and certi- 
 ficates were procured by Fitch, and published in a 
 broadside or handbill form. These statements con- 
 firmed very conclusively the original argument, that 
 the dates of Rumsey's steam experiments had been 
 placed at earlier periods than when they really occurred. 
 The great point in contest was, whether the steam ma- 
 chinery of Rumsey was all finished and on board the 
 boat at Sheppardstown in December, 1785; which 
 vessel had then been damaged by ice. Englehart 
 Cruze testified that he had lived in Sheppardstown in 
 May and June, 1787, and that Rumsey had told him 
 that his boat was damaged in the winter before [1786], 
 and was repaired in the spring [1787]. Rumsey then 
 spoke of Fitch's boat, which he said was moved by 
 paddles, and said that a person had been on to Phila- 
 delphia, and had seen it. At that time Rumsey's boat 
 had the trunks for pumping water and ejecting it fixed 
 in it. Cruze saw the cylinder which was made at Fre- 
 dericktown. It was eleven or twelve inches in diame-
 
 238 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 ter, and Barnes was then adding a piece to make it 
 wider. Rumsey said that he had tried the stream boat, 
 [pole-boat,] and when he found that it would not answer 
 the desired purpose, had determined to use steam. 
 
 Benjamin Harris declared that he had worked for 
 Rumsey in the spring of 1786 for one month; that in 
 the fall of the same year he saw the boat worked up 
 the river with setting-poles, near the shore. He saw 
 in it " a wheel nearly similar to the flutter- wheel of a 
 saw-mill." There was a smaller wheel at the bow, 
 " about the size of a wheelbarrow wheel, and others, 
 with considerable other machinery." These articles 
 belonged to the pole or stream-boat ; there was nothing 
 like flutter-wheels in Rumsey 's steam-boat, which was 
 propelled altogether by a pumping apparatus. 
 
 John Eremere made oath that he helped to take 
 Rumsey's machinery on board his boat in May, 1786. 
 As far as recollected, it consisted of two pipes of cop- 
 per, five and a half feet long and six inches in diame- 
 ter, a large boiler of copper, a large fan-wheel, with 
 a spindle through both crosses at the ends, two long 
 pieces of iron, eight or nine feet, and shaped similar 
 to a soldier's cutlass [supposed to be setting-poles], a 
 number of paddles, or small boards [for the stream- 
 wheel]. There was no trunk or double bottom. The 
 hold was clear all the way from stem to stern, like that 
 of any other boat, and no steam boiler was in it. 
 
 Leonard Smith testified that he steered Rumsey's 
 boat in May or June, 1786, when it was tried with 
 different ways of working among others, with setting- 
 poles. Other machinery was put on board afterward, 
 and the boat went up the river. It had flutter-wheels
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 239 
 
 and .pieces of iron, as described by Eremere, which 
 were for setting it up against the stream. It had no 
 trunk or double bottom at that time, nor was such plan 
 then spoken of. 
 
 Jacob Kendel stated that he had frequently seen 
 the tin-work finished for Rumsey's boat by John Peters, 
 which he stated was made in the spring of 1786. 
 George Schnetzel declared that he had sold borax to 
 Zimmers in February, 1786, who told him that he pro- 
 cured it for the purpose of soldering work for Rum- 
 sey's steamboat ; which was the first he had heard of 
 such a machine. George Jacobus Schley, of Frede- 
 ricktown, testified that Fitch had shown him his model 
 of the steam-boat whilst lodging at his house, in De- 
 cember, 1785, on his return from Richmond. lie 
 never heard of a steam-boat before, or again till the 
 spring of 1786, when Zimmers was working for Rum- 
 sey ; which was a topic of common conversation. G. 
 Schley confirmed this statement. He never heard of 
 a steam-boat until several months after Fitch was at 
 his house. Rumsey's boat was not talked about before 
 the spring of 1786. Frederick Husely was often in 
 Zimmers' shop in the winter of 1785. He never 
 heard of any work for the steam-boat until the spring 
 of 1786. 
 
 John Beatty, Sr., a member of the Maryland Le- 
 gislature at the session of 1785-6, lived next door to 
 Zimmers in Fredericktown. lie had no supposition at 
 the time that Fitch applied to the Assembly that Rum- 
 sey had invented a steam-boat. He first heard of it 
 in the spring of 1786. John Beatty, Jr., and Zaccheus 
 Beatty, also neighbors of Zimmers, made similar
 
 240 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 declarations. Abram Faw, also a member of the Le- 
 gislature, and a resident of Fredericktown, was one of 
 the Committee on Fitch's petition when it was pre- 
 sented. He knew of Rumsey's pole-boa't at that time. 
 He heard nothing of his steam-boat until the spring of 
 1786. George Kay first saw Rumsey's boat in the 
 Potomac in 1787. It had oars, and sweeps, and poles, 
 to use when the water was shallow. He was told that 
 it was a steam-boat. 
 
 The evidence of witnesses on both sides may there- 
 fore be summed up as follows upon the principal point : 
 
 That James Rumsey had his That James Rumsey did not 
 
 steam-boat finished in Decem- commence his steam-boat before 
 
 ber, 1785. the spring of 1786. 
 
 CHARLES MORROW, FREDERICK TOMBOUGH, 
 
 JOSEPH BARNES, MICHAEL BALTZELL, 
 
 CONRAD BYERS, JONATHAN MORRIS, 
 
 FRANCIS HAMILTON. 4. JOHN PETERS, 
 
 JOHN FRYMILLER,' 
 
 
 
 1 An attempt was made in Barnes' pamphlet to cast a doubt 
 over Frymiller's testimony, by allegation that he was "groggy" 
 after he returned from making the affidavit in favor of Fitch, 
 which was published in " the Original steamboat supported." 
 The material question should have been, whether he was sober 
 when he made the statement under oath. Frymiller was again 
 examined, and reiterated his original statement, and declared 
 that he was not drunk at the time of his first affidavit. The 
 aspersions on that young man were made by Christopher Ra- 
 borg and Christopher Brudenhart. The latter afterwards made 
 oath that he did not know what was in the deposition against 
 Frymiller when he signed it. Hagner testified that Raborg de- 
 nied that he had ever made oath that Frymiller was "groggy" 
 when he made the deposition for Fitch. Moale, who was pre- 
 sent when Frymiller left the shop to go before the Justice, de- 
 clared that he was perfectly sober.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 241 
 
 JOSHUA MINSHALI., 
 JOHN RITCHIE,' 
 MICHAEL ENTLER,' 
 JONATHAN OSBORN,' 
 ENGELHART CRUZE, 
 BENJAMIN HARRIS, 
 JOHN EREMERE, 
 LEONARD SMITH, 
 JACOB KENDEL, 
 GEORGE SCHNETZEL, 
 GEO. JACOBUS SCHLET, 
 G. SCHLEY, 
 JOHN BEATTY, SEN'R, 
 JOHN BEATTY, JUN'R, 
 ZACCHEUS BEATTY, 
 ABRAHAM FAW. 21. 
 
 Excluding the statements of Messrs. Zimmers, Chas. 
 E. Weir, Causten, and Raborg, who each told two dif- 
 fering stories, and are not therefore worthy of reliance 
 on either side, we find that twenty-one persons declared 
 thatRumsey's boat was not commenced until the spring 
 of 1786, whilst but four, two of whom were interested, 
 stated that it was finished in December, 1785. 
 
 Let us, then, candidly review the true condition of 
 
 1 These witnesses were brought forward by Barnes, but they 
 proved that the pipe-boiler was not commenced until the spring 
 of 1786. Osborn and Entler declared that the pipes thus made 
 were left in the shop of Entler, "more than six months before 
 they were used" Barnes then screwed them together and took 
 them away. This circumstance seems to show that the pipe- 
 boiler which Rumsey declared to be an " original invention," 
 could not have been fixed in his steam-boat before November or 
 December, 1786, which agrees with Fitch's belief that the ma- 
 chinery was not ready until that time, instead of December, 
 1785, as represented in Rumsey's pamphlet. 
 
 21
 
 242 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Ramsey's claims, as they are to be deduced from the 
 publications, affidavits, and certificates on both sides. 
 
 There can be no doubt whatever that the boat 
 exhibited by him at Bath in 1784, was a stream or pole 
 boat. There is no question that the laws protect- 
 ing him in his rights for his invention, passed in 1784 
 and 1785 by Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, 
 were not for a steam-boat. Fitch made his plans pub- 
 lic in August, 1785, by his letter to Congress. He 
 went among the friends, acquaintances, and immediate 
 representatives of Rumsey, in December of that year, 
 and in January, 1786, when he sought laws for the 
 protection of his invention. At that time the novelty 
 of his plan seemed to be conceded. It was not hinted by 
 those who knew of Rumsey's prior laws, and who had 
 seen his boat, that Fitch's method of propulsion was 
 an infringement. That the steam-boat of the latter 
 was completed in December, 1785, seems to be contra- 
 dicted by every probability. It was not until the 
 spring of 1786 that Rumsey's intention to make such 
 a boat was the common topic of conversation in Frede- 
 ricktown. The testimony of his own Avitnesses, Osborn 
 and Entler, who began the pipe-boiler in February, 
 
 1786, shows that the work was not taken away from 
 the shop to be placed in the boat until more than six 
 months after it was finished, say in October or Novem- 
 ber, 1786. The boat could not have been ready there- 
 fore until the latter part of that year. It will also be 
 recollected that the successful experiments of Rumsey 
 were not made until the 3d and llth of December, 
 
 1787, just about two years after he declared that his 
 boat was completed. It may therefore be asked very
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 243 
 
 pertinently, How it was that there was so much delay- 
 in exhibiting a machine which was perfect twenty-four 
 months before it was brought before the public ? 
 During all that time Fitch was working and spread- 
 ing intelligence of his discovery abroad: Rumsey, 
 according to his own declaration, was secretly engaged 
 in perfecting his machine, and allowing his rival to 
 obtain laws to his detriment, not only in New Jersey, 
 Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware, but in Vir- 
 ginia, in the neighborhood of Rumsey's residence. 
 These circumstances irresistibly lead to the conclusion, 
 that although Rumsey may have thought of steam as 
 a propelling force in 1783 and 1784 (as Paine did in 
 1776, and Henry did in 1778), he placed no reliance 
 upon it. It was "an immatured idea," to use the lan- 
 guage attributed to General Washington, and it was 
 not until John Fitch had excited public attention by 
 his scheme for a steam-boat, that Rumsey, abandoning 
 his failure, the pole or stream boat, determined to em- 
 ploy steam as a motive power. His boat in 1786 still 
 had the flutter-wheels and setting-poles of the original 
 invention, as appears from the affidavits of Cruze, 
 Harris, Eremere, and Smith. It could not have been 
 until 1787 that the trunks were adopted, and that 
 method of propulsion had before been described by 
 Bernouilli, Franklin, Donaldson, and Fitch. 1 
 
 1 In regard to the means of propulsion adopted by these rivals, 
 it may be observed, that they were entirely different. Rumsey's 
 Bteam-engine was quite simple in comparison to that of Fitch. 
 It was only a steam pump. The details were similar to those 
 of the pumping engines, then employed in England in mines, 
 and the adaptation of such machinery was comparatively easy, 
 as the details of the machinery of the mining pumps furnished
 
 244 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 We might here conclude this part of the suhject, 
 but it is necessary to notice what may be termed the 
 official injustice of a later generation. In 1836 the 
 heirs of Rumsey applied to Congress for a remunera- 
 tion, upon the allegation that their ancestor was the 
 inventor of the steam-boat. A report was made March 
 2d, 1837, which was not acted on. At the session in 
 1838-9, another memorial was presented by the heirs 
 of Rumsey. 
 
 The subject was on both occasions referred to a select 
 Committee, of which Mr. Underwood was Chairman. 
 The last report was most full, and of that we shall 
 speak. It perhaps would not be unjust to say that no 
 very minute investigation was likely to be made by a 
 body of politicians in regard to a strictly scientific 
 matter. It is probable that the Committee tried to 
 examine into the subject before them fairly, but they 
 were altogether without light, other than that which 
 was furnished by the claimants. That the latter were 
 in much ignorance of the real condition of the claims 
 of their ancestor, may also be charitably suggested. 
 The pamphlets of Rumsey and Barnes, and the " Ori- 
 ginal steamboat supported " of Fitch, were not before 
 this Committee. iNor did they know that copies of 
 them were in the Philadelphia Library and the library 
 of the American Philosophical Society. The evidence 
 which was offered was very meagre. No notice was 
 
 models for another. Fitch's steam-engine was, on the contrary, 
 new. It was to perform work unlike anything done by a steam- 
 engine before. It required originality in the plans, and inge- 
 nuity to accomplish many requisites which had been hitherto 
 unattempted.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 245 
 
 taken of the pole-boat; but on the contrary, it was 
 assumed that the vessel tried in September, 1784, was 
 a STEAMBOAT. Nicholas Orrick sustained this posi- 
 tion. He testified that he was a partner of James 
 Rumsey in 1783 ; that in the beginning of 1784 the 
 latter built a small boat on the Potomac, and that in 
 the autumn of that year he went on board and took 
 with him his brother-in-law. The machinery was ready. 
 Orrick pushed the boat into the stream, and it was 
 worked by steam, but not to their satisfaction. " The 
 public experiment was made some years afterward." 
 This statement is no doubt incorrect. Mr. Rumsey 
 never claimed that his boat was moved by steam before 
 1787, when the successful experiments were made in 
 December. Mr. Rumsey says himself, in his first 
 pamphlet, page 4, in reference to the boat of 1784, 
 " In the month of September, 1784, I exhibited the 
 model of a boat before his Excellency, General Wash- 
 ington, at Bath, in Berkeley County, calculated for 
 stemming the currents of rapid rivers only, constructed 
 on principles very different from my present one. [1788.] 
 Satisfied with the experiment of her making way 
 against a rapid stream by the force of the stream, the 
 General was pleased to give me a most ample certificate 
 of her efficiency." The same Nicholas Orrick made 
 an affidavit, May 19th, 1788, published in Barnes' 
 pamphlet, page 11, in which he made no reference 
 whatever to any trial of the steam-boat in 1784, or, 
 indeed, at any other time ; but certified that he had 
 seen Rumsey try some experiments in January, 1785 ; 
 during which he poured water into a hollow wooden 
 tube, which, by hydrostatic pressure drew up a weight, 
 21*
 
 246 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 and upon being questioned as to its intention, he said, 
 "by that principle he would make the boat go." This 
 was all that Mr. Orrick testified, at a time when the 
 circumstances were fresh in his memory. The fair 
 presumption is, that fifty years afterward his recollec- 
 tion had become so much impaired that he had altoge- 
 ther forgotten the pole-boat, of which he made no 
 mention, and that he confused a trial made with it 
 with the steam-boat experiments in after years. This 
 affidavit seems to have been relied upon by the Con- 
 gressional Committee without further examination ; for 
 they assumed that the Virginia law of 1784, and the 
 Maryland and Pennsylvania laws of 1785, securing 
 Rumsey's right to his invention for propelling a boat 
 against a stream by mechanical powers, were really 
 granted for a steam-boat I 
 
 Ashton Alexander was also examined before this 
 Committee. He declared that he was on board Rum- 
 sey's boat when it was propelled by steam in 1786 or 
 1787; the latter time being the most probable. A 
 letter was also received from Henry Bedinger, one of the 
 witnesses mentioned in Rumsey's pamphlet, who testi- 
 fied to his having seen Rumsey's boat moved by steam 
 to " Swearinger's Run ; where it made a circuit and 
 returned a distance of about half a mile." This 
 was no doubt the experiment to which he testified by 
 certificate, published in Rumsey's first pamphlet. He 
 there fixes the date of the trial on the 3d of Decem- 
 ber, 1787. On this incomplete testimony, the Com- 
 mittee of Congress seem to have been satisfied that 
 Ruinsey was not only the first who thought of a steam- 
 boat, but the first who demonstrated the feasibility of
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 247 
 
 the principle by actual experiment. They accordingly, 
 by report of February 6, 1839, so declared, and recom- 
 mended that a gold medal should be granted to his 
 Representatives. 1 This suggestion was never adopted 
 by Congress. 
 
 Enough has already been given in these pages to 
 show that the Committee were mistaken. As they 
 acted altogether ex parte, having nobody before them 
 to press the claims of Fitch, it is not surprising that 
 they boldly attempted to settle so important a matter 
 upon superficial investigation. Rumsey may have con- 
 ceived the idea that steam might be applied to naviga- 
 tion in 1783, but he certainly made no effort to prove 
 its adaptability to such purpose until after Fitch had 
 publicly laid his claims before Congress, and published 
 the nature of the principles which he relied upon to 
 the world. It is a question for the reader to decide 
 upon, who made the first successful experiments. It 
 has been shown that Fitch did so in 1786, and before 
 the members of the Convention to frame the Federal 
 Constitution, in August, 1787. Rumsey has produced 
 no evidence of a public experiment with his steam-boat 
 until December, 1787. 
 
 1 The first report, March 2, 1837, proposed to give the repre- 
 sentatives of Rumsey a sum of money, the amount of which 
 was not si
 
 248 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE SECOND SUCCESSFUL STEAMBOAT OF 1788. 
 
 WHILST Fitch was at New York, the ever busy 
 Voight had been making various improvements in the 
 mechanism of the boat, and, by the means of rollers, 
 had managed to take off one-half the friction caused 
 by working the oars. He also strenuously urged the 
 adoption of the pipe-boiler. This proposition was 
 warmly resisted by Fitch. He had " opposed it twelve 
 manths before, and continued of the same opinion." 
 But ere the matter had been finally determined upon, 
 " Rumsey came to town, and blazoned his pipe-boiler 
 in such a light that it made the Company unanimous 
 for it." Fitch said afterward, " I could not stand the 
 torrent about the boiler ; and knowing ourselves to 
 have the priority, and that he must have taken the 
 idea from Governor Johnston, who had seen my drafts, 
 and not knowing but he would gain the priority in on6 
 if we did not adopt one, gave my hearty consent." 
 The old style boiler was therefore removed from the 
 boat, and pipes having been secured and" properly bent, 
 the new boiler was set up. 
 
 In the meanwhile, the eighteen-inch cylinder had 
 been cast, but upon inspection was found to be some- 
 what defective. Whilst the Company were debating 
 whether they should take it and line it with copper, 
 to make it strong, the proprietors of the furnace, for
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 249 
 
 some unexplained reason, broke it up for pig-metal. 
 This circumstance disconcerted the shareholders when 
 it became known ; and as they could not get a cylin- 
 der to fit their boat, they resolved to get a boat to fit 
 their cylinder. The first boat used was forty-five feet 
 long and twelve feet beam. The width of this craft 
 was believed to be the greatest obstacle to its progress ; 
 and it was calculated that a boat of eight feet beam 
 and sixty feet in length might be easily propelled by 
 the old machinery. 
 
 At the same time, a very important modification was 
 made in the position of the working oars. They had 
 previously to this time been placed at the sides of the 
 boat. They were now fixed at the stern, and pushed 
 against the water. The number of paddles thus em- 
 ployed was either three or four. Brissot de Warville, 
 who saw the boat in this year, (1788,) says there were 
 three broad oars. Rembrandt Peale describes it (1790) 
 with three or four oars like snow-shovels, which hung 
 over the stern. It is very probable the number was 
 changed during the course of the experiments ; but 
 from thenceforth the boats on the Delaware were pro- 
 pelled by oars or paddles at the stern. 
 
 This craft was, after many delays, completed, and 
 the machinery set up in it ; and being lightened by the 
 pipe-boiler, which dispensed with three and a half tons 
 of brick work, the velocity was expected to be greater. 
 Fitch says in his journal, " We finally got it to work 
 pretty well, and set out upon a journey to Burlington." 
 The boat went very well until it came opposite the 
 town. When within twenty or thirty poles of the 
 upper wharf, where it was intended to come to, the
 
 250 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 pipe-boiler sprung a leak, so that the engine would not 
 work, and they were compelled to come to an anchor. 
 Some of the Company went ashore and represented 
 that they had anchored through choice ; hut upon 
 Fitch's reaching the wharf, he stated the true facts of 
 the case. There were on the boat during this trip, 
 beside the inventor and Voight, Richard Wells, Thomas 
 Say, and others whose names are not now known. It 
 is unfortunate that the time of this long trip is not 
 mentioned, but we are inclined to think it must have 
 been near the end of the month of July, 1788. 
 
 In a letter of Dr. Thornton to a gentleman of Lon- 
 don, published in Colden's Life of Fulton, dated July 
 26, 1788, he says, " Our boat will be tried this evening 
 or to-morrow. * * Ours is moved by 
 
 paddles placed at the stern, moved by a small steam- 
 engine." 
 
 The boat fell down with the tide. Dr. Say and Mr. 
 Wells were set on shore on the Pennsylvania side, to 
 find their way home as well as they could. Fitch and 
 Voight got their vessel to the dock by the next tide. 
 Whilst floating back they applied for assistance to the 
 crews of several river boats, who treated them with 
 insult and derision, and seemed highly pleased at their 
 calamity. 
 
 An account of this voyage was given in the Trenton 
 Gazette, July, 1855, from the reminiscences of some 
 old persons, who remember to have heard in their 
 youth of the first long trip of this steam-boat. We 
 subjoin an extract : 
 
 Fitch's crude ideas, his want of experience, as well as the low 
 condition of the mechanic arts at that early day, subjected this
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 251 
 
 unfortunate man to difficulties of the most humiliating charac- 
 ter. Many regarded him as a visionary. His project was dis- 
 couraged by those whose want of all motive for such a course 
 rendered their opposition the more barbarous ; while those 
 whose fortune placed it in their power to assist him looked 
 coldly on, barely listened to his elucidations, and received them 
 with an indifference that chilled him to the heart. By a perse- 
 verance as unwearied as it was ultimately unrewarded, his 
 darling project was at length sufficiently matured, and sixty- 
 seven years ago the first American steam-boat was seen floating 
 at the wharves of Philadelphia. 
 
 Public expectation was now highly excited, and the general 
 curiosity was equally intense. Many still predicted failure, and 
 but few encouraged him. Yet his success, amid all manner of 
 discouragements, had so far demonstrated the merits of his 
 plans. A reverse, however, was speedily to overtake him. His 
 boat started on her first trip to Burlington. Crowds of persons 
 assembled at all the prominent points along the river to see her 
 pass, and waited for hours to witness what was then the greatest 
 wonder of the day. At Point-no-point, now Bridesburg, the 
 whole population of Frankford and the upper end of Philadel- 
 phia county were assembled ; and they saw the boat slowly 
 steam by them on her upward progress. Great, indeed, was 
 their enthusiasm, and long and loudly did they cheer the gro- 
 tesque exhibition. Women waved their handkerchiefs in appro- 
 bation. Batteaux put off from shore and rowed alongside the 
 steamer, cheering the adventurous and now exulting Fitch. At 
 Dunk's Ferry a similar demonstration took place as the new- 
 boat steamed onward. A vast concourse of people had collected 
 there from the interior of Bucks county to witness the passing 
 of the new wonder. Loud cheers greeted her as she approached, 
 and a cannon one of those which Gen. Reed had vainly endea- 
 vored to carry across the Delaware on the night of Washington's 
 masterly surprise at Trenton, and which by some oversight had 
 been left behind was hastily loaded and discharged in honor 
 of the discoverer of navigation by steam. At length she ap- 
 proached her destination. So far, every thing had gone on to 
 the satisfaction of Fitch, whose crudely constructed machinery
 
 252 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 had performed its office for several hours in succession without 
 any faltering. He believed that he had demonstrated the reality 
 of his anticipations, and that the share-holders in the company, 
 many of whom were on board, would be entirely convinced, and 
 able to comprehend the magnitude and value of the great dis- 
 covery he had thus established. The green bank at Burlington 
 was thronged with ladies, who beheld with astonishment the 
 
 * * * * apparition as it swung its uncouth oars * * * 
 
 * yet steadily advanced without wind or sail. The town 
 wharf was also densely thronged with people. As the boat 
 came opposite the wharf she rounded to, and even while the 
 cheering went up, both long and loud, she unexpectedly dropped 
 anchor in the middle of the river. A batteau was sent off to 
 learn the cause, when it was discovered that she had burst her 
 boiler! 
 
 There was nothing in the character of this accident 
 to discourage the projectors. The vessel had done 
 what had never been done before in any part of the 
 world. It had been impelled, by the force of the 
 elastic vapor, twenty miles; and the casualty which 
 caused the stoppage was of a trifling character, and 
 of easy repair. Fitch and Voight set to work to 
 tighten the boiler and make other improvements. 
 Whilst engaged in these operations, their boat was 
 seen and examined by the eminent French traveller, 
 J. P. Brissot (de Warville). The translation of that 
 portion of his account of his travels relating to this 
 subject is very imperfect in the English edition pub- 
 lished by Corbet, Dublin, much being omitted. The 
 following has been translated from the original, and is 
 more full and complete :
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 253 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 INVENTION FOR ASCENDING RIVERS. 
 
 Monday, Sept 1st, 1788. 
 I went to see an experiment 
 
 which was being tried near the Delaware, on board of a boat, 
 the object of which was to ascend rivers against the stream. 
 The inventor was Mr. Fitch. He had formed a company to 
 carry out his enterprise. One of the stockholders, and his most 
 zealous advocate, was Dr. Thornton, of whom I have already 
 spoken. Mr. Fitch's claim to this invention had been disputed 
 by Mr. Ramsay, of Virginia, and the discussion had occasioned 
 the publication of several pamphlets. 
 
 Be that as it may, the machine I saw appeared to me to be 
 well executed, and to answer its purpose ; through the agency 
 of fire it put in motion three broad oars, the power of which 
 must be considerable. I was assured that it made twenty-six 
 strokes per minute, with the promise of sixty. I was told that 
 a similar boat, with a capacity to transport ten to twenty tons, 
 would only cost from three to four hundred pounds, that it could 
 be managed by two men, one at the helm, and the other con- 
 tinuously employed at the machine, keeping up the fire, &c. 
 
 I had no doubt that, physically speaking, this machine would 
 produce a part of the effects expected from it, but I do doubt 
 whether it could be useful in commerce ; for, notwithstanding 
 the assertion of the builders, it appeared to me that the machine 
 demanded extensive renewals, that it required many men to be 
 continuously engaged about it, and that consequently the ex- 
 penses would be considerable, either for repairs which must 
 frequently result from the rapidity and multiplicity of the mo- 
 tions, or for the attendants. I admitted, however, that if 
 economy could be introduced in the renewals, and the move- 
 ments could be simplified, this invention might be useful in a 
 country where manual labor was dear, and where the rivera 
 were not, as in France, accessible for horses and for men, who 
 take the place of machines for ascending rivers. 
 
 This idea consoled Dr. Thornton, who, I saw, was assailed 
 with jokes on account of this STEAM-BOAT. 
 
 22
 
 254 
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 He was annoyed by these pleasantries, which appeared to me 
 to be very much out of place. The obstacles which genius is 
 everywhere obliged to surmount, are so considerable, the incen- 
 tives are so slight, and the necessity in America of supplying 
 the deficiency of manual labor seemed to me so clearly demon- 
 strated, that I could not, without indignation, see the Americans 
 retarding by their sarcasms the generous efforts of one of their 
 fellow-citizens. A recent journey in the United States of North 
 America, made in 1788 by J. P. Brissot( Warville). Paris, 1791. 
 
 In a note on the same page, Mr. Brissot added : 
 " Since this letter was written, I have made inquiries about 
 Mr. Ramsay's invention. I saw him personally in England. 
 
 Jas. Rumsey's Steam-boat Ktiglish patent 
 
 He is a man of great genius ; and from the explanations he gave 
 me, it appeared that his invention, although starting from the 
 
 Rumsey's Steam-boat English patent. 
 
 same principle, is very different from Mr. Fitch's in its means 
 of execution. Mr. Ramsay at that time (February, 1789) pro-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 255 
 
 posed to build a boat which would go to America, with the as- 
 sistance of the fire pump (pompe a feu) alone and without sails ; 
 he was not to employ more than fifteen days in this trip. I see 
 with pain that he has not yet realized his project, which, if it 
 were practicable and were carried into execution, would intro- 
 duce into commerce as great a change as the discovery of the 
 Cape of Good Hope." 
 
 In another note, Mr. Brissot added what he had sub- 
 sequently heard in Europe about the performances of 
 Fitch's boat : 
 
 "There have been several experiments made with this STEAM- 
 BOAT. Mr. Fitch on one occasion ran twenty miles in three 
 hours ; with the tide in his favor, he made eight miles an hour. 
 This artist is unceasingly engaged in perfecting his boat. He 
 is a modest and estimable man. 
 
 " In looking over the American journals of 1790, I see with 
 pleasure that Mr. Fitch by no means abandons his invention. I 
 learn that on May llth, 1790, he made the run from Philadel- 
 phia to Burlington in three hours and a quarter, having the 
 wind against him and the tide in his favour. Under these cir- 
 cumstances he ran seven miles an hour." 
 
 The efforts made by Fitch and Voight, after the ac- 
 cident, to render the boiler tight and to remedy other 
 defects, were not in vain. The laborers were at length 
 rewarded for their patience by a success which was 
 flattering to their delayed hopes. It was not very long 
 after the first trip to Burlington ere the steam-boat 
 was again seen by the inhabitants of that quiet village. 
 "Shortly after that," said Fitch, referring to the pre- 
 vious disaster, "we went to Burlington and back under 
 the auspicious guidance of the God of nature." The 
 feat now seemed to have been accomplished. The boat 
 made several voyages to Burlington and returned with- 
 out any accident. On the 12th of October, 1788,
 
 256 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 there were thirty passengers on board, and they were 
 taken from Philadelphia to Burlington (estimated 
 twenty miles) in three hours and ten minutes, with a 
 tide which set at the rate of two miles an hour. A 
 certificate of this fact was given by Andrew Ellicott, 
 Richard Chase, John Poor, and John Ely. On the 
 16th of October, 1788, Jno. Ewing, Robert Patterson, 
 Andrew Ellicott, John Smilie, David Redick, James 
 Hutchinson, Timothy Matlack, Chas. Pettit, J. B. Smith, 
 and David Rittenhouse were on board, and Capt. John 
 Heart, of the 1st U. S. Infantry, certified that "the 
 boat moved at the rate at least of four miles an hour," 
 and that he was "fully convinced that the same force 
 applied to a boat would be sufficient to carry it against 
 the most rapid waters between the mouth of French 
 Creek on the Allegheny, and the mouth of the Mus- 
 kingum upon the Ohio, and that on an average it would 
 carry it between three and four miles an hour on any 
 of the Western waters." 
 
 But this rate of speed did not satisfy the projector 
 or his associates. It was thought that the boat ought 
 to be able to go from Philadelphia to Trenton (then 
 estimated thirty-eight miles) in five hours, to be an 
 object worthy of prosecution upon the Delaware. The 
 patience of a majority of the members of the Company 
 became exhausted, and they withdrew from the con- 
 cern. To add to the troubles of the inventor, his tried 
 companion, Voight, also abandoned the work, urging 
 the duty which he owed his family, whose interests had 
 been neglected whilst he was engaged upon the boat. 
 In this distressing and dispiriting state of affairs, the 
 perseverance and energy of the unfortunate man did
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 257 
 
 not fail. He determined to again endeavor to arouse 
 an interest among the shareholders by attempting to 
 form a new and auxilliary company. For this purpose 
 he drafted proposals, and furnished an estimate of the 
 probable cost of perfecting the machinery, so as to 
 make the boat go faster, together with a calculation 
 of the receipts. Those papers were as follows : 
 
 PHILAD., 5th Dec., 1788. 
 PROPOSAL OF JOHN FITCH TO THE STEAMBOAT Co. 
 
 Whereas, from the great dificulties that have arrisen in the 
 execution and compleation of the Steam Boat beyond our first 
 calculation, and the present improbabilities of raising sufficient 
 supplies from the present Co. Therefore makes the following 
 proposals, That the scheme be divided into Eighty shares, 
 forty of which shares to be given to subscribers, who shall take 
 the present boat, with all its appurtenances, and put a Boat into 
 use as soon as possible by the aid of steam, as soon as this 
 purpose shall be effected, and the Boat shall earn 100 neat 
 profits from the first running, then the original present owners 
 shall be entitled to draw equal to the shares they will then hold 
 of the s" 100, and of all future boats and emoluments, pro- 
 vided they bear the then equal proportion of all future expenses, 
 &c. &c. JOHN FITCH. 
 
 ESTIMATE. 
 
 The resistance -which Water gives, is as the square of the Ve- 
 losity with which any Body acts upon it. If Water should re- 
 sist a Boat, so as it would take 4 men to row it 2 miles per hower, 
 it would require 16 men to row the same Boat 4 miles per hour, 
 and 36 men to row it C miles per hour. Then suppose our Boat 
 went at the rate of 4 miles pr hour, the resistance of the water 
 vre may call 16 ; Then as a 12 inoh cylinder, or 144 Circular 
 Inches, is to 16, so is an 18 inch cylinder, or 324 Circular inches, 
 to 36 ; the square root of 16 is 4, the square root of 36 is 6 ; 
 consequently if our Boat went 4 miles pr hour with a 12 inch 
 cylinder, an 18 inch cylinder working with equal force, accord- 
 ing to its size, would carry the same Boat 6 miles pr hour. 
 
 22* :. \-\
 
 258 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Then suppose the tide to help us 8 miles between this and 
 Trenton, it would carry the Boat to that place in 5 hours. 
 
 It may be relied upon, that this may be done from what skill 
 we have already obtained, and if we can get Mr. Hall to assist, 
 probably a great deal more, which I believe would' answer every 
 purpose which we have calculated for. But every individual is 
 as capable of jndgeing as myself, whether passengers would 
 prefer going in a Boat in five hours at 5s. or in a waggen in four 
 hours for 10. If they would prefer the Boat, and the number 
 of passengers to Trenton may be estimated at 8 per day, at 5, 
 and 12 per day at Bordentown and Burlington at 3 9d each, 
 going and coming, it would amount to 8.10.0 per Day, and if 
 we should allow 30s. per day for expences, the clear profits 
 would be 7:0:0 per day. This, in 250 days in a year, would 
 be 1750, which will justify the continuance of the experiment. 
 
 The following is an estimate of the expence of compleating 
 the Boat. A Boiler supposed to weigh 600 Ib. at 3 is 90. A 
 cylinder bored compleat for the works, 50, cocks and tubes at 
 30, workmanship for hands, &c., 100, Extra expences 100, 
 in all 400. This, it appears to me, is more than it can cost, 
 and 40 shares at 10 each is 400. These calculations are the 
 most unfavorable that can be made. 
 
 The proposal and estimate were shown to some of 
 Fitch's best friends; and although ,1600 had already 
 been spent in the enterprise, forty new shares, at <10 
 each, were subscribed for, and it was decided to pro- 
 cure an eighteen-inch cylinder in time to prosecute the 
 work in the spring of 1789. The humiliation which 
 the projector was compelled to suffer whilst prose- 
 cuting this business, is thus feelingly told by himself 
 in his MS. Journal. 
 
 " But the former imbarrassments, which I have mentioned, 
 were but inconsiderable when compaired with other matters, 
 considering the indignities offered me by my best friends and 
 Patrons, who in many instances treated me more like a slave
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 259 
 
 than a freeman, whilst I was in the most excrutiating tortures 
 of devising plans of compleating my undertaking, which was 
 far beyond my a)>ilities. Not only that, but I was obliged to 
 collect moneys from my best friends, who rather esteemed it as 
 moneys levied'and collected by me, and extorted from them from 
 a mere point of their honour ; which ever has been more severe 
 to my feelings than any thing which I ever expearenced before. 
 Not only that; I have been continually tiezed with duns from 
 our workmen, and imbarrassed with Constables, for debts ; and 
 continually so bare and mean appearance, that every decent 
 man must and ought to dispise me from my appearance. Not 
 only that, but dare not scarsley show my face in my own' Lodg- 
 ings ; which oceationed me never to remain in them longer than 
 I could with the greatest expedition swallow down my food; 
 which always in the evening drove me of to a tavern, and, altho 
 I always kept good hours at my return, always drove me to my 
 bead. Not only that ; altho they were worthy, respectible 
 people, I dare not find fault with any thing which I might with 
 propriety do could I have paid them weekely, but was obliged 
 to suffer just indignities from my lanlord and be hcnpicked by 
 the women. Added to all this, there was the Most Powerful 
 combination against me, who thought that they could not serve 
 God or themselves better than saying every illnatured thing they 
 could of me ; which made me heartily curse my Barberus Cap- 
 ture for staying the savage Blow." 
 
