“A free trade, or in other words, a free ocean, is particularly Important to America. I would ask anyone if all the American difficulties during this war is not owing to theNaval systems of Europe and a licensed Robbery on the ocean? how then is America to prevent this? Certainly not by attempting to build a fleet to cope with the fleets of Europe, but if possible by Rendering the European fleets useless.”
“A free trade, or in other words, a free ocean, is particularly Important to America. I would ask anyone if all the American difficulties during this war is not owing to theNaval systems of Europe and a licensed Robbery on the ocean? how then is America to prevent this? Certainly not by attempting to build a fleet to cope with the fleets of Europe, but if possible by Rendering the European fleets useless.”
From the foregoing we learn the reason for the secret invention he had in mind during the years he spent in France. Robert Fulton planned to build a boat to descend beneath the water, which should carry masses of gunpowder to be placed wherever desired. These bombs, as we would call them, could be set by time-clocks so that they would later discharge their fire. We are familiar enough with submarines, now that they are in use in our own and other navies, but how impossible such a contrivance seemed in Fulton’s day! He called his invention “torpedo,” a name which has since been universally used for all such submarine vessels. He had his inspiration for the name from a strange fish of which he had read in the travels of Sir Thomas Herbert, where it was described as a “Torpædo or Cramp Fish” which, when the explorer and his companion took in their hands, alarmed them so greatly that they trembled; for “it let forth a cold breath upon them, so they would be so frightened that they would let it go.” You will see that Fulton’s strange boat, like thisfish, was to let forth a strange breath of fire upon its enemies. He chose the name well.
This dreadful machine of war seemed indeed a curious instrument to bring peace. His plan was to manufacture so deadly a weapon of warfare that no nation would dare to enter into a battle on the seas.
Fulton had to tarry three weeks at Calais before his passport arrived. With this he soon reached Paris.
He found the city gay and happy, with all remembrance of warfare put away.
He sought lodgings at an excellent hotel where he was fortunate in meeting an American gentleman, Joel Barlow by name, and his wife. Between the three there arose a lifelong friendship of rare intimacy. Fulton was always happy in the selection of friends, in this instance particularly, for Barlow was a man of considerable distinction in literature, statesmanship, and philosophy. Fulton was a young man of agreeable presence and attractive manner and Mr. and Mrs. Barlow became greatly interested in him. When they moved into their own house, having no son of their own, they invited Fulton to live with them, and the friendship so strengthened that for seven years Fulton remained, almost as a son, in their home.
Mr. Barlow had been American Minister to Algiers, where he made important treaties and accomplished valuable diplomatic service in what was then a very difficult field. He was a man of wealth, and when released from office at the embassy, he moved to Paris where he could establish a home and live among his books and papers; for he was an industrious writer of political and historical essays.
Barlow interested himself in strengthening the friendliness between the United States and France. He knew the great men of both countries and by his side Fulton found genuine inspiration. He immediately set himself to the task of making drawings and plans to secure a patent for his Inclined Plane for Canal Navigation, which was duly granted on the 14th of February, 1798,—a pleasant valentine!
Again Fulton wrote to Napoleon and to other great men describing the invention,—in fact, the emperor was to hear much of the American inventor from this time on.
No sooner was he settled in Mr. Barlow’s home than Fulton commenced the study of the French language, and later German and Italian. As his need arose, in the development of his inventions, he also studied higher mathematics, chemistry,perspective drawing and physics. He was twenty-nine years of age at this time but was wise enough to know that “one is never too old to learn.”
Of course he needed money and naturally he took up his brush to earn it. About this time he painted several portraits, one a fine likeness of his good friend Joel Barlow. West had probably given him letters of introduction to the artists of Paris, for Fulton was soon at home among them. Vanderlyn made a charming pencil sketch of Fulton; and Houdon, the famous sculptor, who had visited America with Benjamin Franklin, carved a marble bust of Fulton which is now preserved in the Louvre. During the Hudson-Fulton Celebration, this bust was reproduced in bronze for the New York Historical Society and also for the Metropolitan Museum.
The great men of the world are always the busiest. Fulton accomplished much during the fifty years of his life. He was never idle, and he made each day count for something. This is a good rule to remember, for so many days are likely to slip by without real result. The sum total of a life’s work is only the mere addition of many so-called “small” duties.
Fulton still remembered his dear old mother in the distant farm-home of Pennsylvania, and in1799 sent her so delightful a letter, with a present of thirty-six guineas, that you will want to read this proof of his faithful affection; and, perhaps, smile a little over his merry pleasantries about the French ladies, and his sturdy preference for the ladies of his own land.
Paris, July 2, 1799.My dear Mother;Still Europe holds me, not by ties of affection but by the bonds of business with which I am ever so much engaged that I have not had time even to fall in love: And now having arrived at the age of 32 years the ladies of my acquaintance, who, good creatures, are much concerned for my future happiness and honour, begin to fear that I shall die an Old bachelor; hence with eyes full of regard and the sweetest arguments they persuade me to avoid so miserable an end: In my own mind I have determined to avoid it but it is my intention to reserve all my affections for some amiable American whose customs and manners I prefer to anything I have yet seen in Europe. You will now ask when shall this be,—when will I return. This I will no longer promise because having promised frequently without being able to perform there is not much reliance in them: But still I hope the time is not distant when I will step into your little neat room, in one corner of which perhaps you have my picture, the only donation which I then had in my power to present, because being my own work it was attended with very little expense.But in this letter I send youthirty sixpictures of the late King of France, known in America by the name of Frenchguineas; these, my dear mother, I hope will be of use to you, and help to take some weight of cares off your weight of years. And each year I will endeavor to aid you in proportion to my circumstances.I am in excellent health, six feet high and thin; this being thin I think rather an advantage because it suffers (allows) a man to be active. I would not be loaded with the quantity of fat which some gentlemen are obliged to carry into company, not for their whole estate.…To Mr. Smith, my Sisters, Brothers in law and friends, remember me with love and friendship, and believe me everything which is right in an affectionate son,Robert Fulton.
Paris, July 2, 1799.
