THE INVENTOR OF STEAM BOATS.

NZ Truth, Issue 92, 23 March 1907, Page 7

THE INVENTOR OF STEAM BOATS.

A NEW CLAIMANT.

From St. Louis (Missouri) comes the statement that it was not Robert Pulton who invented the steamboat. William Douglas, a grandson of William Symington has brought under the notice of the "New York Herald" a small book, now ,out of print, entitled " Biography of William Svming-ton, Inventor of Steam Locomotion by Sea and Land." It is with the object of refuting the notion that Fulford invented the steam-boat that Douglas has brought the book to light. It contains pictures of the steam carriage and steam-boat invented and built by Ml Symington between 1876 and 1801. William Symington was a civil engineer of Scotland. The book says :—

" Before completing bis twentieth year he conceived the idea that the steam engine could be rendered available for the propulsion of land carriages, an idea he afterwards embodied m a working model, which he exhibited to the professors of the University of Edinburgh' and other scientific gentlemen m that metropolis, who were so much pleased, both with Symington and his invention, that they strongly recommended Mr Mason not to lose sight of so promising a genius, a recommendation so much m accordance with the gentleman's own inclination that he sent Symington to the university."

In 1785 he built the first steam boat, and m 1790 built another which was propelled upon the Forth and Clyde Canal at a speed of six miles an hour. The invention then lay dormant until 1800, because Symington had no money with which to carry on his experiments. But m that year Lord Dundas engaged him to make a steamboat to tow coal barges upon the canal. In 1801 'the boat was finished and named the Charlotte Dundas. This steamboat made a trip to Glasgow and then was used as a towboat m the canal. But the owners of the canal feared the waves from the boat's wheel would wash the banks away, and ordered the discontinuance of the boat.

In March 1803, he finished his third steamboat, whioh upon her trial trip towed two loaded sloops twenty miles m six hours. The owners of the canal would not permit the boat to be used, and nothing more was done by him m the steamboat line. He died m 1831.

This biography of Mr Symington declares that Robert Fulford aided m the introduction of the steamboat, but that he had nothing to do with the invention of it.

"Mr Pulton, it is proved beyond the possibiliity of dispute, was on board of Mr Symington's first Charlotte Dundas m the month of July, 1801, and was carried m her eight miles," the book says, "and he received explanations and took sketches both of the boat and her machinery prior to his being able to succeed m propelling a steam vessel on the Hudson River m 1807. Symington's boats were working nineteen years before Mr Pulton's and twenty-four years before Mr Bell's first boat."

The book contains many affidavits, original documents and extracts from scientific works establishing the claim that Mr Symington invented the steamboat. The book concludes as follows :—

"All honor to the name of Symington, who gave this erreat invention of steam navigation to the world, who died unrewarded and was buried without a stone to mark his grave."