 The names of the members of this new Company 
 have not been preserved. It is likely that some of the 
 first patrons of the scheme were in it. We have given 
 the names of the Company of 1787 in a former page. 
 There are known to have been connected with the ex- 
 periments before they ceased entirely, in addition to 
 the gentlemen already mentioned, Dr. William Thorn- 
 ton, Isaac W.Morris, Samuel Wetherill, Jun., Richard 
 Hill Morris, Judge James Wilson, Captain John Heart, 
 Wood Lloyd, Francis Wit, Stacy Potts, and Robert
 
 260 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Scott. Colonel Coxe, of Burlington, gave twenty 
 dollars toward the experiment, and Robert Morris 
 fifty dollars ; but the two latter were not stockholders. 1 
 
 1 DR. WILLIAM THORNTON lived in 1793 in Callowhill Street, 
 near the Ridge Road. He was an ingenious and scientific 'man, 
 a member of the American Philosophical Society, and of the 
 Library Company of Philadelphia. He drafted the plan of the 
 present building occupied by the Library. He was the first 
 Superintendent of the United States Patent Office ; a position 
 which he held for many years. Dr. Thornton was one among 
 the few to whom the American Philosophical Society have 
 awarded the Magellanic gold medal. It was voted to him in 
 1792, far an Essay on the written elements of language, signed 
 " Cadmus." , " 
 
 ISAAC W. MORRIS, brewer, lived in 1794 at No. 65 South 
 Second Street, and had his brewery at No. 4 Pear Street. 
 
 SAMUEL WETHERILL, JR., druggist, resided in 1791 at No. 9 
 South Alley. [Commerce Street.] 
 
 RICHARD HILL MORRIS, merchant, had his store in 1794 at 
 135 High Street, and his dwelling at 113 Walnut Street. 
 
 The HON. JAMES WILSON, Judge of the Supreme Court of 
 Pennsylvania, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was 
 born in Scotland, about 1742. He studied law at Philadelphia, 
 under the direction of John Dickenson, author of "The Farmer's 
 Letters." He was a member of the Congress of 1775, 1776, 
 and 1777, a member of the Convention to form a State Consti- 
 tution for Pennsylvania, and of the Convention to form a Con- 
 stitution of the United States. In 1789, he was appointed a 
 Judge of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ; and in 1797, 
 Professor of Law in the University of Pennsylvania. In 1785, 
 he lived in Chestnut Street, between Fourth and Fifth, and in 
 1791, at No. 230 High Street. 
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN HEART was an officer of the Army of the 
 United States. He does not appear to have been a citizen of 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 WOOD LLOYD, tailor, kept his shop in 1791 at No. 32 South 
 Water Street.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 261 
 
 To increase his troubles, Rumsey, backed by a strong 
 Virginia interest, was now contesting his right to his 
 invention. An association called the " Rumseian So- 
 ciety" was formed in Philadelphia during the summer 
 of 1788, to forward the pretensions of the Southern 
 claimant. Although Fitch had notoriously shown, in 
 the early experiments of 1786 and 1787, that it was 
 possible to propel vessels by his plan, the persons who 
 took up the cause of Rumsey were disposed to look 
 upon their own townsman with contempt. Of this 
 Society Dr. Franklin was a promoter ; and it is not out 
 of place to say here that his conduct to Fitch from the 
 first promulgation of his plan of a steamboat seems to 
 have been ungenerous. In patronising Rumsey's 
 scheme of a pumping boat, Dr. Franklin was doing all 
 that was in his power to demonstrate the superiority 
 of his plan of propulsion over that of Fitch ; and it 
 needs but little acquaintance with the springs of human 
 
 FRANCIS WIT (the name is so spoiled by Fitch) was most pro- 
 bably Francis White, " Dealer in public securities ;" or, in 
 modern parlance, a broker. lie brought out the first City Di- 
 rectory, in 1785. Captain John Macpherson also published a 
 directory in the same year. Mr. White, in 1785, lived on Chest- 
 nut, between Second and Third Streets ; and in 1791, at 208 
 High Street. 
 
 STACY POTTS was a respectable citizen of Trenton, N. J., who 
 very early withdrew from the Steam-boat Company. 
 
 ROBERT SCOTT, engraver, resided in 1785 at the corner of Se- 
 cond and Chestnut Streets, and in 1791, at 106 Chestnut Street. 
 COLONEL JOHN COXE, of Burlington, N. J., was father-in-law of 
 John Stevens. 
 
 The HON. ROBERT MORRIS, Senator from Pennsylvania, and 
 BO well known as the great merchant and financier of the Revo- 
 lution, lived in 1791 at the south-east corner of Sixth and Market 
 Streets, in a house which once belonged to the traitor Galuway.
 
 262 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 action to discover a cause for his conduct. The Rum- 
 seian Society, in addition to Franklin, was composed 
 of the following members : Arthur St. Clair, William 
 Bingham, Benjamin Wynkoop, James Tunchard, John 
 Jones, Levi Hollingsworth, Joseph James, John Wilson, 
 George Duffield, Reed & Forde, Woodrop Sims, Joseph 
 Sims, William Redwood & Son, William Barton, Ri- 
 chard Adams, Samuel Magaw, Adam Kuhn, Miers 
 Fisher, Charles Vancouver, Burgis Allison, John 
 Vaugh, John Ross, William Turner. (See Golden 's Life 
 of Fulton.) 
 
 It is also certain that some of the opponents of Fitch 
 were incensed against him upon political grounds. Dr. 
 Rush, in a letter to Dr. Lettsom, of London, intro- 
 ducing Rumsey to his attention, calls Fitch "a person 
 in this city, remarkable for his licentious opposition to 
 the Constitution of the United States." Fitch was an 
 anti-Federalist. 
 
 This Society sent Rumsey to London early in 1788, 
 to secure patents there. Encouraged by the associa- 
 tion, Joseph Barnes, who in the absence of Rumsey 
 was his attorney in fact, began a very vigorous attack 
 upon the rights of Fitch, which had been already se- 
 cured by law. The first movement was made in the 
 Assembly of Pennsylvania ; where a petition in behalf 
 of the Virginian was presented in the beginning of 
 September, 1788. Remonstrances by Fitch, as inventor 
 of the steam-boat, and of Voight, as owner of the 
 right to the pipe-boiler, were read on the 6th. The 
 matter was referred to a committee of seven members, 
 consisting of Messrs. Wynkoop, Chapman, Loller, 
 Ritteuhouse, Findley, Kennedy, and Willing. Miers
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 263 
 
 Fisher, a laAvyer of Philadelphia, represented Rumsey, 
 and Colonel Richard Wells supported the claims of 
 Fitch. The parties had a full hearing, which lasted 
 five days. The Committee reported as follows : 
 
 "That having examined the said Petitions, and with great 
 attention heard the parties in support of their respective claims, 
 are unanimously of opinion that the law which grants to John 
 Fitch an exclusive Right in all Boats propelled by Fire and 
 Steam, hath not only secured to him and his Heirs, &c., the 
 exclusive right to the method he had then invented for the pur- 
 pose of applying the powers of Fire and Steam in order to propel 
 Boats, but also whatever improvements he may make himself, 
 or obtain from others, during the time limited by said law ; and 
 however improper or extensive a law may be in its principles, 
 yet, Considering that upon the faith of the sd law several Citi- 
 zens have spent much labour and money, for which they are not 
 reimbursed, and notwithstanding the Legislature may have a 
 right to repeal Laws that convey grants highly injurious to the 
 public welfare, yet the re-assuming such legislative grant ought 
 never to be done unless upon the most pressing necessity." 
 
 The Committee therefore reported that the petition 
 of Rumsey ought to be granted, except so far as it re- 
 spected "the propelling of Boats by the force of fire 
 or steam." They also passed a resolution that the 
 prayer of Henry Voight could not be granted. 1 
 
 The next hostile demonstration was made in Virgi- 
 nia, where Charles Morrow presented a petition on be- 
 half of Rumsey, praying that the act securing the 
 rights of John Fitch should be repealed. The latter 
 being unable to attend the assembly, transmitted a let- 
 ter, petition, and argument against the proposed move- 
 
 1 It is presumed that Voight' s claim was opposed by Fitch, as 
 the original inventor of the pipe-boiler. The two were not then 
 in partnership.
 
 2G4 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 ment. The papers were referred to Messrs. Trage, 
 Henry, Randolph, Carlins, Bland, White, David Stuart, 
 Carrington, and King, who reported November 21st 
 that the act in favor of Fitch ought to be repealed. 
 This report was rejected by the House, ayes 15, nays 
 100. 
 
 From Virginia the indefatigable Barnes transferred 
 the contest to New York. Petitions were presented in 
 behalf of ^Rumsey's steam-pump, steam-boat, saw-mill, 
 and other inventions. At the same time John Stevens, 
 claiming to be the inventor of a steam-boat which 
 did not interfere with the others, also asked for legis- 
 lative protection. Fitch protested against these pro- 
 positions by letter and remonstrance, which were pre- 
 sented in December. The Committee, Messrs. G. Liv- 
 ingston, Havens, and Van Cortland, reported that the 
 act securing the rights of Fitch was conceived in such 
 general terms that it would be improper to vacate it 
 without giving both parties a hearing ; that they were 
 of opinion that Stevens' plan did not differ much from 
 Rumsey's, and that both differed from that of Fitch, 
 but that there was nothing in Fitch's act which would 
 prevent the Legislature from securing to Rumsey "the 
 exclusive right of generating steam by a pipe-boiler." 
 They therefore recommended that a bill should be 
 brought in to secure him in that invention, and in the 
 others which were not contested. This report was pre- 
 sented December 23d. 
 
 In New Jersey a bill to give Rumsey exclusive rights 
 was now presented. A remonstrance was prepared, 
 but the Assembly laid the matter on the table until the 
 next session. The Legislature of Delaware was also
 
 LIFE OF JOHNFITCH. 265 
 
 besieged by the same influence, but with no better suc- 
 cess. 
 
 These failures did not discourage the members of the 
 Rumseian society. They made a new effort before the 
 Assembly of Pennsylvania in the spring of 1789, A 
 scheme was suggested for the appointment of commis- 
 sioners to grant patents on behalf of the State. The 
 Judges of the Supreme Court were consulted as to its 
 legality. Fitch, who saw in the measure an attempt 
 to injure him, protested against it on the llth of March. 
 
 The Committee was composed of Messrs. Lewis, 
 Clymer, Downing, Nevil, and Hoge. 
 
 The question proposed to the Judges of the Supreme 
 Court was 
 
 " Can this House, consistent with the principles of law and 
 justice and the Constitution of this State, enact a law upon the 
 principles reported before this House, in the case contested be- 
 tween John Fitch and James Rumsey ?" 
 
 The matter was argued by Miers Fisher, a lawyer 
 for James Rumsey, and by Mr. Wells for John Fitch. 
 The opinion of Chief Justice McKean was evidently 
 biassed by prejudice. He argued that if Fitch's law 
 was obtained by deception, it might be repealed. He 
 suggested that it was possible that there was deception, 
 therefore the Legislature had the power of repeal. 
 
 Judge Bryan was opposed to disturbing the law. 
 He referred to the English laws granting monopolies, 
 and showed that they had been sustained for the rea- 
 son that, having been passed, it was better to abide by 
 them than disturb the course of law, as it was a mis- 
 chievous thing for government to have its faith sus- 
 pected. 
 
 23
 
 266 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 A third Judge gave no written opinion. The Com- 
 mittee, upon consultation, again reported in favor of 
 Fitch, by declaring that the passage of a patent law 
 by the State was inexpedient. The matter was post- 
 poned, but towards the end of the session Mr. Fitzsi- 
 mons presented a bill to secure Rumsey's right to a 
 steam-boat, which was rejected. 
 
 Fitch, notwithstanding his poverty and distress, was 
 not humbled by his misfortune, but was bold in defence 
 of his invention. He, therefore, notwithstanding the 
 high social position of the persons who had offended 
 him, prepared and published the following notification. 
 It appeared in the Independent Gazetteer, March 31, 
 1789: 
 
 To MESSRS. GEORGE CLYMER and THOMAS FITZSIMONS, 
 GENTLEMEN : 
 
 I think proper to tell you that I have felt the fall force of all 
 your endeavors to injure me, in the state which has sent you to 
 Congress; but, notwithstanding every exertion you, as members 
 of Assembly, have been able to make, my rights in Pennsylva- 
 nia remain yet unshaken The attempt made by you Mr. Fitz- 
 simons to introduce a bill into the House, to take them by sur- 
 prise, and was purposely intended to hurt me, was treated by 
 the House as it justly deserved, and you were not permitted to 
 deliver it to the Speaker. 
 
 The active and unnecessary part which you Mr. Clymer took 
 to endeavor to get another law passed, that was intended to ruin 
 me, you will be mortified to have it known to the world that 
 you failed in your design, but I think I ought not to suffer it 
 to pass in silence. 
 
 You are now going to Congress, and wish to have it known 
 to your fellow-citizens that I deem you my professed enemies on 
 this subject, and that you will leave no stone unturned to hurt 
 my interest with that honorable body. 
 
 JOHN FITCH. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA, 28th March, 1789.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 267 
 
 Mr. Clymer came out in the papers a day or two 
 afterward, and charged that publication to Mr. Wells. 
 To this Fitch replied, assuming all the responsibility, 
 and denying that Col. Wells had any knowledge of or 
 connection with it. 
 
 These contests kept our disputant very actively em- 
 ployed, and distracted his mind from the proper busi- 
 ness of the Company. After the legislatures had 
 adjourned, he set out to Shepherdstown, in Virginia, 
 " where Rumsey did his mighty feats." He started on 
 that journey about the middle of May. The landlord 
 of the inn where he lodged was inquisitive about his 
 business, and Fitch told him the object of his visit in 
 confidence. He inquired how fast Rumsey 's steam- 
 boat went. The landlord said, nearly as fast as he 
 could walk." This was noted down ; seeing which, he 
 corrected himself by saying " as fast as he could 
 walk." Correction was made accordingly, when he 
 again changed his phrase to "faster than he could 
 walk." Fitch then went out into the town, to hunt 
 up information. He declared that he discovered that 
 Barnes had made a bet with a certain Captain Ross, 
 that Rumsey's boat would ascend the Potomac at the 
 rate of three miles an hour ; which wager was lost, and 
 Ross got the money. At that trial Fitch was told that 
 the boat was not carried further than four inches ; and 
 he was informed that Rumsey had never carried his 
 boat further than four hundred yards by steam. 1 He 
 
 1 It is remarkable that in all the certificates of Rumsey's 
 experiments, December 3d and llth, 1787, the distance passed 
 over by the boat ia not specified. They only state that it was 
 moved by steam, " at the rate of three miles an hour," on the 
 3d, and "at the rate of four miles an hour," on the llth.
 
 268 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 also declared that the trunks were not placed in the 
 boat until the spring of 1787 ; and that spies were in 
 Philadelphia, watching the movements of Fitch and 
 Voight, in 1786 and 1787. 
 
 The bold errand which brought the Philadelphian 
 into the enemy's camp was soon rumored about the 
 town, and our adventurer got himself into difficulty. 
 He was insulted by Charles Morrow, and only escaped 
 a fight with him by prudence. He left Shepherdstown 
 the same afternoon, crossed over into Maryland, and 
 went by a circuitous route to Sharpsburg, about four 
 miles distant from the former village. Leaving this 
 place the next day, he again kept out of the high road 
 (in order to avoid some iron-works, at which he believed 
 friends of Morrow were to be found) and went toward the 
 Great Falls of the Potomac. It was not necessary for 
 him to go so far. On the road, and at Harper's Ferry, 
 he got from Eremere, Cruze, Harris, Smith, and 
 others, the information he wanted. The affidavits 
 were made at Sharpsburg, from which place it was 
 necessary to go to Hagerstown, to get them authenti- 
 cated by the county seal. He returned, and stopped 
 nesrr night at the house of one Lewis, on the road to 
 Sharpsburg, where he came upon an assemblage of the 
 friends of the opposition. They were rough and 
 unmannerly, and they were ripe for an attack upon the 
 unoffending stranger. He tried to conciliate them in 
 the usual way at that time, by ordering in whiskey for 
 their refreshment. The majority drank with him, but 
 one Crampton refused to do so, and amused himself 
 while at supper by throwing a potato at " the steam- 
 boat man." The latter remonstrated, but kept his
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 269 
 
 temper very well, and Crampton and some of his com- 
 panions at last went off, declaring significantly that 
 they "intended to return in the morning." The hint 
 was not lost upon our adventurer, who rose before day- 
 light, gave out that he was going to Sharpsburg, and 
 went away in the right direction. When out of the 
 Bight of the people in the house, he changed his course, 
 and by a detour got into the road to Philadelphia, 
 " walking fifteen miles to go three." No other danger 
 menaced him, and in good time he got to Philadelphia 
 with his additional proofs. 
 
 Among other ideas of the practical application of 
 steam which he had formed, either at this time or pre- 
 viously, was a contrivance for a steam ice-boat. He 
 communicated his views to Oliver Evans, who thus 
 related them in an affidavit sworn to in 1814 : 
 
 About the year 1786, 1787, or 1788, John Fitch informed ma 
 that he contemplated employing steam on the Lakes, and meant 
 to construct two keels to answer as runners ; and when the 
 Lakes would freeze over he would raise his boat on the ice, and 
 by a wheel on each side, with spokes in the rim to take hold of 
 the ice, he calculated it would be possible to run thirty miles an 
 hour ; and also that he meant to tow boats and other floats by 
 steam boats. 1 
 
 1 Duer's second letter to Colden, Appendix. 
 
 23*
 
 270 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 NEW MACHINERY IMPERFECTION OF THE WORK 
 
 DESTITUTION OF FITCH THE PACKET, PASSENGER, 
 
 AND FREIGHT STEAM-BOAT OF 1790. 
 
 THE acrimonious contests with Rumsey had taken 
 up much time, and delayed Fitch and the steam-boat 
 company from the work of finishing the boat. There 
 was now a respite, and the affairs of the shareholders 
 were put in a condition to resume operations. Most of 
 the debts were discharged during the winter of 1788-9, 
 and in the month of March a new cylinder, eighteen 
 inches in diameter, was ordered of Drinker, of Atsion 
 furnace. The casting of such a large piece was, from 
 the paucity of means possessed by the founders, con- 
 sidered a very difficult undertaking, and the work was 
 not completed until some time in the month of June. 
 It was then bored, and means had to be taken to fix it 
 in the boat, so that they were not ready for a trial 
 until near the end of August. Hall's condenser had 
 been set up in the boat, but before an experiment was 
 made Dr. Thornton, who had invented a new plan of a 
 condenser, advocated the substitution of one upon his 
 method for that Avhich was prepared. This proposition 
 succeeded. Hall's condenser was taken out, and after 
 a delay of a week, Dr. Thornton's was substituted. 
 This vessel was made of eight-pound sheets of copper. 
 Fitch at once perceived that such a thin material would
 
 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 271 
 
 be unable to resist the pressure to which it "would be 
 subjected. He earnestly begged that eighteen-pound 
 sheets should be used. His appeal was disregarded. 
 The flimsy material was adopted, and at the first trial 
 the condenser "crushed in like an eggshell." A 
 stronger vessel, on the same principle, (Thornton's,) 
 was ordered, and in the meanwhile the engine was 
 tried with the old Hall condenser. The boat moved 
 along tolerably well, as swiftly as it did in the pre- 
 vious summer, but not with the speed which those 
 concerned desired to obtain. 
 
 In the meanwhile, an important change had taken 
 place in the political relations of the independent 
 members of the Confederacy of States. The Federal 
 Constitution had been adopted, and the new Congress, 
 having powers far more extensive than was possessed 
 under the Confederation, had assembled at the city of 
 New York on the 6th of April, 1789. Scarcely had 
 the new President been sworn into office, before Con- 
 gress was besought by authors and inventors to grant 
 to them exclusive rights. David Ramsay, of South 
 Carolina, the historian, asked for a copyright for his 
 writings. John Churchman wished protection for the 
 maps and charts for discovering the latitude and lon- 
 gitude by magnetic variation, which he was about to 
 publish. Alexander Lewis, of Pennsylvania, had an 
 invention for navigating boats of twenty-five tons and 
 under against rapid streams. Arthur Greer 'had a 
 machine to discover the longitude. Jedediah Morse 
 wished a copyright for the "American Geography;" 
 and on the 13th of May, John Fitch besought an inter- 
 position in his favor, as appears by the following 
 record :
 
 272 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Wednesday, May 13, 1789. The Petition of John Fitch, of 
 Pennsylvania, was presented, stating that he is the original dis- 
 coverer of the principle of applying steam power to the pur- 
 poses of navigation, and has obtained an exclusive right therefor, 
 for a term of years, in the states of Virginia, Delaware, Penn- 
 sylvania, New Jersey, and New York, and praying that his 
 rights may be secured to him by law, so as to preclude subse- 
 quent improvers on his principles from participating therein 
 until the expiration of his granted right. 
 
 Referred to a committee, consisting of Messrs. Huntington, 
 Cadwalader, and Contee, to report thereon. 1 
 
 The result of the deliberations of the Committee 
 upon all the petitions before them, was the prepa- 
 ration of a bill "to promote the progress of science 
 and useful arts, by securing to authors and inventors 
 the exclusive right to their respective writings and dis- 
 coveries," which was received and read in the House 
 of Representatives for the first time on the 23d of 
 June. It was not acted upon, and was postponed on 
 the 10th of August until the next session. 
 
 Whilst the spirit of Fitch was harassed bj these 
 delays and constant failures, Voight, out of pity, came 
 to his aid. Thornton's condenser was at length finished 
 and applied. " The boat carried on cleverly, but did 
 not exceed the performance of the preceding summer, 
 with the twelve-inch cylinder." Representations were 
 made to the Company in reference to the matter, and 
 the shareholders authorized new experiments. Voight 
 had invented a plan of a pipe condenser. This was 
 tried, but with no better success. These alterations 
 took a great deal of time, and wearied out the patience 
 
 1 Journal of the House of Representatives U. S., First Ses- 
 sion, page 42.
 
 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 273 
 
 of all concerned, beside occasioning a serious waste of 
 money. Fitch became dispirited, and yielded the man- 
 agement to Voight, -whilst he rather occupied the po- 
 sition of a spectator. Voight invented a curious forc- 
 ing-pump, to throw a jet of water into the condenser. 
 The construction of this pump was an expensive and 
 tedious piece of business, which procrastinated the 
 work. When it was finished, the performance of the 
 boat was notfa whit better. Puzzled and despairing 
 at the constant failures, no matter what changes were 
 made in the condenser, Voight and Fitch for the 
 latter was again active began to surmise that the 
 difficulty lay in some other part of the machinery. 
 The air-pump it was previously thought was not of suf- 
 ficent power, and accordingly an effort was made to 
 improve it by enlarging it. This " brought the engine 
 pretty nearly to perfection." It was tried again, "and 
 did pretty well, but the condensation was imperfect." 
 A day was set to give the engine something like a fair 
 trial. Fire was placed under the boiler early in the 
 morning, and steam was made. But there arose a tre- 
 mendous gale, against which even steam did not then 
 dare to contend. The fire was quenched, as it was 
 thought, but it was not entirely extinguished ; some 
 cinders remained. They ignited the wood-work, and be- 
 fore morning holes were burned in the boat to the water's 
 edge on each side of the grate or furnace. Fitch was 
 apprised of the accident in the night ; and hastening 
 to the Delaware, he succeeded in sinking the boat and 
 extinguishing the fire. Nothing daunted, the Com- 
 pany set to work to raise her again. The injuries 
 were repaired, and the steam-boat, being tried, was
 
 274 LIFE OP JOHX FITCH. 
 
 found to go very well, but not fast enough for a river 
 packet. These experiments were made in December, 
 1789. The cold weather now approaching, the boat 
 was laid up ; and the excitement attending it being 
 suspended, the enthusiastic schemer had some time to 
 attend to his own affairs. His situation was truly 
 affecting. His clothes were nearly worn out, he was 
 in rags, and largely in debt for board. He went to 
 Bucks County in January, and remaidfed there ten 
 days. On his return, Mrs. Krafft, who kept an inn at 
 No. 462 North Second Street, again received the beg- 
 gared genius, and permitted him to remain until his 
 means would allow him to pay her. He had boarded 
 there for some two years previous, and probably re- 
 mained there while in Philadelphia. In Biddle's Di- 
 rectory for 1791, which was not published until some 
 time in May, we find the following entry : 
 
 " FITCH, John, owner of the steamboat, 462 No. Second St." 
 
 In the same book is the following : 
 
 " VOIGT, Henry, Clock maker, 149 No. Second St." 
 
 esti- 
 rht's 
 >jec- 
 
 During the winter of 1789-90, Dr. Thornton, Mr. 
 Wells, and Mr. Stockton resolved to have the boilers 
 of the boat altered. This improvement it was esti- 
 mated would cost ,50. It is presumed that Voight' 
 pipe-boiler did not work well. There was some objec- 
 tion on the part of Fitch, upon account of the expense ; 
 but lie was overruled, and the improvement was finally 
 settled upon without other modifications. John Brown 
 made the grate, and probably Jacob Graff did the most 
 of the work upon the boiler. 

 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 275 
 
 Cylinder, Condenser, and Air-pump of Fitch's Steam-boat. 
 [From the original drawing in the Philadelphia Library.] 
 
 At the session of Congress in 1790, the subject of 
 inventions and inventors was brought to the attention 
 of the members by a petition from John Stevens, Jr., 
 of New Jersey, praying that exclusive privileges should 
 be granted to him for improvements on the steam- 
 engine, which he had made by a new mode of gene- 
 rating steam. 1 This memorial was referred, on the 
 8th of February, to a Committee, consisting of Messrs. 
 Burke, Huntington, and Cadwalader. On the 16th, 
 1 Journal of the House of llt'itresuiitatives, page 30.
 
 276 
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Mr. Burke presented a bill " to promote the progress 
 of useful arts." On the 10th of March, that bill 
 passed the House and was sent to the Senate. Fitch, 
 who was watchful, did not like some of its features, 
 and he remonstrated against it to the Senate. 
 
 March 22, 1790. The Petition of John Fitch was read, pray- 
 ing that a clause providing for a trial by Jury might be inserted 
 in the bill before Congress " to promote the progress of useful 
 arts." 
 
 Ordered, that the Petition be referred to the committee who 
 have under consideration the last mentioned bill. 1 
 
 A report, with a bill, (not according to Fitch's re- 
 quest, however,) was presented shortly afterward. It 
 
 Cylinder, Condenser, and Air-pump of Fitch's Steam-boat. 
 [From the original drawing in the Philadelphia Library.] 
 
 was passed March 30th, and signed by the President 
 April 10th, 1790. And thus commenced the patent- 
 
 1 Senate Journal, page 43.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 277 
 
 law system of the United States ; which, in conse- 
 quence of the ingenuity of our countrymen, has become 
 one of the most important jurisdictions of the Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 In the spring of 1790, the Steam-boat Company 
 began to put the works on board, some of which had 
 been taken out when the boat was laid up in the pre- 
 vious winter. The alterations to the boiler were also 
 in progress. The pleasant prosecution of the business 
 was prevented by recriminations and quarrelsome 
 scenes between Fitch and some of the Directors. His 
 temper was soured, and he was irritable and insulting. 
 In reference to these defects, he himself confessed his 
 weakness. He said, 
 
 " My temper of mind, being so different from any man that I 
 ever saw before, caused me many new difficulties. My natural 
 disposition I find to be truly this, which I have experienced 
 several times in the course of my life ; it seems to be a part of 
 my existence, and I cannot overcome it: When in easy circum- 
 stances, modest to excess, and put up with almost any indigni- 
 ties, and resent them no other way than by a familiar levity ; 
 but when in wretchedness, haughty, imperious, insolent to my 
 superiors, tending to petulance ; yet exceedingly civil in both 
 instances till indignities are first offered to me ; and the greater 
 the man, the more sweet pleasure in retorting upon him in his 
 own way ; and a man in this disposition to be in low circum- 
 stances, can never get through the world easy." 
 
 The cause of dispute at this time was in reference to 
 the propriety of getting a new condenser. The Di- 
 rectors ordered a new one to be made, twice as large 
 as any which had previously been tried. To this Fitch 
 was opposed. The new article was finished, however, 
 and placed in the " condensing-tub," which had to be 
 24
 
 278 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 enlarged to hold it. Preparations were made to try 
 the boat by Easter Monday. The engine would not 
 work with any degree of force, and the little vessel 
 scarcely stemmed the tide. Dr. Thornton was much 
 discouraged. Already seven condensers had been 
 tried, of different sorts and sizes, and all had failed. 
 The five small ones were the most successful. That 
 of 1787, a pipe-condenser without injection, was the 
 best. Fitch, as usual when he desired to carry out 
 any point, resorted to his pen, and placed his ideas 
 upon paper. He declared that the defect so long 
 observable in the manner in which the boat worked, 
 the cause of which had so long puzzled them, could 
 not be in the cylinder, air-pump, or boiler ; but must 
 be in the condenser. In regard to the latter, he made 
 the following observations : 
 
 " The principle which I have urged for several years, and 
 which I think we ought now to attend to, is the point of Con- 
 densation ; and if possible, bring the steam presizely to the 
 valve of the air pump, which should drive the air before it thro 
 the valve, and condence the steam before it passes ; but if a 
 small quantity of steam should pass the valve, I conceive no 
 great inconveniancy from it ; for when our Engine worked its 
 best, in the year 1787, Mr. Voigt frequently said that we wanted 
 a better condensation, for our air pumps drew steam. 
 
 " Thornton's Condenser is undoubtedly one of the best calcu- 
 lated to condence without a jet of Water ; but I conceive the 
 difficulty of getting rid of the air is insurmountable. Suppose 
 a Condenser to be made on his plan, as represented by Figure 1. 
 Suppose A to be the cylinder, B the Condenser, C the Air Pump. 
 When the steam is let out of the -Great Cylinder to the Con- 
 denser, I expect that the steam is destroyed by the time that it 
 arrives at e ; then the space between e and the valve of the air 
 pump, h, must be filled with air. As soon as the steam is de- 
 stroyed the air expands, and occupies all the space from h to g
 
 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 279 
 
 Fig. 1. Dr. Thornton's Condenser, Cylinder, and Air-pump. 
 
 in the great Cylinder. The great Cylinder, being hot, expands 
 the air, and opposes the piston nearly equal to Common air; 
 and when it is drove back again by the steam to the Cold Con- 
 densor, it becomes nearly equal to common air in density, and 
 skulks into the botom of the Condensor for security, where it 
 cannot be dislodged until the steam is destroyed, when it rushes 
 out and does the same injury again; which Coudensor leaves 
 such a stronghold for it to fly to that it can never be expelled 
 by steam ; consequently we have always nearly an atmosphere 
 to contend with. 
 
 "Suppose we were to Condence our steam by letting it run 
 through a tube in common air ; that tube must be of great 
 length, and the point of Condensation would be very unequal; 
 and if it did not arrive at the extream end, where the air pumps 
 should be fixed, the air which should not be expelled would 
 return again, expand with the heat, and have a pernitious ten- 
 dency in proportion to its quantity. 
 
 "But by letting a tube run through the "Water, would bring it 
 to a more nice point ; but as the Water would be sometimes 
 cooler and sometimes Warmer, it cannot be brought to so nice 
 a point as by an injection ; and the smaller that the Condensor
 
 280 
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 is, I believe the more perfect the vacuum can be made, provided 
 
 the steam can be destroyed in time. 
 
 But suppose our Condensers of one straight tube, as Fig. 2. 
 Suppose A to be the Cylinder, 
 B the Condenser, and C the air 
 pump ; when the steam rushed 
 out of the Great Cylinder to the 
 condenser, I think probably it 
 would arrive to the valve of the 
 Air Pump, and drive the air be- 
 fore it thro the valve, as on its 
 first arrival it would check the 
 injection ; If not, the quantity 
 of air remaining would be in- 
 considerable to what would be 
 in a large Condensor; conse- 
 quently, less capable of injuring 
 us, and much more perfect va- 
 cuum formed." 
 
 Fig. 2. John Fitch's Condenger, Cylin- 
 der, and Air-pump. 
 
 This paper was shown to some of the Company, and 
 they agreed to try the thing. Another condenser was 
 ordered, and this, with other alterations, seems to have 
 secured the long-sought result. 
 
 On Monday, the 12th of April, the machinery was 
 tried; and it worked so forcibly that a pully was 
 broken. They were compelled to come to anchor. A 
 strong north-west wind was blowing. Several sail- 
 boats passed them, but refused any help, jeering, 
 at the same time, at their misfortune. There was now 
 some hope of success ; and a new and stronger pully 
 having been procured, the adventurers made a trial 
 which was glorious in its consequences. In the sim- 
 plicity and exultation of his heart. Fitch thus exclaims 
 in his journal:
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCII. 281 
 
 " On the 16th of April, [1790,] got our work compleated, and 
 tried our Boat again ; and altho the wind blew very fresh at the 
 north east, we reigned Lord High Admirals of the Delaware, 
 and no boat in the River could hold its way with us, but all fell 
 astern, although several sail boats, which were very light, and 
 heavy sails, that brought their gunwales well down to the water, 
 came out to try us. We also passed many boats with oars, and 
 strong manned, and no loading, and [they] seemed to stand still 
 when we passed them. We also run round a vessel that was 
 beating to windward in about two miles, which had half a mile 
 start of us, and came in without any of our works failing." 
 
 The next day was appointed to make a trip with 
 members of the Company. The wind blew very strong, 
 and none came but Dr. Benjamin Say. They ventured 
 out in the stream, and found that they could work 
 very well. Before the wind they went " amazingly 
 swift," and they returned well pleased, and with an 
 idea that their troubles were nearly at an end. A 
 short time afterward, David Rittenhouse and Dr. Ro- 
 bert Patterson were taken on a four-mile trip and re- 
 turned, and subsequently, Dr. Ewing, General James 
 Irvine, and Mr. Gray, were favored with the novelty 
 of a steam voyage. 
 
 In the joy of his heart at this happy consummation, 
 Fitch exclaims, 
 
 "Thus has been effected, by little Johnny Fitch and Harry 
 Voight, one of the greatest and most useful arts that has ever 
 been introduced into the world ; and although the world and my 
 country does not thank me for it, yet it gives me heartfelt satis- 
 faction." 
 
 For the first time since these persevering experi- 
 ments commenced, the public journals condescended to 
 24*
 
 282 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 notice their progress. The following paragraph, pub- 
 lished in the Gazette of the United States, May 15, 
 was republished generally throughout the Union, in 
 newspapers and magazines : 
 
 " BURLINGTON, MAY 11, 1790. 
 
 " The friends of science and the liberal arts will be gratified 
 in hearing that -we were favored, on Sunday last, with a visit 
 from the ingenious Mr. Fitch, accompanied by several gentleman 
 of taste and knowledge in mechanics, in a steamboat constructed 
 on an improved plan. From these gentlemen we learn that they 
 came from Philadelphia in three hours and a quarter, with a 
 head wind, the tide in their favour. On their return, by accu- 
 rate observations, they proceeded down the river at the rate of 
 upwards of seven miles an hour." 
 
 On the 16th of June, Governor Thomas Mifflin and 
 Messrs. Samuel Miles, Zehulon Potts, Amos Gregg, 
 Christopher Kucher, Frederick Watts, Abraham Smith, 
 William Findlay, John Hartzell, and Charles Biddle, of 
 the Council, were on board, and took a trip. They were 
 highly pleased, and authorized Fitch to get a suit of colors 
 at their expense. This was done. The bill amounted 
 to 5 6s. lid. There had been no flags on the steam- 
 boat before, and Fitch, naturally anxious for the eclat 
 which such a gift would occasion, desired that it should 
 be presented in form. The Governor and Council were 
 too shrewd politicians thus publicly to commit them- 
 selves in favor of a scheme which had been the sub- 
 ject of popular derision for four years. Mr. Biddle, 
 the Secretary, informed the inventor that the flags 
 were given by private subscription among the members 
 of the Council, and not officially. 
 
 Dr. Thornton stated that these flags were afterward
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 283 
 
 taken to France by Fitch, and presented to the Na- 
 tional Convention. 1 A paragraph which has been 
 printed in the American newspapers recently declares 
 that they are in the Patent Office at Washington. 
 This allegation we have been unable to verify. 
 
 The boat was now ready for active service, but it 
 was necessary to make some accommodation for pas- 
 sengers. Dr. Thornton wanted the cabin high, and 
 stately. Fitch feared that such a structure would 
 catch the wind, and prove an obstacle to the progress 
 of the boat. There was a dispute about it, which finally 
 resulted in the vanquishment of the projector and the 
 triumph of his adversary. 
 