My dear Mother;
Still Europe holds me, not by ties of affection but by the bonds of business with which I am ever so much engaged that I have not had time even to fall in love: And now having arrived at the age of 32 years the ladies of my acquaintance, who, good creatures, are much concerned for my future happiness and honour, begin to fear that I shall die an Old bachelor; hence with eyes full of regard and the sweetest arguments they persuade me to avoid so miserable an end: In my own mind I have determined to avoid it but it is my intention to reserve all my affections for some amiable American whose customs and manners I prefer to anything I have yet seen in Europe. You will now ask when shall this be,—when will I return. This I will no longer promise because having promised frequently without being able to perform there is not much reliance in them: But still I hope the time is not distant when I will step into your little neat room, in one corner of which perhaps you have my picture, the only donation which I then had in my power to present, because being my own work it was attended with very little expense.
But in this letter I send youthirty sixpictures of the late King of France, known in America by the name of Frenchguineas; these, my dear mother, I hope will be of use to you, and help to take some weight of cares off your weight of years. And each year I will endeavor to aid you in proportion to my circumstances.
I am in excellent health, six feet high and thin; this being thin I think rather an advantage because it suffers (allows) a man to be active. I would not be loaded with the quantity of fat which some gentlemen are obliged to carry into company, not for their whole estate.…
To Mr. Smith, my Sisters, Brothers in law and friends, remember me with love and friendship, and believe me everything which is right in an affectionate son,
Robert Fulton.
Fulton’s mother died during this year, 1799, in the Pennsylvania farm-house, and it is doubtful whether his letter reached her. If it did, the thirty-six guineas, the “pictures of the late King of France,” and the happy letter, with its promise of home-coming, must have gladdened her heart.
Before we take up the story of the submarine torpedo-boat work,—as difficult as that of his later invention of steam navigation,—let us recall another venture which Fulton made, along quite another line. Upon his arrival in Paris he had noticed the gayety and joyousness of the French and he decided to appeal to these happy people with a new form of amusement, a painted panorama.
It is only necessary to remind ourselves of the astounding popularity, in our day, of moving-pictures, to realize how fortunate Fulton was in his plan to amuse the people of Paris. A Scotchman, Robert Barker, had painted a panorama of the city of Edinburgh, to exhibit in London in 1789. Possibly Fulton had seen this exhibit, for it had proved highly successful; at any rate, he applied for a French patent, which was granted in April, 1799, to “Robert Fulton of the United States” for a term of ten years.
Fulton’s panorama was almost twice as large as the Scotchman’s. He secured a plot of ground in a central part of the city, and built a loft, in circular shape, upon it. The queer-looking building attracted immediate attention. In it Fulton hung the huge canvas, and his industrious hand painted the startling scene, “The Destruction of Moscow,” a scene of pillage and devastation, such as Benjamin West had taught him to depict. The subject was attractive to the people, who were considering rumors of war, and they flocked in crowds to view the fiery representation. The entrance fee was a franc and a half, so money began to pour into Fulton’s empty purse. So noted did the panorama become that a popular song of the day was sung in the streets extolling its excellence. One cannotbut wonder whether Fulton himself, perhaps at Barlow’s suggestion, wrote the words to advertise the new amusement.
We can almost fancy that we see and hear the care-free crowd, strolling through the street, where now an arcade called “Passage des Panoramas” marks the place, singing the popular air as they crowded to the door of entrance, just as people flock to-day to an inexpensive and novel entertainment. Fulton was indeed a clever man to have adapted Barker’s London success to the people of the French capital. Here is one verse of the song, with its translation:
“Paris pas plus grand que celaJouit de succès légitimeUn savant vous le montreraPour un franc cinquante centimesEt tout le monde donne ou donneraDans le pano, pano, panorama.”(Paris more than any placeRejoices in a lawful success.A clever man will show it to youFor one franc fifty centimes.And everybody goes or is goingTo the pano, pano, panorama.)
“Paris pas plus grand que celaJouit de succès légitimeUn savant vous le montreraPour un franc cinquante centimesEt tout le monde donne ou donneraDans le pano, pano, panorama.”(Paris more than any placeRejoices in a lawful success.A clever man will show it to youFor one franc fifty centimes.And everybody goes or is goingTo the pano, pano, panorama.)
“Paris pas plus grand que celaJouit de succès légitimeUn savant vous le montreraPour un franc cinquante centimesEt tout le monde donne ou donneraDans le pano, pano, panorama.”
“Paris pas plus grand que cela
Jouit de succès légitime
Un savant vous le montrera
Pour un franc cinquante centimes
Et tout le monde donne ou donnera
Dans le pano, pano, panorama.”
(Paris more than any placeRejoices in a lawful success.A clever man will show it to youFor one franc fifty centimes.And everybody goes or is goingTo the pano, pano, panorama.)
(Paris more than any place
Rejoices in a lawful success.
A clever man will show it to you
For one franc fifty centimes.
And everybody goes or is going
To the pano, pano, panorama.)
This business venture proved very successful but Fulton was so busy with greater affairs that hecould not long give his personal attention to its supervision. In December of that year he sold the patent rights to an American who carried on the business for several years. Other scenes replaced the original “Moscow,” possibly Fulton painted them; at any rate, he kept an interest in the business, and in 1801 took out a second patent for improvements in panoramas.
But Fulton longed to give to humanity something better than mere amusement,—he wanted to help them with their work, to make traveling easier, and, if possible, to banish warfare. His experiences with his submarine torpedo-boat will be told in the next chapter.
And now Fulton began to build his submarine torpedo-boat and named itNautilus, meaning a sea-shell. He wrote a letter to the French Directory and offered to submit his plan and explain his engine to Napoleon, whom he had heard was “a good engineer.”
The emperor was at the height of his power. With France and England at war, disturbed conditions prevailed throughout Europe and the unrest hindered all progress. Fulton offered to the French nation, through its governing body, his original weapon to secure their supremacy upon the seas throughout the world.
His letters on the subject, which must have seemed like fairy-tales, fortunately are preserved in the archives of France. In one he asked to be authorized to build the engine he had invented and to try it against the English fleet. He himself promised to make the trial and asked no other compensation for labor extending over eighteenmonths than “the happiness of having contributed to the re-establishment of peace, the freedom of the seas and of commerce, and the consolidation of the Republic.”
