Stories of Great Inventors Part 5

The new boat had broken in two.

The machinery was too heavy for it.

It had sunk to the bottom of the river Seine.

Mr. Fulton had not had his breakfast.

He hurried to the river.

He worked standing in the cold water.

In twenty-four hours he had saved the machinery, and some other parts of the boat.

But it made him ill.

He never was so strong again.

Of course he felt greatly discouraged.

They went to work again.

They built another boat.

This was a success.

It was sixty-six feet long, and moved by wheels on the side.

Mr. Livingston and Mr. Fulton decided to try again in America upon the Hudson River.

Mr. Livingston was given again the same privileges by the State of New York.

But this time Mr. Fulton was his partner.

They were given two years in which to make their boat.

They were to make one which could go four miles an hour.

It took much money.

Mr. Fulton promised to ask only a certain sum of Mr. Livingston.

But this sum proved to be too small.

He went to see a friend.

He talked long and earnestly to him.

But the friend grew tired and told him he must go home or go to bed.

Mr. Fulton wanted one thousand dollars.

His friend said he would see him again.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE ERUCTOR AMPHIBOLIS.

A COMBINED STEAMBOAT AND LOCOMOTIVE CONSTRUCTED BY OLIVER EVANS A NATIVE OF NEWPORT, DELAWARE, IN 1804.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF MACHINERY IN FULTON'S CLERMONT.

By permission of Providence & Stonington Steams.h.i.+p Co.]

Mr. Fulton came again before the poor man had had any breakfast.

He gave him no peace.

But he got his money at last.

Mr. Fulton was much laughed at for trying to make such a boat.

The boat was called by people, "Fulton's Folly."

His friends would listen politely to him.

But he said he knew they did not believe in him.

He often, as he walked about, heard people laugh and sneer at him.

But at last the boat was done.

The sun rose smiling on that August morning.

The world was enjoying its morning nap.

Only a few people were on the sh.o.r.es.

Gracefully the boat was moved from the Jersey sh.o.r.e.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE CLERMONT, 1807 By permission of Providence & Stonington Steams.h.i.+p Co.]

Those who saw were amazed.

Old sailors were frightened.

When they saw a boat with no sails, they thought it an evil spirit.

But the long line of black smoke which they saw was only the breath of the dear old giant, Steam.

At last he had something to do.

This boat was called the Clermont.