 It was probably about this time that the experiment 
 took place which was described by Dr. Thornton in 
 1810: 
 
 " The day was appointed, and the experiment made in the 
 following manner: A mile was measured in Front street, or 
 Water street, Philadelphia, and the bounds projected at right 
 angles, as exactly as could be, to the wharves, where a flag was 
 placed at each end, and also a stop watch. The boat was or- 
 dered under way at dead water, or when the tide was found to 
 be without movement. As the boat passed one flag it was 
 struck, and at the same instant the watches were set off; as the 
 boat reached the other flag it was also struck, and the watches 
 instantly stopped. Every precaution was taken before wit- 
 nesses ; the time was shown to all, the experiment declared to 
 be fairly made, and the Boat was found to go at the rate of Eight 
 miles an hour, or one mile within the eighth of an hour ; on 
 which the shares were signed over with great satisfaction by the 
 rest of the Company. It afterwards went eighty miles in a 
 day." 
 
 1 "A short Account of the Origin of Steamboats."
 
 284 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 ^ 
 
 John Fitch's Steam-boat 1788, 1789, 1790. 
 
 The great problem, it was now thought, was demon- 
 strated. The boat was run to Burlington frequently, 
 beating everything which sailed on the Delaware. 
 There 'were occasional accidents, but they were easily 
 repaired. It is said in the journal that the boat ran 
 as much as five hundred miles between these various 
 accidents ; which would give an average of nearly 
 fourteen uninterrupted trips. At this time the steam- 
 boat was run as a regular passenger boat. This is 
 substantiated by some remarks in the journal in refer- 
 ence to an article ridiculing the steam-boat, which was 
 published in the Franklin Gazette on the 17th of Ja- 
 nuary, 1791. Although this purported to come from 
 a correspondent, it was thought that Benjamin F. 
 Bache, the proprietor of the paper, ought to be held
 
 LIFEOFJOHNFITCH. 285 
 
 responsible for it. 1 A certificate of B. F. Bache, in 
 favor of the performance of the boat, dated 16th of 
 June, 1790, was referred to, and the injured party 
 thus proceeds : 
 
 " Mr. Bache has taken many trips in the boat, on his own 
 business, to Burlington and other places, without offering us a 
 single sous for the favour; and from such customers, and others 
 like him, we actually run our boat last summer to a disadvan- 
 tage ; but I think it is ungenerous in him to abuse us for it, even 
 if he claims Dr. Franklin's share in Rumsey's steam-boat." 
 
 We find further and complete confirmation of the 
 usefulness of the boat in the following advertisements, 
 copied from newspapers published at the time : 
 
 THE STEAMBOAT 
 
 is now ready to take passengers, and is intended to set off from 
 Arch street Ferry, in Philadelphia, every Monday, Wednesday, 
 
 1 The following extract from the article in question will serve 
 to give an idea of its nature : 
 
 "A boat on this construction, barring all accidents of break- 
 ing paddles, cranks, gudgeons, watchwbeels, chains, Logger- 
 heads, cocks, valves, pins, bolts, pistons, cylinders, boilers, con- 
 densers, air-pumps, and God only knows how many more useful 
 parts, which we have omitted, would almost stem the tide of the 
 Delaware ; and the net proceeds of the monthly expences would 
 not exceed those of the income of above ten pounds ; so that in 
 one year there must be a clear saving of 120 no matter to 
 whom, so that it is saved. 
 
 "And to compleat the machinery of a Boat on this plan, of 
 ten or fifteen tons Burthen, and keep her in tolerable order, 
 may be done at a very moderate expence ; as one master copper- 
 smith, with three or four journeymen, a master Blacksmith, with 
 as many Journeymen, aided by an ingenious watch and clock 
 maker, provided they are industrious, will be amply sufficient 
 for the purpose."
 
 286 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 and Friday, for Burlington, Bristol, Bordentown, & Trenton, to 
 return on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Price for pas- 
 sengers, 2/6 to Burlington and Bristol, 3/9 to Bordentown, 
 5*. to Trenton. 
 
 June 14. ta-th, s-tf. 
 
 Pennsylvania Packet, June 15, 1790. Published also in the 
 Federal Gazette, June 14th, 17th, 19th; 22d, and 24th. 
 
 THE 
 
 STEAMBOAT 
 
 sets oat to morrow morning, at ten oclock, from Arch Street 
 Ferry, in order to take passengers for Bristol, Bordentown, and 
 Trenton, and return next day. 
 
 Philad., July 26th, 1790. Federal Gazette. 
 
 THE 
 
 STEAMBOAT 
 
 sets out from Arch street ferry on Sunday morning, at eight 
 oclock, for Chester, to return the same day. And on Thursday 
 following, at seven o-Clock, for "Wilmington and Christeen 
 Bridge. 
 July 30, 1790. Federal Gazette. 
 
 The Steamboat 
 
 seta out from Arch Street Ferry on Thursday next, at Seven 
 o Clock, for "Wilmington and Christian Bridge. 
 
 Aug. 2, 1790. Federal Gazette. 
 
 Published also Aug. 4th. 
 
 THE STEAMBOAT 
 
 sets off to morrow morning, from Arch St. Ferry, at 10 oclock, 
 with passengers for Burlington ; and on Sunday, at eight oclock, 
 for Chester, and to return same days. aug 11 dtf 
 
 Pennsylvania Packet, Aug. 11, 1790. 
 
 Published in the Federal Gazette, August llth, 12th, 13th, 
 and 14th.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 287 
 
 THE STEAMBOAT 
 
 sets off from Arch St. ferry to morrow morning, at seven oclock, 
 and on Sunday at eight oclock, with passengers for Burlington, 
 and returns same days. 
 
 August 18th. Federal Gazette. 
 
 Published on the 19th, 20th, and 21st. 
 
 THE STEAMBOAT 
 
 sets off this day, from Arch St., at 10 oclock, for Burlington and 
 Bristol Bordentown & Trenton, and returns to morrow. 
 
 Aug. 26, 1790. Pennsylvania Packet. 
 
 Published in the Federal Gazette on the 26th, 27th, and 28th. 
 
 THE STEAMBOAT sets off from arch st. to morrow for Chester, 
 & returns same day. 
 Aug. 28, 1790. Pennsylvania Packet. 
 
 The Steam-boat 
 
 will set out this morning, at 11 oclk, for Messrs. Gray's Garden, 
 at a quarter of a dollar for each passenger thither. It will 
 afterward ply between Gray's and middle ferry, at lid each 
 passenger. To morrow morning, Sunday, it will set off for Bur- 
 lington at eight oclock, to return in the afternoon. 
 
 Sept. 4, 1790. Pennsylvania Packet. 
 
 THE STEAMBOAT 
 
 will set out from Arch street wharf on Sunday, the 12th inst., 
 
 at 8 o clock in the morning, for Chester, to return the same day. 
 
 Sept. 10th. Federal Gazette. 
 
 Here are no less than twenty-three advertisements, 
 counting all the days of publication, specifying the 
 times at which no less than thirty-one trips would take 
 place, counting each passage from Philadelphia to the 
 place of destination as one. If the steam-boat had 
 done no more than make the passage on the days 
 designated, it would have passed over thirteen hundred
 
 288 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 and eighty miles. But as the city was small, and the 
 performances of the boat a matter of notoriety, it is 
 quite probable that from June 14th to September 10th, 
 and perhaps for some weeks afterward, the vessel ran 
 steadily. To Trenton was considered thirty miles, to 
 Burlington twenty, to Chester fifteen, to Wilmington 
 thirty. If we average all the trips at twenty-five miles 
 each, the steam-boat must have run, before she was 
 laid up, from two thousand to three thousand miles. 
 That the voyages were made without material delays, 
 appears by Fitch's MS. journal. He says that if the 
 safety-valve had not been overloaded by Voight, in 
 defiance of entreaty, there would have been no acci- 
 dent during that summer. " The axle-trees broke 
 twice ; there was nothing but these accidents which 
 could not be repaired in a single hour or two." The 
 grate was burnt out, and had to be renewed. They 
 beat " the sail-boats on the river, three to one ;" but 
 their enemies took advantage of every accident to 
 spread reports against the work. " The boat run five 
 hundred miles between these accidents." 
 
 The following account of the performances of the 
 boat is found in the New York Magazine for 1790, 
 page 493. 
 
 "Extract of a letter from Philadelphia, August 13. 
 
 "Fitch's steamboat really performs to a charm. It is a plea- 
 sure, while one is on board of her in a contrary wind, to observe 
 her superiority over the river shallops, sloops, ships, &c., who, 
 to gain any thing, must make a zigzag course, while this, our 
 new invented vessel, proceeds in a direct line. On Sunday 
 morning she sets off for Chester, and engages to return in the 
 evening 40 miles. God willing, I intend to be one of the pas-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 289 
 
 senders, were it only to encourage American ingenuity and the 
 fine arts. Fitch is certainly one of tho most ingenious creatures 
 alive, and will certainly make his fortune. I am told he is now 
 in contemplation to build a steam vessel on a larger scale, which 
 may be capable of carrying freights and passengers to the West 
 Indies, and even to Europe. One great advantage I can foresee 
 in these voyages, which is, that the steam ship can make pro- 
 gress in a calm, when other vessels must lie motionless. How 
 she would behave in a gale of wind, must be left to experience 
 to determine. Having no sails, masts, or top hamper, to lay 
 too or scud under, it is probable she might at such time be in 
 great Jeopardy." 
 
 The trip made to Gray's Ferry, and on the Schuyl- 
 kill, September 4th, was doubtless that which was wit- 
 nessed by Rembrandt Peale. He gives his recollec- 
 tions in a letter to a member of the Historical Society, 
 dated January 13, 1848. It will be seen that Mr. 
 Peale gives the date of the spring of 1785 as the 
 time when he saw the boat. This was before it was 
 thought of. Mr. Peale has no doubt been deceived in 
 his memory of the time by the lapse of many years : x 
 
 " In the spring of 1785, hearing there was something curious 
 to be seen at the floating bridge, on the Schuylkill, at Market 
 street, I eagerly ran to the spot, where I found a few persons 
 collected, anxiously gazing at a shallop at anchor below the 
 bridge, with about twenty persons on board. On the deck was 
 a small furnace, and machinery, connected with a complex 
 crank, projecting over the stern, to give motion to three or four 
 paddles, resembling snow shovels, which hung into the water. 
 When all was ready, and the force of steam was made to act, 
 by means of which I was then ignorant, knowing nothing of the 
 nature of a piston except in a common pump, the paddles began 
 
 1 Collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Vol. 
 I., No. 1, page 34. 
 
 25
 
 290 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 to work, pressing against the water backwards as they rose, and 
 the boat, to my great delight, moved against the tide, without 
 wind or hand ; but in a few moments it run aground at an angle 
 of the river, owing to the difficulty of managing the unwieldy 
 rudder, which projected eight or ten feet. It was soon backed 
 off, and proceeded slowly to its destination, at Gray's ferry." 
 
 Dr. John Ewing certified that on the 1st day of 
 May, 1790, the steam-hoat " went six miles an hour, 
 without wind or tide." David Rittenhouse also made 
 a statement that he was on board the boat on the 4th 
 of May, 1790, when it " was propelled at the full rate 
 of six miles an hour, solely by steam." 
 
 General James Irvine, Vice-President of the State 
 of Pennsylvania, corroborated the statement of Dr. 
 Ewing, having been on board the steam-boat at the 
 same time. 1 
 
 Lewis Rue and John Shaffer gave a certificate that 
 on Saturday, the 5th of June, 1790, they left Phila- 
 delphia in the steam-boat about four o'clock in the 
 morning, and went to Trenton Landing, and to Lam- 
 bertville, fifteen miles above Trenton. They returned 
 to Philadelphia by half-past five o'clock in the after- 
 noon. They stopped one hour at Lambertville and 
 other places. The current was against them eight or 
 nine miles before they reached Lambertville. There 
 was a fresh wind against them all the way on their 
 return, and the tide was against them for seven or 
 eight miles before reaching Philadelphia. The space 
 
 1 General Joseph Bloomfield, of New Jersey, testified, before 
 a Committee of the Legislature of New York, in 1814, that he 
 had frequently been a passenger on Fitch's boat on the Dela- 
 ware. See New York Review, Vol. IV., page 148.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 291 
 
 passed over by the boat in twelve hours and a half was 
 ninety miles, and the speed was, on the average, seven 
 miles and a half an hour. Probably with the tide, on 
 the upward passage, it was nine or ten miles an hour. 
 Contrast this with the performance of Fulton's boat, 
 the Clermont, on the Hudson, seventeen years after- 
 ward, which occupied thirty-two hours running time, 
 to go a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, about 
 four miles and three-quarters an hour, and how great 
 is the triumph of the original inventor! "Plad they 
 started together, over the same course, at the same 
 time, Fitch's boat would have reached Albany fifty -two 
 miles in advance." 1 Fitch, had an engine manufac- 
 tured in this country by common blacksmiths, under 
 his own supervision, at a time when the principles and 
 the relative forces of the different parts of the steam- 
 engine were almost unknown. Fulton employed an 
 imported engine, built in England, by Bolton and 
 Watt, on their improved principles. Fulton told Dr. 
 Thornton that it was impossible to make a boat to " go 
 more than five miles an hour in dead water." He 
 " offered me," said Dr. Thornton, " $150,000, if I 
 would make one that exceeded it. I agreed to his pro- 
 posal at once, but he declined to write the terms. Our 
 boat [Fitch's] went at the rate of eight miles an hour, 
 in the presence of witnesses yet [1814] living. 2 
 
 The following, which was published some time since 
 in the New York Leader, is, without doubt, the letter 
 
 1 Whittlesey. 
 
 2 See United States Patent Office Report for 1850, Parti., page 
 370. " Thornton's Account," &c.
 
 292 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 in which Fulton's offer was made. The place from 
 which it is dated was Joel Barlow's residence, near 
 Washington : 
 
 KALORMA, January 9, 1811. 
 To DR. THORNTON: 
 
 DEAR SIR: Having an unfortunate bile, and being altogether 
 so unwell that I shall probably not be able to go out of the 
 house in a fortnight, I shall be happy to have some conversation 
 with you on your steamboat inventions and experience. Al- 
 though I do not see by what means a boat containing one hun- 
 dred tons of merchandise can be driven six miles an hour in 
 still water, yet when you assert your perfect confidence in such 
 success, there may be something more in your combinations 
 than I am aware of. As such success would be of infinite 
 national importance, I should feel disposed, on the principles 
 of patriotism, to give the essay every aid, at the same time to 
 make such an arrangement as would secure you ample fortune. 
 To prove your principles by practice, it has occurred to me that 
 one of two things may be done : either that you find some one 
 to join you, with funds, to build the boat, and if you succeed to 
 run six miles an hour in still water, with one hundred tons of 
 merchandise, I will contract to reimburse the cost of the boat, 
 and to give you one hundred and fifty thousand dollars for your 
 patent ; or, if you can convince me of the success by drawings 
 or demonstrations, I will join you in the expenses and profits. 
 Please to think of this, and have the goodness to let me see or 
 hear from you as soon as possible. 
 
 I am, sir, your most obedient, 
 
 ROBERT FULTON. 
 
 That Fulton was incredulous that as high a rate of 
 speed as six miles an hour, in still water, could be 
 attained, is not strange. He had no right to expect 
 a better performance from the experience which he had 
 with the "Clermont" and the "Car of Neptune."
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 293 
 
 Some months after the foregoing letter was written, 
 the latter boat attained, under favorable conditions of 
 tide, a speed of seven miles and two-thirds per hour ; 
 which remarkable circumstance was thus chronicled in 
 the Boston Weekly Messenger of November 8th, 1811 : 
 
 RAPID TRAVELLING! 
 
 NEW YORK, OCT. 24. 
 
 The steamboat " Car of Neptune," which left this city on 
 Saturday evening last, at five o'clock, arrived at Albany in 20 
 hours. She returned this morning in 22 hours equal to 
 330 miles in 43 hours. Let foreigners, who say we have no 
 talent for improvement, point out where there is any mode 
 of conveyance equal to this ! In what country are there so 
 many enjoyments combined in one great polytechnic machine, 
 and mounted with wings, as this, which wafts passengers as by 
 enchantment between the cities of New York and Albany ? 
 
 To our countrymen, then, and our arts, let justice be liberally 
 and honestly measured out. 
 
 25*
 
 294 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 COMMENCEMENT OF THE STEAM-BOAT PERSEVERANCE. 
 
 THE practicability of the invention having now been 
 tested, the new Company was consolidated with the 
 old, and preparations were made to build another boat, 
 so that two vessels moved by steam could be sent to 
 Virginia, in order to meet with the requisitions of the 
 law in favor of Fitch passed by that State. 1 The time 
 was short, as the law would expire unless the specified 
 conditions were fulfilled by the 9th of November, 1790. 
 Prompt action was taken. A levy of <10 was made 
 upon each member. " All professed themselves willing 
 to pay it, but the collection of the amount was not an 
 easy matter. Fitch feared that this difficulty would 
 arise, and he represented to Edward Brooks, the Trea- 
 surer, and others, that the building of the boat ought 
 not to be commenced until the necessary funds were in 
 hand. This prudent suggestion was unheeded. The 
 vessel was contracted for, and the work was begun. 
 A proposition was made by the inventor that he should 
 go to the Western country to seek subscriptions ; but 
 that plan was not adopted. It was shovm to General 
 
 1 The great value of the Virginia law was, that it secured 
 exclusive rights to the steam-boat in the Western waters the 
 Ohio and its tributaries. In the bounds of Virginia were em- 
 braced at that time the present States of Kentucky, Ohio, and 
 the North-Weatern Territory.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 295 
 
 Gibson, of Allegheny, and Colonel Mastel, who gave 
 it their approbation in words. An application to mem- 
 bers of the Legislature of Pennsylvania from the 
 western counties was not as successful. Mr. John 
 Hoge, Representative of Washington and Fayette, . 
 and James Findlay and Albert Gallatin, of Fayette, 
 were not courteous, and they treated the proposition 
 with disdain. 
 
 In the estimate then prepared, it was calculated! that 
 ten boats might be necessary for use on the Western 
 waters, and that they would cost about two thousand 
 dollars each. Chagrined at the result, application was 
 made to General Gibson, to induce him to become a 
 partner in the enterprize of building a boat at Pittb- 
 burg. The following was the letter containing this 
 proposal : 
 
 Worthy Honoured Sir: 
 
 The subscriber humbly begs leave to demon- 
 strate to you the unacountable difficulties and imbarrassments 
 which have been and still are thrown in his way, which no man 
 acting upon natural principles could even suspect. 
 
 The imbarrasments of a man in my station of life, to raise 
 3000 in so short a space of time as I have done, and that upon 
 so unpopular and uncertain a scheme as I have been upon, can- 
 not be supposed to be small. But since I have waded through 
 all these difficulties, and have assertained the scheme to meet 
 with such cold reception, as I do, from the very men who are 
 to be benefited.by it, was never suspected by me. 
 
 To tell you, Sir, that som of the Gentlemen from your Country, 
 whome I waited upon to obtain their Certificate and Counte- 
 nance, would not even deign or show the least desire of inform- ~ 
 ing themselves of the principles which I ment to go upon; ns 
 if they were affraid that they should be convinced that it 
 their duty to support me; and others, who did say that the
 
 206 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 could not assert that the plan was equatable and just, although 
 it was clearly stated, as evident as any problem in Euclid, that 
 theBallancewas [not] against the steamboat company, yet refused 
 to sign it on them principles. 
 
 Others refused to sign it because they could not say that they 
 thought it was the duty of every good citizen to render real ser- 
 vice to themselves, their Country, and their Nation. 
 
 Such base injustice to the man who has spent his whole for- 
 tune, with five or six years, to serve these very men, and the 
 world of mankind at large, must be sensibly felt by a man of 
 fealings ; yet, Sir, I dispise such petty imbarrassments as the 
 whole members on the waters of the Mississippi can throw in 
 my way. 
 
 But should we say that your Country should be deprived of 
 so valuable a machine for Fourteen years, the resentment would 
 be just. But it is not that part that I mean to act, but upon 
 more noble principles ; and convince the little, suspicious minds, 
 that I am not capable of injuring myself for the sake of injuring 
 others. 
 
 "Worthy Sir, I ask no more good men in that Country than 
 what would have saved Sodom and Gomorrow from Fire and 
 Brimston, to Effect the greatest revolution which that Country 
 ever did or ever will experiance, and am confident I have found 
 one in you ; and permit me to return you the thanks which is 
 due you from you Country, and adress you on the scheme which 
 I propose to persue. 
 
 Sir, I am determined that the; Navigation of the Mississippi 
 and Ohio shall be made easy, whether the Western people will 
 have it or no. 
 
 I really Pitty men who have worryed at the Oar these six 
 thousand years past, and am detirmined to releive them ; and 
 you may be a principle promoter of so great an event, which 
 will cause inconceivable revolutions in your Country. 
 
 I do know that the liberal principles on which I go will com- 
 mand sufficient money for the present to carry it into effect. 
 
 This is, Sir, to request to think of the matter, and consult 
 with yourself, before my arrival at Pitt, whether you can patron-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 297 
 
 ise the scheme for 20 shares, or in partnership with another, so 
 as to build a boat for that place. 
 
 If you can, sir, I pledge my reputation, and you may esteem 
 it as coming from an honest man, that I will ascend the Ohio 
 river one hundred miles in twenty four hours. 
 
 I trust that you will pardon this intrusion, and hope to be 
 esteemed by you, 
 
 Your Most Devoted, 
 
 Humble Servant, 
 
 JOHN FITCH. 
 The honorable General Gibson. 
 
 This proposal was not agreed to by General Gibson, 
 and the West was thereby retarded in the progress 
 which the steam-boat would have effected, and which 
 the same invention has since so wonderfully aided in 
 producing. 
 
 The work upon the Perseverance continued, and it 
 was hoped that it would be finished in time to save the 
 benefit of the Virginia law. This expectation was dis- 
 appointed. A violent north-east storm arose. After 
 having blown from that quarter for a day and part of 
 a night, the wind suddenly shifted to the north-west. 
 The boat was broken from her moorings, and drifted 
 upon Petty's Island, opposite the upper part of Phila- 
 delphia. The tide was very high at the time, and the 
 Perseverance was driven so far upon the land that it 
 was impossible to get her off for ten or twelve days. 
 There was now no possibility of complying with the 
 law of Virginia, and that project was abandoned. 
 
 Both boats were now laid up for the winter. The 
 Act of Congress of April 10, 1790, entitled " an Act 
 for the encouragement of useful arts," was not ne-
 
 298 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 
 
 glected. It vested the granting of exclusive rights to 
 inventions in the Secretary of State, Secretary of War, 
 and Attorney-General. To those officers the following 
 petition was presented : 
 
 To the Honorable, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of 
 "War, and the Attorney General, 
 
 The Petition of John Fitch, of the City of Philadelphia, 
 humbly sheweth : 
 
 That your Petitioner, in the Spring of the Year One thousand 
 seven hundred and eighty five, conceived the idea of applying 
 steam to the purposes of propelling vessels through the water ; 
 that, fully satisfied in his own mind of the practicability of such 
 a scheme, of its great immediate utility, and the important ad- 
 vantages which would in future result therefrom, not only to 
 America, but to the world at large, if the scheme could be car- 
 ried into efifectual operation, he divested himself of every other 
 occupation, and undertook the arduous task ; not doubting that 
 when perfected he should be amply rewarded. In his first 
 attempts to procure assistance from Congress and the Legisla- 
 tures of many of the states, from the peculiar situation of their 
 finances, and the seeming impossibility of the success of the 
 scheme, he met with no releif. Not entirely discouraged by 
 those dissapointments, he continued his application to his pro- 
 ject, and prayed several of the states for an exclusive right for 
 the use of fire and steam to navigation ; that New Jersey, New 
 York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia granted him an 
 exclusive right, agreeably to the prayer of his Petition, for 
 fourteen years ; 
 
 That the impracticability of procuring experienced workmen 
 in America, your Petitioner's total ignorance of the construction 
 of a steam-engine, together with the necessary deviation from 
 the form described in books, in order to accommodate its weight 
 and bulk to the narrow limits of a vessel, have caused him not 
 only to expend about eight thousand Dollars in successive expe- 
 riments, but nearly four years of some of his grants have ex- 
 pired before he has been able to bring his engine to such a 
 degree of perfection as to be carried into use ;
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 299 
 
 That having at length fully succeeded in his scheme, proof of 
 which he is prepared to offer, he trusts he now comes forward, 
 not as an imaginary projector, but as a man who, contrary to 
 the popular expectation, has really accomplished a design which 
 on examination will clearly evince the many and important 
 advantages which must result therefrom to the United States ; 
 some of which your petitioner begs leave to enumerate : 
 
 The western waters of the United States, which have hitherto 
 been navigated with great difficulty and expence, may now be 
 ascended with safety, conveniency, and great velocity ; conse- 
 quently, by these means an immediate increased value will be 
 given to the Western Territory ; all the internal waters of the 
 United States will be rendered much more convenient and safe, 
 and the carriage on them much more expeditious ; that from 
 these advantages will result a great saving in the labour of men 
 and horses, as well as expence to the traveller. 
 
 Your Petitioner also conceives that the introduction of a com- 
 plete steam engine, formed upon the newest and best principles, 
 into such a country as America, where labour is high, would 
 entitle him to public countenance and encouragement, indepen- 
 dant of its use in navigation. He begs leave to say that the 
 great length of time and vast sum of money expended in bring- 
 ing the scheme to perfection have been wholly occasioned by 
 his total ignorance of the improved state of steam engines ; a 
 perfect knowledge of which has not been acquired without an 
 infinite number of fruitless experiments ; for not a person could 
 be found who was acquainted with the minutiae of Bolton & 
 Watt's new engine ; and whether your petitioner's engine is 
 similar or not to those in England, he is at this moment totally 
 ignorant, but is happy to say that he is now able to make a 
 complete steam engine which, in its effects, he believes, is equal 
 to the best in Europe, the construction of which he has never 
 kept a secret ; 
 
 That, on his first undertaking the scheme, he knew there were 
 a great number of ways of applying the power of steam to the 
 propelling of vessels through the water, perhaps all equally 
 effective ; but this formed no part of his consideration, knowing 
 that if he could bring his steam engine to work in a boat, he
 
 300 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 would be under no difficulty in applying its force ; therefore he 
 trusts that no interference with him in propelling boats by 
 steam, under any pretence of a different mode of application, 
 will be permitted. For should that be the case, the employment 
 of his time, and the amazing expence attending the perfection 
 of his scheme, would, whilst they gave the world a valuable 
 discovery, and America peculiar and important advantages, 
 eventuate in the total ruin of your Petitioner ; for a thousand 
 different modes may be applied by subsequent navigators, all 
 of them benefitting by the labour and expence of your Peti- 
 tioner, and sharing with him those profits which they never 
 earned. Such a consequence he is confident will not be per- 
 mitted by your honorable body. 
 
 Your Petitioner therefore prays that your honors will take the 
 subject of his petition into consideration; and by granting him 
 an exclusive right to the use of steam navigation for a limited 
 time, do him that justice which he conceives he merits, and 
 which he trusts will redound to the honor and add to the true 
 interests of America ; and your Petitioner, as in duty bound, 
 shall ever pray. JOHX FITCH. 
 
 New York, 22nd June, 1790. 
 
 This petition was preferred as a matter of form, but 
 the triumph of the steam-boat was so complete, that 
 the elated inventor even hoped that his case might be 
 made an exception to the law " to promote the progress 
 of useful arts ;" and knowing that the members of 
 Congress, who were then assembled at New York, 
 were cognizant of his perfect success, he ventured to 
 ask the privilege which he craved. 
 
 July 1, 1790. A petition of John Fitch was presented to the 
 house, and read, praying that an exclusive right may be granted 
 to him to the use of steam to navigation in the United States for 
 a limited time. 
 
 Ordered the said petition to lay on the table. 1 
 
 1 Journal of the House of Representatives of the United 
 States, Session of 1790, page 155.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 301 
 
 Friday, July 2, 1790. The Petition of John Fitch was read, 
 stating sundry improvements which he has made " in applying 
 steam to the purpose of propelling boats or vessels through the 
 water," and requesting " a law in his favour, independent of the 
 General one now in force." 
 
 Ordered, that this Petition lie on the table. 1 
 
 Failing in this endeavor, he again addressed the 
 Commissioners. Another petition was presented to 
 them on the 22d of November. The next day, they 
 appointed the first Monday in February, 1791, to hear 
 all the applicants for patents for inventions in which 
 steam was used for a motive power. These were John 
 Fitch, James Rumsey, and John Stevens, who asked 
 patents for steam-boats and steam machinery, and 
 Nathan Read and Isaac Briggs, for steam-wagons. 
 During this delay, attempts were made to induce new 
 parties to aid in the steam-boat enterprise. In that 
 spirit the following letter, curious for the estimates 
 which it contains, was written to Robert Morris, the 
 eminent financier, patriot, and statesman. The epistle 
 was not transmitted until three months after its date. 
 
 Worthy Honored Sir : 
 
 The subscriber humbly begs leave to address you 
 on a scheme of the first importance to yourself and Country. 
 
 I know, Sir, I stand on the most unfavourable ground to pro- 
 pose anything new ; for, by unforeseen and unavoidable events, 
 the City of Philad. have become my Enemies. 
 
 The disgust which new projects gives to many, my despicable 
 appearance, my project being calculated to make the Watermen 
 my Enemies, the great interest which Rumsey has made against 
 me, and the great numbers who gave their opinions against my 
 
 1 Journal of the Senate of the United States, 2d Session, 
 page 144. 
 26
 
 302 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 scheme, who are loth to have their judgments called in question, 
 it may be supposed that I have scarsley a friend left. 
 
 The most infamous Characters or scheme, surrounded with 
 friends, is applauded ; the greatest virtues, surrounded with 
 Enemies, is treated with contempt. 
 
 These hints, sir, will undoubtedly satisfy you that I stand on 
 more unfavourable Ground than I ought to do ; but I feel my- 
 self perfectly easy while I know the candour and abilities of 
 Mr. Morriss. 
 
 I wish, sir, to propose a trading House at New Orleans ; and 
 doubt not but if Mr. Morriss should patronize it, Mr. Leamy, 
 the Spainish Consul, would give it Countenance, and probably 
 Support. 
 
 The great imbarrassments of Navigating the Mississippi has 
 undoubtedly prevented that place from flourishing in proportion 
 to the extent of country which must finally traffic there. 
 
 The amazing expence of bringing back the People who trans- 
 port the produce down that River, makes it truely discouraging 
 to the Exporter, and a natural tendency of Indolence in the 
 planter. From the Luxurancy of the Soil, the number of Inha- 
 bitants, it ought to be supposed that New Orleans should be the 
 largest City in North America, and the greatest trade carried 
 on there ; which, was the Navigation made easy, I apprehend 
 would suddenly take place. 
 
 In the first place, I wish to state the difference between the 
 present mode of navigation and navigating them waters by 
 steam, and make an estimate of one Boat, for one year, of 50 
 Tons Burthen, and to compair it with Dr. Flowers', Con 1 Bar- 
 ber's, and Capt. Wood's Certificates. 
 
 I suppose a steamboat of 50 tons burthen, which would make 
 four trips in a year to Kentucky, or the Illinois; and suppose 
 the Boat to be Double manned, and to recon nothing for the 
 Boats now in use on that River. 
 
 I estimate the steam boat, when compleat for the voiage, to 
 cost 2500 Dollars ; but say 1000 ; and to keep it in perpetual 
 repair, say it will cost 100 per year ; which Boat transports 
 200 Tons pr year.
 
 'LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 303 
 
 The interest of the money is . . . . 60 00 
 
 The repairs 100 
 
 Wages of 4 men, say 400 Dollars . . .150 
 
 Enginear, say 100 
 
 Provision and necessarys, say. . . . 100 
 
 In all, is 510 
 
 For Transporting 200 Tons ; which reduces the price to less 
 than 2/7 d per hundred weight. 
 
 To transport 200 tons, according to Dr. Flowers' estimate, 
 amounts to 11,850; which leaves a Ballance in favour of the 
 steamboat of 11,340 for one boat only, for one year; and at 
 this day I presume that less than ten or fifteen boats would not 
 do the business of that river. 
 
 We do know that we can make these Boats to ascend the Mis- 
 sissippi. We also know that we can make our works as durable 
 as millworks ; and by having odd limbs on board, no part can. 
 fail but may be repaired in two hours. 
 
 These Boats, by carrying back the People at reasonable rates 
 who transports the produce down the River, must soon make an 
 amazing ods in the Trade of that Town; for the inhabitants of 
 that country could at this day, with the same industry, export as 
 much as the State of Pennsylvania, East of the Mountains; and 
 as they are at this time bear of all foreign marcbandize, much 
 of their money would probably be laid out that way. 
 
 An article of agreement, which I doubt not but will be exe- 
 cuted by the steamboat company, will entitle me to convey one 
 half of the said boats, as may be erected by public subscription, 
 on generious principles, on them waters. 
 
 The owners of those Boats must have many and great advan- 
 tages over other merchants in that place. 
 
 I propose to reside there myself, and become a Spanish sub- 
 ject; and hope to meet with indulgencys as such. 
 
 I have already a pretty extensive acquaintance on the Ohio, 
 and shall this winter make it much more so ; and could they be 
 satisfied that I was supported by people of property, doubt not 
 but that a principle part of the Trade of that Country might be
 
 304 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH." 
 
 ingroced by the House ; and think it may be worthy the atten- 
 tion of the most respectable Gentlemen to persue it. 
 
 This, Sir, will probably cause a revolution in the Western 
 World more astonishing than the introduction of arts in Mus- 
 cova by Peter, and worthy the notice and consideration of Mr. 
 Morriss ; and pray that he may have the same secret pleasure 
 and reward as Great Peter of Muscova had in rendering real 
 service to his Country. 
 
 Which is the sincear wish of 
 
 Your ever Faithful 
 
 Humble Servant, 
 
 JOHN FITCH. 
 20th Sept., 1790. 
 
 The Honorable Robert Morriss, Esq. 
 
 P. S. If Mr. Morriss should find it inconvenient for himself 
 to engage in this business, he perhaps might favour the scheme 
 so far as to recommend it to some of his acquaintances, or to 
 give his opinion where the scheme may be defec.ive, and to give 
 his advice how it ought to be persued. J. F. 
 
 These estimates, he afterwards said, were probably 
 too high. He had been informed that, on account of 
 quick and sudden falls of water, it would be dangerous 
 to use boats of fifty tons ; which, by their size, would 
 be prevented from taking advantage of eddies, as 
 smaller boats might. He thought that it would be 
 impossible to navigate the Mississippi in boats of larger 
 capacity than twenty-five tons. The expense would 
 be thereby increased, as the cost of running the smaller 
 boat would pot be reduced in proportion. The latter 
 would only save the labor of twenty men, whilst the 
 former would dispense with the care of forty-five ; and 
 the expenses would not be 50 per year different. 
 
 Shortly afterward, Fitch commenced to write a long 
 statement to the Commissioners of Patents, in which
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 305 
 
 he set out his claims in full, with the evidence he re- 
 lied upon, and argued very conclusively in regard to 
 the priority of his invention, and the injustice of giving 
 rights to others, who had made a different application 
 in the mode of propulsion from his own. 
 
 He now found himself deserted by all the members 
 of the Company but three or four. And in order to 
 regain their good-will, and continuance of patronage 
 to the boat, he wrote them an address, as follows : 
 
 TO THE STEAMBOAT COMPANY. 
 
 Gentlemen : the convulsed situation of the Company throws 
 every thing into the most tottering situation. 
 
 After the many thousands which you have expended to bring 
 forward the most useful art that was ever introduced into the 
 World, and even after you have perfected it, it seems that you 
 are amazed at what you have done, and lost in contemplating, 
 in thinking, how the world will gaze on the virtuous Few who 
 have so nobley and liberally rendered such essential service to 
 their Nation. 
 
 And shall we, after we have perfected the scheme, Eclips our 
 noble acts by leaving our works half done, because we do not 
 wish, or are not protected in carrying on business at the dis- 
 tance of the Mississippi ? 
 
 I know that the disjointed situation of our Co. will not per- 
 mit us to strike another stroke till some new arrangement shall 
 take place. 
 
 Permit me to suggest one proposal more, which is, Once more 
 to solicit Congress to give us a tract of Land, to enable us to 
 bring into practise what we have perfected. 
 
 We do know that we can assend the Mississippi ; we also 
 know that we can make our Works as dureable as Mill Works, 
 and that we can navigate them Waters at about one tenth of the 
 present expence of Navigation ; which Improvement will be 
 worth three such Tracts of Teritory as is on the Western Waters 
 added to our Empire. 
 
 26*
 
 306 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 That we have brought our scheme so far to perfection as to 
 convince the World that a steam engine may be introduced into 
 a Boat to advantage, is one of the greatest consolations. But 
 that the time necessarily employed in the pursute has extended 
 beyond the limit unfortunately assigned by the state of Virginia, 
 is the cause of our greatest greiff. Our expectations of exten- 
 sive profits, you well know, were built on exclusive rights to 
 navigate the Western Waters. 
 
