he was obliged to walk six miles for a physician. Shortly after his return the child died. "During the night," says he, "I watched with the corpse, with the privilege of as much water from the well as I desired, by way of refreshment."

66

On leaving his last employer, he dared not set up the business on his own account, or work as a journeyman, for fear of exhibiting his ignorance, but employed himself, as he tells us, “ in doing small brass work.' This was pursued by him with so much industry, that at the end of two years he found himself worth fifty pounds, which for him, considering the scarcity of money at the time, was viewed as "quite a treasure," and enabled him to pay off his debts, and have something" handsome left." Fitch afterwards entered into the potash business, but was unsuccessful in its prosecution, arising partially from the unfaithfulness of one of his partners. While thus engaged, he married Miss Lucy Roberts, on 29th December, 1767; but owing to her unhappy temper and disposition, was compelled, in the course of a year or two, to abandon her, being thoroughly convinced that it was for the happiness of both that they should separate. This event occasioned him great affliction, from being obliged to leave a child whom he "loved as dear as himself." A misfortune subsequently happening to her, he observes, "could I have foreseen it, I should never have abandoned her, but have endeavored to worry through life in her company as well as I might."

On forsaking the place of his nativity, Fitch went to Pittsfield, Mass., but not having constant employment there, visited Albany, yet with no better success. A short time after, we find him in New Jersey, in a destitute condition, endeavoring to find employ. ment on some farm as a common laborer, but his sickly appear. ance baffled all his efforts, no one would employ him. Finally, he entered into the business of making buttons, which he pursued with tolerable success, first at New Brunswick, and afterwards at Trenton.

At the commencement of the revolution, Fitch espoused the popular cause, and during a portion of the time rendered himself very useful in repairing arms for the continental army. Subsequently he removed to Kentucky, where he received the appointment and practised as a surveyor. While at the West, and in navigating a river in a small boat, Fitch and his companions were taken prisoners and carried into captivity by the Indians, but after considerable hardship and suffering, were released. At a subsequent period he became once more an inhabitant of one of the Atlantic states.

"In the month of April, 1785," says Fitch, in the manuscript

FAC-SIMILE OF THE WRITING OF JOHN FITCH, From his Manuscript Auto-biography, in the Franklin Library, Philadelphia.

1

and Vexxatious to a man

I know of nothing so perplexing
of fealings, as a turbulant Wip and Steam Boo
bonding, I expenened the former and quit in season, and had I been in
my right sences I should undoubtedly treated the latter in the same manner
I for one man to be teised with Both, he must be looked

but for

un

fortunate

man

of this World,

upon

as theme

alluded to," I was so unfortunate 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. 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 in. The perplexities and embarrassments through which it has caused me to wade, far exceed any thing that the common course of life ever presented to my view; and to reflect on the disproportion of a man of my abilities to such a task, I am to charge myself with having been deranged; and had I not the most convincing proofs to the contrary, should most certainly suppose myself to have been non compos mentis at the time."

In another place he remarks, "If I had the abilities of Cicero, it would have been nothing less than madness in me to have undertaken it, in my state of penury. Had I been a nobleman of £3000, it would barely have justified my conduct."

Again, he says, "What I am now to inform you of I know will not be to my credit, but, so long as it is the truth, I will insert it, viz., that I did not know that there was a steam engine on earth when I proposed to gain a force by steam; and I leave my first drafts and descriptions behind, that you may judge whether I am sincere or not. A short time after drawing my first draft for a boat, I was amazingly chagrined to find, at Parson Irwin's, in Bucks county, a drawing of a steam engine; but it had the effect to establish me in my other principles, as my doubts lay at that time in the engine only."

The following account of Fitch's experiments is written by one of his early patrons, the late Dr. Thornton, of the patent office at Washington, and is entitled "A short account of the origin of steamboats:"

"Finding that Mr. Robert Fulton,* whose genius and talents I highly respect, has been considered by some the inventor of the steamboat, 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 has any claim whatever to originality in his steamboat, it must be exceedingly limited.

"In the year 1788, the late John Fitch applied for, and obtained a patent for the application of steam to navigation, in the

It may not be invidious here to mention, that one great advantage which Mr. Fulton possessed over many, if not all preceding experimenters, was the use of one of Watt's improved steam engines.

states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, &c. and soon after, the late Mr. James Rumsey,* conceiving he had made some discoveries in perfecting the same, applied to the state of Pennsylvania for a patent; but a company formed by John

* Biographical Sketch of James Rumsey.-"This individual was a native of Maryland, and, when a young man, removed to Shepherdstown, Virginia, where he occupied himself exclusively in mechanical subjects. As early as July or August, 1783, he directed his attention to the subject of navigation by steam; and, under the most disadvantageous circumstances, succeeded, in the autumn of 1784, in making a private, but very imperfect experiment, in order to test some of the principles of his invention. This so well convinced him of its ultimate success, that at the October session of the Virginia legislature for that year, he applied for and obtained an act, guarantying to him the exclusive use of his invention in navigating the waters of that state. About the same time also he communicated his invention to General Washington. In January, 1785, he obtained a patent from the general assembly of Maryland for navigating their waters. Through the whole of this year, Rumsey was deeply engaged in building a boat, and procuring, improving, adapting, and testing the several parts of his machinery; but, from obvious causes, was not ready for a public trial until the year following, (1786,) which, all things considered, was eminently successful. In this trial he succeeded in propelling his boat by steam alone against the current of the Potomac, near Shepherdstown, at the rate of four or five miles an hour!

"Rumsey's boat was about fifty feet in length, and, as observed in the text, was propelled by a pump worked by a steam engine, which forced a quantity of water up through the keel; the valve was then shut by the return of the stroke, which at the same time forced the water through a channel or pipe, a few inches square (lying above or parallel to the kelson,) out at the stern under the rudder, which had a less depth than usual, to permit the exit of the water. The impetus of this water, forced through the square channel against the exterior water, acted as an impelling power upon the vessel. The reaction of the effluent water propelled her at the rate above mentioned, when loaded with three tons in addition to the weight of her engine of about a third of a ton. The boiler was quite a curiosity, holding no more than five gallons of water, and needing only a pint at a time. The whole machinery did not occupy a space greater than that required for four barrels of flour. The fuel consumed was not more than from four to six bushels of coals in twelve hours. Rumsey's other project was to apply the power of a steam engine to long poles, which were to reach the bottom of the river, and by that means to push a boat against a rapid current.

"After the experiment above alluded to, Rumsey being under the strong conviction that skilful workmen and perfect machinery were alone wanting to the most perfect success, and sensible that such could not be procured in America, resolved to go to England. With slender means of his own, and aided, or rather mocked, by some timid and unsteady patronage, he there resumed with untiring energy his great undertaking. He proceeded to procure patents of the British government for steam navigation: these patents bear date in the beginning of the year 1788. Several of his inventions, in one modified form or another, are now in general use; as, for instance, the cylindrical boiler, so superior to the old tub or still boilers, in the presentation of fire surface, and capacity for holding highly rarefied steam, is described, both single and combined, in his specifications, and is identical in principle with the tub boiler which he used in his Potomac experiment.

"Difficulties and embarrassments of a pecuniary nature, and such as invariably obstruct the progress of a new invention, attended him in England. He was often compelled to abandon temporarily his main object, and turn his attention to something else, in order to raise means to resume it. He undertook with the same power, but by its more judicious application, to produce higher results in several waterworks, in all which he succeeded, realizing thereby some reputa, tion as well as funds to apply to his favorite project.