The Directory appointed a committee to consider Fulton’s novel plan; they made a fairly favorable report, for, they said, “the inventor is no charlatan, for he proposes to captain his engine himself and thus gives his head as a hostage for his success.”
But after several years of experiment and trial, Fulton was still far from finding acceptance of his plan. In 1797, when he began to devise it, he was possibly inspired by the work of an American, David Bushnell, of Connecticut, who had built a turtle-shaped boat to dive under water and attach an explosive to an enemy’s boat. The device met with scant success in America, so Bushnell crossed to France, where he also failed to arouse interest.
Fulton’s invention was far more powerful andagile, if we may use the word. It could sail like a common boat on the water, then dive below and remain under the water at any depth for more than six hours at a time; guided by a compass, it could move about with ease, and plant torpedoes where desired. Small wonder that the Frenchmen were slow to believe all the astonishing statements made in its favor by the enthusiastic inventor.
But Fulton stood ready to prove them. During the years 1799 and 1800 he was busy demonstrating the accomplishments of his novel craft. He launched it in July, 1800, and proceeded to make a series of experiments in the middle of the Seine where he could plunge twenty-five feet. He took two persons down with him and his tests were encouraging although the swift currents of the tide made him decide to remove the boat to Havre on the coast, where he could attempt feats in the open sea.
His queer-looking boat, six feet wide and twenty feet long, was towed on two barges to Havre, where four days later it arrived and Fulton proceeded to put her through all sorts of “paces.” The vessel responded to his every wish and he imagined that universal peace would result from the use of the new subduing agent, thetorpedo.
Great ideas move slowly,—their very immensity hinders quick progress. Fulton was under heavy expense in the building and testing of his strange boat. Barlow, who remained in Paris, wrote frequent letters of encouragement and forwarded drafts of money, profits which were Fulton’s share in the earnings of the panorama. Repeated entreaties to the Directory finally gained attention, and Napoleon showed enough interest to appoint a committee to examine the queer-looking vessel.
To this committee Fulton eagerly explained his invention. He tells the story in simple language and it is so thrilling that a copy will prove interesting. He writes:
Not having had time to busy myself with the drawings and description of the latest changes I have thought fit to make in myNautilus, I take the liberty to recommend the model of it to your examination as the best means of enabling you to judge of its form and combinations.Although having exact details of experiments, I shall limit myself to rendering here a succinct account of the most important of them:First Experiment:—TheNautilusis 20 feet long and 5 in diameter and according to the calculations of Citizen Guyton it will contain a quantity of air sufficient for 3 men and a candle for three hours.Second Experiment:—On 24th of August, 1800, I plunged in the basin at Havre to the depth of 15 feet having with me two people and a lighted candle; we remained below the surface for the space of one hour without experiencing the slightest inconvenience.Third Experiment:—On August 25th I tried to manœuvre theNautilusby means of wings 4 feet diameter like the sails of a wind-mill; to this end at first I placed on the bridge two men with oars; they took 7 minutes to row about 192 yards, the length of the basin; then I ordered the same 2 men to set the sails and in 4 minutes theNautiluscovered the distance to the starting place;—I proved by this that the speed of sails to that of oars is about 2 to 1 and that these sails are very suitable to manœuvre a boat under water. The success of this experiment has given meseveral new ideas which I hope will facilitate much the use of carcasses [iron cases] of powder or torpedoes.Fourth Experiment:—On the 26th of August I tried balancing theNautilusunder water in such a way as to prevent it rising towards the surface or descending to the bottom, meanwhile advancing. This is executed by means of a pair of wings placed horizontally on the front of theNautilusand which communicates with the interior. By turning these wings from left to right theNautilusis made to descend below the water, in turning them from right to left, it is raised to the surface. My first trial was unfortunate, in not having placed the boat in the necessary trim in order that the wings could act. The next day I had a decided success and I kept myNautilusbelow water at a depth of about 5 feet whilst it covered a distance of 192 yards, about from one end of the basin to the other. This day I made several movements under water and I observed that the Compass acts as well under water as at the surface. The three people who have been my companions during these experiments are so familiarized with theNautilusand have so much confidence at present in the movements of this machine that they undertake without the least concern these aquatic excursions.Having thus assured myself of the ease of immersion and submersion of theNautilusand all its movements as well as the effect on the compass, on the 27th of August I half filled an ordinary barrel and placed it at anchor in the harbour at about 426 yards from the jetty;—I seated myself then in an ordinary boat at the distance of about 160 yards and placed in the sea a torpedo containing about 30 lb. of powder; the torpedo was attached to a small rope 200 yards long; the current going under the barrel, the torpedopassed without touching it; but turning the helm of the boat in which I sat, I made it go obliquely till I saw the torpedo exactly under the barrel; I then drew back the cable till at last the torpedo touched the barrel; at that instant the battery went off, the powder exploded and the barrel was reduced to fragments being lost in a column of water 10 feet in diameter that the explosion threw into the air to the height of 60 or 80 feet.On the 12th of September I left Havre for La Hogue and in this little voyage myNautilussometimes did a league and a half (4½ miles) per hour and I had the pleasure of seeing it ride the waves like an ordinary boat.On the 15th of September I put into a little harbour called Growan near Isigny at 3 leagues from the islands of Marcou. The next day the equinoctial gales commenced and lasted 25 days. During the time I tried twice to approach two English brigs which were anchored near one of the islands, but both times, whether by accident or design, they set sail and were quickly at a distance. During one of these trials I remained during the whole of one tide of 6 hours absolutely under water, having for the purpose of taking air only a little tube which could not be perceived at a distance of 400 yards.The weather being bad I remained 35 days at Growan and seeing that no English vessel returned, and that winter approached, besides myNautilusnot being constructed to resist bad weather, I resolved to return to Paris and place under the eyes of Government the result of my experiments.In the course of these experiments there has come to me a crowd of ideas infinitely more simple than the means that I have employed hitherto and in an enterprise so new and without precedent one ought to expect that new ideas shouldpresent themselves, tending to simplify the execution of the great object in view.As to myself, I look upon the most difficult part of the work as done. Navigation under water is an operation whose possibility is proved, and it can be said that a new series of ideas have just been born as to the means for preventing naval wars or rather of hindering them in the future; it is a germ which only demands for its developement the encouragement and support of all friends of science, of justice and of society.Health and respect,(Nov. 7th 1801.)Robert Fulton.