 The immence difficulties we have had to encounter in acquir- 
 ing the knoledge of the true principles of a steam engine, toge- 
 ther with the obstructions thrown in our way by the claims set 
 up by Rumsey and his friends, waisted that portion of time 
 which was alloted by the state of Virginia to perfect two Boats 
 for the waters of that state, agreably to the terms of the law 
 granted in my favour. 
 
 You know that one Boat has been compleated, and that ano- 
 ther was nearly ready when the terms of the law expired. Hard, 
 indeed, were the terms of that law ; but I had no conception at 
 the time of accepting them that it would have imployed so 
 great a length of time merely to acquire the art of making a 
 steam engine an art familiar in England, but of which all the 
 artizens I could ever converse with in America, entirely igno- 
 rant. Thus we had to explore an unbeaten path, and did not 
 assertain the true course until we had wandered into a thousand 
 wrong Rodes. 
 
 These attempts, you too well know, have been attended by an. 
 enormous expence ; and failing at last in our great object of the 
 Western Waters, your spirits of exertion I sadly perceive begins 
 to fail. No exertions of mine have been wanting, but the fates 
 have been against us. What are we to do ? Are we to relinquish 
 the once pleasing prospect of success, and quietly sit down 
 under our Losses? or shall we make one more Bold eifort, and 
 cast ourselves upon the Honour and generosity of our Country? 
 
 I well know that we have opponants, and powerful opponants, 
 too ; but I flatter myself that our Rights will be viewed through 
 the medium of justice, rather than interest; that our Country 
 will perceive that, having first promulgated the Idea of steam- 
 boats, in a manner not to be lost, as my Petition was presented
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 307 
 
 to Congress in August, 1785, and having carried ^ Idea into 
 effectual operation, will secure me every right and title which 
 the most sanguine inventor could hope for. 
 
 If any were before me in thought, it was in thought only ; and 
 my discovery was the only one that was made known to the 
 world ; and had Idroped into oblivion, my discovery must have 
 ever remained on record ; whilst those of any other pretenders 
 ever concealed until mine made a nois in the world, might have 
 sunk, with their Inventors, into everlasting silence. 
 
 On this principle you know that I have contended my uni- 
 versal Priority ; and further, that no subsequent Pretender could 
 come forward with propriety, under pretence of a variation in 
 the mode of applying the power; for I assert it as fixed prin- 
 ciple, that the invention is in the thought of applying the action 
 of steam to navigation, and not in the mode of effecting it ; other- 
 wise, my whole project might be wrested from me by a subse- 
 quent Pretender, mearly by the plea of applying the power of 
 steam in some other mode than that which I first began with. 
 
 So sensible were all the Legislatures who granted me Pattants 
 of the force of this reasoning, that they all gave me the exclu- 
 sive right of steam to Navigation. 
 
 Under this Patronage I began my Works, and you advanced 
 your money, little expecting the difficulties that we had to en- 
 counter; nearly 4000 have been expended, and your prospects 
 are vanishing away. 
 
 I feel distressed at the thought of asking you to advance 
 more, but more distressed at the thought of abandoning a 
 scheme now so fully assertained. 
 
 You will ask me what I propose. I will tell you, Gentlemen, 
 my views. They are still extended to the waters of the Missis- 
 sippi. 
 
 Could I gain your permission, I would apply to Congress for 
 patronage to a scheme which cannot fail to give an immence 
 increase of value to the western teritory. Should I take a boat 
 from hence to the mouth of the Mississippi, and thence, by the 
 power of steam, assend those waters to the Rapids of the Ohio, 
 I should conceive that I conferred the greatest benefit, in a 
 pecuniary sence, that America ever experienced ; and I have no
 
 308 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 doubt but Congress would grant me, by way of incouragement, 
 a Tract of at least 50,000 acres, as a Reeompence small, 
 indeed, when compaired with the amazing advantages to that 
 Country. 
 
 Would you, Gentlemen, so far countenance my application as 
 to support me hear for only three months, for mj all is now 
 expended, my last Certificate is sold and gone, I will imploy 
 that time in soliciting the grant from Congress. 
 
 Gentlemen, I would ask on the special terms of carrying our 
 new Boat to the Rapids. Under such a promis on the part of 
 Congress, I have no doubt but I could form a new Co., should 
 the old one decline the expence. You, it is true, have spent 
 largely on my scheme ; but I have dissipated the last farthing 
 I have in the world, yet am not dismayed, if my Country will 
 yet take me by the hand. 
 
 I have given my country a most valuable discovery, on the 
 30 of August, 1785, for which I have received no compensation ; 
 and I doubt not but common justice will induce them to do 
 somthing for me ; especially when they can do it for the benefit 
 of our Empire. 
 
 Another inducement which urges me to persue this scheme is, 
 to put it out of the power of future Generations to make excuses 
 for the present one. And if I should die in penury, want, 
 wretchedness, and Rags, that my country may have no excuse, 
 and that I may have the secret pleasure in the contemplation 
 of receiving real pitty from future Generations. 
 
 All of which is humbly submitted to the Company, 
 
 By 
 
 25 Dec., 1790. JOHN FITCH. 
 
 The want of continued employment seems to have 
 led the active mind of Fitch, about this time, into a 
 new field. We have hitherto stated how his feelings 
 became prejudiced against the Christian religion in 
 consequence of early impressions. The rigid disci- 
 pline to which he was subjected by his father, doubt- 
 less had its influence. The odium which he incurred
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 809 
 
 from the Methodists of Trenton, upon account of his 
 working on the Sabbath during the busy times of the 
 Revolution, when the repairing of arms for defence 
 was considered a necessity, must have excited a tem- 
 perament which could not brook unmerited censure. 
 The refusal of leading members of the Methodist per- 
 suasion in New York to even see him, when he arrived 
 at that port in a cartel-ship, after his captivity, no 
 doubt completed his disgust at those who professed 
 Christianity. He became a Deist, in the sense which 
 now distinguishes Unitarianism. The Socinian doc- 
 trines which he advocated were embraced by Voight 
 and others. They believed that there was one mighty 
 God, the creator and ruler of the universe, but they 
 rejected the tenet that Jesus Christ was his son. The 
 latter was regarded by Fitch and his friends as a great 
 teacher, but not as inspired. The estimate which the 
 steam-boat builder placed upon the Saviour is shown 
 by the following extract from his writing, which is a 
 specimen of humility mingled with strong self-conceit : 
 
 "My despicable appearance, my uncouth way of speaking 
 and holding up extravagant ideas, and so bad in address, munt 
 ever make me unpopular ; but was I a hansom man and a good 
 Riter, I could do now more than Jesus Christ or George Fox 
 did." 
 
 The expressions of opinion upon the subject of reli- 
 gion which were made by Fitch and Voight, met with 
 approval by some persons to whom they were spoken. 
 It was resolved to form an association for the propaga- 
 tion of such doctrines, and to call it " the Universal 
 Society." In order to detach it from Christian influ-
 
 310 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 ences, the members agreed to count the year from the 
 institution of the club. This took place on the 25th 
 of February, 1790 at least the first recorded minutes 
 were of the proceedings upon that day. Fitch very 
 strenuously endeavored to have the anniversary fixed 
 January 21st, so that, in future celebrations of the 
 important event, he might have the "secret pleasure " 
 of knowing that they were celebrating his birthday. 
 The members of the Society, who knew not the hidden 
 vanity which impelled the suggestion, could not see 
 any reason for adopting a day which had no associa- 
 tions connected with it; and to the "secret chagrin" 
 of the conceited proposer, they negatived a proposal 
 for which they could discover no argument. The Uni- 
 versal Society began to meet regularly in the autumn 
 of 1790, and there were then thirty members. The 
 code of morals inculcated by its laws was very strict. 
 A breach of honor, or the want of honor, was to be 
 punished with great severity, and the penalty was to 
 be nothing less than expulsion. Any offence against 
 the laws of God and nature was to be similarly re- 
 proved, and the founders of the association seemed to 
 think that the dread of such measures would be suffi- 
 cient to restrain the evil passions of their associates. 
 The Society met weekly, for instruction, conference, 
 and debate upon moral and philosophical topics. Sub- 
 jects were also assigned to the members to be treated 
 upon in essays. The following are some of the ques- 
 tions thus submitted. Those marked with an asterisk 
 were proposed by Fitch : 
 
 * Is a plurality of wives right or wrong? 
 
 * What are the duties of men, & how are they to be known f
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 311 
 
 * Is there any such thing as conscience, or does not what we 
 call conscience arise altogether from education? 
 
 * Is there any Religion which can be framed useful to society ? 
 If there is, on what principles ought that religion to be 
 founded? 
 
 Is there a Providence? j .Y ; 
 
 Are there any punishments or rewards after this life ? 
 
 * Did all mankind proceed from one man & woman ? 
 
 Are the Generality of mankind rendered more happy or mise- 
 rable in this life from a conviction that they shall exist in a 
 future state? 
 
 *Can suicide be a noble act in any case whatever? 
 
 * Ought Duelling to be countenanced by Government, or not? 
 Are the Prayers of finite creatures of any avail with Deity ? 
 Are not men & other animals composed of the same kind of 
 
 matter ? 
 
 * What make North America colder in winter than other coun- 
 tries in the same degree of North Latitude ? 
 
 * What was the passion of Envy given to men for, or what 
 use could it be of in this world? 
 
 Have any passions at all been given to men ? 
 How comes it that men are more susceptible of reason than 
 other animals? 
 
 * Which do we derive the greatest benefits from, our Friends 
 or Enemies, as to useful lessons in life? 
 
 * Do not all men enjoy an equal share of happiness in this 
 world ? 
 
 * Why is the Eastern part of our Continent more sandy, 
 rocky, broken, and Barren than it is west of the Alleghany 
 mountains ? 
 
 Would not less sanguinary Punishments than that of death, 
 for capital crimes, be of more extensive utility? 
 
 Why are particular species of animals more obedient to men 
 than to any other? 
 
 Can a man love a being whom he has never seen ? 
 
 What is matter ? 
 
 What is the cause of attraction ?
 
 812 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Should a magnetic noodle made with two points, thns, ^ <^ 
 
 with a brass pointer between the points marked, be less liable 
 to variation than that in present use ? 
 
 *Is life an element, or not? 
 
 Is .gratitude due from the young to their parents, for their 
 care and protection in raising and nursing them when not able 
 to protect themselves? 
 
 In March, 1791, the Rev. Mr. Palmer, who had 
 been a preacher of the Baptist Church in Philadelphia, 
 was dispossessed of his pulpit in consequence of he- 
 retical teaching. Some followers seceded with him 
 from the congregation. They obtained a room in 
 Church Alley, and on the succeeding Sabbath Mr. 
 Palmer preached from the 6th chapter of Malachi, 8th 
 verse : * Love mercy, deal justly, walk humbly before 
 our God." The Universal Society united with his fol- 
 lowers on that occasion. The hall was crowded; and 
 Mr. Palmer, taking advantage of the prepossession of 
 his audience, denied the divinity of Christ in the 
 course of his sermon. This meeting emboldened the 
 participators, and it was announced in the newspapers 
 that on the succeeding Sabbath Mr. Palmer would 
 again preach Unitarianism. The religious community 
 took alarm. The right Rev. Bishop White, of the 
 Protestant Episcopal Church, used his influence upon 
 the owner of the building where the meeting was to be 
 held, and he, becoming frightened by threats of pro- 
 secution, refused permission to use it for such purposes 
 again ; and from that date may be fixed the dissolution 
 of the Universal Society, which never celebrated more 
 than one anniversary of its formation.
 
 .LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 313 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 DISASTERS LUKEWARMNESS OF THE COMPANY U. S. 
 PATENT. 
 
 APPLICATION seems to have been made about this 
 time, by Fitch, for various offices. He petitioned the 
 Legislature of Pennsylvania which assembled after 
 the adoption of the Constitution of 1790 for the post 
 of Sergeant-at-Arms. He solicited Robert Morris to 
 procure for him, in 1791, the post of " Supervisor of 
 Roads, or Surveyor of Roads and Rivers." These 
 efforts were unavailing. Fitch and Voight then both 
 made application for situations in the Mint of the 
 United States ; hoping that whilst they held those 
 offices they would have time to perfect the steam-boat. 
 In their petition it was stated, " John Fitch is a gold- 
 smith by trade, and flatters himself that he could 
 render essential service to his country as assay-master. 
 Henry Voight is perfectly acquainted with the process 
 of coining, and of all machinery for the business, and 
 can make the instruments himself, having worked at it 
 in Germany for several years." Dr. Ewing, David 
 Rittenhouse, Andrew Ellicott, and Dr. Patterson re- 
 commended the appointment of the pair to the posts 
 they desired. The result was that Voight was suc- 
 cessful, having been appointed Chief Coiner ; a posi- 
 tion he held for many years. But Fitch, unlucky as 
 usual, did not gain the prize. The recommendations 
 2T
 
 .314 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 which he received were such as proved the high esteem 
 of those to whom his patient, honest qualities were 
 known. Dr. Ewing said, in his letter addressed to 
 General Washington, as President of the United 
 States, " I have ever esteemed him as an ingenious man, 
 and a gentleman of the strictest integrity and diligence 
 in his business, executing any trust committed to him 
 with the greatest fidelity, and believe his modesty is 
 such that he would not undertake an employment 
 which he was not persuaded he had sufficient ability to 
 execute." Rittenhouse, Ellicott, and Patterson ex- 
 pressed their hearty concurrence in this eulogium. 
 
 Whilst matters were waiting for the action of the 
 Commissioners of Patents, a proposition was made in 
 Congress to amend the law on the subject. On the 
 9th of December, 1790, a Committee was appointed 
 to prepare amendments to the bill to promote the pro- 
 gress of the useful arts, consisting of Mr. White and 
 Mr. Seney. On the 2d of February, 1791, they re- 
 ported " a bill to amend an act intituled ' an act to 
 promote the progress of useful arts.' " Fitch was, as 
 usual, promptly prepared to remonstrate. The Journal 
 tells the story thus : 
 
 Thursday, Feb. 10, 1791. A Petition and remonstrance of 
 John Fitch was presented to the house and read, complaining 
 of the injurious operation which the bill now before Congress, 
 intituled " a bill to amend the act to promote the progress of 
 useful arts," will have upon his interests, should the same be 
 passed into a law. 
 
 Ordered, that the said Petition and remonstrance do lie upon, 
 the table. 1 
 
 1 Journal of the House of Representatives of the United 
 States, Session of 1790-91, page 60.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 315 
 
 This proposition had attracted the attention of the 
 Commissioners under the first act, and they refused to 
 proceed under it, supposing that the amended law 
 would be passed. 
 
 Fitch received notice on the 26th of January, 1791, 
 that the hearing previously designated would be post- 
 poned until after the session of Congress was termi- 
 nated. He remonstrated by letter the next day, and 
 on the day following waited on Mr. Jefferson and the 
 other Commissioners. He appealed to them in virtue 
 of his distresses, and urged that he was kept in idle- 
 ness and suspense until their decision should be made. 
 " I showed them," said he, "all the clothes I had in 
 the world, except a few old shirts, and two or three 
 pair of old yarn stockings, all in darns, like those 
 which I had on, that they could see I was there all in 
 rags." Appeals like these were useless ; the Com- 
 missioners were not to be affected by the presence of 
 a poor, wretched genius, whom they knew was derided 
 as a madman. The bill of Mr. White, of Virginia, 
 Fitch suspected was originated by the Rumseian So- 
 ciety. He said it was "good for the improver, but 
 not for the original inventor." The proposition was 
 brought forward, however, at too late a period in the 
 session to be successful. Congress adjourned on the 
 3d of March, and on the next day Fitch waited on 
 Mr. Jefferson ; and so on, day after day, until, to get 
 rid of the persevering pest, the Commissioners ap- 
 pointed the first day of April to hear the steam-boat 
 cases. 
 
 During the delay, an application was made to Robert
 
 316 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Morris and Oliver Pollock, 1 to induce them to become 
 interested in the improvement. This paper contains 
 many suggestions Avhich will now excite smiles ; so 
 amazing has been the change in mechanics and navi- 
 gation. The proposition bears date February 26, 
 1791. 
 
 1 "Oliver Pollock, a native of Ireland, settled in New Orleans 
 before the American Kevolution ; whore he amassed a large for- 
 tune in mercantile business. New Orleans then belonged to the 
 Spaniards, who, at the commencement of the war, took no part 
 in favour of the Colonies. This did not prevent Mr. Pollock 
 from rendering efficient services to the cause of liberty, which 
 he ardently embraced. He had an opportunity of showing his 
 sentiments on the following occasion : 
 
 "Col. Gibson, of Pittsburg, father of [the late] Chief Justice 
 Gibson, of Pennsylvania, undertook a most arduous and perilous 
 journey to New Orleans, by order of the Governor of Virginia, 
 to purchase powder .for the American Army. The Spanish 
 authorities could not openly sanction this transaction ; but 
 through the good offices, tact, and influence of Mr. Pollock, the 
 Gunpowder was purchased and shipped to Philadelphia. In the 
 Journals of Congress [Vol. 6, page 244] is a notice of a bill of 
 Exchange drawn by Oliver Pollock, at New Orleans, on Con- 
 gress, for six thousand one hundred and forty six Dollars, and 
 duly accepted ; which, doubtless, was to reimburse him for this 
 purchase. It is worthy to mention here, as an instance of the 
 hardships, dangers, and sacrifices which the patriots of the Re- 
 volution cheerfully encountered, that Col. Gibson returned from 
 New Orleans to Pittsburg on foot, through regions either unin- 
 habited by man, or inhabited only by Indians, many of them 
 hostile. Towards the end of the war, we find Mr. Pollock at- 
 tending the meeting of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, of 
 which he became a member in 1783. He afterwards settled in 
 Carlisle, Pa. He was an original member of the Hibernian 
 Society." A brief Account of the Society of the Friendly Sons 
 of St. Patrick, by Samuel Hood, page 79.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 317 
 
 PROPOSALS OF JOHX FITCH FOR COMPLEATING THE STEAMBOAT PER- 
 SEVERANCE ESTIMATE, 4C. 
 
 Money paid towards the Boat . ^,-_, .31600 
 Do. due for debts on her . '<*,.- . 11000 
 
 Do. Cocks . . . . . 22 00 
 
 Tubes for Boiler and Cylinder . -T , ; v 12 00 
 
 A strong tube, to unite the air pump and Con- ^>" , 
 denser with other Tubes, making Condensing 
 
 tub, &o. ^v,.;.,....^'* ->->-.,.' - ' ' - 8 
 
 Condenser and Pump valves . ,'^-- *.'./ 600 
 
 Plunger and Caps of the cylinder, Jackhead, &c. 11 00 
 
 Regulating Works and fixing . >' . J : . 8 00 
 
 Cogwheels and fixing . "," '.'.i.~ . 1000 
 
 Iron work for Paddles . -V-*^ '-.' W. " 
 
 Boreing air pump . * ^ >;" ^ ' ' > t 6 00 
 
 Puting the works in the Boat . ,-.,*. ' ^. 30 00 
 
 Coppersmith's bill for uniteing the tubes &c. . 7 00 
 
 Iron work, not bespoke '', : ~, . , -* 20 00 
 
 For raising the Boat, Deck, Masts, and sails . 100 00 
 
 For extra expence, not thought of . . '... 3000 
 Superintendant . . . .'** ' t ' / _ , . , V 20 00 
 
 723 00 
 
 But say . '"' ^'' v ' i. ' -T. : 75000 
 
 50 00 
 
 800 00 
 
 Money Paid .... 316 00 
 
 3 Subscribed by Mr. Palmer . 100 00 
 
 Do. by Dr. Thornton . *V-V 79 00 
 
 Do. by Mr. Stockton . *^. ' 55 00 
 
 550 00 
 
 2 For the enginear's chest, sniping hands, Provi- 
 
 sions, and Necessaries for a voiage to the Ra- 
 pids of the Ohio, say . . . . 50 00 
 
 3 Money wanting to complete the voiage . 250 00 
 
 27*
 
 318 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 PROPOSALS OP JOHN FITCH FOR COMPLEATING THE STEAMBOAT 
 PERSEVEREANCE. 
 
 Whereas, it may be reasonably supposed that the Congress 
 of the United States would give a premium, in addition to an 
 exclusive Right, for reduceing the Mississippi to Easy Naviga- 
 tion, as they will have an immediate benefit from it in the sale 
 of their lands, or otherwise, will give an extention of the Patent 
 right itself, as it will enhanse the value of the teritory they 
 have to despose of, And not altogether improbable but his 
 Catholic majesty may take some notice of it, and likewise that 
 the inhabitants of Kentucky may give it considerable support, 
 either by subscription or otherwise, for the bringing a Boat from 
 Phila" to the Rapids of Ohio ; 
 
 It is therefore proposed and agreed, that every member of the 
 Steam boat Company do relinquish their claims to the Boat 
 Perseverance, excepting only the money which they have ad- 
 vanced toward it, and to let either the Company or other persons 
 advance what they please, and have a share in this Boat accord- 
 ing to the money they advance, excepting only John Fitch, who 
 shall be entitled to one Tenth, and Henry Voigt one twentieth, 
 by their paying the first cost of the Boat out of the first earn- 
 ings, or out of the first Perquisits obtained. And to let any 
 man whatever advance what he pleases toward it, so as not to 
 exceed 250, and to have an equal share in this boat, according 
 to the money advanced, with all the advantages and immolu- 
 ments which may be given by the Government or Governments 
 for the takeing a Boat from this City to the Rapids of Ohio, 
 with their proportionable parts of all subscriptions which may 
 be obtained in consequence thereof. 
 
 After which, the present promoters to be entitled to build any 
 number of Boats they shall see fit, in proportion to their shares 
 in the Boat Persevereance, by allowing the original shareholders 
 one half of the neat profits after deducting the prime cost of 
 the Boat or Vessel. 
 
 And should there be an extention of the Exclusive Rights 
 above Fourteen years, the present promoters to be entitled to it 
 according to their subscriptions in the Boat Persevereance, the
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 319 
 
 same as if a Premium was Granted, excepting only John Fitch 
 and Harry Voigt, who shall retain their shares. 
 
 Provided, nevertheless, that if the sum of 250 should not 
 be wanting, that the overplus shall be returned to the sub- 
 scribers who are not members agreably to the proportions they 
 advance. The terms on which I conceive the subscribers to 
 advance their money are as followeth : 
 
 We may suppose, could Congress know that they gave their 
 Bounty to the meritorious, that they would, from the complex- 
 tion of Congress at the first of this session, give a Bounty of 
 Fifty thousand acres of Land, and that the Inhabitants on the 
 Western Waters would invoke strenuous exertions by subscrip- 
 tion to promote the same, payable on the day of the arrival of 
 the first Boat. This I should esteem much more than what we 
 might reasonably expect from Government ; for such a perform- 
 ance, which would inhans the value of the Western Teritory so 
 much, it cannot be supposed that Congress would give less than 
 50 thousand acres of Land, as this is not, like other inventions, 
 confined to individuals, but an immediate value received at once 
 by Government. 
 
 I estimate 50 thousand acres of Land, at 20 cents per acre, 
 to be worth 3750, and the subscriptions which may be obtained 
 at an equal sum, which may be reasonably computed at 7500; 
 which would be one thousand per cent on monies advanced, 
 beside the privilege of the Exclusive Rights afterwards, whieh 
 one chance in ten of obtaining would justify the laying out the 
 money ; but should we fail by Government, I think we should 
 be amazeingly unfortunate, indeed, if we did not obtain sub- 
 scriptions at Kentucky to double the amount of the money ex- 
 pended ; which puts the scheme on as sure Grounds, as we can 
 assend the Mississippi by steam, and obtain a permit from the 
 Spainiards, with the risque of the Sea, Indians, &c. 
 
 The risque of the permit, of the Sea, and the Indians, is better 
 known by others than myself; but the assending the Mississippi 
 by steam I will be answerable for. 
 
 All which is humbly submited for the Consideration of Mr. 
 Morris and Mr. Pollock, by JOHN FITCH.
 
 320 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 
 
 The gentlemen thus appealed to professed to be 
 favorably inclined, but they transmitted a reply, March, 
 21st, declining to consider the proposition until a per- 
 mit was received from the Governor of New Orleans. 
 
 Whilst the Company and their Superintendent were 
 awaiting the tardy movements of the Commissioners 
 of Patents, Aaron Vail, U. S. Consul at L' Orient, 
 France, who had inspected the operations of the steam- 
 boat, and was convinced of the importance and value 
 of the invention, made proposals for an interest in the 
 improvement, with the view of obtaining patents in 
 France and other parts of Europe. Upon considera- 
 tion, it was agreed to, and the following instrument 
 executed : 
 
 Articles of agreement made the sixteenth day of March, in 
 the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety 
 one, Between Aaron Vail, of the Kingdom of France, but at 
 present in the City of Philadelphia, in the United States of Ame- 
 rica, Merchant, of the one part, and John Fitch, of the said 
 City of Philadelphia, of the United States of America, Gent., 
 of the other part. Witness that the said Aaron Vail and John 
 Fitch, for themselves and their Heirs, Executors, administrators, 
 and assigns, and each of them for himself, his, Heirs, Executors, 
 administrators, and assigns, doth covenant with the other of 
 them, and his Heirs, Executors, and assigns, reciprocally, that 
 they and each of them have, and by these presents do mutually 
 ordain, constitute, establish, contract, agree, and conclude upon 
 the following articles, regulations, and Terms, that is to say : 
 
 Article the First. The said Aaron Vail shall proceed to 
 France, as soon as is consistent with his interest and employ- 
 ment in America, and without any unnecessary delay. That as 
 soon as he shall arrive in France, he shall and will take the 
 Earliest opportunity that the nature of the case will admit of, 
 to procure from the Government of France either the grant or 
 special contract, as shall be most proper and advantageous, in
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 321 
 
 the name of him, the said John Fitch, the exclusive privilege 
 of constructing, vending, and employing all species of Boats 
 and Vessels impelled or urged through the water by the force 
 of steam ; or on such other terms as shall be most expedient, 
 and for the longest space of time procurable. 
 
 Article the Second. As soon as the said Aaron Vail shall 
 have procured the said exclusive privilege, he shall and will im- 
 mediately transmit, or cause to be transmitted, an official or cer- 
 tified copy of the said grant or contract, to the said John Fitch, 
 in America, accompanying the said contract with his intentions, 
 or plan of procedure, to carry the scheme into effect in France ; 
 and shall and will provide for and furnish a passage suitable 
 for the transportation of the steam boat Mechanic from the 
 City of New York, or Philadelphia, to such part of France as 
 shall be by him, the said Aaron Vail, be deemed most suitable 
 at which to commence the operation of carrying the Intention 
 of these articles into its fullest effect. 
 
 Article the Ttiird.The said John Fitch shall and will, on the 
 fulfilment by the said Aaron Vail of the second of these arti- 
 cles, procure and send, agreably to the direction of the said 
 Aaron Vail, a mechanic acquainted with the construction of a 
 steamboat or vessel in such ample manner as to be able to su- 
 perintend the building of a Boat or Vessel in France equally as 
 perfect as any that shall have been built or compleated by the 
 steamboat company in America previously to his embarkation 
 for France. 
 
 Article Fourth. The said mechanic or superintendent, as 
 mentioned in the second of these articles, on his arrival in 
 France, shall be paid a reasonable compensation by the said 
 Aaron Vail, for his time and labour necessarily employed in 
 completing the first steamboat or vessel; three months after the 
 completion of which said steamboat or vessel, he shall have 
 Liberty to return to America ; and if he should not then chose 
 to return to America, the further employment of him shall then 
 be at the option of the said Aaron Vail, and the obligation re- 
 specting him shall from thenceforth cease, excepting that if the 
 said Aaron Vail shall not then choose to furnish him with fur- 
 ther employment in building steamboats or vessels, then and in
 
 322 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 such case, he, the said Aaron Vail, shall and will provide and 
 furnish him with a suitable passage from the place of his em- 
 ployment in France to the City of New York or Philadelphia, 
 in the United States of America. 
 
 Article the Fifth. Immediately after the said Aaron Vail 
 shall have procured an exclusive privilege or privileges, as afore- 
 said, from- the Kingdom or Government of France, for any spe- 
 cies of steam Boats or vessels, and on the arrival of the said 
 Mechanic or superintendant in France, he, the said Aaron Vail, 
 shall, without any delay, proceed forthwith to build one Boat 
 or Vessel, to be impelled or urged through the water by the 
 force of steam, and suitable to navigate the waters in France 
 for which he shall design her, and agreably to the plan of the 
 said mechanic or superintendant that the said John Fitch shall 
 send to France. 
 
 Article the Sixth. All the monies or expenditures necessary, 
 to complete the first steam Boat or Vessel, as also all future 
 steam Boats or Vessels that shall be by him, the said Aaron 
 Vail, built in France, and also all the expences necessary to 
 compleat the scheme agreed upon by these articles, shall be fur- 
 nished and paid by him, the said Aaron Vail ; but in building 
 and completing the first steam Boat or Vessel, he shall not be 
 compelled to expend a greater sum than two thousand five hun- 
 dred Spanish silver milled Dollars. And all the neat profits and 
 emoluments arising from all and every Boat or boats, vessel or ves- 
 sels, impelled by the force of steam, which he, the said Aaron Vail, 
 shall build, as well as all and every other, the profits or emolu- 
 ments arising from the said scheme in France shall be divided 
 between the said Aaron Vail and the said John Fitch, in manner 
 following: that is to say, one equal moiety or half part thereof 
 shall be the property of the said Aaron Vail, and the other full 
 equal moiety or one half part thereof shall be the property of 
 the said John Fitch ; and which said one full equal moiety or 
 one half part thereof shall be paid and delivered to the said 
 John Fitch, or his order or orders, agent or agents, immediately 
 after each dividend of profits shall be made. All dividends of 
 profits or emoluments, if any there be, shall be made at L'Orient, 
 in France, on the first Monday of January, April, July, and
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 323 
 
 October, in every year during the existance of any grant or 
 grants, privilege or privileges, obtained by the said Aaron Vail, 
 conformably to these articles. And all sales of any steam Boat 
 or steam Boats, vessel or vessels, and all other business of these 
 articles, shall be made and transacted to the greatest possible 
 advantage of the concern generally, and a true and exact ac- 
 count shall be kept by the said Aaron Vail of all hia transac- 
 tions of building, vending, or using any steam Boat or Boats, 
 vessel or vessels, and all other business that does or may con- 
 cern the said John Fitch ; all which accounts of said transac- 
 tions shall be furnished by the said Aaron Vail, for the inspec- 
 tion of the agent or agents of the said John Fitch, or of hia 
 assigns, on his or their requiring the same, in writing, at least 
 in one month previously to the time prefixed in such writing 
 for such inspection ; provided, that such inspection shall not be 
 made oftener than once in every year. 
 
 Article the Seventh. These articles shall extend, and be con- 
 strued to extend to, and be in force, in all grants and privileges 
 which may be obtained by the said Aaron Vail, his agent or 
 agents, in the States of Holland, the Empire of Germany, or 
 Russia, or the Kingdom of Prussia, Denmark, or Sweden, the 
 Republic of Geneva, or the Swiss Cantons, or all of these places, 
 in the same manner, and with the same force and operation, as 
 they are intended to, or would operate, in France. Provided, 
 these grants or privileges are actually applied for by the said 
 Aaron Vail within the term of Twelve months from and after 
 the completion of the said first steam Boat or vessel in France ; 
 and in those places, and during the time in this article prefixed, 
 the said John Fitch shall not attempt to procure any exclusive 
 right or privilege, except the said Aaron Vail shall neglect the 
 necessary means and exertions of and for procuring the same. 
 And for the true and faithful performance of, all and singular, 
 the articles, contracts, and agreements aforesaid, the said par- 
 ties do severally bind themselves, each unto the other of them, 
 his Heirs, Executors, administrators, and assigns, in the penal 
 sum of Ten thousand Dollars, silver money, firmly by these 
 presents.
 
 324 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 In witness whereof, the said parties to these presents have 
 interchangeably set their hands and seals hereunto, dated the 
 day and year first above written. 
 
 Sealed and delivered in the Aaron Vail, [seal,] 
 
 presence of John Fitch, [seal.] 
 
 John Lohra, 
 William Smith, 
 George Merier. 
 
 We, the subscribers, being a majority of the Steam Boat 
 company in America, do consent that the above named John 
 Fitch do for himself enter into the above articles of agreement 
 with Aaron Vail, of the Kingdom of France ; and that we will 
 not do or commit any act or acts to counteract or invalidate the 
 intention or meaning of the above articles of agreement. 
 
 I do hereby assign all my right and title to these articles to 
 the above signed Benjamin Say, Edwd. Brooks, Jr., and Richard 
 Stockton, 1 Directors for the benefit of the steamboat Company, 
 in proportion to the moneys they shall have advanced for the 
 perfecting of the scheme in America at the time of the comple- 
 tion of the first steamboat in France, excepting the shares of 
 Henry Voight and myself. JOHN FITCH. 
 
 On the 4th of April, 1791, the day appointed for 
 hearing the petitioners for steam-boat patents, Fitch 
 attended at the office of the Secretary of State. The 
 Commissioners were, for some unexplained reason, as 
 unwilling to discharge their duties as they had been 
 previously. The next day Fitch filed reasons against 
 the claims of Stevens ; principally founded upon the 
 
 1 These gentlemen did not sign the license given above. Pro- 
 bably it was not considered material. They undoubtedly as- 
 sented to the arrangement.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 325 
 
 fact that the latter had recommended Fitch's invention 
 to the Legislature of New Jersey as worthy of the 
 protection of law, and that a statute was afterwards 
 passed, March 18th, 1786. It was therefore argued 
 that Mr. Stevens could not have invented a steam-boat 
 until after that time. Barnes, who was present on 
 behalf of Rumsey, suggested that the merits of the 
 rival claims of the latter, and of Fitch, should be left 
 to the decision of referees. This was assented to. 
 Fitch named, as gentlemen from whom the proper 
 number were to be selected, Dr. John Ewing, Robert 
 Patterson, Andrew Ellicott, Peter Thompson, David 
 Rittenhouse, and John Wood. 
 
 Barnes proposed Thomas McKean, William Lewis, 
 George Clymer, William Barton, Dr. Benjamin Rush, 
 and John Nancarrow. 
 
 A difficulty arose about the interest which these 
 gentlemen had in the inventions of the respective 
 claimants. Although Ewing, Patterson, Ellicott, and 
 Rittenhouse had no property in the steam-boat, they 
 were good friends of Fitch. He thought, however, 
 that they were very proper persons, but he objected 
 very much to almost all named by Barnes. Thomas 
 McKean had, as Judge of the Supreme Court, given 
 an opinion that the Assembly of Pennsylvania could 
 repeal Fitch's law. His two sons were also interested 
 in Rumsey's scheme. William Lewis, while in the As- 
 sembly, had taken part against Fitch, " as if he was 
 an attorney for Rumsey." Barton was alleged to be 
 a known partner of Rumsey he belonged to the Rum- 
 seian Society. Clymer was believed also to have a 
 share in that scheme ; he was at all events active, 
 28
 
 326 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 when in the Legislature, in opposition to Fitch. Rush 
 was " one of Rumsey's principal patrons in Great Bri- 
 tain." John Nancarrow was thought to be the only 
 person disinterested. Dr. Smith was proposed in 
 place of Barton ; Dr. Barton, a brother of the latter, 
 was suggested in place of one of the others ; and Jo- 
 seph McKean, a shareholder in Rumsey's boat, and 
 William Warn, were named. Fitch suggested William 
 Rawle, Samuel Garrigues, and Edward Pennington. 
 The matter was then postponed ; and finally, Barnes 
 decided not to submit to the arbitration. 
 
 Another petition to the Commissioners was prepared 
 by our persevering laborer. He showed it, on the 12th 
 of April, to General Henry Knox, Secretary of War, 
 who received him civilly. Governor Randolph read it, 
 but made no satisfactory reply. Jefferson treated 
 Fitch coolly, and refused to receive the petition be- 
 cause his clerk was absent. He at first declined to 
 look at the papers, and said " it was too much like 
 tampering with judges out of doorsi" 
 
 Fitch replied, " I have an undoubted right to peti- 
 tion." 
 
 Jefferson, after some hesitation, read it, and said, 
 "I can say nothing until after the Board meets," and 
 refused to receive the paper, which was not filed until 
 Mr. Remsen, his clerk, returned, a day or two after- 
 ward. 
 
 On the 22d of April, the parties met according to 
 adjournment ; but it being Good Friday, Governor 
 Randolph went to church. A new clause was added 
 to Fitch's petition, in which he claimed an exclusive 
 right for forcing out water abaft of a steam-boat ; also
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 327 
 
 forcing out air, and air and water combined ; likewise 
 for navigating with cranks and paddles. 
 
