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FULTON, ROBERT

Robert Fulton (1765–1815) was not the first inventor to turn his attention to the concept of the steam boat. He was the first, however, to successfully couple steam engines with a boat that could be commercially viable. Robert Fulton was a multitalented individual who began his adult career as an artist, but he showed inventive talent for most of his life.

Robert Fulton was born on November 14, 1765, on a farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, near the town of Little Britain. He grew up in Lancaster, and was a clever child, showing an inventive trait by fashioning lead pencils, household utensils, and skyrockets. For his rowboat, he put together a hand–operated paddle wheel. He also designed and built a rifle with an original bore and sight. Moving to Philadelphia at age 17, Fulton apprenticed to a jeweler and did well painting miniatures and portraits—well enough to buy a farm for his mother just outside of Philadelphia.

Fulton moved to England in 1786 to study painting with Benjamin West. He made a moderate living in England as an artist. But his true interest was in science and engineering. After 1793 he devoted his efforts to science and engineering, and relegated his painting to that of a hobby. Water transport was his main interest, and Fulton studied the problems of canals and shipping. He worked on the design of canal boats, and a system of inclined planes to replace canal locks. At the same time, Fulton invented machines for rope making and spinning flax. He made a device that cut marble, and he invented a dredging machine for cutting canal channels. In 1796, he published a work on his canal investigations, A Treatise on the Improvement of Canal Navigation.

Next Fulton turned his attention to the development of underwater warfare devices and equipment. He worked on the submarine and explosive torpedoes. Like many idealists, Fulton believed the development of efficient warfare appliances would make warfare so terrible it would no longer be pursued. This rather naive idea has been held by many who dabbled in instruments of war. Fulton was successful in some torpedo development, and built a semi-functional submarine. In 1801 his Nautilus diving boat could descend 25 feet underwater and return to the surface. Fulton attempted to enlist the patronage of the French government for his research, but was unable to demonstrate success in sinking British ships. He then attempted the same deal with the British, but failed for the same reason.

The problem of underwater propulsion frustrated Fulton and many others who came before him. For centuries sail or oar had propelled ships along the water's surface. Several men had experimented with placing steam engines on ships for propulsion, but unsuccessfully. In 1802 Fulton partnered with Robert R. Livingston (1746–1813) to work towards a practical and commercial application of steam engines on boats. Livingston was to be a key supporter and benefactor. Fulton's experimental boat sank in Paris in 1803 because of problems with the weight of the engine. But he was more successful with a second attempt.

Finally, in 1806 Fulton ordered a quality steam engine from the British firm of Boulton & Watt. Previous attempts at coupling steam engines with boats had failed, Fulton believed, because of the lack of a well-designed engine. Previous inventors had attempted to build the steam engine as well as the boat. Fulton decided to purchase a quality engine from a reputable firm and couple it with a decent boat. The result of this effort was the construction of the first successful steamboat in New York in 1807.

The ship was registered as the North River Steam Boat but it was popularly called the Claremont after Robert Livingston's home. On August 17, 1807, the paddle wheel driven steamboat made its maiden voyage up the Hudson River to Albany at an average speed of five miles per hour. The Claremont was a technical success, but more importantly, a commercial success. Fulton insisted that the ship be well attended and that the needs of its passengers be tended to.

Fulton set about expanding the steamboat business. He obtained monopolies from state legislatures. His steamboat New Orleans was the first steamboat on the Mississippi River. He erected a large shipyard in New Jersey, which built 17 steamboats as well as a ferryboat and a torpedo boat. Fulton had designed and was building a steam powered warship, Fulton the First when he died on February 24, 1815.

See also: Steamboats

FURTHER READING

Bowman, John S., ed. The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995, s.v. "Fulton, Robert."

Dickinson, H.W., Robert Fulton, Engineer and Artist: His Life and Works. New York: John Lane Company, 1913.

Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998, s.v. "Fulton, Robert."

Flexner, James T. Steamboats Come True: American Inventors in Action. Boston: Little, Brown, 1944.

Philip, Cynthia Owen. Robert Fulton, A Biography. New York: Franklin Watts, 1985.