Robert Fulton more than a Steamboat inventor

 

 

1906 Replica of the North Shore Steamboat 

 

I recall doing a project in elementary school. We were tasked with creating Fulton’s Folly, the first successful commercial steamboat. Back in the day, sugar cubes were a go-to crafting tool. My mother assisted me in creating the boat, adding some popsicle sticks for the paddles and a toilet paper tube for the smokestack. Doing that project secured the historical trivia in my mind over fifty years later. But there is so much we never learned from our history books about Robert Fulton.

 Robert Fulton

Born November 14, 1765, in Pennsylvania and the oldest of five children, Fulton apprenticed to a jeweler at 15. But his love of art took him on an alternative career path. For six years he lived in Philadelphia, where he earned a living painting a variety of things from portraits to machinery sketches. He always sent money home to his mother, so we have to assume his father passed and left him the provider for the family. In 1785 he purchased a farm near Pittsburgh for his mother and siblings.

In 1786, Fulton was diagnosed with consumption (tuberculous) and prescribed an ocean cruise for his health. He sailed to Europe, living there for 20 years. For a few years, he stayed in France with a family friend, artist Benjamin West and studied painting.

The sale of his art pieces provided his living expenses while he continued to experiment with mechanical inventions. Steam power and canals held his interest.

In 1793, he patented a design for canals using incline planes rather than locks. He also invented a dredging machine to clear waterways.  He traveled to England to study their canals and found investors to create a prototype steamboat to navigate the canals. However, in time, they became dissatisfied with the design and withdrew from the project.

1794 finds Fulton in Paris again, where he is well-known as an inventor. Ever the seeker of knowledge, he immerses himself in the French and German languages along with chemistry and mathematics. During that time, he invented the first muscle-powered submarine, Nautilus. Napolean refused to fund it. But the Ministry of Marine did and in 1800, built it. The submarine was launched in the Seine River where it submerged, but only for a short time, and the invention was abandoned.

It should be noted here that Robert Fulton built things for Napolean and when he moved to Britain, he continued working on torpedoes and submarines. He seemed to be more focused on his inventions, rather than any political loyalties.

While in France, he met U.S. Ambassador Robert Livingston, a prominent figure in America’s wealthy class. He, too, had a scientific mind, and they collaborated in creating the North River Steamboat, historically referred to as the Clermont. Or by a few in the media Fulton’s Folly. Livingston saw not only the scientific value of the steam engine but also the monetary gain of a steamboat. 

His family home was on the Hudson River, in New York, and among his investments was a shipping line.

Both men returned to America, and while Fulton oversaw the installation of the engine on the boat he’d designed, Livingston got exclusive rights to run his steamboat on the Hudson River between New York City and Albany.

In 1807, the North River Steamboat (often referred to as The Claremont) made its maiden voyage with 60 passengers who paid 5 cents a mile. It cruised at 5 miles per hour and took 32 hours to reach Albany. That seems like a snail’s pace to us, but sailboats took a week to cover the same distance. The steamboat had three cabins with 54 berths, a kitchen, larder, pantry, bar and steward’s room.

On this first cruise, there was an overnight stay at Livingston’s Claremont Manor at the halfway point on the first day. I assume Mr. Livingston wanted to make the trip special for their first guests. Once they re-boarded on the second day, some 20 hours later, they began timing the trip again, and the total time on the river was 32 hours. On the return trip from Albany, they stayed only one hour at Livingston’s estate and managed to make it back to New York in 30 hours. Robert Fulton was among the passengers. Livingston and Fulton built three more steamboats and, like trains and buses today, the boats stopped at various ports between New York and Albany. In his  lifetime Fulton built 17.

The successful voyage of the first steamboat opened other doors for the inventor. Fulton was appointed by the Governor of New York, to serve on the Erie Canal Commission, reigniting his interest in canal building.

Fulton remained busy working with Livingston and Nicholas Roosevelt from October 1811 to January 1812 on a joint project to build a new steamboat, New Orleans, stable enough to take on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to the mouth of the Gulf in New Orleans, Louisiana. This steamship could travel against the strong currents as it headed upstream, transforming river transportation and trade for America.

One of his final designs was a floating battery, Demogolos. The first steam-driven warship in the world. It was built for the United States Navy for the War of 1812. The vessel was not completed until after his death.

Family life

Robert Fulton married later in life. At 43, he married Harriet Livingston, 25, on January 8, 1808, the niece of his business partner Robert Livingston. Harriet was well-educated, and an accomplished amateur painter and musician. They had four children.