 The next day was that of the final meeting, and the 
 parties were all present before the Commissioners. 
 Governor Randolph said that they would be compelled 
 to give the oldest patent to the first applicant. As 
 Rumsey had applied to them before Fitch, the latter 
 believed this declaration to be made with an intention 
 to do him injustice. With great readiness, he imme- 
 diately urged that his application had been the first, 
 having been made to Congress in August, 1785. Jef- 
 ferson then said they could make no distinction in the 
 date of the patents, but would issue all with equal 
 date ; leaving to the parties the pleasant prospect of 
 long and expensive litigation. Fitch remonstrated 
 against this injustice, but without avail ; and the letters 
 patent were ordered to be made out. Until they were 
 signed, a certificate in the following form was given : 
 
 Extract from the proceedings of the Commissioners for the 
 Promotion of useful Arts. 
 
 Philadelphia, April 23, 1791. 
 
 The Board proceeded to the consideration of the claim 1 of 
 John Fitch, of Philadelphia, for a patent for the following ap- 
 plications of steam, alledged by him to have been invented, 
 viz. : 
 
 For applying the force of steam to trunk or trunks, for draw- 
 ing water in at the Bow of a Boat or vessel, and forcing the 
 same out at the stern, in order to propel a boat or vessel through 
 the water. For forcing a column of air through a trunk or 
 trunks, filled with water by the force of steam. For forcing a 
 column of air thro a trunk or trunks, out at the stern, with the 
 bow valves closed, by the force of steam ; and for applying the 
 force of steam to Cranks and Paddles for propelling a boat or 
 vessel through the water.
 
 328 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Whereupon, ordered, that letters Patent be granted to the 
 said John Fitch, for his aforesaid inventions, for the term of 
 Fourteen years, agreably to the act entitled " an act to promote 
 the progress of useful arts." HENRY REHSEN, JR., 
 
 Clerk. 
 
 The regular patents were not issued to Fitch and 
 the others until August 26th, 1791. That granted to 
 Fitch is in the specification, word for word, like the 
 above. The formal parts differ but little from the 
 foregoing ; the patent is signed by "Washington, and 
 by the Commissioners, Jefferson, Knox, and Ran- 
 dolph. 1 
 
 1 Duer's second letter to Golden, Appendix.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 329 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 WORK ON THE STEAM-BOAT PERSEVERANCE ABAN- 
 DONMENT OF THE SCHEME. 
 
 DISAPPOINTED with the result of the application to 
 the Commissioners of Patents, it was resolved to call 
 a meeting of the Steam-boat Company, for the pur- 
 pose of consultation. The members did not assemble 
 at the time designated. Disgusted and despairing, 
 Fitch wrote the next day to Dr. Thornton, who was in 
 the West Indies. In that communication he set forth 
 the embarrassments of the Company, and his own dis- 
 tress, and declared that he intended to leave the city. 
 Going to the mother-in-law of the Doctor, Mrs. Brad- 
 shaw, he was informed that his absent friend had sent 
 an order that another .100 should be paid to the 
 Steam-boat Company on his account. A few hours 
 afterward, he met Mr. Stockton, who informed him 
 that a permit had just been received from the Govern- 
 or of Louisiana, that the steam-boat might come 
 there, with the persons necessary to navigate her, and 
 with their household furniture. Another meeting was 
 called for the 30th of April. At that time it was de- 
 termined to take the engine out of the old boat, and 
 that the hull and materials should be sold. It was 
 also decided that the Perseverance should be finished. 
 This display of fitful energy was succeeded by the 
 usual indifference ; during all which time the unfortu- 
 28*
 
 330 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 nate man was compelled to languish and wait. He 
 busied himself about the proper method of fixing the 
 arms of the oars, and drew a plan by which, in addi- 
 tion to the paddles, there might be combined the me- 
 thod of pumping in water at the bow and ejecting it 
 at the stern ; and also of passing out air through a 
 trunk against the water. A boat propelled by such a 
 union of forces would, it was thought, be unusually 
 swift. The work now being of a different character 
 from what had been yet attempted, he suggested Peter 
 Lukins, of Horsham, Bucks County, as blacksmith ; 
 declaring that, if he could be procured at a dollar a 
 day, he would be the cheapest mechanic who could be 
 obtained. The Directors put an end to this proposi- 
 tion in a summary manner, by a declaration that Fitch 
 was perfectly competent to do the work without other 
 aid. Disappointed by frequent failures, he had now 
 become querulous ; and he annoyed the members of 
 the Company by frequent complaints. He had been 
 promised twenty shillings a week while attending to 
 the business of procuring the United States patent, 
 the greater part of which wages was yet due him. He 
 was living under great privation, and in a letter dated 
 the 14th of May, gives the following inventory of his 
 wardrobe : 
 
 "Two pair of shoes, one about 15 months old, the other about 
 12, wore alternately ; one Do. new, not yet worn. Four pr 
 Coursyarn stockings; twopr three yrs old, but footed fall before 
 last; two of which, new last fall. A jacket and breeches, 
 bought last fall, but considerably Riped, and the Breeches begins 
 to break in the Crotch. Five or six old shirts ; the two newest 
 bought last fall. Four stocks, in constant wear about three
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 331 
 
 * 
 
 years, but have been mended, and will probably last me this 
 summer. One Coat. I cannot tell the exact age and constant 
 wear of it, but it is broke in every part ; especially the lining, 
 elbows, about the wrists, and under the armes. An old second 
 handed hat, now worn by me about two years. A pr of shoe, 
 knee, and stock buckles, all of silver, but pretty good, altho very 
 antient, and out of fasion. One great Coat, three years old. 
 One pr of Cours Indian legings, not yet worn, with garters and 
 all compleat. One nightcap, 2| years old, but very good." 
 
 He was very much annoyed by not knowing pre- 
 cisely what the articles with Vail required. He com- 
 plained that he was bound in ten thousand dollars 
 penalty, and that he did not know what he was com- 
 pelled to do by the agreement. He protested against 
 going on with the work upon the Perseverance until 
 money enough to finish it was procured. He was 
 lukewarm even after it had been agreed to take the 
 100 subscribed by Mr. Palmer. He also declared 
 that he must have at least thirty shillings a week 
 wages, punctually. The Directors at length yielded 
 to his solicitations. They gave him <4 11s. for cloth- 
 ing, and an order for ,15; which closed the account 
 up to the 14th of May. 
 
 He now set to work with diligence, but was subject 
 to delays. The removal of Congress from New York 
 to Philadelphia had caused brisk times. Mechanics 
 had plenty of employment at increased wages, and it 
 was difficult to obtain them when required upon the 
 boat. They continued their labors during the summer, 
 and on the 7th of September were ready to make 
 steam and set the works in motion. One of the Di- 
 rectors, unknown to Fitch, had ordered a wooden case 
 to the boiler, which was too short. They tried to
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 piece it with wood, but could not make it tight ; and 
 when they loaded the valve in order to make a vacuum, 
 the water gushed out in streams. They could not 
 raise steam enough to move the works in the first 
 place, and the engine being large, they could not move 
 the great piston by hand, to make a vacuum, and thus 
 assist the subsequent motion. The Directors, who saw 
 the failure, said the air-pump was too small, and they 
 ordered it to be taken out without further trial. Fitch 
 thought the proper method would have been to make 
 the boiler-case tight, and then, by loading the valve, 
 make a vacuum, and thus ascertain if the pump would 
 not answer. 
 
 This counsel was disregarded ; and not only the air- 
 pump, but the condenser was taken out, and others 
 were ordered to be put in, although it was doubtful 
 whether such change could be made so as to render 
 the new portions applicable to the other parts of the 
 engine. This delay and fresh expense so exhausted 
 the funds that there was not money enough to pay for 
 so slight a work as an alteration to one of the cocks. 
 The wages of Fitch were again in arrear. He " had 
 not a penny to buy soft-soap." 
 
 To add to his troubles, he had a quarrel with Voight, 
 with whom he had entered into a partnership in April, 
 with the intention of manufacturing steam-engines. 
 Voight claimed to be the owner of the cattle-boat ; or 
 rather to the application of the rowing machinery of 
 the steam-boat to boats moved by the power of cattle. 
 This was certainly ungenerous, inasmuch as in the 
 articles of 1787, which Voight had signed, it was ex- 
 pressly mentioned that the cattle-boat had been in-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 333 
 
 vented by Fitch, and all rights to that improvement 
 were ceded to the Company. 1 The winter had now 
 come on, and there was nothing more to be done with 
 the steam-boat. Fitch therefore employed himself in 
 correspondence with Voight, and in procuring certifi- 
 cates that 'he was the real discoverer of the mode of 
 propelling the cattle-boat. In January, 1792, this 
 dispute was terminated by the better nature of Voight, 
 and he gave a certificate, which was witnessed by J. 
 Buck and C. Pryor, that Fitch was the original inventor 
 of the method of rowing by cranks and paddles. 
 
 During the year Fitch made some effort to retrieve 
 his interests in other quarters. After he had became 
 infatuated with the steam-boat, the care of the inte- 
 rests of the Land Company in Ohio was given to Jona- 
 than Longstreth, who went to the Western country in 
 1787. He became the agent of Fitch, also taking out 
 some of his maps, which were delivered to Colonel 
 Penticost, of Chortee, Dr. Johnson, who lived near 
 Mingo, Colonel Cook, and others. He also collected 
 some debts which were due his principal ; among others, 
 from Burnet, his fellow-prisoner, who took leave of 
 him in Bucks County after his release from captivity. 
 Several of the surveying instruments of Fitch had 
 been left in Kentucky, and these were procured and 
 used by Longstreth. There were unsettled accounts 
 between them, and finally, on the 23d of May, 1792, 
 they agreed to submit their differences to arbitration, 
 and a bond, which is still extant, was executed by 
 
 1 Nevertheless, Henry Yoight took out a patent " for a method 
 of propelling boats by animal power," August 10, 1791.
 
 334 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Fitch, that he should stand by the award of referees. 
 The balance in his favor was ascertained to be small. 
 It was paid by Longstreth, and it went a short way 
 towards relieving the distresses of the recipient. 
 
 In the spring, as soon as the weather was mild 
 enough, attempts were again made to finish the Perse- 
 verance ; but they met with little encouragement from 
 the stockholders. What work was performed " was 
 done by halves," and the still earnest projector him- 
 self borrowed the money to do it. A payment of forty 
 dollars, made to him by Mr. Stockton, was some relief, 
 but he declared that he wanted double the sum. 
 
 In despair, he applied to Mr. Rittenhouse, in a 
 letter, a copy of which is yet. preserved. This epistle 
 is sadly prophetic in relation to the triumphs of steam 
 navigation. It is curious, on account of the strange 
 method suggested to fight the Barbary corsairs with 
 a steam fire-engine ; it is melancholy, as a proof how 
 much the heart of the man was wrapped up in his 
 invention, and what sacrifices he was willing to make 
 to perfect it. It was in the following words : 
 
 PHILAD., 29 June, 1792. 
 Worthy and much esteemed sir : 
 
 I conceive that navigation by steam will be the second 
 mode of Navigation, but can never take the prefference of a fair 
 wind, as air is much cheaper than steam. It may, also, be 
 boldly asserted that it would be much easier to carry a first rate 
 man of war by steam, at an equal Rate, than a small boat ; for 
 iu such a case we should not be so cramped for room, nor should 
 we so sensibly feal a few pounds weight of Machinery. 
 
 This, sir, whether I bring it to perfection or not, will be the 
 mode of crossing the Atlantick in time, for Packets and armed
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 335 
 
 vessels, as it could be placed in a ship without interfering with 
 a rope or sail, except the mizzen, which must be made some- 
 what smaller. 1 
 
 1 The first steamship that ever crossed the Atlantic Ocean 
 was the Savannah, an American vessel. The Savannah waa 
 built at New York, and measured 380 tons. She was ship- 
 riggsd, and had a horizontal engine. It was the hope of her 
 owners that they could sell this ship to the Emperor of Russia. 
 Under the command of Captain Moses Rogers, the Savannah 
 left the port of that name on the 26th of May, 1819, for Liver- 
 pool. The time occupied in the voyage has been variously 
 stated as eighteen, twenty-two, and twenty-five days. "Mar- 
 wade's Commercial Report," a paper then published in Liverpool, 
 and the best authority, says that the time occupied was twenty- 
 five days ; during eighteen of which the Savannah was under 
 steam. On the other hand, it has been said that the vessel only 
 employed steam, during a trip of eighteen days, for seven days ; 
 and that she had not the capacity to carry fuel [pine wood] suf- 
 ficient for use during eighteen days' steaming. It is generally 
 conceded that steam was used during a part of the voyage. One 
 who professes to have been a passenger, says that the voyage 
 was commenced by steam, but fuel running short, the wheels 
 were taken off, so as not to impede sailing, and replaced when 
 near the British coast, when steam was again made, and the 
 Savannah went into Liverpool by the aid of that power alone. 
 Marwade's Commercial Report says, " this is the first ship of 
 this construction that has undertaken to cross the Atlantic. 
 * * * Her approach to port without a single sail dis- 
 played the power and advantage of the application of steam to 
 vessels of the largest size." During her voyage up St. George's 
 Channel, the commander of a British fleet stationed there waa 
 utterly at a loss to account for her remarkable appearance, en- 
 veloped as she was in heavy clouds of smoke, and moving with- 
 out the aid of canvas. He naturally conjectured that she must 
 be on fire, and in distress, and sent two cutters to her relief; but 
 finding that assistance was not wanted, he brought her to with 
 a. shot, and satisfied himself by examination that all was right. 
 The Savannah left Liverpool for St. Petersburg July 23d, 1819,
 
 336 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 I mean to make use of wind when we have it, and in Calms 
 to persue the voiag at the rate of seven or Eight miles per hour ; 
 nay, I am lead to believe it will be a means of civilizing the 
 whole coast of Barbary ; for we can make our Oars to work 
 when the weather is so rough that others cannot, and always 
 come up with them, and take them, or run from them, and es- 
 cape ; which I presume the latter would never be the case ; for 
 by uniting that force with a fire engine, which I presume it 
 could be done in 20 seconds, and that a six foot cylinder would 
 throw a column of Water from the Round top 40 or 50 yards 
 sufficient to take a man from his feet. Not only that, but it 
 would wet their artnes and ammunitions, so as to silence all the 
 musketry in a very few minutes, and all the big guns that it 
 could reach, especially those on deck, that I presume that a 20 
 gun ship never need run from one of a hundred. 
 
 But, sir, I can blame no man for not having the same exalted 
 Ideas of it as myself; but only permit it to be sufficient to Na- 
 vigate the Mississippi ; the acquisition is great, and I think too 
 great to be given over dureing my Patent Right. 
 
 My Friends have become disjointed, and proficient [inefficient], 
 when the scheme is on the crisis of compleation, and can raise 
 no more money. I am both in debt and in Rags ; but could I 
 compleat it by selling all my property in Kentucky at a g l loss, I 
 would gladly do it. I think with 50 I could cloathe myself, 
 
 moored off Cronstadt, 25th of September, left there the 10th of 
 October, (the Emperor of Russia declining to purchase,) stopped 
 at Copenhagen, and at Arundel, in Norway, and finally returned 
 to the United States, arriving at Savannah November 30th. The 
 steam-machinery was afterward taken out of the Savannah, and 
 she plied regularly as a sailing-packet between Savannah and 
 New York for several years, and was finally wrecked on Long 
 Island. 
 
 The first English steamer which crossed the Atlantic was the 
 Sirius ; which left Cork, in Ireland, and arrived at New York 
 April 23, 1838, after a voyage of eighteen days. Four hours 
 afterward, the British steam-ship Great Western, from Bristol, 
 England, also entered the harbor of New York, after a voyage 
 of fifteen days. 
 
 _
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 337 
 
 pay my debts, and compleat the greatest undertakcing, worthy 
 the notice of Mr. Rittenhouse, and wish his name recorded, that 
 he was the man, and the honor conferred on him. 
 
 Do not think, sir, that I wish you to advance money for my 
 sustenance, or on my projects ; but on the enclosed propositions ; 
 and which cannot fail to give you one hundred pr Ct ; and yet 
 I shall feal the obligation so great, that your name shall stand 
 foremost in compleating this great undertakeing, if successful. 
 
 I beg, sir, to refer you to the enclosed propositions ; and whe- 
 ther you accept it or not, that I may be esteemed by you, what 
 I really am, viz. : 
 
 Your most Devoted Friend 
 
 and Humble Servant, 
 
 David Rittenhouse, Esq. JOHN FITCH. 
 
 The accompanying proposals stated that the writer 
 was still possessed of lands in Kentucky, which were 
 growing valuable. If X50 were advanced to him, 
 he would go there and sell them, and return .100 for 
 the loan. The money thus raised was to be used in 
 completing the steam-boat. 
 
 In the succeeding week he wrote a letter of similar 
 tenor to Mr. Wells. Mr. Rittenhouse did not accede 
 to the proposition. Mr. Wells also declined, but gave 
 Fitch ten dollars to relieve his necessities. The same 
 proposals were also made to the Steam-boat Company, 
 with the additional offer, that after receiving ,100 for 
 X50, they would be allowed one-half of the remainder. 
 
 With these efforts all further endeavor seems to 
 have ceased. The boat was abandoned, and Fitch 
 loitered about Philadelphia for some months, an abject, 
 despised, insulted, heart-broken man. 
 
 In the seventh volume of Hazard's Register, of 
 Pennsylvania, page 91, Thomas P. Cope (signature 
 " Epoc ") has given his recollections of this unfortu- 
 29
 
 338 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 nate genius, as he appeared to him about this period. 
 Mr. Cope, after speaking of Fulton, says, 
 
 "Whilst Robert Fulton was thus engaged in London, John 
 Fitch, clock maker, was contriving schemes in Philadelphia for 
 the propulsion of his boats by 'steam. He conducted his mys- 
 terious operations at a projection on the shores of the Delaware, 
 at Kensington, which among the wise and prudent of the neigh- 
 borhood, the scorners of magicians and their dark works, soon 
 acquired the ominous and fearful title of Conjurer's Point. 1 I 
 often witnessed the performance of the boat in 1788, '89, and 
 '90. It was propelled by paddles in the stern, and constantly 
 getting out of order. I saw it when it was returning from a 
 trip to Burlington, from whence it was said to have arrived in 
 little more than two hours. When coming to off Kensington, 
 some part of the machinery broke, and I never saw it in motion 
 afterwards. I believe it was his last effort. He had, up to that 
 period, been patronized by a few stout hearted individuals, who 
 had subscribed a small capital, in shares, I think, of 6 Penn- 
 sylvania currency ; but this last disaster so staggered their faith 
 and unstrung their nerves, that they never again had the hardi- 
 hood to make other contributions. Indeed, they already ren- 
 dered themselves the subjects of ridicule and derision, for their 
 temerity and presumption in giving countenance to this wild 
 projector and visionary madman. The company thereupon gave 
 up the ghost, the boat went to pieces, and Fitch became bank- 
 rupt and broken-hearted. Often have I seen him stalking about 
 like a troubled spectre, with down cast eye and lowering counte- 
 nance, his coarse, soiled linen, peeping through the elbows of a 
 tattered garment. During the days of his aspiring hopes, two 
 mechanics were of sufficient daring to work for him. Aye, and 
 they suffered in purse for their confidence and folly. 2 These 
 
 1 It is supposed that the place was at Point Pleasant ; some- 
 where near the present Cherry, or Vienna street, and below 
 Gunner's Run. 
 
 2 This supposition of Mr. Cope is a natural one, but it is not 
 likely that much, if anything, was lost on account of the steam-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 339 
 
 were Peter Brown, shipsmith, and John Wilson, Boat builder. 
 They were worthy, benevolent men, well known to the writer, 
 and much esteemed in the City. Toward Fitch, in particular, 
 they ever extended the kindest sympathy. While he lived, 
 therefore, he was in the habit of calling almost daily at their 
 workshops, to while away the time, to talk over his misfortunes, 
 and to rail at the ingratitude and cold neglect of an unfeeling, 
 spiritless world. From Wilson I derived the following anec- 
 dote : Fitch called to see him as usual Brown happened to bo 
 present. Fitch mounted his hobby, and became unusually elo- 
 quent in the praise of steam, and of the benefits which mankind 
 were destined to derive from its use in propelling boats. They 
 listened, of course, without faith, but not without interest, to 
 this animated appeal ; but it failed to rouse them to give any 
 future support to schemes by which they had already suffered. 
 After indulging himself for some time in this never failing topic 
 of deep excitement, he concluded with these memorable words : 
 ' Well, gentlemen, although I shall not live to see the time, you 
 will, when steamboats will be preferred to all other means of 
 conveyance, and especially for passengers ; and they will be 
 particularly useful in the navigation of the River Mississippi.' 
 He then retired ; on which Brown, turning to Wilson, exclaimed, 
 in a tone of deep sympathj", ' Poor fellow ! what a pity he is 
 crazy !' * * * * Brown and Wilson were more 
 prosperous. They both lived to retire from business in easy 
 circumstances. The former, indeed, became rich, and set up 
 his carriage. He was of too noble a spirit to indulge either in 
 luxurious pride or ostentation. The coat of arms on the panels 
 of his carriage doors was of his own contriving, and consisted 
 of a muscular hand, grasping a sledge hammer suspended over 
 an anvil. Motto, " By this I got you." 
 
 His principal occupation now was writing his journal 
 arid autobiography, wearying his patrons with applica- 
 tions and remonstrances, and railing at the ignorance, 
 
 boat by workmen. The stockholders were men of means, and 
 able to pay. Beside this, enough has already been adduced to 
 show that their policy was " pay as you go."
 
 340 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 prejudice, and folly of the world. In one of these 
 complaints, he laments that mankind should neglect so 
 important a work as the steam-boat, whilst they run 
 mad about " beloons and fireworks." (See Note at the 
 end of this Chapter.) 
 
 More touching is the prophetic language, " The day 
 will come when some more powerful man will get fame 
 and riches from MY invention ; but nobody will believe 
 that poor John Fitch can do anything worthy of at- 
 tention." 
 
 His misfortunes had a tendency to render him queru- 
 lous. He believed that he had been injured. Not for- 
 getting the injustice done him by the Commissioners 
 of Patents, he prepared the following letter, addressed 
 to Thomas Jefferson : 
 
 I, Sir, am sorry to live in a state that no sooner becomes a 
 nation than it becomes depraved. The injurys which I -<have 
 received from my nation, or rather from the first officers of Go- 
 vernment, has induced me, for a lesson of caution to future 
 generations, to Record the treatment which I have received, 
 which will in a very few days be sealed up and placed in the 
 Library of Philadelphia, to remain under seal till after my 
 death, in which, sir, your candour is very seriously called in 
 question. 
 
 I, Sir, altho an Indigent citizen, feal myself upon an equal 
 floore with the first officers of Government ; therefore trust that 
 your Exalted station will not permit you to treat this proposal 
 with Contempt, as I do not wish to take any undue advantage ; 
 and should I outlive you, and you not having it in your Power 
 to make your defence, I should think it unmanly, to conceal it 
 from you ; therefore offer you the perusal of all my manuscripts 
 for six days, on your giveing in writing your Plighted faith of 
 honor, to return them all safe in that Time, and on these condi- 
 tions : that if you should make any observations upon them,
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 341 
 
 that you will furnish me with a Coppy of the same. This, 
 Sir, is from a poor but an independant Citizen of the United 
 States of America, and from one who wishes to subscribe 
 himself 
 
 Your most sincear friend, 
 
 JOHN FITCH. 
 24 July, 1792. 
 
 Thomas Jefferson, Esq. 
 
 This epistle was never delivered to Mr. Jefferson. 
 The friends of Fitch persuaded him not to send it. 
 He enclosed it among his papers delivered to the Phi- 
 ladelphia Library Company. 1 
 
 Wearied, disappointed, and sorrowful, he seems to 
 have at this period seriously contemplated an awful 
 finale to an existence which had been apparently spent 
 with little advantage to himself or to mankind. Four 
 days after he penned the letter to Jefferson, he ad- 
 dressed another to the Librarian of the Philadelphia 
 Library, in which he plainly intimated his design of 
 dying by his own hand, believing that the letter would 
 
 1 Some correspondence was afterwards held with his family, 
 as appears by a letter dated the 25th of September, 1792, ad- 
 dressed to Colonel James Kilbourne, his son-in-law, who had 
 married his daughter Lucy : 
 
 " My dear child, know that I am a man of tender feelings, 
 however my children may have been educated to form their 
 opinions of me. No man loves his children better than myself, 
 although I never saw but one. Forgive me for not entering into 
 a justification of my conduct, but esteem your mother in law 
 and myself as we have both merited ; but I require of you that 
 you treat her kindly, because she was once the wife of John 
 Fitch. But, much as I love my children, any mediation through 
 them would be ineffectual." Whittlesey. Sparks' American 
 Biography, page 101. 
 
 29 *
 
 342 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 
 
 not be read until many years after he had left the 
 troubled stage of life. The epistle, which was designed 
 to accompany his manuscripts, (being sealed up with 
 them,) was in these words : 
 
 The 3 d No. 1 I wrote before I revised my work for the Com- 
 missioners the 3 d time, which made many alterations in it ; not 
 only that, but was much in a Hurry, and was obliged to put 
 down matters in improper places, which I wish to be revised, 
 and placed regular, as they ought to stand. Likewise, as I am 
 no Gramarin, I wish the whole of my works revised, but not 
 altered in substance, and that the original may forever remain 
 in the Libary. 
 
 Some few days before my death, I wrote the enclosed copy 
 of a letter to Mr. Jefferson ; but being persuaded from it by 
 some of my Friends, who did not know in what manner I de- 
 signed to die; yet at present wish that I had done it, altho I 
 believe he would have so little to have said in his own defence, 
 that he would have probably treated it with contempt, without 
 noticeing it. 
 
 I have two reasons for keeping it under seal for 30 years, 
 altho I must be a sufferer during that time. The first is, there 
 is two valuable families that the children might possibly be in- 
 jured by it, but in that time may probably be Marryed, and the 
 improper conduct of their parents may not hurt their temporal 
 interest, however Injured I may have been by them. 
 
 Another is, that the warmth of the present age is so much in 
 favour of the first officers of the Government, whom I have so 
 strenuously called in question their Candour, that I much fear 
 that they would be destroyed without ever giveing the world an 
 opportunity of knowing in what manner I have been treated by 
 them. 
 
 But should these, by curiosity, or any axcedent, be broken 
 open before the time Limited, I call on every Mason, and every 
 honest man, to see them protected ; and if any one has any ob- 
 jections to them, let them convince the world by fair reasoning 
 that I am wrong, but let the works be saved. 
 
 1 Meaning the third book of the manuscripts.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 343 
 
 After which, it is my serious request that no one be permited 
 to take them out of the Libary without giving one Thousand 
 Pounds security for their safe return. JOHN FITCH. 
 
 To the Liberarian. 
 
 Philadelphia, 30 July, 1792. 
 
 The MSS. seem to have been sealed up by him at 
 that time. The envelope bears the date, August 1, 
 1792, but the package was not immediately delivered. 
 
 The following entry upon the minute-book of the 
 Library Company of Philadelphia, records the recep- 
 tion of these manuscripts : 
 
 Oct. 4, 1792. A sealed cover, inscribed Manuscripts, was 
 presented by John Fitch, who requests the same may be kept 
 unopened until the year 1823. The Librarian is directed to 
 deposit the same in the Museum. 
 
 He afterwards inquired whether the Library Com- 
 pany would accept the trust ; and having been informed 
 of their action, he addressed the following supplemen- 
 tary letter of directions to the Librarian of the insti- 
 tution : 
 
 Philad., 24 October, 1792. 
 
 To the Liberarian of the Philadelphia Literary. 
 
 SIR, the reason of my keeping the manuscripts under seal so 
 long, was for fear that the Violence of the Times, or the parties 
 vvhome they eifected, might be a means of having them destroyed. 
 This is to requestyou that whenever a person should come forward 
 and pledge his honor that he will revise them over, and do them 
 justice, and spare no man, however high in office, but convey 
 my Ideas of them, and give security for publishing one Thou- 
 sand Coppies, and of the return of those manuscripts to the Li- 
 berary, that you Petition the Governour and the managers of 
 the Liberary for leave to Breake the Seals ; and by his giveing 
 security for their safe return to the Liberary in one year, to my 
 Executors, he be permitted to open and publish the same.
 
 344 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 This is further to request you, that should Mr. Jefferson ever 
 be aiming/ toward the president's Chair, by all means to obtain 
 leave to breake the seals, and extract what effects the Commis- 
 eioners of Congress, and then seal them again. Nay, sir, I wish 
 it done to all the scounderals that is steping forward for more 
 favours from their country. I mean Lewis, Clymer, Fitzsim- 
 ons, McKain, Rush, &c., &c. ; and if Mr. Robertson had been 
 worth notice, I would have mentioned his name. I wish them 
 to be published in their life time, that they may say all they 
 can against it, but in such a manner that it will not be in their 
 pow [power] to destroy those works ; and I think when the 
 Governour and managers knows that it is my desire, that there 
 will be no scruples of breaking the seals. 
 
 I trust, sir, that you will seal this letter to the manuscript, 
 that it may not be lost, and permit me to say, I am 
 
 Your Most Obeadent, 
 Humble Servant, 
 
 To the Liberarian of the JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Philad. Liberary. 
 
 These manuscripts are contained in six books, with 
 pasteboard covers, of the old-fashioned " cyphering- 
 book " style. They are divided into two parts ; one 
 embracing particularly the history of the steam-boat, 
 the other being an autobiography. The steam-boat 
 history embraces 310 pages, the autobiography 145 
 pages ; the sixth part, separately paged, is a copy of 
 the remonstrances and arguments addressed to the 
 Commissioners of Patents, and occupies 56 pages. 
 The style is plain, and unpretending ; the important 
 facts are scattered throughout the MSS. without order, 
 and in some cases in obscure confusion. It requires 
 comparison, earnest attention, and in fact close study, 
 to gather the threads of the narrative ; so many are 
 the points at which divergence has been made to intro-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 345 
 
 ducc statements not in their regular places. The auto- 
 biography is frank in its revelations. There does not 
 seem to be a desire to conceal anything, and some con- 
 fessions of weakness are made which almost any one 
 who was writing the narrative of his own life would 
 desire to hide. We have not thought it worth while 
 to advert to one or two of these matters, because, 
 while they reflect no discredit upon Fitch, and show 
 him to have been a man of generous impulse, they 
 would injuriously affect the reputation of others. The 
 autobiography is addressed to the Worthy and Reve- 
 rend Nathaniel Irwin. 1 The steam-boat history is 
 
 1 The Rev. Nathaniel Irwin lived in the township of Warring- 
 ton, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The house stood on what is 
 now known as the Doylestown and Willow Grove turnpike road, 
 about a mile south of Newville. This house is still standing, 
 and is now owned by E. H. Eldridge, of Philadelphia. It is 
 about three miles west of the Neshaminy Church. At the 
 graveyard of this latter place ia the following inscription, upon 
 a large, flat tombstone : 
 
 " Sacred to the memory of the Rev. Nathaniel Irwin ; who 
 was ordained to the Gospel Ministry, and installed Pastor of the 
 Presbyterian Church at Neshaminy, November 3d, 1774, and 
 departed this life March 3d, 1812. Aged 65 years, 4 months, 
 and 15 days." 
 
 On the same is mentioned that Priscilla, his wife, died August 
 3d, 1822, aged 62 years. 
 
 " When the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in 
 the United States determined, in the year 1811, to establish a 
 Theological Seminary, for the more thorough training of her 
 candidates for the sacred office, there was much diversity of 
 opinion respecting the most eligible site for the institution. 
 Between Princeton, N. J., and Chambersburg, Pa., the chief 
 competition existed ; but there were a few persons who were 
 strongly in favour of placing it on the very site of the Log Col-
 
 346 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 more particularly directed, in the beginning, " to my 
 children." 
 
 The following extract from the minutes of the Li- 
 brary Company record the fact of the formal opening 
 of Fitch's manuscripts, at a meeting of the Directors, 
 Feb. 6, .1823. 
 
 " The Books and papers, enclosed under sealed envelope, from 
 John Fitch, dated the first day of August, One thousand seven 
 hundred and ninety two, to be opened in thirty years from the 
 first day of February, One thousand seven hundred and ninety 
 
 lege. The Rev. Nathaniel Irwin, then pastor of the church at 
 Neshaminy, and a man of profound understanding, was ear- 
 nestly desirous that it should be planted on the ground where a 
 building had once stood to which the Presbyterian Church owes 
 so much. And to manifest his sincerity and zeal, Mr. Irwin 
 left in his will a considerable bequest ($1000) to the Seminary, 
 on condition that it should be ultimately located there." His- 
 tory of the Log College, by Rev. A. Alexander, D. D., pages 
 16, 17. 
 
 In the gable end of the church is a stone, with the following 
 inscription : " The Presbyterian Church of Neshaminy, founded 
 in 1710, edifice erected in 1743, enlarged 1775, repaired 1842." 
 
 It is supposed to be one of the earliest places of worship of 
 this denomination in the country. It is beautifully situated by 
 the Neshaminy, secluded, and surrounded by old forest trees. 
 
 Mr. Irwin was licensed to preach as a minister of the gospel 
 by the Presbytery of New Castle, Delaware, in 1772-3. By 
 authority of the Synod of New York and Philadelphia, he was 
 sent in the latter year to the southern and western frontiers as 
 a missionary, and went to the back parts of Virginia and Penn- 
 sylvania. Returning in 1774, he was received a member of the 
 Presbytery of Philadelphia, and stationed at Neshaminy Church, 
 lie was several times Clerk of the Synod and General Assembly 
 of the Presbyterian Church, and in 1800 was elected a Trustee 
 of the latter body. He was a worthy, fervent, and faithful 
 preacher.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 347 
 
 three, were opened, and found to consist of a letter to the Libra- 
 rian, Marked A, another to the Librarian, marked B, a draft of 
 another to the Secretary of State, marked C, and six folio manu- 
 script paper books, marked in the centre of the covers, D, E, F, 
 G, II, and I, by Benj. R. Morgan, Secretary. Dr. Parke, Mr. 
 Norris, and Mr. Gibson were appointed a committee to examine 
 the above books and papers, deposited by John Fitch, and report 
 an abstract of them to the board, and also to suggest such 
 order as it will be proper to take thereon." "At a meeting of 
 the Directors, March 6th, 1823, the Committee appointed at the 
 last meeting for that purpose reported an abstract of the books 
 and papers deposited by Mr. Fitch, and suggested that those- 
 books and papers, together with the abstract, be placed under 
 the care of the Librarian until the further orders of the Board ; 
 which was agreed to by the board." 
 
 Although not in the proper place, it is of sufficient 
 importance, to add here a fact which was not known 
 to the writer of this biography until the work of the 
 printer had reached the present point. This is, that 
 there is jet living in Philadelphia (July, 1857) a gen- 
 tleman, Mr. Samuel Palmer, who was a passenger upon 
 Fitch's steam-hoat. His father, Mr. Thomas Palmer, 
 was a member of the Steam-boat Company, and seems 
 to have made much larger advances to aid the scheme 
 than the majority of his associate shareholders. (See 
 page 183 and page 317.) Mr. Samuel Palmer, when 
 a small boy, made a trip, in company with his father, 
 upon Fitch's boat, from Philadelphia to Burlington. 
 He has a vivid recollection of the journey. They 
 went on board at Market street wharf, at which a large 
 number of persons were collected to see them start. 
 The steam-boat was propelled by paddles in the stern. 
 It went along noisily, the machinery producing a con-
 
 348 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 stant creaking and shaking, and the force of the engine 
 causing the boat to tremble in consequence of the re- 
 sistance of the water. At Burlington they came to 
 at Kisselman's wharf, in the lower part of the town. 
 Mr. Palmer is unable to fix the date of this voyage ; 
 but as the boat in the regular trips in 1790 went from 
 Arch street wharf, and the starting-place on this occa- 
 sion was Market street wharf, it is probable that Mr. 
 Palmer's journey was either in 1788, after the success- 
 ful experiments, or in May, 1790, before the steam- 
 boat ran regularly for the conveyance of passengers 
 and freight. 
 
 Here the history of the Philadelphia steam-boats 
 properly ceases. The Perseverance, with the engine 
 nearly finished, was abandoned. The shareholders 
 became careless upon the subject. For four years the 
 boat and machinery remained without change. The 
 following advertisement, from Bache's Aurora and 
 General Advertiser of August 18, 1795, announced 
 the last act in the melancholy drama : 
 
 A STEAM EXCISE. 
 
 On Wednesday, the 24th inst., will be sold by Public Vendue, 
 on Smith's wharf, between Race and Vine streets, a sixteen inch 
 cilinder steam engine, with machinery appertaining thereto. 
 The terms of the sale will be cash, and the sale to commence at 
 teu o'clock in the morning. Composing the same there are, viz.: 
 
 A COPPER BOILER, with 2 large pipes, cocks, &c. 
 