Not having had time to busy myself with the drawings and description of the latest changes I have thought fit to make in myNautilus, I take the liberty to recommend the model of it to your examination as the best means of enabling you to judge of its form and combinations.
Although having exact details of experiments, I shall limit myself to rendering here a succinct account of the most important of them:
First Experiment:—TheNautilusis 20 feet long and 5 in diameter and according to the calculations of Citizen Guyton it will contain a quantity of air sufficient for 3 men and a candle for three hours.
Second Experiment:—On 24th of August, 1800, I plunged in the basin at Havre to the depth of 15 feet having with me two people and a lighted candle; we remained below the surface for the space of one hour without experiencing the slightest inconvenience.
Third Experiment:—On August 25th I tried to manœuvre theNautilusby means of wings 4 feet diameter like the sails of a wind-mill; to this end at first I placed on the bridge two men with oars; they took 7 minutes to row about 192 yards, the length of the basin; then I ordered the same 2 men to set the sails and in 4 minutes theNautiluscovered the distance to the starting place;—I proved by this that the speed of sails to that of oars is about 2 to 1 and that these sails are very suitable to manœuvre a boat under water. The success of this experiment has given meseveral new ideas which I hope will facilitate much the use of carcasses [iron cases] of powder or torpedoes.
Fourth Experiment:—On the 26th of August I tried balancing theNautilusunder water in such a way as to prevent it rising towards the surface or descending to the bottom, meanwhile advancing. This is executed by means of a pair of wings placed horizontally on the front of theNautilusand which communicates with the interior. By turning these wings from left to right theNautilusis made to descend below the water, in turning them from right to left, it is raised to the surface. My first trial was unfortunate, in not having placed the boat in the necessary trim in order that the wings could act. The next day I had a decided success and I kept myNautilusbelow water at a depth of about 5 feet whilst it covered a distance of 192 yards, about from one end of the basin to the other. This day I made several movements under water and I observed that the Compass acts as well under water as at the surface. The three people who have been my companions during these experiments are so familiarized with theNautilusand have so much confidence at present in the movements of this machine that they undertake without the least concern these aquatic excursions.
Having thus assured myself of the ease of immersion and submersion of theNautilusand all its movements as well as the effect on the compass, on the 27th of August I half filled an ordinary barrel and placed it at anchor in the harbour at about 426 yards from the jetty;—I seated myself then in an ordinary boat at the distance of about 160 yards and placed in the sea a torpedo containing about 30 lb. of powder; the torpedo was attached to a small rope 200 yards long; the current going under the barrel, the torpedopassed without touching it; but turning the helm of the boat in which I sat, I made it go obliquely till I saw the torpedo exactly under the barrel; I then drew back the cable till at last the torpedo touched the barrel; at that instant the battery went off, the powder exploded and the barrel was reduced to fragments being lost in a column of water 10 feet in diameter that the explosion threw into the air to the height of 60 or 80 feet.
On the 12th of September I left Havre for La Hogue and in this little voyage myNautilussometimes did a league and a half (4½ miles) per hour and I had the pleasure of seeing it ride the waves like an ordinary boat.
On the 15th of September I put into a little harbour called Growan near Isigny at 3 leagues from the islands of Marcou. The next day the equinoctial gales commenced and lasted 25 days. During the time I tried twice to approach two English brigs which were anchored near one of the islands, but both times, whether by accident or design, they set sail and were quickly at a distance. During one of these trials I remained during the whole of one tide of 6 hours absolutely under water, having for the purpose of taking air only a little tube which could not be perceived at a distance of 400 yards.
The weather being bad I remained 35 days at Growan and seeing that no English vessel returned, and that winter approached, besides myNautilusnot being constructed to resist bad weather, I resolved to return to Paris and place under the eyes of Government the result of my experiments.
In the course of these experiments there has come to me a crowd of ideas infinitely more simple than the means that I have employed hitherto and in an enterprise so new and without precedent one ought to expect that new ideas shouldpresent themselves, tending to simplify the execution of the great object in view.
As to myself, I look upon the most difficult part of the work as done. Navigation under water is an operation whose possibility is proved, and it can be said that a new series of ideas have just been born as to the means for preventing naval wars or rather of hindering them in the future; it is a germ which only demands for its developement the encouragement and support of all friends of science, of justice and of society.
Health and respect,
(Nov. 7th 1801.)
Robert Fulton.
It is almost beyond belief that Fulton had been able, in so short a time, to bring to such perfection an invention of such great importance, yet fraught with so much danger. The recital of his voyage on the high seas, at war-time, together with his plunging experiments, proves that he possessed real heroism. The navy of England had received private news of the invention and the sailors were on their guard, so it is easy to realize why the brigs “set sail and were quickly at a distance.” Fulton had become well known in both warring countries and was accounted a power to be reckoned with.
Fulton offered personally to command theNautilusand to teach the French navy the art of the new warfare, as well as to build such submarineboats as Napoleon would authorize. He asked that he might employ as co-workers the three men he had already taught; and they, by the way, must have been courageous indeed to engage in so novel and dangerous an enterprise.
But the contract “backed and filled” in tantalizing delay to the ardent inventor. Fulton had a personal interview with Napoleon and tried to persuade him to adopt the new plan; but no immediate response resulted; finally, after hope long deferred and repeated letters and visits to the embassy, Fulton received a letter from the Minister of the Marine, bearing the good news that Napoleon had accepted Fulton’s proposition; that 10,000 francs had been placed to his credit to repair theNautilus, build auxiliaries, and convey his unusual fleet, at his own expense, to Brest, where he could engage in warfare against the enemy.
