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think be admitted; for although most of the operations mentioned mighthave been performed by forcing up water on an overshot wbeel, by anapparatus similar to Papin’s or Savery’s steam-engines, tbere are otbersto which such a mode was quite inapplicable, as raising of anchors, orpropelling carts, Wagons and ploughs. The inventor, whoever he was,has given proofs of an extraordinary sagacity, for every Operation namedby him is now effected by the steam-engine, except raising the anchors ofsteam-vessels and ploughing. The latter is at present the subject of ex-periment, and the former will in all probability be soon adopted. Theauthor’s labors were most likely not appreciated by his contemporaries,and as the World is always too apt to think the worst in such cases, thewhole will probably now be set down by some persons as the dream of asanguine projector—the judgment commonly passed upon those who arein advance of the age they live in. Of this lamentable truth several ex-amples will be found in this volume, and in the history of every importantinvention. We shall notice two here, as they relate to two of the mostvaluable applications of steam. Oliver Evans , in 1786, urged upon aCommittee of the legislature of Pennsylvania , the advantages to be derivedfrom steam-boats and “ steam-wagons,” and predicted their universaladoption in a short time. The opinion which the Committee formed ofhim was expressed a few years afterwards, by one of its members, in thefollowing words : “To teil you the truth, Mr. Evans , we thought youwere deranged when you spoke of m aking steam-wagons.” The otherrelates to John Fitch , a clock and watch maker, than whom a more inge-nious, persevering and unfortunate man never lived. In spite of difficultiesthat few could withstand, he succeeded in raising the means to construota steam-boat, which he ran several times from Philadelphia to Burlingtonand Trenton in 1788. As a first atfempt, and from the want of propermanufactories of machinery at the time, it was of necessity imperfect:then public opinion was unfavorable, and the shareholders finally aban-doned the scheme. His feelings may be imagined, but not described;for he saw and predicted the glory that awaited the man who should suc-ceed in introducing such vessels in more favorable times. “ The day willcome [he observes] when some more powerful man will get fame andriches by my invention, but nobody will believe that poor John Fitch cando any thing worthy of attention.” He declarfed that within a Centurythe Western rivers would swarm with steam-vessels, and he expressed awish to be buried on the margin of the Ohio , that the music of marine en-gines in passing by his grave might echo over the sods that covered him.In a letter to Mr. Rittenhouse, in 1792, he shows the applicability of steamto propel ships of war, and asserts that the same agent would be adoptedto navigate the Atlantic, both for packets and armed vessels. Descantingon one occasion upon his favorite topic, a person present observed as Fitch retired, “ poor fellow! what a pity he is crazy !” He ended his life in afit of insanity by plunging into the Allegany.®
In tracing the progress of discovery which resulted in the steam-engine,we have seen that the two grand properties of aqueous vapor—its elasticenergy, and the instant annihilation of this energy by condensation-—werewell known in the 16th Century. On these properties of steam were basedall the efforts of experimenters to accomplish the two great objects theyhad in view; i. e. to impart motion by it to general mechanism, and toemploy it as a Substitute for pumps to raise water. Before ejther the
* Supplement to Art. “ Steam-Boat, ” Ed. Encyclopedia, by Dr. Messe: and Watson’s“ Early Settlement and Progress of Philadelphia,” &c. Phil. 1833.