 A 16 INCH CAST IRON CILINDER, STEAM CHEST, PISTON, ROD, 
 CHAIN, &C. 
 
 A LEADEN SINK PIPE & BRASS VALVE. 
 
 A LEADEN PIPE AND COCK, for supplying the piston. 
 One do. for the waste water. 
 
 One LEAD CILINDER CCP.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 349 
 
 A LEAD PUMP for injection water. 
 2 CISTERNS. 
 
 1 large fly wheel (cast iron) and AXLE thereof. 
 
 2 TWO FEET CAST IRON WHEELS, handy for steam and injection. 
 
 A FURNACE DOOR and GRATING. 
 
 A 9 or 10 feet LEVER or BEAM. 
 
 PUMP RODS and boxes for do. 
 
 A SMOKE pipe, and sundry other apparatus, &c. 
 
 EDWARD POLE, 
 
 Auctioneer. 
 
 Note to page 340. 
 
 Balloons, fireworks, and steam-boats were equally objects of 
 attention about this time, and they fairly divided the public 
 wonder between them as matters of curiosity, but of no real 
 utility. Of the three, steam-boats were least cared about. Bal- 
 loons and fireworks enjoyed a certain share of popularity, but 
 steam-boats were subjects of derision. The allusion of Fitch 
 was caused by circumstances which could not escape the atten- 
 tion of any one who watched the signs of the times. The first 
 successful ascent with an aerostat in the United States (it is be- 
 lieved) was made in 1784, by Mr. Carnes, of Maryland. He 
 brought his balloon to Philadelphia, and an ascent was an- 
 nounced to take place on the 17th of July, in that year, from 
 " the new work-house yard." The balloon was of flimsy silk, 
 having holes in some places, and being patched in others with 
 bed-tick. It was without a proper net-work, and the power 
 which was to raise it was not gas, but heated or rarified air. To 
 render this fire balloon -successful, it was necessary to have a 
 stove with fuel to burn in the mouth or neck of the machine, so 
 as to keep the air rarified. The furnace thus employed weighed 
 one hundred and fifty pounds. The aerostat was thirty-five feet 
 in diameter, and it was supposed it would carry four hundred 
 and nine pounds. On the appointed day the fire was kindled, 
 the silken sphere expanded, and the cords being cut, the ma- 
 chine slowly ascended. The air blew it against tho prison-wall. 
 Mr. Carnes was brushed against it, and fell to the .ground. 
 
 30
 
 350 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 This was a lucky disaster; for the balloon soon afterwards 
 caught fire, and was consumed. The stove fell in South street, 
 near the old theatre. Undaunted by this failure, some of the 
 town philosophers proposed to raise subscriptions to construct a 
 larger balloon, sixty feet in diameter, and capable of raising 
 3373 pounds. This scheme never came to fruition. 
 
 The next wonder was the steam-boat ; which, by those who 
 remembered Games' failure, was placed in the same category. 
 
 In 1792, the celebrated Blanchard came to Philadelphia, and 
 with pompous flourish announced his intention of making his 
 forty-fifth ascension. He took up considerable space in the 
 newspapers, and had a tact in skilfully inflaming public curi- 
 osity equal to the latter-day cunning of our most renowned 
 showmen. M. Blanchard chose the jail-yard or "prison- 
 court," as it was politely called for his place of exhibition. 
 He was addressed, or affected to have been addressed, by vari- 
 ous persons, for the honor of participation in the trip. To 
 these he made replies through the newspapers, declining com- 
 pany, upon account of having only brought 4200 pounds of 
 vitriolic acid with him a quantity only sufficient to enable him 
 to effect one ascension by himself. He said that enough vitriol 
 to justify him in taking up another person could not be had in 
 Philadelphia, and that to buy it would cost one hundred guineas. 
 He proposed to receive subscriptions, at five dollars each ; but 
 finding that there was not much alacrity in embracing the op- 
 portunity, he agreed to issue tickets for inferior places at two 
 dollars each. He estimated that five hundred first-class sub- 
 scribers would be necessary" to pay the expenses, arid was ready 
 to issue one thousand second-class tickets. The 10th of January, 
 1793, was appointed for the ascension. President Washington 
 was present at 9 o'clock, and Fisher's artillery fired fifteen guns 
 in honor of his appearance. From that time until the ascent, 
 two guns were fired every fifteen minutes. AV 7 ithin the yard the 
 audience was small, but outside it was immense. At five mi- 
 nutes past 10 o'clock, Mons. Blanchard, attired in a blue dress, 
 wearing a cocked hat with a white feather, stepped into a blue 
 and spangled car, attached to cords covering a balloon of yellow 
 silk. General Washington handed him a paper, and spoke a
 
 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 351 
 
 few words. The cords were cut, the band struck up a lively 
 air, and Mons. Blanchard went up, waving the American and 
 French flags. In forty-six minutes the aeronaut safely descended 
 near Woodbury, N. J., shortly afterward was brought back to 
 the city, and immediately called upon the President to pay his 
 respects. 
 
 The 'affair, as a pecuniary enterprise, was represented to be a 
 failure. One of the newspapers of the day apologised for tho 
 fact in this wise: "Great numbers who had neglected to pur- 
 chase tickets were afflicted with considerable regret at not having 
 been immediately present in the Prison Court, to see the prepa- 
 rations and witness the undaunted countenance of the man who 
 thus sublimely dared to soar thi-ough the regions of air." Much 
 adulation was expressed of a similar kind. The following lines, 
 in French, appeared in the newspapers: 
 
 " Grand Blanchard, lorsque tu voleras dans les airs, 
 Va annoncer aux pianettes de le universe ; 
 Que les Franqois ont vaincu leurs ennemis interieurs, 
 Leur intrepidite a expulc les exterieurs : 
 Penetre dans 1'Olimpe, et dis a tous les dieux, 
 Que les Francois ont 6te les victorieux! 
 Prie Mars que les armes de la France, 
 Ne laisse aux tirans aucune esperance." 
 
 " Great Blanchard, as you wing your way towards the hea- 
 vens, announce to all the planets of the universe that French- 
 men have conquered their interior enemies, and that those with- 
 out have been repulsed by their intrepidity. Dart through 
 Olympus, and tell the gods that Frenchmen have been victori- 
 ous. Implore the aid of Mars, that the arms of France may 
 crush the ambitious designs of tyrants forever." 
 
 Another flatterer said, 
 
 " Franklin, with a firm grasp, dared to seize the lightning in 
 the immensity of space where it is formed. Blanchard, bold in 
 his flight, visits those regions. He traverses them as his con- 
 quest. The glory earned by the courage and ingenuity of the 
 French Philosopher is not eclipsed by that which the intrepid 
 sagacity of the American Philosopher merited."
 
 352 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 The following verses are clever : 
 
 To Mr. Blanchard, the celebrated ^Eronaut, on his Ascent in a 
 Balloon from the Jail Yard in Philadelphia, 1793. 
 
 By science taught, on silken wings 
 Beyond our grovelling race you rise, 
 
 And, soaring from terrestrial things, 
 Explore a pnssage to the skies. 
 
 0, could I thus exalted sail, 
 
 And rise with you beyond the jail ! 
 
 Ah ! when you rose, impelled by fear, 
 Each bosom heaved a thousand sighs ; 
 
 To you each female lent a tear, 
 
 And held the 'kerchief to her eyes ; 
 
 All hearts still followed as you flew, 
 
 All eyes admired a sight so new. 
 
 Whoe'er shall thus presume to fly, 
 While downward with disdain they look, 
 
 Shall own this journey through the sky 
 The dearest jaunt they ever took ; 
 
 And choose next time without reproach 
 
 A humbler seat in Inskeep's coach. 
 
 The birds, that cleave the expanse of air, 
 Admiring, view your globe full blown ; 
 
 And chattering round the painted car, 
 Complain your flight outdoes their own ; 
 
 Beyond their track you proudly swim, 
 
 Nor fear the loss of life or limb. 
 
 How vast the height, how grand the scene 
 That your enraptured eye surveys, 
 
 When, towering in your gay machine, 
 You leave the astonished world to gaze, 
 
 And, wandering in the etherial blue, 
 
 Our eyes in vain your course pursue !
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 353 
 
 The Orb of Day, how dazzling bright! 
 
 In paler radiance gleams the Moon ; 
 And Terra, whence you took your flight, 
 
 Appears to you a mere balloon ; 
 Its noisy crew no longer heard, 
 Towns, cities, forests disappeared. 
 
 Yet, travelling through the azure road, 
 
 Soar not too high for human ken ; 
 Reflect : our humble, safe abode, 
 
 Is all that nature meant for men. 
 Take in your sails before you freeze, 
 And sink again among the trees. 
 
 One Joseph Ravara, Consul General for Genoa, who was re- 
 presented to have been a great traveller on land and water, 
 besought the honor of adding a new distinction to his character 
 as a voyager by a flight in the regions of air. He addressed 
 M. Blanchard publicly, offering to take up subscriptions to 
 reimburse him. The latter did not object. The finale of the 
 matter was, that M. Blanchard announced that he had received 
 for the sale of tickets, $400; subscriptions, $263; total, $6G3. 
 His expenses he represented to be 500 guineas ; so that he was 
 $1580 out of pocket. Mr. Ravara did not " go up," but perhaps 
 enjoyed as much distinction by an exhibition of his effigy, as 
 large as life, at Bowers' wax-work show, North Eighth street, 
 above Market, seated, with a counterfeit figure of M. Blanchard, 
 in a car suspended from the ceiling of the room, " the American 
 and French flags in their hands, and having on their own 
 clothes." M. Blanchard was honored by Governor Mifflin with 
 the use of a portion of his lot on the north side of Chestnut 
 street above Eighth. Here the Frenchman built a rotunda, and 
 exhibited his balloon ; but some rascals threw stones against it 
 and broke the silk ; so Mr. Ravara did not ascend. Subse- 
 quently, on two occasions, Blanchard sent up a balloon with a 
 parachute attached, having dogs and cats in the car, which was 
 detached by an explosion, the animals descending safely to the 
 ground. In 1794, he advertised his willingness to make an 
 ascension if it was possible to obtain twelve pipes, or cylinder 
 30*
 
 354 LIFE or JOHN FITCH. 
 
 tubes,eix feet long. With such apparatus, he said he could 
 fill his balloon with gas in two days. It was verv difficult to 
 get such work done in this country, but a proprietor of an iron- 
 furnace undertook to do it. On the faith of this contract the 
 aeronaut announced his forty-sixth ascension, but a day or two 
 afterwards postponed it, declaring that an experimental trial had 
 shown the pipes and castings to be worthless. He then gave 
 notice that he would cease all further attempts at aerostation in 
 this country, " until the arts are brought to such perfection as 
 to furnish him the means necessary to success." Blanchard 
 exhibited in his Rotunda models of balloons and mechanical 
 contrivances. The following advertisement, published in Au- 
 gust, 1793, is so curious that it is worthy of preservation : 
 
 A CURIOUS CARRIAGE. 
 
 MR. BLANCHARD, adopted citizen of the principal cities in Eu- 
 rope, Pensioner of the French Nation, Member of several Aca- 
 demies, &c., &c., has invented a carriage which runs without the 
 assistance of horses, and goes as fast as the best post chaise. 
 An Automaton in the shape of an eagle, chained to the tongue 
 of the carriage, and guided by the traveller, who holds the reins 
 in bis hands, directs it in every respect. This extraordinary 
 carriage can not only travel on all roads, but likewise ascends 
 any mountain which is accessible to any common carriage. The 
 distance it may proceed is unlimited, aa there is no springs in 
 the case that require winding up. 
 
 Monday, the 26th August, at half past five o'clock, at his Ro- 
 tunda, on Gov. Mifflin's lot, Philadelphia, Mr. Blanchard will 
 make two experiments ; the one of Natural Philosophy, and the 
 other of Mechanism. An air balloon of 11,498 cubic feet will 
 be filled with Atmospheric Air in the space of six minutes, 
 (instead of ten hours, which were required formerly,) by the 
 help of a Machine which he has invented, and but lately brought 
 to perfection. The Eagle fixed to the carriage beginning its 
 flight, the carriage will come out from it, stand and run round 
 the place, carrying two persons. 
 
 The entrance is half a dollar, the door will be opened at five 
 o'clock, and the experiments begin precisely at half past five.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 355 
 
 Gentlemen who have dogs accustomed to the chase- are re- 
 quested not to bring them along, as experiment has shown that 
 they may prove very dangerous to the eagle, which imitates 
 nature to perfection. 
 
 Note. Select parties, who wish to see this experiment by 
 themselves, will please to apply to Mr. Blanchard, at THE RO- 
 TUNDA, who will be happy to satisfy the curiosity of amateurs. 
 
 The allusion made by Fitch to " Fireworks " was caused by 
 the success of several foreign artists who had given exhibitions 
 in Philadelphia. Among the names of these, the most deserv- 
 ing of preservation are Michael Ambroise & Co., whose claims 
 to remembrance are founded upon the interesting fact that they 
 were the first who manufactured inflammable gas and exhibited 
 gas-lights in America. They had an amphitheatre in Arch 
 street between Eighth and Ninth, where they frequently dis- 
 played their fireworks. In August, 1796, they advertised an 
 exhibition of fireworks, one part composed of combustibles in 
 the usual style, the other of " inflammable air, by the assistance 
 of light," as " lately practiced in Europe." Of the latter they 
 formed " an Italian parterre," " a picture of the mysteries of 
 Masonry," " a view of a superb country seat," " a grand por- 
 tico," etc. There were eight pieces of these gas illuminations ; 
 and as they must have been produced by bending pipes in the 
 required forms, we may suppose that Messrs. Ambroise & Co. 
 were ingenious artists and mechanics at a time when the arts 
 in this country were yet in a very rude state.
 
 356 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 FITCH GOES TO FRANCE HIS RETURN SUICIDE. 
 
 WE have now arrived at a period in the life of this 
 ill-treated man concerning which but few facts are 
 known. He probably remained in Philadelphia until 
 some time in 1793. In the "American Remembrancer 
 and Universal Tablet of Memory," by James Hardie, 
 A. M., published in Philadelphia in 1795, is a state- 
 ment that a patent was granted to John Fitch, for an 
 improved method of distillation, in 1793. A reference 
 to the Digest of Patents from 1790 to 1839, published 
 by H. L. Ellsworth, under authority of Congress, does 
 not substantiate this allegation. It is probable that 
 Mr. Hardie, who resided in Philadelphia, knew that a 
 patent had been applied for, and supposed it was 
 granted. Perhaps some matter of form may have 
 been unattended to, or the design may have been 
 abandoned at the time. Dr. Thornton, one of Fitch's 
 legatees, obtained a patent for an improvement in dis- 
 tillation in 1807 ; and it is possible, and not impro- 
 bable, that it was the same which was referred to by 
 Mr. Hardie. 
 
 The contract with Aaron Vail still continued in 
 force, and the Company consented that, instead of 
 ''the mechanic" whom it was proposed to send to 
 France to build steam-boats, Fitch should himself go.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 357 
 
 He sailed from America in 1793. l He arrived at 
 L' Orient at a time when the troubles of the Revolu- 
 tion agitated the French people, and when all business 
 was suspended. " He could not obtain the pecuniary- 
 aid required for his purposes ; and after exhausting 
 his patience, and the limited means at his disposal, he 
 deposited his papers and specifications in the hands of. 
 Mr. Vail, and crossed the Channel to England." 2 
 
 While remaining in Philadelphia, Fitch had become 
 acquainted with many of the ingenious men of his day, 
 inventors like himself, but not so unfortunate. Among 
 others, he was intimate with Robert Leslie, a clock and 
 watch maker, who resided, in 1791, on the north side 
 of Market street between Fourth and Fifth. Mr. 
 Leslie had made some important improvements in 
 watches and clocks, for which the State of Pennsyl- 
 vania, during the existence of the Confederation, had 
 granted him exclusive privileges. Beside his, various 
 modifications in the machinery of time-pieces, Mr. 
 Leslie had perfected other inventions. These were, in 
 1792, summed up as follows : 
 
 A machine for threshing wheat on a new plan. 
 
 A horizontal tide-mill, to work with both tides. 
 
 A boat to sail directly against the wind, or in any other direc- 
 tion. 
 
 A horizontal wind-mill, so constructed that the wind acts oil 
 both sides of the wheel at the same time. 
 
 1 Longetreth. Wbittlesey, page 144. Watson. Duer's second 
 letter to Golden. Dr. Thornton's Account. 
 
 9 Nathaniel Cutting to Fernando Fairfax, giving the substance 
 of a statement by Aaron Vail. (Duer's second letter to Golden, 
 page 57, and Appendix.)
 
 358 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 An improvement on the common wheat-fan, by which it is 
 made to produce more wind with less labour. 
 
 An apparatus for blowing the fire of any kind of furnace by 
 a stream of water without a bellows. The power of this con- 
 trivance may be increased to a greater degree with a given 
 quantity of water than the same quantity could produce if ap- 
 plied to giving motion to a common bellows. 
 
 A machine for measuring a ship's way. 
 
 An improvement in carriage springs. 
 
 A standard of invariable length, by means of a cylindrical 
 rod of iron, of such length as to perform its vibrations in one 
 second of mean time. 
 
 A method of continuing the impressions in dies for coining, 
 and other purposes, uniformly the same as they are wanted. 
 
 Several useful discoveries in mills, &c. 
 
 Beside, many improvements in time-pieces. 
 
 Early in 1793, Mr. Leslie announced his intention 
 of leaving the United States toward the end of April 
 of that year. His property was sold by auction on 
 the 24th of April, and he probably left Philadelphia 
 in the packet-ship which sailed the next month for 
 London. This gentleman John Fitch visited after he 
 left France, and he remained at his house in London 
 some time previous to his departure for the United 
 States. Here he was seen by Miss Eliza Leslie, the 
 authoress, who yet cherishes a lively memory of the 
 singular man. 1 Whilst in London, John Fitch pub- 
 lished a little pamphlet bearing the following title : 
 
 1 Mr. Leslie was a Scotsman, who came to Philadelphia in 
 1745. He was the father of Charles R. Leslie, the artist, Major 
 T. J. Leslie, United States Army, and Miss Eliza Leslie. He 
 remained in London as resident partner in England of the firm, 
 of Leslie and Price, watch and clock makers, of Philadelphia, 
 and R. Leslie and Co., of Baltimore. Isaac Price died in 1788 
 or 1789, and the firm was dissolved. Mr. Leslie returned to Phi- 
 ladelphia in 1799 or 1800, and died there in 1803.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 359 
 
 "An Explanation for keeping a ship's traverse at 
 sea by the Columbian Ready Reckoner. By John 
 Fitch. London : printed for and published by the 
 author. 1793." 
 
 It was dedicated to Dr. William Thornton. In his 
 introductory remarks, he says, 
 
 "Altho I never turned my attention to navigation no further 
 than to learn the theory, yet, in crossing the Atlantick I saw on 
 board the packet a round board, with the points of the compass 
 cut on it, and holes in the points. I further observed that when 
 they had run one hour they put a peg into the point they had 
 just run. 
 
 " This gave me an Idea that something more perfect might be 
 made ; in consequence of which, I went to work and formed the 
 enclosed plate ; which, as it appears to me, will reduce the art 
 of navigation to the comprehension of the smallest capacity, 
 and simplify it in such a manner as to save the masters of ves- 
 sels much trouble in their reckonings. 
 
 "I have in this endeavoured to bring the art of navigation 
 into one focal point ; also to make it easy to those who look upon 
 calculations as a burthen. I do not think it absolutely neces- 
 sary that masters of vessels should be obliged to study geomet- 
 rical propositions, problems, drawing of lines, angles, and 
 curves, or to teaze themselves with logarithms, signs, tangents, 
 :md trigonometry, altho it would be very convenient for them to 
 know them, but that it is sufficient for them to know these 
 things to be so ; also, that the lines and angles pointed out by 
 these figures are more accurate than any drawn with a ruler. 
 I therefore trust that all questions necessary for keeping a 
 ship's traverse can be resolved by this method, and most of them 
 in much less time than in the common way now practised. I 
 presume that this could be learned by a moderate genius, con- 
 versant with figures, in six hours' teaching, and a very mode- 
 rate share of common arithmetick will be fully sufficient for 
 this method of navigation."
 
 360 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 He thougnt that if seamen would learn it the know- 
 ledge would raise them socially, and that they would 
 then have more respect for themselves. In reference 
 to this view of the case, he remarks, 
 
 " It has been observed by some masters of vessels, that it 
 would not be attended with good consequences to make every 
 man that followeth the sea a navigator, as it would be a means 
 of destroying the subordination so very necessary to be kept on 
 board. 
 
 " To which I beg leave to observe that, in my opinion, it 
 would have a very different effect, for the following reasons: 
 " 1st. Men of no ambition are never to be feared in any plot 
 
 or mutiny without ambitious leaders. 
 
 " 2nd. Men of an ambitious turn, who may have a prospect 
 for an honorable command, undoubtedly would be cautious 
 of setting such an example, which would have a tendency 
 to destroy their views to advancement ; but if after good 
 conduct they should attain what they are aiming at, that 
 would become a presedent at a future day to those under 
 their command." 
 
 The explanation referred to an engraved card, on 
 which there were four tables, containing calculations 
 and figures. The body of the pamphlet contained di- 
 rections how to work a traverse, mark directions, etc., 
 according to the tables. 
 
 In 1794, John Fitch returned to the United States, 
 working his passage as a common sailor. He landed 
 at Boston in a state of destitution. He found his way 
 to Connecticut, where he saw his sister, Mrs. King, 
 and his daughter Lucy, Mrs. Kilbourne; but there 
 was no reconciliation between himself and his wife. 
 
 He remained with his brother-in-law, Timothy King,
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 361 
 
 at East Windsor, for nearly two years, and then deter- 
 mined to seek his lands in Kentucky. 1 
 
 It is conjectured that at this time some overtures 
 were made to him by Chancellor Livingston, whose 
 interest in steam navigation was even at that early 
 day exceedingly strong. 
 
 Mr. John Hutchings, a native of New York, says 
 (see Documentary History of New York, 2d Vol., 
 1047) that in the summer of 1796 or '7, he, being then 
 a lad, assisted Mr. Fitch in steering a steam-boat, and 
 otherwise aiding in the working of the machinery. The 
 boat was navigated upon "the Collect," a large pond 
 of fresh water, since filled up, on a portion of the site 
 of which is now built the City ("Tombs") Prison. 
 Mr. Hutchings says, further, that Robert Fulton 2 and 
 Robert R. Livingston were upon the boat several 
 times when it was worked by steam, and that Mr. Fitch 
 explained to them the modus operandi of the ma- 
 chinery. 
 
 " Mr. Fitch remarked to Mr. Fulton, that in a former experi- 
 ment paddle wheels splashed too much, and could not be used 
 in Canal navigation. No one at that time thought of having 
 them covered with boxes. They had no doubt but that the boat 
 might be propelled six miles an hour, though then making some- 
 
 1 Longstreth. Whittlesey (Sparks), page 144. 
 
 2 Mr. Hutchings is manifestly in error in supposing that one 
 of the persons then upon Fitch's boat was Robert Fulton. The 
 latter was at that time in England. Robert R. Livingston was, 
 however, in New York, and was probably present. As there 
 seems to have been two strangers at the trial, Mr. H. may have 
 been misled into supposing that Fulton was one of them by the 
 fact that subsequently Livingston and Fulton were connected in 
 steam-boat experiments. 
 
 31
 
 362 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 thing less. The steam was sufficiently high to propel the boat 
 once, twice, or thrice around the pond ; when, more water being 
 introduced into the boiler or pot, and steam generated, she was 
 again ready to start on another expedition." 
 
 John Fitch's Screw-propeller Steam-boat on the Collect, New York, 1796. 
 
 This boat was propelled by a screw propeller. The 
 boiler was a ten or twelve-gallon iron pot, with a lid 
 of truck-plank, firmly fastened to it by an iron bar 
 placed transversely. The boat was a ship's yawl, 
 steered by an oar. 
 
 " The cylinder was of wood, barrel shaped on the outside, and 
 strongly hooped, being straight on the inside. The main steam 
 pipe led directly from the boiler" top into a copper box, receiver, 
 or valve box, about six inches square. The leading pipes led 
 separately into the bottom or base of the one short cylinder and 
 the longer one, and each piston rod was attached to the extre- 
 mity of the working beam. This beam was supported by an 
 iron upright; the connecting rod was so arranged as to turn the 
 crank of the propelling shaft, which passed horizontally through 
 the stern of the boat, and was made fast to the propeller or 
 screw. The valves were worked by a simple contrivance at- 
 tached likewise to the working beam."
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 363 
 
 General Anthony Lamb and William H. Westlock, 
 City Surveyor, of New York, both certified in 1846 to 
 the truth of Mr. Hutchings' statement, and declared 
 that they themselves had seen the boat moved by steam 
 on the Collect as early as 1796. 
 
 From New York Fitch came again to Philadelphia, 
 where he renewed his acquaintance with his friends. 
 Whilst there he visited Oliver Evans, whose interest 
 in the steam-engine was shown in many subsequent 
 improvements upon that machine. In the course of the 
 conversation, the steam-boat affair was mentioned, and 
 Fitch divulged his hopes that he would yet be able to 
 form a company to build boats in Kentucky. Mr. 
 Evans relates these facts in a deposition or affidavit 
 made December 16, 1814. The language used is as 
 follows : 
 
 " When the said John Fitch was afterward setting out for the 
 western country, he called on the said Oliver, at his house, and 
 declared his intention to be, to form a Company to establish 
 steamboats on the western waters; of the advantages of which, 
 he appeared to have some vast conceptions and great expecta- 
 tions." ' 
 
 From Philadelphia John Fitch went to Kentucky ; 
 where, from the coldness of the people toward his pro- 
 ject, he soon found that his hopes of establishing his 
 invention on the Western waters were to be disappointed 
 as all previous expectations had been. He found his 
 lands overrun with squatters, and he commenced seve- 
 ral law-suits to dispossess the intruders. 2 In reference 
 to his residence there, the Hon. Robert Wickliffe, of 
 
 1 Duer's second letter to Golden, Appendix. 
 z Whittlesey, page 145.
 
 364 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Kentucky, in a letter to a friend in Philadelphia who 
 addressed him on behalf of the writer of these pages, 
 furnished the following interesting particulars, under 
 date of Lexington, November 12, 1855 : 
 
 " I remember to have seen John Fitch during his residence in 
 Bardstown, Kentucky, but had no particular acquaintance with 
 him personally. He was pretty far advanced in life and intem- 
 perance when I first saw him, and he was then residing in the 
 house of Alexander M'Conn, a tavern keeper, in Bardstown, 
 where he continued to live during the remainder of his life. I 
 had at my Father's house, when a youth, the controversy be- 
 tween John Fitch and James Rumsey, as to their respective 
 claims to the title of discoverer of the art of navigating rivers 
 through the agency of steam, and I formed an opinion decidedly 
 in favour of Fitch over Rumsey's claim. That circumstance, 
 together with the rumour that he was the discoverer, induced 
 me to inquire into the private history and life of John Fitch. 
 * * * * * * 
 
 "Before he reached his land it had been seated and possessed 
 by adverse claimants. He brought suits against the trespassers, 
 and after long and protracted controversies, was successful. 
 Those who were intimate with him assure me of their belief that 
 Fitch's profound mortification in being compelled to abandon 
 his steamboat discoveries, and the new difficulties and legal 
 controversies about his land titles, broke down his spirits and 
 disgusted him with life. McConn has often given me an ac- 
 count of bis habits and conversations during the years he lived 
 with him. In particular, he informed me that it was the con- 
 stant burden of his conversation when free from intoxication, 
 that he should descend to the grave poor and pennyless, but 
 should leave in his discoveries a legacy to his country that would 
 make her rich. McConn further informed me, that when Fitch 
 came to his house to get boarding he appeared to be in perfect 
 health ; but he told him he did not expect or desire to live long, 
 and wanted him to board him during his life. He said he would 
 give him one hundred and fifty acres of his land, but he must, 
 over and above the ordinary fare of the tavern, allow him a pint
 
 LIF EOF JOHN FITCH. 365 
 
 of whiskey a day. The bargain was struck, and Fitch executed 
 his bond for the land. Under that contract, Fitch boarded with 
 him some time how long, I forget. One day, Fitch said to 
 McConn, ' I am not getting off fast enough ; you must add ano- 
 ther pint, and here is your bond for another one hundred and 
 fifty acres of land.' Both of these bonds McConn showed me, 
 and got me to read them. Fitch continued to live with McConn, 
 as I have before stated, until his death ; when McConn caused 
 him to be decently interred in the public burying-place at Bards- 
 town. 
 
 **#*## 
 
 " Poor McConn's house, with the bonds in it, was burnt up, and 
 he was reduced to poverty. In a suit against the devisees of 
 Fitch, he was only able to establish one of the bonds, and he got 
 but one hundred and fifty acres. Many years ago, when I was 
 a member of the Legislature, I visited Bardstown, called upon 
 McConn, and asked him to designate the grave of Fitch by 
 Borne stone, or other sign ; and I asked him to show it to some 
 of the young citizens of the town, which he promised to do, and 
 I understood that he did do so. At the approaching Legisla- 
 ture, I introduced a resolution into the Senate, of which I was 
 then a member, briefly reciting the character of Fitch, and his 
 claims upon posterity, and providing that Commissioners should 
 erect some monumental evidence upon his grave. 
 
 " Whilst the resolution was pending, I heard that a young 
 gentleman of some talent, and a grandson of James Rumsey, 
 was a member of the lower house, and had expressed a deter- 
 mination to resist the passage of the resolution, on the ground 
 that his grandfather, and not Fitch, was the discoverer of the 
 steamboat. I thought it best not to press the matter further, 
 intending at some other time to take it up. 
 
 " I will now add with a view to embody all I know of Fitch, 
 from information or otherwise, than can be considered as con- 
 necting him with the West some information I received from 
 the Hon. John Brown, long a member of Congress, both in the 
 lower house and in the Senate. 
 
 " Mr. Brown was present, and saw the experiments made by 
 Fitch upon his boat upon the Delaware. He saw him make two 
 31*
 
 368 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 efforts to run from Philadelphia to Bordentown, and on each 
 trip some of the machinery gave way. A few days after the 
 last failure, a gentleman entered his room, in a boarding house 
 in Philadelphia, and introduced himself as 'John Fitch, inventor 
 of steamboats/ Mr. Brown asked him to be seated. As soon as 
 be took his seat, he informed him that at a very early period, 
 when his (Brown's) district was a wilderness, he had visited 
 Kentucky ; and I think Brown stated that Fitch said, while 
 engaged in surveying on the banks of the Ohio River, that he 
 took his seat, and for some time contemplated that beautiful 
 river, it then rolling a full tide towards the Ocean, and reflecting 
 upon its immense length from its head to the Ocean. He thought 
 it impossible God had in his wisdom created a river with such 
 length and -irresistible current, without giving to man some 
 power of overcoming the force of the water, and being able to 
 navigate it up as well as down. 
 
 ****** 
 " He stated that he had built a vessel, or vessels, to give prac- 
 tical proof to the world of the value of his invention ; that the 
 machinery of his boat, or boats, required some change or amend- 
 ment, to satisfy the world that steamboats could and would navi- 
 gate our rivers against their currents. This, his discovery, 
 would be of peculiar and immense advantage to Mr. Brown's 
 district, of Kentucky. He (Fitch) was without means or re- 
 sources, and wanted about Four Hundred Dollars, and had 
 called upon Mr. Brown, as a member of Congress from Ken- 
 tucky, to advance him that sum. Mr. Brown replied that it 
 was not convenient that he had not the money to spare him. 
 Mr. Fitch, rising from his seat, said to Mr. Brown, ' Well, sir, 
 if you will not advance me the money, I w T ill go to the Secretary 
 of State's office, and cause it to be entered, that it may remain 
 res perpetua memoria, that I, John Fitch, inventor of steam- 
 boats, having exhausted all my means in carrying my invention 
 into perfection, needed Four Hundred Dollars to complete my 
 work, and give evidence to the world of its value and utility ; 
 that I called upon you, John Brown, member of Congress from 
 the Kentucky district, in the State of Virginia, to loan me Four 
 Hundred Dollars, to complete my machinery, and give unan-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 367 
 
 swerable evidence of the utility and importance of my inven- 
 tion, and that you refused it.' Mr. Brown said, ' You may do 
 so, Mr. Fitch, if you please.' Fitch then said, 'Good morning, 
 Mr. Brown, member of Congress from Kentucky district,' and 
 Mr. Brown replied, ' Good morning, Mr. Fitch, inventor of 
 steamboats.' Mr. Brown never saw Fitch again. I asked him 
 if he had ever made examination for such entry ; he said he 
 never had. There were once afloat many anecdotes about what 
 Fitch did or said in Bardstown. I do not think them worth 
 notice." 
 
 In answer to inquiries addressed to the Hon. Na- 
 thaniel Wickliffe, of Bardstown, Kentucky, he wrote, 
 September 13, 1855, as follows : 
 
 "I regret that I can give you little information about John 
 Fitch. He died a few years before I settled in this place (Bards- 
 town). He died at the house of Alexander McConn, in this 
 place. His will is dated June 25th, 1798, and it was ordered to 
 record the 18th day of July, 1798. He appears to have owned 
 but little estate at his death. James Nourse and John Rowan 
 were his principal devisees. They are dead, as also those who 
 resided here at the time Mr. Fitch was living. He was buried 
 in the public burying ground, and until within twelve months 
 it was not known where his grave was. It was then found, and 
 is so described by some of the citizens, by writings filed with 
 his will, that hereafter it can be found." 
 
 Whilst in Kentucky, the steam-boat still amused the 
 idle hours of John Fitch. 
 
 " When his health would allow of moderate exercise, he 
 wrought upon a model boat, about three feet in length, at the 
 shop of Mr. Howell. Its machinery was constructed of brass. 
 This model boat had wheels, and has been seen floating in a 
 small stream near the village, by persons now living. It was 
 burnt in McConn's tavern, in 1805, Nelson County, Kentucky." 1 
 
 1 Whittlesey. Sparks' American Biography.
 
 8G8 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Fitch's Model Steamboat, Bardstown, Kentucky, 1797-8. 
 
 In reference to this presumed destruction of the 
 model, there may be some mistake. It was very na- 
 tural for many to suppose that in the fire it was con- 
 sumed. The St. Louis Democrat of October, 1854, 
 published an account of a model of Fitch's boat which 
 was then in the possession of Mr. James II. Me Cord, 
 United States Local Inspector for the port of St. Louis. 
 We subjoin some extracts from that article : 
 
 "Mr. McCord has in bis possession the original model of the 
 engine and boiler constructed by the hands of John Fitch, about 
 the year 1790 [tjuere, 1797], and by him applied to the propel- 
 ling of boats. And indeed, as appears from the model in ques- 
 tion, it is evident that Mr. Fitch had also conceived the idea of 
 a railway car, and reduced it to practical operation, too ; but 
 that in his efforts to bring forth the steamboat, the latter was 
 neglected. This model rests on a model railway car, con- 
 structed by him, embracing all the essential requisites of the 
 present railway car, such as a flange on the rim, just as we 
 have it now, used for a guide to keep the wheel on the track ; 
 also the frame work outside the wheels, as our cars were at 
 first constructed. It was evidently thus arranged for the 
 purpose of exhibiting the power of steam in propelling boats, 
 and was constructed on a railway immersed in a trough 
 of the proper depth for the paddles to strike the water, and
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 369 
 
 when the motion was given, the wheels would guide it along the 
 submerged railway. 
 
 ****** 
 
 " Mr. McCord has procured this model from Mr. C. M. Scott, 
 of our city, whose lady is a distant relative of the family of 
 Mr. Fitch. During a recent visit to Ohio, Mr. Scott procured it 
 from Isaac N. Whiting, Esq., whose wife is a daughter of the 
 late Col. Kilbourne, of that State, and grand-daughter of John 
 Fitch ; so there is no doubt of the identity of the original model 
 upon which the great mind of Fitch expended its energies ; the 
 result of whose labors was the application of the wonderful 
 agent, steam, to practical purposes. 
 
 " This interesting relic has been placed in the hands of Mr. 
 McCord, with the promise that it shall remain in our city in the 
 event that a Mechanics' Institute is established amongst us; 
 otherwise, it will be deposited in Cincinnati." 
 
 If this statement is correct, the model is most pro- 
 bably that spoken of by Mr. Whittlesey, and may 
 have come into the possession of the devisees of Fitch, 
 who, it is likely, handed it over to the Kilbourne family, 
 whose descent from the daughter of John and Lucy 
 Fitch is undoubted. 
 
 Some time between the 25th of June and the 18th 
 of July, 1798, this unhappy man, weary of the world, 
 disappointed in all his expectations, yet most honestly 
 believing in the correctness of the darling dream of 
 his life, died at Bardstown, Kentucky. 
 