From that time, March 28th, 1801, to May, Fulton was busy with the novel enterprise. TheNautiluswas overhauled and conveyed to Brest, mounted on a long cart drawn by horses. How the boys and girls of the villages through which the queer boat passed must have gazed and wondered! Finally it reached the dockyard at Brest, and after two months of fitting Fulton was ready to attempt an attack on the enemy. But againthe English seamen were too wary to be surprised. Fulton spent an anxious summer but could find no vessel within reach of possible attack.
However, he conducted a series of successful experiments, and, in the presence of several influential officials, he blew up a large sloop, destroying it so completely that nothing was left but the buoy and cable. He was able to report that he had proved his boat could
Although the invention proved successful, it was exercised for only eight months. On the first of October the Minister of the Marine resigned his office, and his successor, a French admiral of the old-school, declined to listen to or forward any new-fangled ideas. How disappointed Fulton must have been after his three years of hard work and his unquenchable faith in the power of his project. The Treaty of Peace, signed at Amiens in 1802, brought a welcome end to warfare, and Fultonrealized that the nations had no present need for his weapon of naval destruction.
But Fulton did not forget France and the interest Napoleon had shown, even after his return to his own country. In 1811, theBoston Weekly Messenger, of Friday, November 15th, contained the following amusing letter in rhyme, addressed to Napoleon’s infant son, the King of Rome. Perhaps it was a diplomatic move to interest Bonaparte through a recognition of his tiny heir; perhaps it was merely written in jest and never crossed the seas. But here it is, in part, for our amusement.
Great King, two years ago I wroteTo Lord Marbois a civil note,Which he ne’er answered, like a bear,So now I send my modest prayerTo your dread throne, or stool, or chair.The plan, my lord, which I have hit onWill quite destroy the pride of Britain;The great torpedoes I prepareWill blow her ships up in the air,And every man-of-war will soonAscend just like a vast balloon.In half a day one thousand menWould scatter all the ships you ken,Would clear the Channel and do overAll between Calais port and Dover;Thus in two years, Sir, might be seenThe end of England’s proud marine;And then that Isle, without a doubt,Puffed like a farthing rush-light out,Instead of reigning o’er the wavesWould only furnish France with slaves.How glorious then were such a thingTo grace your annals, mighty king!And (turn it over in your mind)How happy ’twere for all mankind,And more, (but that’s a thing between us)How worthy of your daddy’s genius;This business will be done—this blow upTake place, great Monarch, ere you grow up.Reflect, Sir, powder was invented:And then, Sir, you must feel contented.Now, Sir, soon as the haughty foeShall feel a meditated blow,Their ships, perhaps, they will abandon,That you with ease their coasts may land on;Or, England, if I don’t befriend her,May quickly all her fleets surrender.Now rendered master of the seas,You may let ports out as you please;These can be rented, understand,Just as some kingdoms are on land;England, then prostrate at your feet,For peace, on any terms, may treat;Be this your language firm and bold,“While yet the brand of war I hold,As you are most completely beaten,This basis only will I treat on—That you, without the least delay,Two millions to Bob Fulton pay.”
Great King, two years ago I wroteTo Lord Marbois a civil note,Which he ne’er answered, like a bear,So now I send my modest prayerTo your dread throne, or stool, or chair.The plan, my lord, which I have hit onWill quite destroy the pride of Britain;The great torpedoes I prepareWill blow her ships up in the air,And every man-of-war will soonAscend just like a vast balloon.In half a day one thousand menWould scatter all the ships you ken,Would clear the Channel and do overAll between Calais port and Dover;Thus in two years, Sir, might be seenThe end of England’s proud marine;And then that Isle, without a doubt,Puffed like a farthing rush-light out,Instead of reigning o’er the wavesWould only furnish France with slaves.How glorious then were such a thingTo grace your annals, mighty king!And (turn it over in your mind)How happy ’twere for all mankind,And more, (but that’s a thing between us)How worthy of your daddy’s genius;This business will be done—this blow upTake place, great Monarch, ere you grow up.Reflect, Sir, powder was invented:And then, Sir, you must feel contented.Now, Sir, soon as the haughty foeShall feel a meditated blow,Their ships, perhaps, they will abandon,That you with ease their coasts may land on;Or, England, if I don’t befriend her,May quickly all her fleets surrender.Now rendered master of the seas,You may let ports out as you please;These can be rented, understand,Just as some kingdoms are on land;England, then prostrate at your feet,For peace, on any terms, may treat;Be this your language firm and bold,“While yet the brand of war I hold,As you are most completely beaten,This basis only will I treat on—That you, without the least delay,Two millions to Bob Fulton pay.”
Great King, two years ago I wroteTo Lord Marbois a civil note,Which he ne’er answered, like a bear,So now I send my modest prayerTo your dread throne, or stool, or chair.
Great King, two years ago I wrote
To Lord Marbois a civil note,
Which he ne’er answered, like a bear,
So now I send my modest prayer
To your dread throne, or stool, or chair.
The plan, my lord, which I have hit onWill quite destroy the pride of Britain;The great torpedoes I prepareWill blow her ships up in the air,And every man-of-war will soonAscend just like a vast balloon.In half a day one thousand menWould scatter all the ships you ken,Would clear the Channel and do overAll between Calais port and Dover;Thus in two years, Sir, might be seenThe end of England’s proud marine;And then that Isle, without a doubt,Puffed like a farthing rush-light out,Instead of reigning o’er the wavesWould only furnish France with slaves.How glorious then were such a thingTo grace your annals, mighty king!And (turn it over in your mind)How happy ’twere for all mankind,And more, (but that’s a thing between us)How worthy of your daddy’s genius;This business will be done—this blow upTake place, great Monarch, ere you grow up.Reflect, Sir, powder was invented:And then, Sir, you must feel contented.
The plan, my lord, which I have hit on
Will quite destroy the pride of Britain;
The great torpedoes I prepare
Will blow her ships up in the air,
And every man-of-war will soon
Ascend just like a vast balloon.
In half a day one thousand men
Would scatter all the ships you ken,
Would clear the Channel and do over
All between Calais port and Dover;
Thus in two years, Sir, might be seen
The end of England’s proud marine;
And then that Isle, without a doubt,
Puffed like a farthing rush-light out,
Instead of reigning o’er the waves
Would only furnish France with slaves.