Harriet Fulton

 

 

Fulton passed in 1815 in New York from consumption. While walking home on the frozen Hudson River, he rescued his friend, who’d fallen through the ice. Walking across a frozen river during the coldest part of winter was fairly common during this era. It is believed as he walked home soaked to the skin, he contracted pneumonia. Once home, it worsened to consumption. He was 49. He left his wife with four children under the age of seven. She remarried a year later.

The thing I found most fascinating about Robert Fulton was his insatiable desire to learn and understand, which led to creating a steam engine that changed how commerce and naval warfare were conducted. Eventually, others invented steam engines strong enough to sail across the oceans, cutting trips and transport of goods around the world from months to weeks. Many ships have been named after him. Various statues are on display in Europe and the US. And in 1965 Robert Fulton appeared on a postage stamp commemorating his achievement.

Cindy Ervin Huff, is a multi-published award-winning author in Historical and Contemporary Romance.  She’s a 2018 Selah Finalist. Cindy has a passion to encourage other writers on their journey. When she isn’t writing, she feeds her addiction to reading and enjoys her retirement with her husband of 50 plus years, Charles. Visit her at www.cindyervinhuff.com.

 

 Cherishing Her Heart

 

William Henry Harrison: Oldest President at the Time

  __By Tiffany Amber Stockton__

In January, The City That Never Sleeps received the spotlight focus. Today, I thought I'd cover a little known president and why not much is known about him.

THE SHORTEST TIME SERVED

American President William Henry Harrison came into this world on February 9, 1773, in Charles City County, Virginia. Coming from a very prominent and successful Virginia family, he received the best education possible by his parents. Harrison’s father desired that he pursue the medical field, and Harrison proceeded to study at the University of Pennsylvania.

He loathed the medical field, but he still obeyed his father’s wishes. The death of his father in 1791 changed many things. Since his parents financially funded his education, he no longer had the necessary funds to continue his studies and became rather impoverished. 

Harrison searched for a new path in life and found it in the U.S. military. From Virginia governor Henry Lee, Harrison received a commission as an ensign in the Army, and he travelled west with the U.S. 1st Infantry regiment to serve under General Anthony Wayne.

Harrison rose quickly with a natural talent for leading soldiers, and the General appointed Harrison as his aide-de-camp. As Wayne’s personal assistant and secretary, Harrison learned the skills needed to command an army on America’s frontier.

Almost 20 years later, Harrison put these skills to use as a General commanding troops during the War of 1812. Serving in the Northwest Theater of war in and around present-day Ohio and Michigan, Harrison led America’s troops against the British and Indians. He famously forced them back into Canada and won a crushing victory at the Battle of the Thames.

Following the war, Harrison used the fame he had won in battle to catapult himself into service as a politician, serving as a Senator, Governor of Indiana, and Minister to Columbia. His moniker of Tippacanoe during his military service gave him political advantage, and he used the slogan, "Tippacanoe and Tyler too!"

In 1840, Harrison was elected President and became the oldest Commander and Chief until Ronald Reagan.

After his election, Harrison was determined that his inauguration speech would be the best possible. He spoke for one hour and 45 minutes about his agenda in the midst of terrible winter weather. Just one month later, on April 4, 1841, William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia. This unfortunately earned him the distinction of having served the shortest time ever by a U.S. President.

It also created a conundrum, as no other president had died while in office. No one knew what to do. The Vice President, John Tyler, insisted he step into the role, which he did, but the United States didn't solve the issue of succession until the passing of the 25th amendment in 1967.

Quick facts:

• William's grandson, Benjamin, also became president, making them the only grandfather-grandson pair to serve in this role.
• In campaign antics, a group of Whigs pushed a 10-foot ball made of tin and paper slogans of Harrison’s for hundreds of miles (and thus the phrase “get the ball rolling” began).
• Other Whig supporters passed out whiskey in bottles which came from the E.C. Booz distillery, and from this comes the word “booze.”

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* A few notable tidbits about President Harrison. Which one did you find most interesting?

* Share about a time when you thought you traveled a secure path, only to have a sudden course shift that took you somewhere completely unexpected.

* What tidbits do YOU know about any of the U.S. presidents?

** This note is for our email readers. Please do not reply via email with any comments. View the blog online and scroll down to the comments section.

Come back on the 9th of each month for my next foray into historical tidbits to share.

For those interested in my life as an author and everyday gal, what I'm currently reading, historical tidbits, recommended reads, and industry news about other authors, subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The February edition was just sent out. Receive a FREE e-book of Magic of the Swan just for subscribing.

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BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those skills to become an award-winning, best-selling author and speaker who is also a professional copywriter/copyeditor. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help improve their lives in a variety of ways.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children, one dog, and three cats in southeastern Kentucky. In the 20 years she's been a professional writer, she has sold twenty-six (26) books so far and is represented by Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.