 He had been "a drinking man " while in the West, 
 but it is believed he was not a drunkard. Indulgence 
 in ardent spirits to some extent was at that day uni- 
 versal. Fitch may have exceeded in his potations the 
 usual limits within which others, who had fewer trou- 
 bles, restrained themselves, but, unless it might be in 
 the enervation of mind caused by constant use of the
 
 370 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 bottle, he was not a severe sufferer by strong drink. 
 He ended his life by suicide. He had been sick for 
 a few days, and his physician prescribed anodynes. 
 Instead of taking these as directed, the unfortunate 
 man kept the medicine until he saved twelve opium 
 pills. These he swallowed at once, and so, in slumber, 
 passed out of what, to him, had been a troublesome 
 existence. 
 
 His will was as follows : 
 
 I John Fitch, of the County of Nelson, do make this my last 
 "Will and Testament : 
 
 To William Rowan, my trusty friend, I bequeath my Beaver 
 Hat, Shoe, Knee, and Stock Buckles, Walking Stick, and spec- 
 tacles. To Dr. William Thornton, in the City of Washington, 
 in the District of Columbia To Eliza Vale, Daughter of Aaron 
 Vale, Consul of the United States at L'Orient To John Rowan, 
 Esq., of Bardstown, Son of said William Rowan, and to James 
 Nourse, of said town, I bequeath all the rest of my Estate, Real 
 and Personal, to be divided amongst them, share and share 
 alike. And I appoint the said John Rowan, Esq., and James 
 Nourse, Esq., my Executors ; and the Legacy hereby bequeathed 
 to them, my said Executors, is in consideration of their accept- 
 ing the Executorship, and bringing to a final close all suits at 
 Law, and attending to the business of the Estate hereby be- 
 queathed. Hereby declaring this to be my last Will and Tes- 
 tament, this twenty fifth day of June, One thousand seven hun- 
 dred and Ninety Eight, Witness my Hand and Seal. 
 
 JOHN FITCH. [Seal.] 
 Acknowledged, Signed, and 
 Sealed, in presence of 
 
 James Nourse, 
 Mich 1 Reutch, 
 
 her 
 Susannah X McCowan.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 371 
 
 At a County Court held for Nelson County, the 18th day of 
 July, 1798, 
 
 This last Will and Testament of John Fitch, deceased, was 
 produced in Court, by James Nourse, one of the Executors 
 therein named, and proved by the oaths of Michael Reutch and 
 Susannah McCown, subscribing witnesses thereto, to be the act 
 of the said Fitch, and ordered to be recorded. 
 Teste, - 
 
 Ben. Grayson, C. Court. 
 
 At a County Court held for Nelson County, on Tuesday, the 
 14th day of August, 1798, This last will and Testament of John 
 Fitch, deceased, was sworn to by John Rowan and James 
 Nourse, Executors therein named, and ordered to be certified. 
 
 Att. Ben. Grayson, C. Co. 
 
 Mr. Daniel Longstreth, of Bucks County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, succeeded in enlisting the warm interest of John 
 F. Watson, of Germantown, in the fate of John Fitch. 
 Upon learning where he was buried, Mr. Watson de- 
 sired to have his remains removed to Laurel Hill Ce- 
 metery, near Philadelphia ; where he proposed to erect 
 over them a monument, having the following inscrip- 
 tion: 
 
 His darling wish (he said) was to be buried 
 
 On the margin of the Ohio ; 
 Where the song of the boatman might penetrate 
 
 The stillness of his resting-place, 
 And where the sound of the steam-engine 
 
 Might send its echoes abroad. 
 Nihil mihi optatius accidere poterat. 
 
 "Another inscription, with like fitness, might be in- 
 scribed on the . other side of his monument, equally 
 forcible, from his own pen, to wit :"
 
 372 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 While living, he declared, 
 
 " This will be the mode of crossing the Atlantic in time, 
 Whether I shall bring it to perfection or not." 
 
 " Steamboats will be preferred to all other conveyances ; 
 
 And they will be particularly useful 
 In the navigation of the Ohio and Mississippi." 
 
 " The day will come when some more potent man 
 Will get fame and riches for my invention." ' 
 
 The proposition of Mr. Watson was interfered with 
 by sundry gentlemen of Kentucky, who promised that 
 they would unite in measures to have the remains de- 
 posited under a monument on the margin of the River 
 Ohio, below Louisville. Years have gone by since 
 that promise was made, and it has not yet been per- 
 formed. He sleeps in the graveyard at Bardstown. 
 For many years there was not a stone to mark his 
 resting-place. Lately, the people of Bardstown have 
 taken some pains to identify the grave of the unfor- 
 tunate pioneer, who explored their lands ere Civiliza- 
 tion took her seat. After the spot was identified, as 
 mentioned by the Hon. Nathaniel Wickliffe, a rough, 
 unhewn, unlettered stone, was placed upon it as a me- 
 morial. This, perhaps, is a fitting monument for 
 genius and misfortune, neglected in life and unhonored 
 in death. 
 
 > Watson's Annals of Philadelphia, Vol. I., p. 593.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 373 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 STEAM-BOAT EXPERIMENTS IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 
 
 OUR task would not be complete were we to omit 
 some reference to numerous attempts to navigate 
 steam-boats in Europe and America, and particularly 
 to the manner in which the biographers of Robert 
 Fulton have endeavored to conceal the real merit of 
 Fitch in building and successfully navigating such 
 vessels. 
 
 James Rumsey went to England in May, 1788, 
 having been sent thither by the Rumseian Society, to 
 procure patents in that country, if possible. His 
 steam-boat, which was tried at Shepherdstown in De- 
 cember, 1787, made no more than the short experi- 
 mental trips, which demonstrated that a boat might be 
 moved by steam. For some reason, most probably 
 because the projector thought it too imperfect in the 
 machinery to be of utility, it was then abandoned. 
 The first successful steam-boat trips in the world by 
 which passengers and freight were carried, were made 
 on the Delaware, in 1787, 1788, 1789, and more par- 
 ticularly in 1790, when Fitch's boat ran as a regular 
 packet. 
 
 In England Rumsey met with patrons, and it was 
 determined to build a steam-boat on his plan. Before 
 the work was completed, Rumsey fell from his chair in 
 32
 
 374 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 an apoplexy, and died. 1 His associates completed the 
 vessel, and it was tried on the Thames, and moved 
 successfully, in February, 1793. 2 For some reason, 
 "not now known, the project was then abandoned. 
 
 There had been several patents taken out in Eng- 
 land, previous to that time, for inventions in propelling 
 boats, but the specifications were generally mysterious 
 and vague, and it is impossible to know with certainty 
 whether the claimants intended to rely upon steam. 3 
 In 1578, Bourne obtained a patent for a boat to be 
 
 1 Underwood's Report to Congress, Session of 1836-7, Jfo. 
 317. 
 
 "Mr. Ramsey, of Maryland, who has distinguished himself 
 by several useful mechanical inventions, and latterly by being 
 employed in propelling vessels by the force of steam, died on 
 the 24th of Dec. last, in London, in a sudden manner." Bache's 
 General Advertiser, Philadelphia, March 5, 1793. 
 
 2 Woodcraft's History of Early Steam Navigation. Mr. W. 
 Bays that Ramsey's principal patron was a wealthy American 
 merchant of London. 
 
 "LONDON, Feb. 16, 1793. The vessel of the late lamented 
 Mr. Rumsey, to sail against wind and tide, has lately been tried, 
 and was found to sail four knots an hour.' ' Bache's General 
 Advertiser, April 13, 1793. A particular description of the ma- 
 chinery is also given; but as it does not differ materially from 
 that in his American boat of December, 1787, it is unnecessary 
 to copy it. 
 
 8 A story to the effect that, in 1543, one Blanco De Garay pro- 
 pelled a vessel by steam in the harbor of Barcelona, has made 
 its appearance within a few years. It was never promulgated 
 until after steam-boats had become common in Europe and Ame- 
 rica. To account for this fact, it is alleged that the information 
 was concealed in the archives at Simancas. The best-informed 
 writers upon steam-engines and machinery believe the entire 
 story to be a fabrication.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 375 
 
 propelled by means of wheels at the sides. David 
 Ramsay, in 1630, procured letters for a method of 
 making ships and barges to go against wind and tide. 
 Other secured rights were obtained for methods of pro- 
 pelling boats, by Thomas Grent, in 1632, Francis Lin, 
 in 163T, Edward Ford, 1640, the Marquis of Worces- 
 ter, 1667, and Thomas Toogood, for forcing water out 
 of the stern of a vessel by a bellows, 1661. In 1682, 
 a horse-boat, moved by wheels at the side, was tried at 
 Chatham, and used as a tow-boat. In 1730, Dr. John 
 Alien proposed to move a boat by pumping in water 
 and ejecting it from the stern, and suggested a steam- 
 engine for the purpose. Rumsey's boat seems to have 
 been precisely the same. Jonathan Hulls produced 
 the first specific plan for navigating a tow-boat by 
 steam in 1736. It was to be moved by paddle-wheels, 
 and Hulls had a scheme for converting a reciprocating 
 rectilinear motion into a rotary one, by fixing two 
 cranks to the hindmost axis, to which were to be af- 
 fixed two shafts or poles, of proper length, to reach to 
 the bottom of the river. These were to be moved 
 alternately forward by the motion of the wheels, by 
 which the vessel was to be carried on, so that the cranks 
 received the rotary motion from the axis, which latter 
 did not impart it. 1 It does not appear that any boat 
 was ever built by Hulls. He was merely a projector. 
 All these plans were rendered inoperative by the ignor- 
 ance of the parties as to the means of converting the 
 rectilinear into a continued circular motion. 
 
 1 For an account of this and the other inventions mentioned 
 in the foregoing paragraph, see Woodcroft's History of Early 
 Steam Navigation.
 
 376 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 James "Watt, in 1769, first discovered a means of 
 making the steam act above the piston as well as below, 
 and this double action rendered the steam-engine ca- 
 pable of propelling a steam-boat. 1 
 
 It is asserted that Count Auxiron made some expe- 
 riments on the Seine in 1774, aided by Perrier, and 
 that the latter repeated the trial the next year with 
 more success. 2 In 1782, De Jouffroy, on the Saone, 
 moved by steam a boat one hundred and forty feet 
 long, which had paddle-wheels on the sides. Beyond 
 the demonstration of the practicability of the plan, 
 nothing was done by this inventor. 2 
 
 Next to these comes John Fitch, who was not satis- 
 fied with mere experiments, but labored assiduously at 
 Philadelphia, from 1785 to 1792, to demonstrate the 
 extent to which his invention might be carried. The 
 skiff-boat, moved by the model engine with three-inch 
 cylinder, in July, 1786, was succeeded by the Iarg0 
 boat, propelled by a twelve-inch cylinder, in August, 
 1787. Passages were made to and from Burlington, 
 in the summer and fall of 1788, several times. In 
 1789, there were more trials, but in 1790 the machinery 
 was perfect, and the packet steam-boat performed her 
 work promptly, and went from two to three thousand 
 miles, to the comfort and accommodation of all who 
 patronized her. 
 
 Whilst this ingenious American was industriously 
 engaged in trying to convince his countrymen of the 
 applicability and value of his invention, experiments 
 upon steam-boats were being made in Scotland. 
 
 J Woodcroft. 
 
 2 Stewart's Anecdotes of Steain-engiaes, p: 283.
 
 LIFE OP JOHN FITCH. 377 
 
 In 1787, Patrick Miller, of Dalwinston, Scotland, 
 built a boat to be propelled by paddle-wheels at the 
 sides. He made an experiment on the Frith of Forth, 
 in June of that year ; not with a steam-engine, how- 
 ever, but by the application of the power of men, who 
 worked a capstan. Steam was suggested to him by 
 James Taylor, and William Symington, an ingenious 
 young man, undertook to apply that power as a means 
 of propulsion. About the beginning of October, 
 1788, two years Rafter Fitch's first experiment on the 
 Delaware, and ten months after Rumsey's boat was 
 propelled on the Potomac, Miller and Symington put 
 in motion the first steam-boat which had been built in 
 Great Britain. It was a double pleasure-boat ; or 
 rather it was composed of two boats, connected by a 
 flooring, the paddle-wheel working |n the middle. This 
 pioneer was made and tried on a lake on the estate of 
 Mr. Miller, at Dalwinston. Encouraged by success, 
 the parties set to work to build another boat, which 
 was tried on the Forth and Clyde canal, on the 26th 
 of December, 1789, and moved at the rate of seven 
 miles an hour in the still water. 1 
 
 The experiment made by Rumsey's associates on 
 the Thames, in 1793, has been spoken of. The Eng- 
 lish writers declare that the first " practical steam- 
 boat" built in the Kingdom was the Charlotte Dundas, 
 constructed by Symington. Fitch's steam-boat in 
 1789 and '90 was most certainly practical. 
 
 Before Symington's boat had been built, the United 
 
 1 Woodcroft. 
 32*
 
 378 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 The Charlotte Dundu.-, William Symington's Steam-boat Scotland, 1801. 
 
 States were again distinguished by the successful labors 
 of a builder of steam-boats. 
 
 In 1790, Samuel Morey began to experiment upon 
 steam-boats in the vicinity of the Connecticut River, 
 lie went thence to New York, and for three suc- 
 cessive summers tried many plans of modifying steam- 
 engines for propulsion, and in testing the power of 
 propellers. He took his boat back to Hartford in 
 1793, and having completed it, took it to New York 
 the next summer. It was propelled by a wheel at the 
 stern, at the rate of five miles an hour. Chancellor 
 Livingston, Judge Livingston, Edward Livingston, 
 John Stevens, and others, were on board when it went 
 by the force of steam from the ferry at New York to 
 Greenwich. Livingston offered to assist Morey if he 
 could make the boat go at the rate of eight miles an 
 hour. Perhaps stimulated by that offer, Morey went 
 to the Delaware, and, aided by assistance from Dr.
 
 LIFE OF JO TIN FITCH. 379 
 
 Burgess Allison, built a boat near Bordentown, New 
 Jersey, with paddle-wheels at the sides. ' The shaft 
 moved across the boat with a shackle-bar, commonly 
 so called, which moved on the principle which is now 
 [1819] used in the largest boats." This boat was 
 used with perfect success, and in 1797 was propelled 
 to Philadelphia. 1 Want of funds prevented its being 
 brought into public use. 
 
 In the Augusta [Georgia] Chronicle, published Sep- 
 tember 22d, 1792, William Longstreet, of Augusta, 
 announced that he had invented a new steam-engine, 
 of a very simple construction. He believed that it 
 might be advantageously employed in the propulsion 
 of a vessel, but such was the foolish prejudice against 
 steam-boats then prevalent, that he scarcely dared to 
 do more than to hint the applicability of his engine for 
 such a purpose. He said, 
 
 " Such is my confidence with respect to the success of this 
 machine, that I will venture to aver that for 500 one may be 
 made, and kept in repair four years, that will be capable of 
 grinding one hundred and fifty bushels of grain per diiy, or saw 
 two thousand feet of inch boards in the same time ; and I would 
 add, if it was not for fear of being accused with a baloon or 
 steamboat project, how easily could I apply it to boating !" 
 
 In 1804, Oliver Evans, whose ingenuity and appli- 
 cation to the improvement of the steam-engine have 
 been useful and honorable to his country, constructed, 
 at Philadelphia, a machine for cleaning out and deep- 
 ening docks, which he called the Erukt&r Amphibolis. 
 Evans declares that he thought of propelling carriages 
 
 1 Duer's second letter to Colden, Appendix.
 
 380 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 by steam as early as 1793, and of applying the same 
 power to boats in 1778 certainly prior to 1771 ; but 
 as John Fitch had spent much time and money in 
 attempting to demonstrate the invention, " he yielded 
 to him and his associates all the honors and profits 
 justly due them as the original inventors." When the 
 Eruktor was completed, Evans determined to show his 
 incredulous fellow-citizens that it was possible to move 
 wagons on the land and boats on the water by the 
 power of steam. The mud-scow had a steam-engine 
 in it, of the power of five horses. 
 
 " To show that both steam carriages and steam boats were 
 practicable (with my steam engine), I first put wheels to it, 
 and propelled it by the engine a mile and a half, and then 
 into the Schuylkill, although its weight was equal to 200 bar- 
 rels of flour. I then fixed a paddle wheel at the stern, and pro- 
 pelled it by the enginfe down the Schuylkill and up the Dela- 
 ware, 16 miles, leaving all the vessels that were under sail full 
 halfway behind me (the wind being ahead), although the appli- 
 cation was so temporary as to produce great friction, and the 
 flat most illy formed for sailing ; done in the presence of thou- 
 sands." 1 
 
 It is very likely that Evans was induced to under- 
 take this remarkable experiment in order to convince 
 the world that some of the scientific men of the day 
 were visionary pretenders. Scarcely a year previously, 
 Benjamin H. Latrobe, whose name stood fair as a phi- 
 losopher, had gone out of his way to pro-nounce an 
 opinion that the navigation of steam-boats to advantage 
 was an impossibility. A society in Rotterdam had made 
 
 1 Oliver Evans to the people of the United States. Poulson's 
 American Advertiser, March 11, 1815.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCII. 381 
 
 Th Eruktor Amphibolis. Oliver Evans, I'hiladelpliia, 1804 
 
 inquiry of the American Philosophical Society, to know 
 how many steam-engines were in use in the United States. 
 Mr. Latrobe was appointed Chairman of the Commit- 
 tee. He accomplished his task by reporting that there 
 were six steam-engines in the country, but he went on 
 to demonstrate that steam-boats must fail. His lan- 
 guage upon the subject was as follows : 
 
 " During the general lassitude of mechanical exertion which 
 succeeded the American Revolution, the utility of steam engines 
 appears to have been forgotten ; but the subject afterward 
 started into very general notice in a form in which it could not 
 possibly be attended with success. A sort of mania began to pre- 
 vail, which has not yet entirely subsided, for impelling boats by 
 steam engines. Dr. Franklin proposed to force the boat forward 
 by the immediate application of steam upon the water. Many 
 attempts to simplify the working of the engine, and more to dis- 
 pense with the beam in converting the vibratory into a rotary 
 motion, were made. For a short time, a passage boat, rowed 
 by a steam engine, was established between Bordentown and 
 Philadelphia, but it was soon laid aside. The best and most
 
 382 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 powerful steam engine which has been used for this purpose 
 excepting, perhaps, one constructed by Dr. Kinsey, with the 
 performance of which I am not sufficiently acquainted belonged 
 to a Gentleman of New York. It was made to act, by way of 
 experiment, upon oars, upon paddles, and upon flutter wheels. 
 Nothing in the success of any of these experiments appeared to 
 be sufficient compensation for the expenee and the extreme in- 
 convenience of the steam engine in the vessel. 
 
 " There are, indeed, general objections to the use of the steam 
 engine for impelling boats, from which no particular mode of 
 application can be free. These are, 
 
 " First, the weight of the engine and of the fuel. 
 " Second, the large space which it occupies. 
 " Third, the tendency of its action to rack the vessel, and 
 render it leaky. 
 
 " Fourth, the expenee of maintainance. 
 
 " Fifth, the irregularity of its motion, and the motion of the 
 water in the boiler and cistern, and of the fuel vessel in rough 
 water. 
 
 " Sixth, the difficulty arising from the liability of the paddles 
 and oars to break, if light, and from the weight if made 
 strong. 
 
 " Nor have I ever heard of an instance, verified by other testi- 
 mony than that of the inventor, of a speedy and agreeable voyage 
 having been performed in a steamboat of any construction. 
 
 " I am well aware that there are still many respectable and 
 ingenious men who consider the application of the steam engine 
 to the purpose of navigation as highly important, and as very 
 practicable, especially on the rapid waters of the Mississippi, 
 and who would feel themselves almost offended at the expression 
 of an opposite opinion. And perhaps some of the objections 
 against it may be avoided. That founded on the expense and 
 weight of the fuel, may not for some years exist on the Missis- 
 sippi, where there is a redundance of wood on the banks ; but 
 the cutting and loading will be almost as great an evil." 
 
 These oracular opinions were expressed with great 
 flippancy, but it is evident that Mr. Latrobe had very
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 383 
 
 little knowledge of the subject on which he wrote. The 
 performance of " the passage boat " on the Delaware 
 could only have been known to him by prejudiced 
 report, and he seems to have been entirely ignorant 
 of the fact that some of the officers and most distin- 
 guished members of the American Philosophical So- 
 ciety had certified that the boat in question was not 
 only successful and speedy, but an agreeable means 
 of conveyance. 
 
 Among others who experimented in this country 
 before the beginning of the present century, was Ni- 
 cholas I. Rooseveldt, under the patronage of Livingston. 
 It was for his benefit originally that Livingston pro- 
 cured, in 1798, a transfer of the rights of John Fitch, 
 under the law of New York. "When Livingston went 
 to France, Rooseveldt was abandoned, and Fulton waa 
 taken in favor. The experiments of Rooseveldt were 
 made with paddle-wheels. 
 
 In May, 1804, John Cox Stevens, who afterwards 
 obtained in England a patent for a steam-boat, went 
 from Hoboken to New York in a steam-boat propelled 
 at the stern, and subsequently made an excursion of 
 two or three miles up and down the river Hudson. 1 , 
 
 1 Stewart's Anecdotes of Steam-engines. "Woodcroft. 
 
 John Stevens was one of the signers of the recommendation 
 that the Legislature of New Jersey should pass a law giving 
 exclusive rights to Fitch. His attention seems to have been 
 turned to steam navigation from that time. He was engaged 
 in experiments in 1790, and claimed a federal patent. He was 
 the father of John C. Stevens, here spoken of. Charles King, 
 LL, D., President of Columbia College, New York, in a lecture 
 delivered in 1851, before the Mechanics' Society of that city, said, 
 " In 1804, Col. [John Cox] Stevens, whose fertile and ingenious
 
 384 LIFE OF JOHX FITCH. 
 
 We now come to Robert Fulton ; a man original in 
 many things, but who, as the introducer of the steam- 
 boat, merely availed himself of the fruits of the labors 
 
 mind was specially turned to the mechanical inventions, had 
 constructed and put into operation a steam-boat, of which the 
 motive power was a propellor the propellor which at this day, 
 I believe, is admitted in form and proportion to be the best. 
 The boat was a small one. In it Col. Stevens put an engine 
 with tubular boilers. 
 
 ****** 
 
 " The machinery, made under his own direction, and at his 
 own shop at Iloboken, set in motion two propellors, of five feet 
 diameter each, and each furnished with four blades, having the 
 proper twist, to obtain which he had the greatest difficulty 
 with his workmen, and set at an angle of about thirty-five 
 degrees. This vessel, used only for testing the possibility of 
 steamboat navigation, so completely demonstrated the fact, that 
 Col. Stevens applied it on a larger scale, in 1806, to a piroque, 
 50 feet long, 12 wide, 7 deep, which attained very considerable 
 speed. Encouraged thereby, he commenced the Phronix, with 
 side wheels. * * * * It is a proof of the re- 
 markable accuracy and skill of the Iloboken workshop, that the 
 engine of the first small propellor, carefully preserved, was set 
 up again not more than 10 or 12 years ago, and, without alter- 
 ing a screw, worked most successfully. 
 
 ****** 
 
 "Mr. Stevens produced, independently of Fulton's plans and 
 experiments, his steamer Phoenix; but, precluded by the mono- 
 poly which Fulton's success had obtained for him of the waters 
 of New York, Mr. Stevens first employed her as a passenger 
 boat between this city and New Brunswick, and finally conceived 
 the bold purpose of sending her round to Philadelphia by sea, 
 and he executed it successfully. His son, Robert L. Stevens, 
 went round with the boat in the month of June, 1808. A fierce 
 storm overtook them. A schooner in company was driven off 
 to sea, and was absent many days ; but the Phoenix made a safe 
 harbor at Barnegat ; whence, when the storm abated, she pro-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 385 
 
 and successes of the ingenious men in America and 
 Europe who had toiled before him. 
 
 In 1785, Robert Fulton was living at Philadelphia. 
 The City Directory for that year has his name thus : 
 
 ROBERT FULTON, miniature painter, corner of second and 
 Walnut Street. 
 
 ceeded safely to Philadelphia, and plied many years between 
 that City and Trenton. Mr. Stevens thus earned indisputably 
 the honour of first venturing to encounter the might of Ocean suc- 
 cessfully with a steam propelled vessel. When the Phoenix 
 vrent round to Philadelphia, the Atlantic, and no other sea, had 
 ever known the domination of victorious steam. 
 
 ****** 
 
 " It was again reserved to Stevens, after long and numerous 
 experiments, carefully conducted and tested, as to form of vessel 
 best calculated to overcome the resistance of the dense medium 
 through which it was to make its way, to send forth on the 
 Hudson a boat as superior in size and equipment, as in speed, 
 to all before it, and to travel at the rate of 13j miles per hour. 
 Even that is now slow; and the one hundred and fifty miles 
 which separate us from Albany are passed over by the steam- 
 boats not one, but many in eight or nine hours ;~ and the 
 actual rate of nineteen or twenty miles the hour has been at- 
 tained by some of the later boats. 
 
 " But when the New Philadelphia, R. L. Stevens' boat, in 1814, 
 started off at the rate of 13 miles per hour, even the senses were 
 distrusted; philosophy, which had calculated the resistance of 
 the medium to the forms then used, was at fault, and what had 
 been actually done was pronounced impossible. But the steady, 
 far-reaching mind of the younger Stevens, knew the secret of 
 his success that it was due to the form which he had given his 
 vessel. He saw, too, after some trips, that even that form was 
 far from the perfection he had designed, and accordingly went 
 to Brown & Bell, eminent ship builders, and begged them to put 
 in the New Philadelphia a sharp, false bow, of which he gave 
 them a drawing. After considering the proposition, they de- 
 33
 
 386 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 In the preface of this Directory, it is stated that the 
 names were taken September, 1785. This was after 
 Fitch's application to Congress, and after he had laid 
 his drawings before the American Philosophical So- 
 ciety. How long Mr. Fulton remained in Philadel- 
 phia, is not specified by his biographers. A deed for 
 a small farm, which he bought for the use of his mo- 
 ther, bears date May 6, 1786. After that time, Mr. 
 Fulton removed his mother and her family to the pro- 
 perty, which was in Washington County, Pennsylvania, 
 at a considerable distance from her former residence 
 in Lancaster. Having then visited the Warm Springs, 
 Virginia, he returned to Philadelphia, and after some 
 time went to England. 1 It is very probable, from all 
 these circumstances, that Fulton did not leave the 
 United States until some time in the fall of 1786 
 long after Fitch's scheme had become well known, 
 by application to Congress, and the legislatures of 
 Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, 
 after the formation of the Steam-boat Company, 
 and after the skiff steam-boat had been successfully 
 tried on the Delaware. The experiments then made 
 were notorious, and they could not have been disre- 
 garded by a person of Mr. Fulton's turn of mind. 
 
 The English writers declare that in 1801 Mr. Fulton 
 
 clined, declaring themselves unwilling to encounter the ridicule 
 of what struck them as so unseemly a work, and Mr. Bell added 
 that it -would be called ' Bell's nose,' and would become a gene- 
 ral laughing stock. Repulsed, but not disconcerted, young Ste- 
 vens, sure of his own conclusions, built a false bow at his own 
 shop, put it on, and obtained in consequence an additional speed 
 of several miles the hour." 
 
 1 Reigart's Life of Fulton, page 40, et supra.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 387 
 
 visited Symington's boat on the Forth and Clyde 
 Canal ; that he introduced himself by name, and de- 
 clared that he had a great curiosity to see the perform- 
 ance of the vessel. To gratify him, the boat was put 
 in motion, and with Fulton on board, it was propelled 
 from lock 16, four miles west, and returned to the 
 starting-place. The speed was six miles an hour. 
 Fulton took drawings of the machinery. This is de- 
 clared in affidavits made by Robert Weir and Jacob 
 Perkins. 1 
 
 Beside this assistance from Symington and Miller, 
 it has been successfully shown that Fulton inspected 
 and had possession of the drawings and papers of John 
 Fitch, which were left with Aaron Vail in France. 
 
 Nathaniel Cutting, in a letter to Fernando Fairfax, 
 gives the substance of a conversation with Mr. Vail on 
 the subject. 2 The latter, in speaking of Fitch and his 
 experiments in the United States, said, 
 
 " Mr. Fitch came to France in pursuit of this object, but could 
 not obtain the pecuniary aid required for his purpose ; and after 
 exhausting his patience, and the limited means at his disposal, 
 he deposited his specifications and drawings in the hands of Mr. 
 Vail, and quit the pursuit in France. 
 
 ****** 
 
 " Mr. Vail further remarked that he himself was not suffi- 
 ciently acquainted with mechanics to know whether or not the 
 mechanism now intended to be used by Mr. Fulton was the same 
 in principle with that formerly invented and used by Mr. Fitch ; 
 but it might be the same, for aught he knew, for he had lent to 
 Mr. Fulton, at Paris, all the specifications and drawings of Mr. 
 fitch, and they remained in his possession several months ; and 
 
 1 Woodcroft, pages 64, 65. 
 
 8 Duer's second letter to Golden, page 57.
 
 388 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 doubtless a man of Mr. Fulton's ingenuity would not fail to 
 profit by any new and useful combination of the mechanical 
 power that be might then discover, especially as he might sup- 
 pose no one living would convict him of the plagiarism" 
 
 Mr. John D. Dickinson, in a letter to "William A. 
 Duer, dated Troy, November 17, 1818, says, 
 
 " I saw James Vail, who resided with his uncle, Aaron, at 
 L'Orient, when Chancellor Livingston arrived in France. He 
 [James Vail] had often seen and examined Fitch's papers and 
 designs about his steam-boat. He had frequently heard the 
 Chancellor and Aaron Vail conversing on the subject. He don't 
 recollect seeing the papers shown to Livingston, but has no 
 doubt they were." ' 
 
 In reference to this matter, Noah Webster, the dis- 
 tinguished lexicographer, in a letter to R. W. Gris- 
 wold, dated December 18, 1839, said, 
 
 1 " My father, the late Dr. Cartwright, whose various mecha- 
 nical inventions, especially the power loom, are well known to 
 your scientific readers, has frequently told me, when I was a 
 boy, that 1 should live to see vessels on the water, and carriages 
 on the land, impelled by steam ; and that he had no doubt but 
 that the use of horses for this latter purpose would be superseded 
 altogether. About 45 years ago, he had a model of a steam- 
 engine constructed, which was to be attached to a barge ; and I 
 perfectly recollect the general principle of it, being the same as 
 those now in use. The model was laid by, and he did not take 
 any steps for making his invention more fully known. In the 
 year 1799, he became acquainted with Mr. Fulton, an American 
 engineer, to whom he gave the plan or model of the steamboat ; 
 which I have been informed was first used in America by Mr. 
 Fulton, who had the credit of the invention. 
 
 "As none of my father's family are likely to enjoy any benefit 
 
 from his inventions beyond the fame of them, I have thought it 
 
 right to state these particulars in justice to his memory and for 
 
 the satisfaction of his descendants. EDM. CARUVRICHT." 
 
 Gentleman's Magazine (London), Feb., 1832, page 108.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 389 
 
 "About that time [after Fitch's experiments on the Delaware], 
 the Company aiding Mr. Fitch sent him to France, at the request 
 of Mr. Vail, our Consul at L'Orient, who was one of the Com- 
 pany. But this was when France began to be agitated by the 
 revolution, and nothing in favour of Mr. Fitch was accomplished. 
 lie therefore returned. Mr. Vail afterward presented to Mr. 
 Fulton for examination the papers of Mr. Fitch, containing Ms 
 scheme for steam navigation." 1 
 
 Armed, thus, with the plans of Fitch, Symington, 
 and Cartwright, and aided by the instruction of Chan- 
 cellor Livingston as to what he had himself learned of 
 the boat of Morey, of Fitch on the Collect, New 
 York, of Rooseveldt, and of Stevens on the Hudson, 
 Mr. Fulton commenced experiments, in 1803, on his ori- 
 ginal invention at Plombieres. 
 
 Afterwards, procuring a steam-engine of James 
 "Watt, the great improver of these machines, and adapt- 
 ing all the improvements made by others, he succeeded 
 in propelling the Clermont, on the Hudson, in 1807, 
 at the rate of four miles an hour. 
 
 The extent of his claims as an original inventor are 
 thus concisely summed up by Mr. Woodcroft. 
 
 " He had a cylinder, with steam acting on each side of the 
 piston, the air pump, and detached condenser (Watt's inven- 
 tion), connecting rods, and cranks, to obtain a rotary motion, 
 and a fly wheel, to get over the dead point (Pickand's invention), 
 improved paddle wheels (Miller's invention), and the combina- 
 tion of these instruments together for the first time (Symington's 
 invention). In fact, if these inventions, separate or as a com- 
 bination, were removed out of Fulton's Boat, nothing would bo 
 left but the hull." 2 
 
 1 Duer's second letter to Colden. 
 
 2 History of Early steam Navigation, page G4. See Stewart's 
 Anecdotes of Steam-engines, to the same point. 
 
 33*
 
 300 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 The Clermont, Robert Fulton's Steam-boat^-New York, 
 
 Robert Fulton had what John Fitch had not 
 a rich, enthusiastic, liberal, influential patron. Chan- 
 cellor Livingston was willing to put up with a boat 
 going at the rate of five miles an hour ; Fitch's 
 Company were dissatisfied with one which progressed 
 seven and eight miles in the same time. Fulton had 
 the very best machinery that could be made in Europe ; 
 Fitch made his own, by the aid of common black- 
 smiths, roughly, and had to experiment as he went on, 
 to discover the relative positions and influences of the 
 various parts of the engine and rowing apparatus 
 upon each other. Fulton began after years wasted by 
 other men in trials by which he profited ; and, appro- 
 priating to himself the principles made manifest by 
 the results of their toils, disappointments, and losses, 
 is now held out to the world as the original inventor 
 of steam-boats. Against such rank injustice, the facts 
 set forth in these pages will continually protest. 
 
 We have said that John Fitch procured a law from
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 391 
 
 the State of New York, protecting him in his invention 
 of the steam-boat. In 1798, application was made to 
 the Legislature of that State by Robert R. Livingston, 
 representing that himself and others associated with 
 him had gone to great expense in making experiments 
 upon steam-boats, but were hindered from prosecuting 
 them by the previous law, giving special rights to John 
 Fitch for fourteen years. It was suggested that Fitch 
 was dead, or that he had left the commonwealth, and 
 that it would be for the public advantage to repeal the 
 law. Under these representations, the Assembly of 
 New York repealed the act in favor of Fitch, and 
 transferred all the rights granted therein to Livingston 
 and his associates for the term of twenty years, upon 
 condition that they should in two years build a boat to 
 progress by steam not less than four miles an hour. 1 
 This condition was not complied with ; and the law 
 was extended from, time to time, until Fulton fulfilled 
 the terms by navigating the Clermont to Albany in 
 1807 ; 2 the privileges having also been so extended 
 that the law had then seventeen years to run. 
 
 1 This law is entitled, "An Act repealing the Act for granting 
 and securing to John Fitch the sole right and advantage of 
 making and employing the steam-boat by him lately invented, 
 and for other purposes." The other purposes were the re-grant to 
 Livingston. 
 
 2 It is a fact in no way creditable to the biographers of Ful- 
 ton, that they disingenuously conceal the manner in which this 
 law was obtained by taking away the privileges granted to John 
 Fitch. Mr. Colden speaks of it as if it was an original law, 
 granting privileges to Livingston and his companion, when in 
 fact it was only an assignment or transfer of the rights of Fitch. 
 Although Mr. Duer exposed this injustice in his two " Letters to
 
 392 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Fulton and Livingston did not attempt to obtain a 
 patent from the United States as soon as they had 
 shown the practicability of the Clermont. Probably 
 thinking that the act originally passed in favor of 
 Fitch in the State of New York, which had been ap- 
 propriated to their use, was better, they made such a 
 monopoly under it that opposition was interposed by 
 those who were interested in navigation. Under the 
 patent-law, in proceedings for infringement, Messrs. 
 Fulton and Livingston would have been compelled to 
 submit the originality of their invention to the law, 
 and to be satisfied with such damages as might be al- 
 lowed them. But under the Fitch law, they were em- 
 powered to seize and forfeit any boat impelled by the 
 power of fire and steam, without their license, no 
 matter in what manner those forces were applied, 
 together with one hundred dollars penalty for every 
 infraction. 1 
 
 Golden," Mr. Reigart, the latest biographer of Fulton, has fol- 
 lowed the same course. He speaks of the New York law as if 
 an original bill had been presented by Dr. Mitchell, and quotes 
 an anecdote, to the effect that " the wags of the house laughed 
 at it as a thing unworthy of attention." How the wags could 
 sneer in that manner at a law already in existence, the biogra- 
 pher does not undertake to explain. See Reigart's Life of Ful- 
 ton, page 163. 
 