How glorious then were such a thing
To grace your annals, mighty king!
And (turn it over in your mind)
How happy ’twere for all mankind,
And more, (but that’s a thing between us)
How worthy of your daddy’s genius;
This business will be done—this blow up
Take place, great Monarch, ere you grow up.
Reflect, Sir, powder was invented:
And then, Sir, you must feel contented.
Now, Sir, soon as the haughty foeShall feel a meditated blow,Their ships, perhaps, they will abandon,That you with ease their coasts may land on;Or, England, if I don’t befriend her,May quickly all her fleets surrender.
Now, Sir, soon as the haughty foe
Shall feel a meditated blow,
Their ships, perhaps, they will abandon,
That you with ease their coasts may land on;
Or, England, if I don’t befriend her,
May quickly all her fleets surrender.
Now rendered master of the seas,You may let ports out as you please;These can be rented, understand,Just as some kingdoms are on land;England, then prostrate at your feet,For peace, on any terms, may treat;Be this your language firm and bold,“While yet the brand of war I hold,As you are most completely beaten,This basis only will I treat on—That you, without the least delay,Two millions to Bob Fulton pay.”
Now rendered master of the seas,
You may let ports out as you please;
These can be rented, understand,
Just as some kingdoms are on land;
England, then prostrate at your feet,
For peace, on any terms, may treat;
Be this your language firm and bold,
“While yet the brand of war I hold,
As you are most completely beaten,
This basis only will I treat on—
That you, without the least delay,
Two millions to Bob Fulton pay.”
For the time England and France were at peace. No need now for weapons of warfare, so Fulton set aside his plan for submarine torpedo-boats and began to devote his attention to an idea of greater importance,—the invention of a steamboat.
The thought was not new to him for he had pondered over it since 1793 when he had submitted a description of an original model to Lord Stanhope. Now he bent all his energies to the task and commenced a series of new experiments.
He made many sketches of engines, paddles and boats. Some are yet in existence, notably one made June 5th, 1802. It bears a pen-drawing of a steamboat, with side paddle-wheels, a forward smokestack, a covered cabin amidships, with upper deck occupied by imaginary passengers, a pointed bow and a square stern,—not in reality the shape of the later product of his skill, but a fanciful sketch of the form then in mind. How far ahead his imagination darted, in time and space, may beseen from the inscription, “The Steamboat from New York to Albany in 12 hours.” It was a brave prediction!
In 1804, when General Armstrong was appointed Minister to France, he lived in the house formerly occupied by Joel Barlow; and upon the walls of Fulton’s room he found, plans of steamboats sketched, as a panorama. Even then the thought had so taken possession of Fulton’s mind that he lived with it day and night.
By this time Fulton was recognized by thoughtful men as a power to be considered. At Barlow’s hospitable home Fulton enjoyed the opportunity of making friends among prominent men; and during 1801 there arrived in Paris, as Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States, Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, a noted American statesman and lawyer. The meeting between Fulton and Livingston, at Barlow’s table, proved important. Mr. Livingston’s keen intellect had already recognized the importance of providing boats with steam power. Indeed, he himself had experimented in the matter, and had caused an Act to be passed by the Legislature in 1798 granting to himself “the exclusive right and privilege of navigating all kinds of boats which might be propelled by the force of steam or fire, on all waters of the state of NewYork, for the term of twenty years from the passage of the Act; upon consideration that he should within a twelve-month build such a boat, the mean of whose progress should not be less than four miles an hour.”
The Act was passed but Livingston’s steamboat was not a success. The trial boat, of thirty tons’ burden, built by the Chancellor’s orders by an Englishman named Nesbit, near Tivoli on the Hudson, failed to run! When the Chancellor met Robert Fulton, this clean-cut, energetic young countryman who had built a much-talked-of submarine torpedo-boat recognized by Napoleon, he thought, “Here is the clever man whom I am seeking!” It is characteristic of great men to notice the mental worth of others and enlist it in their cause, whatever it may be. And Livingston quickly learned the rare capacity of Fulton.
There could have been no stronger combination than the partnership of these two men, formally enacted at Paris, in October, 1802. The original agreement is signed “Robert R. Livingston of the state of New York, and Robert Fulton of the state of Pennsylvania.”
Fulton’s part of the contract was:
1st: To build a boat one hundred and twenty feet long, eight feet wide, to draw fifteen inches ofwater, to navigate the Hudson River between New York and Albany, at a speed of eight miles an hour and to carry sixty passengers, allowing two hundred pounds’ weight per passenger.
2d: To secure a patent, in the name of Robert Fulton; to deposit every necessary drawing, model and specification, and the patent property when granted was to be divided in value into one hundred shares, half of which should be owned by each partner, and all profits equally shared.
3d: To go to England to construct an experimental boat,—if possible borrowing an engine,—the cost of such boat, five hundred pounds English currency, to be provided by Livingston. If the boat failed of success, Fulton was to repay half the sum with seven per cent interest added; if it succeeded, Fulton was to go to America, obtain a patent, and build a boat; his “reasonable expenses” to be part of the general expense.
The contract continued as follows:
4th: When the work is finished, either partner may dispose of, or sell, any number of shares less than forty, but the purchasers, or shareholders, are to have no vote in the management of the business. All extensions to be paid from revenue received, and the profits equally divided twice a year.
5th: The partnership is to continue while the patent lasts, that is, fourteen years, or as long a term as it extends; at its close, all boats, warehouses and other property to belong to the shareholders.
6th: If Fulton or Livingston die before the termination of the patent, each heir or assign, holding twenty shares, shall become an active partner with power to act.
7th: Livingston reserves the right to withdraw from the partnership any time after his five hundred pounds have been spent in the first experiment, but is to be considered a partner until he sends notice in writing to Fulton.
It is evident that the document was drawn by Livingston, who certainly made a good bargain. The sole responsibility he took upon himself was the investment of five hundred pounds—twenty-five hundred dollars—with a return of one-half the amount, plus seven per cent interest, if Fulton failed to provide the invention. On the other hand, he was entitled to receive dividends as long as the patent rights could be extended, if the invention proved, as it did, financially productive.