 1 The profits of Fulton and Livingston must have been very 
 considerable. They announced by advertisement in the Phila- 
 delphia Aurora, in June, 1812, that they would grant licenses 
 for building and navigating steam-boats in any part of the 
 United States. The conditions were, that, out of the gross re- 
 ceipts, ten per cent, on the cost of the boats was to be retained 
 by the builders. All receipts beyond ten per cent, were to be
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 393 
 
 The originality of Fulton was disputed ; but, armed 
 with the powers of the statute, he and his associates 
 fought stoutly against all opposition. As early as 
 1810, a company was formed at Albany, to run a line 
 of steam-boats to New York. Livingston and Fulton 
 applied to the Chancellor of the State for an injunc- 
 tion against those who were interested in the scheme. 
 The Chancellor refused to grant the application, de- 
 claring that the law was invalid, being superseded by 
 the patent-laws of the United States. This decision 
 was reversed in the Court of Errors. The claimants 
 under the Fitch law were not satisfied with the triumph 
 thus gained, and they procured from a pliant Legisla- 
 ture the passage of an act making it obligatory on the 
 Chancellor to grant an injunction whenever the claim- 
 ants under the steam-boat Act required it. The dis- 
 pute would probably have been taken to the Courts of 
 the United States, but Fulton and Livingston were too 
 wise to risk the chances of such an arbitrament. They 
 compromised with the Albany Company, and gave them 
 full license to run their steam-boats on Lake Cham- 
 plain. 
 
 The people of New Jersey found the New York 
 statute particularly onerous, as it precluded them from 
 navigating the Hudson, a boundary of their own State. 
 Laws were therefore passed to retaliate against Living- 
 ston, Fulton, and the New York steam-boat owners. 
 Foremost among their opponents was Colonel Aaron 
 Ogden, of Elizabethtown, who owned an ancient ferry 
 
 divided one-half to the builders of the steam-boat, the other 
 half to Fulton and Livingston. If the receipts were less than 
 ten per cent., Fulton and Livingston were to have no dividend.
 
 394 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 between that place and New York city. He procured 
 a steam-boat, to be built after the plan of Daniel 
 Dod, 1 and his effort caused a very bitter controversy. 
 In 1815, application was made to the Legislature of 
 New Jersey, by Fulton and his associates, to repeal 
 the law which was passed in retaliation against the 
 New York statute. Colonel Ogden and others strongly 
 opposed it. Testimony was given by John Wilson, 
 Mr. Ewing, Captain Deklyn, and Nathan Wright, in 
 relation to the steam-boat of Fitch. The matter was 
 discussed before the Legislature by Thomas Addis 
 Emmett on the part of the New York petitioners, and 
 by Samuel L. Southard, Joseph Hopkinson, and Colonel 
 Ogden, on the other side. 
 
 The MS. journals of John Fitch were before the 
 Legislature. They are spoken of several times in the 
 sketch of " the steam-boat case," published at Trenton 
 in 1815. Reference is made to peculiar language of 
 Fitch, which is found in his manuscripts as they are in 
 the Philadelphia Library. The minutes of the Direct- 
 ors of the Company do not refer to this matter in any 
 way. It is impossible, however, to resist the belief 
 that, although the thirty years specified by Fitch had 
 not elapsed, the seals were broken and the manuscripts 
 used. They must have been immediately resealed and 
 returned to the Library, as the Directors of 1823 seem 
 to have been ignorant of the fact that the original en- 
 closure had ever been opened. It is proper to say that 
 the letter of Fitch to the Librarian, in 1792, gave full 
 authority to break the seals whenever, in the opinion 
 
 1 Daniel Dod, of Mendham, New Jersey, procured a patent 
 for navigating boats by steam, February 2d, 1814.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 395 
 
 of the Directors, it was deemed proper to do so for 
 the maintenance of his reputation and rightful claims. 
 Although this act was informal, those who did it were 
 carrying out the true spirit of the trust, in thus per- 
 mitting the papers of Fitch to vindicate his claims 
 against " some other man," who was trying to " obtain 
 fame and honor" from his "invention." 
 
 The matter was eventually made a subject of party 
 discipline; and under that pressure, the law vindi- 
 cating the rights of New Jersey was repealed. 1 
 
 This circumstance nerved Colonel Ogden to fresh 
 exertions. An administrator to John Fitch was raised 
 in New Jersey, who sold to Colonel Ogden all the 
 rights of the deceased in the steam-boat, it is said, for 
 ten dollars. The whole affair was manifestly illegal. 
 The old Steam-boat Company owned the patent, and 
 Fitch at his death had no interest therein except as a 
 shareholder. In addition to that, whatever property 
 he may have had in the invention belonged to the lega- 
 tees under his will. These matters were not canvassed 
 by Ogden's opponents, and the movement served its 
 purpose to strengthen the claim of the enemies of 
 Fulton. Application was soon made by Colonel Ogden, 
 as a citizen of New Jersey, and as the representative 
 of John Fitch, to the Legislature of New York, re- 
 questing that the obnoxious law should be repealed. 
 The memorial was referred to a Committee, of which 
 William A. Duer was Chairman. Fulton and Living- 
 ston were represented by Cadwalader D. Coltlen and 
 Thomas Addis Emmett. The evidence before this 
 Committee was somewhat like that given before the 
 
 1 History of the Steam-boat Case, Trenton, 1815.
 
 396 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Legislature of New Jersey. In addition, Governor 
 Bloomfield, of New Jersey, testified that he had fre- 
 quently been a passenger in Fitch's boat on the Dela- 
 ware. After investigation, the Committee reported in 
 favor of a repeal of the law, on the ground that " the 
 steam-boat of Robert Fulton was, in substance, the inven- 
 tion patented by John Fitch in 1791 ;" that the patent 
 to Fitch had expired, and that any citizen of the 
 United States had a right to make use of the disco- 
 very. 1 
 
 The Committee, in justification of this opinion, de- 
 clared that, 
 
 " In Fitch's boat, the cranks of the axle beam were connected 
 with a frame, from which paddles were suspended perpendicu- 
 larly, acting on an eliptical line in the water ; whilst in Fulton's, 
 the axle was attached to a vertical wheel, with paddles or buck- 
 ets firmly fixed in the periphery. In both the motion of the 
 axis itself was rotatory." 1 
 
 After the death of Mr. Fulton, his counsel, Mr. 
 Golden, wrote his biography, and alluded to the report 
 of the Committee of the Legislature of New York in 
 terms which seemed to be colored by the zeal of the 
 advocate rather than by the impartial spirit of the 
 historian. To the attack thus made, Mr. Duer, who 
 had been chairman of that Committee, published an 
 answer, which was printed in Albany, in 1817, en- 
 titled, "A Letter addressed to Cadwalader D. Golden." 
 
 In 1818, Mr. Golden published a reply, entitled, 
 
 1 New York Review, Vol. IV., page 148. Duer's first letter to 
 Colden. 
 
 2 New York Review, Vol. IV., pages 153, 154. Duer's first 
 letter to Gulden.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 897 
 
 "A Vindication, by Cadwalader D. Golden, of the 
 Steam-boat Right," etc. 
 
 Mr. Duer followed, in 1819, by "A Reply to C. D. 
 Colden's Vindication," etc. 
 
 For the sake of convenience when referring to them, 
 we have spoken of these as Duer's first and second 
 letters to Golden, and as Colden's reply to Duer. In 
 these publications the whole matter was discussed, and 
 additional evidence was brought forward by Mr. Duer 
 to sustain the claims of John Fitch. 
 
 The Legislature of New York refused to adopt the 
 report of the Committee against the validity of the 
 act relied upon by Fulton. Colonel Ogden would pro- 
 bably have contested the matter further, but he, too, 
 was brought over to the adverse interest. The claim- 
 ants under Fulton compromised with him, as they had 
 done with the Albany Company, and he also run his 
 boats from Elizabethtown to New York under the ban- 
 ner of the monopoly. 1 
 
 Some time afterward, one Thomas Gibbons came to 
 Elizabethtown, New Jersey, and purchased an interest 
 in an ancient ferry to New York. He resolved to em- 
 ploy steam-boats ; and, oddly enough, his right to do 
 so was contested by Colonel Ogden, the owner of a 
 rival ferry, who now fought as stoutly for the Fulton 
 and Livingston claimants as he had formerly battled 
 against them. Gibbons was armed with legal opinions 
 that the New York law was unconstitutional, and he 
 resolved to contest its validity to the uttermost. 1 
 
 The controversy was at length taken into the courts, 
 and some lawsuits which arose under it will be found 
 
 New York fteview, Vol. IV. 
 34
 
 398 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 reported in the cases, Gibbons vs. Ogden, 1 Halstead 
 285, 2 Halstead 122, 3 Halstead 288, 2 Southard 161, 
 G Wheaton 448, 9 Wheaton 1. 
 
 Finally, the question was authoritatively settled by 
 the Supreme Court of the United States : 9 Wheaton, 
 page 1. It was declared that the power of regulating 
 commerce, given by the Constitution of the United 
 States, included in it the right to regulate navigation ; 
 and that the law of New York was unconstitutional, 
 so far as it prohibited vessels licensed according to the 
 laws of the United States from carrying on a coasting 
 trade, and from navigating those waters by fire or 
 steam. With this decision the monopoly under the 
 State law fell, and Fulton and Livingston were com- 
 pelled to rely upon their patent obtained in 1811. 

 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 399 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 STEAM-BOAT AFFAIRS IN THE UNITED STATES AFTER 
 
 FULTON'S EXPERIMENTS., 
 
 THE experiment of Fulton aroused attention in vari- 
 ous parts of the country to the claims of John Fitcli 
 and his associates. Dr. William Thornton, in 1810, 
 felt himself bound to vindicate the reputation of his 
 old associate. The Doctor was then the Superintendent 
 of the Patent-Office, and was thoroughly conversant 
 with the subject of steam-engines. In 1814, he pub- 
 lished a small pamphlet, entitled " a short account of 
 the Origin of Steam-boats, written in 1810, and now 
 committed to the press by W. Thornton, of the City 
 of Washington." He commenced his statement in 
 these words : 
 
 " Finding that Mr. Robert Fulton, whose genius and talents 
 I highly respect, has by some been considered the inventor of 
 the steam-boat, I think it a duty to the memory of the late John 
 Fitch, to set forth, with as much brevity as possible, the fallacy 
 of this opinion ; and to show, moreover, that if Mr. Fulton haa 
 any claim whatever, it is exceedingly limited." 
 
 Quotations from this pamphlet have been made in 
 appropriate portions of these pages. The following 
 gives the reason of the final failure of the old Steam- 
 boat Company. It also controverts the idea that Mr.
 
 400 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Fulton was entitled to any merit for the employment 
 of paddle-wheels at the sides of his boat, and shows 
 that Fulton was indebted to Fitch for the proportions 
 of his vessels : 
 
 "Finding that the works on board the first boat were not 
 strong enough, we built another, of twenty five tons burthen, 
 rigged schooner fashion, intended to go to New Orleans, and 
 mount the Mississippi. When the principal parts of the works 
 were prepared, and ready to be put on board, the author of this, 
 thinking that no mistakes could be made by the Company, went 
 to the West Indies, on the 16th of October, 1790, to visit his 
 mother for the last time, and expected to find on his return the 
 boat ascending the Mississippi at the rate of at least four miles 
 an hour ; but a spirit of innovation having seised some of the 
 Company, and their attempts to simplify the machine having 
 ruined it, their unsuccessful endeavors to make it work subjected 
 them to debts, which obliged them to sacrifice both boats and 
 all the machinery ; and on my return, after a two years' absence, 
 I found, to my inexpressible grief, the whole of this very valu- 
 able scheme ruined. I had only, then, to wait until the patent 
 taken out from the United States during my absence, for the 
 benefit of the Company, by Messrs. Fitch and Voight, in the 
 year 1791, expired, and to take out a patent for those peculiar 
 improvements which I had invented or suggested. Finding Mr. 
 Fulton about to take out a patent after he had examined every 
 thing in the patent office relative to steamboats and steam en- 
 gines, and not knowing whether he might recollect, among so 
 many, those I bad shown him of my own invention, I thought 
 it proper to take a patent for them previous to a sight of his 
 papers, or of any hint of what they contained ; and I believe he 
 will do me the justice to say I never saw one of his, nor had a 
 hint of what they were, before my patent from the. United States 
 was issued. I find Mr. Fulton's patent rests principally on pro- 
 portions, though the second section of the law expressly excludes 
 proportions. 1 He uses Watt's and Boulton's steam engines, and 
 
 1 Dr. Thornton says, in a note, " But if any is claimed, I find 
 his boat is exactly in the proportion of the boat we used, and
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 401 
 
 wheels at the sides of the boat ; but an engine on the principles 
 of Watt's and Boulton's was used by us, the application of which 
 was since patented ; and the use of wheels at the sides was 
 known to us, and I often urged their use in our first boat ; but 
 the objection to them on so small a scale was their waste of 
 power by the fall of the buckets or paddles on the water, and 
 their lift of water in rising; both of which objections would 
 diminish as the wheel increased in size; 1 but side wheels could 
 not be claimed as a new invention, for their use in navigation 
 bad long been known and published to the world by Dr. John 
 Harris, in his Lexicon Technicum, in 1710 just one hundred 
 years ago. If Mr. Fulton should claim the actual application 
 of steam to wheels at the sides of a boat, in opposition to the 
 above declarations, I beg leave to offer, as a caveat against any 
 such claim, the fire ship of Edward Thomason, in the tenth 
 volume of the Repertory of Arts, which was laid before the 
 Lords of the admiralty in 1796. This contains wheels at the 
 sides, operated on by a steam engine, and was intended to pos- 
 sess the power of moving given distances, in all directions, ac- 
 cording to the intentions of the director; so that, without any 
 person being on board, it would conduct itself into an enemy's 
 port, and by clock work, at a given moment explode the combus- 
 tibles; which plan, I also presume, might suggest to any person 
 of even lees original genius than Mr. Fulton, the mode of letting 
 off torpedoes, which were invented during the war of indepen- 
 dence, by the late Major Bushnell, of Connecticut." 
 
 It has already been shown that the first model of 
 Fitch at Southampton, Bucks County, had side-wheels, 
 and according to Bache's Advertiser, they were fully 
 
 which was made known to him by Mr. Aaron Vail : viz., 8 feet 
 wide by 60 feet long ; Mr. Fulton's, 20 feet wide and 150 feet 
 long ; in both cases exactly 7 times the length of the breadth. 
 Other proportions may answer as well, but this is given to show 
 whence he derived his original ideas." 
 
 1 Dr. Thornton took out a patent for propelling paddle or 
 flutter-wheels, Dec. 23, 1814. 
 34*
 
 402 LIFE OF JOHN FIT OH. 
 
 tried on the boat. This was modified by the substitu- 
 tion of paddles on the endless chain ; the paddle-wheel 
 was considered a failure. Oliver Evans said on this 
 subject, in 1814, 
 
 " When John Fitch and his Company were engaged in con- 
 structing their boat at Philadelphia, I suggested to Fitch the 
 plan of driving and propelling the said boat by paddle or flutter 
 wheels at the sides, but he had an objection to them. 
 I mentioned the same to Henry Voight, who said that Dr. Thorn- 
 ton was the person who had proposed flutter-wheels at the sides 
 of the boat, but that both himself and John Fitch had objected 
 to them." ' 
 
 The noise of Fulton's experiments seems also to 
 have aroused Henry Voight, the old companion and 
 partner of Fitch, who, during many years had, in his 
 comfortable office as chief coiner of the United States 
 Mint, forgotten his struggles and losses in the steam- 
 boat scheme. Applying his inventive genius to work, 
 he produced an improved method of navigating steam- 
 boats by three rows of paddles at the sides. The 
 blades were fastened to beams, moved by levers and 
 cranks, so that one set of the paddles was always in 
 the water. This plan was laid before the American 
 Philosophical Society, with a curious drawing, on the 
 21st of July, 1809, and is to be found in the MS. 
 volume entitled, "Mechanics, Machinery, Engineering, 
 &c." 2 
 
 1 Duer's second letter to Golden, Appendix. 
 
 8 In 1793, Henry Voight discovered a method of making steel 
 from iron, which it was said exceeded the generality of imported 
 cast-steel when manufactured into knives and razors. It was 
 announced that Mr. Voight would communicate this discovery

 
 404 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 On the 9th of November, 1815, Fernando Fairfax, 
 of Washington, D. C., published an advertisement in 
 the Aurora, printed at Philadelphia, notifying all per- 
 sons interested, that authority was vested in him by 
 the holder of the oldest patent-rights for steam navi- 
 gation in the United States ; and that all persons de- 
 siring license to navigate by steam must take out license 
 for him, as he held under a member of John Fitch's 
 Company. At that time Fitch's patent of 1791 had 
 expired, and it is probable that the person alluded to 
 was Dr. Thornton. In regard to the original inven- 
 tion, Mr. Fairfax held this language : 
 
 "As to Fitch and his Company, I may be permitted to observe, 
 from evidence I possess of the most authentic kind, that their 
 spirit of enterprize pushed them forward against numerous dis- 
 couragements of that early time, when the power of steam itself 
 was so little known in this country that there was not a man to 
 be found in it to make a complete engine, and the proposal of 
 navigating by steam was regarded as a wild project, rather to 
 be frowned on than encouraged by monied men, whose aid alone 
 could thoroughly establish its use. If those spirited individuals 
 spent thousands of pour.ds in demonstrating their scheme, with- 
 out reaping the profit which its establishment would have in- 
 sured, but when others, taking up their invention at a later and 
 more fortunate period, were enabled to realize, they are not the 
 less entitled to the favour of an enlightened community, or to 
 the reward of inventive genius." 
 
 gratis to blacksmiths and others interested in the iron and steel 
 manufacture,' "which may prove a considerable saving to the 
 United States in the importation of the article, as every black- 
 smith can make his own steel." 
 
 Henry Voight died at Philadelphia, February 7, 1814, in the 
 seventy-first year of his age, and was buried from the house of 
 John Kessler, Esq., corner of Fourth and Coates streets.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 405 
 
 The law has changed since the time of Fitch. He 
 claimed for any and all applications of the power of 
 steam to propel boats. The United States patent-laws 
 subsequently passed restrict patentees to their own 
 method of use. Under those regulations, any new 
 application of the means of propulsion might be 
 patented. Thus it happened that Livingston and 
 Fulton had many rivals to contend against. 1 Stevens 
 
 1 Fulton and Livingston seem to have been so well satisfied 
 with the monopoly given them by the assignment or transfer of 
 rights originally granted by the State of New York to John 
 Fitch, that application was not made by Fulton for a patent 
 under the laws of the United States until 1811. Before that 
 time various patents had been issued for the application of steam 
 to the propulsion of vessels. The following is a list of them : 
 
 John Fitch, Philadelphia, August 20, 1791. , 
 
 James Rumsey, Berkely County, Virginia, 1791. 
 
 Jehoshaphat Starr, Connecticut, April 28, 1797. 
 
 Edward West, Kentucky, July 6, 1802. 
 
 Dr. William Thornton, Washington, D. C., January 16, 1809. 
 
 Daniel French, New York, October 12, 1809. 
 
 John Stevens, New York, January 3, 1810. 
 
 Samuel Bolton, Philadelphia, November 1, 1810. 
 
 Michael Morrison, Boston, January 17, 1811. 
 
 Robert Fulton, New York, February 9, 1811. 
 
 The patents for steam-engines in the same period were as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 John Stevens, Bergen County, New Jersey, August 26, 1791. 
 
 James Rumsey, Berkeley County, Virginia, August 26, 1791. 
 
 Englehart Cruse, Baltimore, Maryland, August 26, 1791. 
 
 J. Smallman and Nicholas J. Roosevelt, May 31, 1798. 
 Samuel Briggs, Georgia, October 9, 1802. 
 John Stevens, Bergen County, New Jersey, April 11, 1803. 
 S. Morey, R. Graves, and G. Richards, Massachusetts, June 
 15, 1803. 
 Oliver Evans, Philadelphia, February 14, 1804.
 
 406 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 had constructed steam-boats before Fulton had returned 
 from France. 
 
 Rooseveldt had been an early experimenter upon 
 steam-boats, but had no patent. 1 Some arrangement 
 was made with him by Fulton and Livingston, whereby 
 he was prevented from taking adverse action against 
 them. Rooseveldt went to the West, and built the 
 first steam-boat which ever navigated the Ohio or Mis- 
 sissippi, which was finished in 1811, and called the 
 New Orleans. This boat was of the capacity of one 
 hundred tons. She left Pittsburg in October, being, 
 designed to run as a packet-boat between New Orleans 
 and Natchez. This little vessel had a wheel at the 
 stern, and was rigged with two masts and sails. The 
 New Orleans continued to make trips between Natchez 
 and New Orleans until July 14, 1815 ; when she was 
 wrecked near Baton Rouge by striking a snag. 2 
 
 Samuel Brig^s, Georgia, October 9, 1809. 
 
 Daniel French, New York, October 12, 1809. 
 
 John Stevens, New York, January 3, 1810. 
 
 The patents for steam-boilers were as follows: 
 
 John Stevens, Bergen County, New York, August 26, 1791. 
 
 Elijah Bachus, Virginia, May 31, 1796. 
 
 Matthew Longwell, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, July 11, 1807. 
 
 John Stevens, Bergen County, New Jersey, January 3, 1810. 
 
 1 The first patent to Nicholas J. Rooseveldt, of New Jersey, 
 for propelling boats by steam, was not issued until December 1, 
 1814. 
 
 2 In " The Rambler in North America," by Charles J. La- 
 trobe, the following interesting account of the first trip of this 
 steam-boat is given : 
 
 " Circumstances gave me the opportunity of becoming ac- 
 quainted with the particulars of the very first voyage of a steamer 
 in the "West. The complete success attending the experiments in
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 407 
 
 Meanwhile, others had engaged in this business. 
 The Comet, a boat of twenty-five tons, owned by Daniel 
 D. Smith, and built on D. French's patent, was 
 
 steam navigation made on the Hudson and adjoining waters, pre- 
 vious to the year 1809, turned the attention of the principal pro- 
 jectors to the idea of its application on the Western rivers ; and 
 in the month of April of that year, Mr. Roosevelt, of New York, 
 pursuant to an arrangement with Chancellor Livingston and 
 Mr. Fulton, visited those rivers with the purpose of forming an 
 opinion whether they admitted of steam navigation or not. At 
 this time two boats ***** were run- 
 ning on the Hudson. Mr. R. surveyed the rivers from Pittsburg 
 to New Orleans, and as his report was favorable, it was decided 
 to build a boat at the former town. 
 
 " This was done under his directions ; and in the course of 
 1811, the first boat was launched on the waters of the Ohio. 
 She was called the ' New Orleans/ and intended to ply between 
 Natchez, in the State of Mississippi, and the city whose name 
 she bore. In October, she left Pittsburg for her experimental 
 voyage. On this occasion no freight or passengers were taken, 
 the object being merely to bring the boat to her station. Mr. 
 R., his young wife and family, Mr. Baker, the engineer, Andrew 
 Jack, the pilot, six hands, with a few domestics, formed her 
 whole burden. There were no wood-yards at that time, and 
 constant delays were unavoidable. When, as related, Mr. R. 
 had gone down the river to reconnoitre, he had discovered two 
 beds of coal, about 120 miles below the rapids at Louisville, and 
 now took tools to work them, intending to load the vessel with 
 the coal, and to employ it as fuel, instead of constantly detain- 
 ing the boat while wood was procured from the banks. 
 
 " Late at night, on the fourth, day after quitting Pittsburg, 
 they arrived in safety at Louisville ; having been but seventy 
 hours descending upwards of seven hundred miles. The novel 
 appearance of the vessel, and the fearful rapidity with which it 
 made its passage over the broad reaches of the river, excited a 
 mixture of terror and surprise among many of the settlers on 
 the banks, whom the rumor of such an invention had never
 
 408 LIFE Or JOHN FITCH. 
 
 launched in 1813. In 1814, the Vesuvius, owned by 
 Fulton and others, was built at Pittsburg. The Enter- 
 prise, built according to French's patent, at Browns- 
 ville, Pennsylvania, was the fourth boat. 
 
 reached ; and it is related that on the unexpected arrival of the 
 boat before Louisville, in the course of a fine, still, moonlight 
 night, the extraordinary sound which filled the air as the pent- 
 up steam was permitted to escape from the valves on rounding 
 to, produced a general alarm, and multitudes rose from their 
 beds to ascertain the cause. 
 
 " I have heard that the general impression among the good 
 Kentuckians was that a comet had fallen into the Ohio ; but 
 this does not rest upon the same foundation as the other facts 
 which I lay before you, and which I may at once say I had di- 
 rectly from the parties themselves. The small depth of water 
 in the rapids prevented the boat from pursuing her voyage im- 
 mediately, and during the consequent detention of three weeks 
 in the upper part of the Ohio, several trips were successfully 
 made between Louisville and Cincinnati. In fine, the water rose, 
 and in the course of the last week in November the voyage was 
 resumed, the depth of water barely admitting their passage. 
 
 "When they arrived about five miles above the Yellow Banks, 
 they moored the boat opposite to the first vein of coal, which 
 was on the Indiana side, and had been purchased in the interim 
 of the State government. They found a large quantity already 
 quarried to their hand and conveyed to the shore by depredators, 
 who had not found means to carry it off, and with this they com- 
 menced loading the boat. While thus engaged, our voyagers 
 were accosted in great alarm by the squatters of the neighbor- 
 hood, who inquired if they had not heard strange noises on the 
 river and in the woods in the course of the preceding day, and 
 perceive the shores shake, insisting that they had repeatedly 
 felt the earth tremble. 
 
 " Hitherto nothing extraordinary had been perceived. The 
 following day they pursued their monotonous voyage in those 
 vast solitudes. The weather was observed to be oppressively 
 hot ; the air misty, still, and dull ; and though the sun was visi-
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 409 
 
 Captain Henry M. Shrecve, having greany improved 
 the arrangements of steam-engines, built the fifth boat, 
 the Washington, in 1816. A lawsuit with Fulton and 
 
 ble like a glowing ball of copper, his rays hardly shed more 
 than a mournful twilight on the surface of the water. Evening 
 drew nigh, and with it some indications of what was passing 
 around them became evident. And as they sat on the deck, they 
 ever and anon heard a rushing sound and violent splash, and 
 saw large portions of the shore tearing away from the land and 
 falling into the river. It was, as my informant said, 'an awful 
 day; so still that you could have heard a pin drop on deck.' 
 They spoke little, for every one appeared thunder-struck. The 
 comet had disappeared about this time, which circumstance was 
 noticed with awe by the crew. 
 
 "The second day after leaving the Yellow Banks, the sun 
 rose over the forests the same dim ball of fire, and the air was 
 thick, dull, and oppressive, as before. The portentous signs of 
 this terrific natural convulsion continued and increased-. The 
 pilot, alarmed and confused, affirmed that he was lost, as he 
 found the channel everywhere altered ; and where he had hith- 
 erto known deep water, there lay numberless trees, with their 
 roots upward. The trees were seen waving and nodding on the 
 bank, without a wind ; but the adventurers had no choice but 
 to continue their route. Toward evening they found themselves 
 at a loss for a place to shelter. They had usually brought to 
 under the shore, but everywhere they saw the high banks dis- 
 appearing, overwhelming many a flat-boat and raft from which 
 the owners had landed and made their escape. 
 
 "A large island, in mid-channel, which was selected by the 
 pilot as a better alternative, was sought for in vain, having dis- 
 appeared entirely. Thus, in doubt and terror, they proceeded 
 hour after hour till dark, when they found a small island, and 
 rounded to, mooring themselves to the foot of it. Here they 
 lay, keeping watch on the deck, during the long autumnal night; 
 listening to the sound of the waters which roared and gurgled 
 horribly around them, and hearing from time to time the rush- 
 
 85
 
 410 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Livingston followed, and the District Court of Loui- 
 siana decided against those gentlemen a judgment 
 which practically set the waters of the West free to 
 every improvement which it was possible to make in 
 steam-boats. 
 
 ing earth slide from the shore, and the commotions as the falling 
 mass of earth and trees was swallowed up by the river. 
 
 " The lady of the party, a delicate female, was frequently 
 awakened from her restless slumbers by the jar given to the fur- 
 niture and loose articles in the cabin, as several times in the 
 course of the night the shock of the passing earthquake was 
 communicated from the island to the bow of the vessel. It was 
 a long night, but morning dawned and showed them that they 
 were near the mouth of the Ohio. The shores and the channel 
 were now equally unrecognisable, for everything seemed changed. 
 About noon that day they reached the small town of New 
 Madrid, on the right bank of the Mississippi. Here they found 
 the inhabitants in the greatest distress and consternation ; part 
 of the population had fled in terror to the higher grounds, others 
 prayed to be taken on board, as the earth was opening in fissures 
 on every side, and their houses hourly falling around them. 
 
 " Proceeding from thence, they found the Mississippi, at all 
 times a fearful stream, now unusually swollen, turbid, and full 
 of trees ; and after many days of great danger, though they 
 felt and perceived no more of the earthquake, they reached their 
 destination at Natchez at the close of the first week in January, 
 1812, to the great astonishment of all, the escape of the boat 
 having been considered an impossibility. 
 
 "At that time you floated for three or four hundred miles on 
 the river without seeing a human habitation. 
 
 " Such was the voyage of the first steamer. The natural con- 
 vulsion, which commenced at the time of her descent, has been 
 but slightly alluded to, but will never be forgotten in the history 
 of the West ; and the changes wrought by it throughout the 
 whole alluvial region through which the Ohio and Mississippi 
 pour their waters, were perhaps as remarkable as any on 
 record."
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 411 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 PERSONAL MATTERS CONCLUSION. 
 
 FROM the revelations made in these pages, it can be 
 deduced that John Fitch possessed sterling qualities. 
 He was perfectly honest, and in all that he did he 
 governed his actions by a high code of integrity. His 
 perseverance was astonishing, his faith in the utility 
 of his discovery unwavering. History can scarcely 
 furnish a parallel to his career, and show an instance 
 in which any one kept on in spite of insults such as he 
 met with, notwithstanding discouragements calculated 
 to subdue all hope, and in the midst of poverty the 
 most distressing, and misery aggravated by the suffer- 
 ings of a sensitive mind. He had his weaknesses, but 
 they were rather those of a spirit which felt its supe- 
 riority to those who condemned him ; and if occasion- 
 ally there appears in his actions evidence of conceit, it 
 may be pardoned when we reflect how much he was the 
 superior of those who despised him. His temper was 
 quick and passionate. " His general character in 
 Bucks County," says Longstreth, "among his im- 
 mediate friends, was that he ' bore anger as the 
 flint bears fire ; which, being much enforced, gives 
 forth a hasty spark, and straight is cold again.' " He 
 was proud when he thought he was wronged, and even 
 overbearing in his intercourse with others who thwarted
 
 412 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 him ; but his haughtiness was caused by a belief that 
 he was entirely right. The melancholy history of his 
 struggles and disappointments cannot be read without 
 pity that one so deserving, and who was so correct in 
 his views of the practicability of his great invention, 
 should have been neglected, reviled, and persecuted. 
 
 In regard to the personal appearance of John Fitch, 
 we confess some difficulty in comparing what little he 
 has said of himself in that particular and the descrip- 
 tions given of him by others. Thus he speaks of his 
 diminutive size long after the period at which boys 
 usually have attained considerable stature. When 
 taken prisoner by the Indians, although he had not 
 previously been sick, his captors, upon account of his 
 appearance, gave him a less weight to carry than any 
 of his companions. In his journal, when recording in 
 a burst of admiration the final and most successful 
 experiment, he calls himself " little Johnny Fitch." And 
 in another place, alluding to the trifling attention paid 
 to his claims, he partly ascribes it to the " insignifi- 
 cance " of his appearance. 
 
 On the contrary, those who speak of him from me- 
 mory represent him to have been of more than ordi- 
 nary size. " He was," says Longstreth, " tall, being 
 over six feet in height, and rather stoop-shouldered, 
 with a short neck and spare person, and as straight as 
 an Indian when he walked. He had a dark com- 
 plexion, and dark hair, which he wore loose over his 
 shoulders, and was a great walker, always going on 
 foot in his Western excursions." ' 
 
 1 "John Fitch, of steam-boat memory," Bucks County Intel- 
 ligencer.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCE. 413 
 
 Mr. Whittlesey says, describing his appearance at 
 Bardstown, " He was six feet two, erect and full. His 
 head was slightly bald, not gray. His manner was 
 dignified, distant, and imposing. He wore a black 
 coat, beaver hat, black vest, light-colored short breeches, 
 stockings, large shoe-buckles, and coarse shoes." ] 
 
 " He stood six foot two in his stocking-feet," says 
 Watson, quoting the statement of Mary McDowell, 
 "was what was called thin and spare, face slim, com- 
 plexion tawny, hair very black, and a dark eye, pecu- 
 liarly piercing. * * * * His coun- 
 tenance was pleasing, and somewhat smiling. In point 
 of morals and conduct, he was perfectly upright, sin- 
 cere, and honorable in his dealings, and was never 
 known to tell a wilful falsehood, or, indeed, to use any 
 guile." 2 
 
 The only way to reconcile these accounts with what 
 little had been said by Fitch about himself, is to believe 
 that it was his habit to speak of himself depreci- 
 atingly. 
 
 The descendants of this unfortunate man have been 
 numerous, as the following statement, derived from 
 letters in possession of the Longstreth family, will 
 show: 
 
 Shaler Fitch, son of John Fitch, the inventor, born 2d Nov., 
 1767, died 1842. 
 
 Louisa Borden, his wife, born 10th Dec., 1778. 
 Marriage, 12th Oct., 1794. 
 
 1 Sparks' American Biography, 2d Series, Vol. 6, page 14C. 
 
 2 Watson's Annals of Philadelphia, Vol. I., page 587-8. 
 
 35*
 
 414 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 
 
 Children: 
 
 Jeremiah Fitch, born Oct. 11, 1799. 
 
 John B. Fitch, born May 31, 1797. 
 
 , born June 6, 1799, died soon after birth. 
 
 Phebe B. Fitch, born July 19, 1800, married Aval Tracy. 
 
 Oscar Fitch, born June 28, 1803. 
 
 Shaler Fitch, born May 6, 1806. 
 
 James K. Fitch, born Jan. 25, 1808. 
 
 Lucy Fitch, born Feb. 20, 1810. 
 
 Irwenia Fitch, , married Chester Fraincher. 
 
 Lucy Fitch, daughter of the inventor, born , 1769, died 
 
 in 1807. Married James Kilbourn, . 
 
 Children : 
 
 Hector died young. 
 
 Lucy married Matthew Matthews. 
 
 Harriet married Dr. Calvin H. Case. 
 " " Avery Battles. 
 
 Laura married Renselaer N. Cowles. 
 
 Byron married Mary H. Cowles. 
 
 Orrel. 
 
 Colonel James Kilbourn, who married Lucy, removed 
 with his wife and family to Washington, Franklin 
 County, Ohio, in 1803. Mrs. Fitch, the wife of John 
 Fitch, emigrated there with her son Shaler, who settled 
 at Hartford, Trumbull County. She died there, and 
 is buried at Hartford. 
 
 The facts heretofore given are, it is thought, suffi- 
 cient to show the merits of this neglected and unfor- 
 tunate man. The subsequent success of Fulton, and 
 the manner in which his biographers have passed over 
 the history of Fitch, have long obscured the merits 
 and labors of the patient projector, who demonstrated 
 the success of his plans years before the period at 
 which the uninformed world has supposed that steam- 
 boats were invented.
 
 LIFE OF JOHN FITCH. 415 
 
 How mournfully prophetic, in view of these facts, 
 the expressions of the poor, derided, despised enthu- 
 siast, which we find in his journal, and which we have 
 previously quoted ! 
 
 " The day will come when some more powerful man will get 
 fame and riches from my invention ; but nobody will believe that 
 poor John Fitch can do any thing worthy of attention." 
 
 His hones still rest near the Ohio, unhonored by any 
 fitting memorial. Is it not time that the State of Ken- 
 tucky should do something to testify its respect for the 
 memory of one who, while its lands were yet wild and 
 savage, foresaw the mighty improvement which the 
 giant force of steam would insure to its smiling fields, 
 and who labored to convince mankind of the benefit ? 
 The movement once proposed by Governor Wicklifie 
 should be again commenced and consummated. On 
 some fair promontory near the Ohio, a monument to 
 the inventor of the steam-boat should be raised, having 
 inscribed upon it the beautiful paraphrase of the ex- 
 pression of his hopes, written by John F. Watson : 
 
 His darling wish (he said) was to be buried 
 
 On the margin of the Ohio ; 
 Where the song of the boatman might penetrate 
 
 The stillness of his resting-place, 
 
 And where the sound of the steam-engine 
 
 Might send its echoes abroad. 
 
 THE END.
 
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