For practical reasons, Fulton decided to build his trial boat in Paris, instead of going over to England. This decision was probably made when he foundthat he could borrow, or rent, an engine. Fulton had to consider expense, for he had spent the money he received from the Panorama upon his torpedo-boats; and his active mind conceived such vast schemes that they seemed too costly to all his friends, except Barlow; at times, even he advised against too great ventures. On July 26th he prudently wrote as follows:
“My project would be that you pass directly over to Englandsilent and steady, make Chapman construct an engine of 12 inches, while you are building a boat of proportionate size. Make the experiments on that scale allquiet and quick. If it answers, put the machinery on board a vessel and go directly to New York, (ordering another engine as large as you please to follow you) then secure your patent and begin your operation, first small and then large. I think I will find you the funds without any noise for the first operation in England and if it promises well you will get as many funds and friends in America as you want. I should suggest a small operation first, for several reasons; it can be made without noise; you can easier find funds for a small experiment,” etc.
“My project would be that you pass directly over to Englandsilent and steady, make Chapman construct an engine of 12 inches, while you are building a boat of proportionate size. Make the experiments on that scale allquiet and quick. If it answers, put the machinery on board a vessel and go directly to New York, (ordering another engine as large as you please to follow you) then secure your patent and begin your operation, first small and then large. I think I will find you the funds without any noise for the first operation in England and if it promises well you will get as many funds and friends in America as you want. I should suggest a small operation first, for several reasons; it can be made without noise; you can easier find funds for a small experiment,” etc.
After the contract was signed there was no hesitation on the part of Fulton; he plunged at once into the task he had anticipated for many years. As early as 1793 he had written to his friend Lord Stanhope, giving his first thoughts on the subject,—one part of his long letter will be enoughto quote here; it is of special interest because it shows that Fulton looked to nature to suggest a practical plan:
“In June, ’93 I begun the experiments on the steamship; my first design was to imitate the spring in the tail of a Salmon—for this purpose I supposed a large bow to be wound up by the steam engine and the collected force, attached to the end of a paddle—to be let off which would urge the vessel forward.”
“In June, ’93 I begun the experiments on the steamship; my first design was to imitate the spring in the tail of a Salmon—for this purpose I supposed a large bow to be wound up by the steam engine and the collected force, attached to the end of a paddle—to be let off which would urge the vessel forward.”
This accords with an old newspaper clipping which states that “the first rough model of a steamboat made by Fulton in New York was cut out of a shingle, shaped like a mackerel, with the paddles placed further in front than behind, like the fins of a fish.”
Of course these “natural propellers” gave ideas to the inventor; he noticed that a fish with round, unbroken tail is a slow swimmer, while those which have deeply indented tails, like the mackerel, can make far greater speed in swimming.
Fulton experimented for nine years before finding the best method; he did not stumble upon the plan, but patiently worked it out, learning through each successive test—all noted and recorded,—the correct ratio to establish between the size of the boat and the power of the machinery.
During the early spring the boat was finishedand looked so promising that Livingston wrote to friends in America to enact an extension to himself and Fulton, jointly, for the exclusive right to operate steamboats on the waters of New York State for twenty years, provided the boat could be produced within two years. Later this time was extended.
Success seemed certain to both Fulton and Livingston. The strange boat was launched upon the river Seine; the borrowed engine of eight-horse power was installed; the copper boiler was in place,—and the partners, disregarding the jeering remarks of ignorant bystanders, were hopeful and happy in anticipation of the trial trip which was set for an early date.
Naturally, the new invention was talked over by the wise men of the city who wandered to the dockyard to view the queer-looking boat. It is said that Prince Tallyrand, during a dinner at Mr. Barlow’s home, sat beside Robert Fulton and was charmed by his pleasant manner. Fulton’s topic of conversation—we can imagine his pleasure in the subject—was his invention of the steamboat upon which he was then at work; and his hope that the submarine torpedo-boat would end all naval warfare and bring universal peace. The Prince listened politely but later confessed his sadness inrealizing that the agreeable young American was mad or he would not devote his time to such impossible schemes! To many Fulton’s dream seemed utterly vain.
This idea gained strength by the disaster which befell the steamboat just before the time set for her trial trip. She was completed; and Fulton, too excited to sleep although wearied by long labor, restlessly awaited the day to dawn when he could prove her success. During the night a great storm broke over Paris; the rain fell in torrents accompanied by heavy winds. At daybreak Fulton was aroused by a breathless messenger whose anxious face and haste betokened bad news. He was the watchman in charge of the precious invention. He rushed into Fulton’s bedroom, with the exclamation:
“Oh, sir, the boat has broken in pieces and gone to the bottom of the river!”
Fulton arose in dismay, hastily dressed, and rushed to the scene. The news was all too true! The boat, too weak in structure to bear the heavy machinery, buffeted by the high waves and heavy winds, had broken in the middle, depositing the valuable engine and other machinery in the river. Nothing was in sight above the water!
Fulton later confessed to a dismay never felt atany other time. Many a man, at this point, would have given up the whole project in despair. But this crisis of apparent failure was the moment for Fulton’s strength of character to assert itself. After months of labor the borrowed engine and Mr. Livingston’s money seemed forever lost. But Fulton set himself to the task of making the best of this disappointment. He wasted not a moment in vain regret, but without going back to his home for breakfast, he began, with his own hands, to try and rescue the boat. For twenty-four hours he worked, without food or rest, until—wet and weary but triumphant—he recovered the machinery and engine. They were found to be little hurt, although the boat itself was a total wreck. But, alas, Fulton paid a heavy penalty for over-taxing his strength; for a permanent weakness of the lungs, from which he never fully recovered, resulted from the exposure and long struggle in the water to save his precious invention. At no moment in his life did he display such fine courage as at this time of apparent failure.
Fulton immediately began to build another boat, in which he placed the recovered machinery. By the month of July he was again ready to show his friends and the French scientists the working-power of his invention.
Mr. Fulner Skipwith was then our Consul-General in Paris. He was interested in the idea of steam navigation, and during the preceding year had sent a letter of inquiry regarding it to Robert Fulton, who gladly answered his questions. Mr. Skipwith had married in Paris, while Fulton was busy with his torpedo experiments on the French coast, and the Consul-General’s first child was born during the spring of 1803. This accounts for the merry letter of invitation which Fulton sent him on July 24th.
Mr. Skipwith;My dear Friend,You have experienced all the anxiety of a fond father on a child’s coming into the world. So have I. Your little cherub, now plump as a partridge, advances to the perfection of her nature and each day presents some new charm. I wish mine may do the same. Some weeks hence, when you will be sitting in one corner of the room and Mrs. Skipwith in the other learning the little creature to walk, the first unsteady step will scarcely balance the tottering frame; but you will have the pleasing perspective of seeing it grow to a steady walk and then to dancing. I wish mine may do the same. My “boy,” who is all bones and corners, just like his daddy and whose birth has given me much uneasiness, or rather, anxiety,—is just learning to walk and I hope in time he will be an active runner. I therefore have the honour to invite you and the ladies to see his first movements on Monday next from 6 till 9 in the evening betweenthe Barriere des Bons Hommes and the steam-engine. May our children, my friend, be an honour to their country and a comfort to the grey hairs of their doting parents.Yours,R. Fulton.
Mr. Skipwith;
My dear Friend,
You have experienced all the anxiety of a fond father on a child’s coming into the world. So have I. Your little cherub, now plump as a partridge, advances to the perfection of her nature and each day presents some new charm. I wish mine may do the same. Some weeks hence, when you will be sitting in one corner of the room and Mrs. Skipwith in the other learning the little creature to walk, the first unsteady step will scarcely balance the tottering frame; but you will have the pleasing perspective of seeing it grow to a steady walk and then to dancing. I wish mine may do the same. My “boy,” who is all bones and corners, just like his daddy and whose birth has given me much uneasiness, or rather, anxiety,—is just learning to walk and I hope in time he will be an active runner. I therefore have the honour to invite you and the ladies to see his first movements on Monday next from 6 till 9 in the evening betweenthe Barriere des Bons Hommes and the steam-engine. May our children, my friend, be an honour to their country and a comfort to the grey hairs of their doting parents.
Yours,
R. Fulton.
You see Fulton considered his boat as a son, as dear and as promising!
This second time the boat did not disappoint him. In the presence of the invited guests, it moved successfully forth from the dock and steamed its way along the river, receiving the applause and admiration of the group of friends assembled by Fulton and Livingston. A public trial followed about two weeks later and a newspaper of the day described it so fully that a translation is here printed:
On the 9th of August, 1803, a trial was made of a new invention and its complete and brilliant success should have important consequences upon the commerce and internal navigation of France. During the past two or three months there has been seen at the end of the quay Chaillot, a boat of curious appearance, equipped with two large wheels, mounted on an axle like a chariot, while behind these wheels was a kind of large stove with a pipe, as if there were some kind of a small fire engine intended to operate the wheels of the boat. Several weeks ago some evil-minded persons threw this structure down. The builder, having repaired this damage, received, the day beforeyesterday, a most flattering reward for his labour and talent.At six o’clock in the evening, aided by only three persons, he put his boat in motion, with two other boats in tow behind it, and for an hour and a half he afforded the curious spectacle of a boat moved by wheels like a chariot, these wheels being provided with paddles or flat plates, and being moved by a fire engine.In following it along the quay, the speed against the current of the Seine appeared to us about that of a rapid pedestrian, while in going down-stream it was more rapid; it was manœuvred with facility, turning to the right and left, came to anchor, started again, and passed by the swimming-school.One of the boats took to the quay a number of savants … who will make a report which will give to this discovery all the praise which it deserves; for this mechanism applied to our rivers, the Seine, the Loire, and the Rhone, should result most advantageously to our internal navigation. The tows of barges which now require four months to come from Nantes to Paris, would arrive promptly in 10 to 15 days. The author of this brilliant invention is Monsieur Fulton, an American and a celebrated mechanician.
On the 9th of August, 1803, a trial was made of a new invention and its complete and brilliant success should have important consequences upon the commerce and internal navigation of France. During the past two or three months there has been seen at the end of the quay Chaillot, a boat of curious appearance, equipped with two large wheels, mounted on an axle like a chariot, while behind these wheels was a kind of large stove with a pipe, as if there were some kind of a small fire engine intended to operate the wheels of the boat. Several weeks ago some evil-minded persons threw this structure down. The builder, having repaired this damage, received, the day beforeyesterday, a most flattering reward for his labour and talent.
At six o’clock in the evening, aided by only three persons, he put his boat in motion, with two other boats in tow behind it, and for an hour and a half he afforded the curious spectacle of a boat moved by wheels like a chariot, these wheels being provided with paddles or flat plates, and being moved by a fire engine.
In following it along the quay, the speed against the current of the Seine appeared to us about that of a rapid pedestrian, while in going down-stream it was more rapid; it was manœuvred with facility, turning to the right and left, came to anchor, started again, and passed by the swimming-school.
One of the boats took to the quay a number of savants … who will make a report which will give to this discovery all the praise which it deserves; for this mechanism applied to our rivers, the Seine, the Loire, and the Rhone, should result most advantageously to our internal navigation. The tows of barges which now require four months to come from Nantes to Paris, would arrive promptly in 10 to 15 days. The author of this brilliant invention is Monsieur Fulton, an American and a celebrated mechanician.
Napoleon’s watchful eye was upon Fulton for he wrote on July 21st to the Councillor of State in the Department of the Marine as follows:
“I have just read the project of Citizen Fulton which you have sent me much too latein that it may change the face of the world. However that may be, I desire you immediately to confide itsexamination to a commission of members chosen by you from among the different classes of the Institute. It is here that learned Europe would seek for judges to solve the question under consideration. As soon as the report is made it will be sent to you and you will forward it to me. Try and let the whole matter be determined within a week as I am impatient.”
We may be sure that Fulton welcomed the questions of these learned men, and sent them “an invitation to see the experiment of a boat ascending the stream by means of a steam engine,” as their records show. He had previously made an offer to Napoleon to convey his troops to England for an attack, saying: