Two weeks afterwards, I commenced the construc tion of a small engine for a mill to grind plaister of Paris—the cylinder six inches in diameter, and stroke of the piston eighteen inches—believing that with $1000 I could fully try the experiment. But before I was done with experiments, I found that I had ex pended that I could command. I had now to begin the world anew at the age of forty-eight, with a large family to support. I had calculated that if I failed in my experiment, the credit I had would he entirely lost ; and without money or credit, at my ad vanced age, with many heavy encumbrances, my way through life appeared dark and gloomy indeed. But I succeeded perfectly with my little and preserved my credit. I could break and grind 300 bushels of plaister of Paris, or 12 tons, in 24 hours ; and to show its operations more fully to the public, I applied it to saw stone in Market-street, where the driving of twelve saws, in heavy frames, sawing at the rate of 100 feet of marble stone in 12 hours, made a great show, and excited much attention. I thought this was sufficient to convince the thousands of spectators of the utility of my discovery : but I frequently heard them inquire if the power could be applied to saw timber as well as stone, to grind grain, propel boats, &c. and though I answered in the af firmative, I found they still doubted. I therefore de termined to apply my engine to all new uses, to intro duce it and them to the public.* This experiment completely tested the correctness of my principles, according to my most sanguine hopes. The power of my engine rises in a geometri cal proportion, while the consumption of fuel has only an arithmetical ratio ; in such proportion that every time I added one fourth more to the consumption of fuel, the powers of the engine were doubled ; and that twice the quantity of fuel required to drive one saw would drive 16 saws, at least ; for when I drove two saws the consumption was 8 bushels [coal] in 12 hours, but, when twelve saws were driven, the con sumption was not more than 10 bushels ; so that the more we resist the steam the greater is the effect of the engine. On these principles, very light, but powerful engines, can be made, suitable for propelling boats and land carriages, without the great incum brance of their own weight, as mentioned in Mr. La trobe's demonstrations.
In the year 1804. I constructed at my works, situate a mile and a half from the water, by order of the board of health of the city of Philadelphia, a machine for cleansing docks. It consisted of a large Hatt, or scow, with a steam engine of the power of five horses on board, to work machinery to raise the mud into flatts. This was a fine opportunity to show the public that my engine could propel both land and water car riages, and I resolved to do it. When the work was finished, I put wheels under it, and though it was equal in weight to two hundred barrels of flour, and the wheels fixed with wooden axletrees, for this temporary pur pose, in a very rough manner, and with great friction, of course, yet with this small engine I transported my great burthen to the Schuylkill with ease ; and, when it was launched in the water, I fixed a paddle wheel at the stern, and drove it down the Schuylkill to the Delaware, and up the Delaware to the city [14 or 15 miles, leaving all the vessels going up, behind me, at least half way, the wind being a-head, and in the pre sence of thousands of spectators, a sight which I sup pose would have convinced them of the practicability of both steam carriages and steam boats. But in this
I was sadly disappointed, for they made no allowance for the disproportion of the engine to its great load, nor for the temporary manner in which the machinery was fixed, nor the great friction, ill form of the boat, &c., but supposed that it was the utmost I could do. Had I been patronised as Mr. Fulton was by the state of New-York, with the exclusive right for thirty years, and by a Mi. Livingston, with thirty thousand dollars to make the experiment, I might have showed steam boats in full operation long before I\Ir.Fulton began his boat, which was finished in 1807, twenty years after I petitioned the legislature of Pennsylvania, and three years after the above mentioned experiment.]t Some wise men undertook to ridicule my experi ment of propelling this great weight on land, because the motion was too slow to be useful. I silenced them by answering, that I would make a carriage, to be propelled by steam, for a bet of 83000, to run upon a level road against the swiftest horse they would pro duce. I was then as confident, as I am now, that such velocity could be given to carriages.
Having no doubt of the great utility of steam car riages on good turnpike roads, with proper arrange ments for supplying theni with water and fuel, and believing that all turnpike companies were deeply in terested in putting them into operation, because they would smooth and mend the roads, instead of injuring them, as the narrow wheels do, on the 26th of Sep tember 1804, I submitted to the consideration of the Lancaster turnpike company, a statement of the costs and profits of a steam carriage to carry 100 barrels of flour, 50 miles in 24 hours—tending to show, that one such steam carriage would make more nett profits than 10 wagons drawn by five horses each, on a good turnpike road, and offering to build such a carriage at a very low price. My address closed as follows : "It is too much for an individual to put in opera tion every improvement which he may invent.
"I have no doubt but that my engines will pro pel boats against the current of the Mississippi, and WAGONS ON TURNPIKE ROADS, WITH GREAT PROFIT. I now call upon those, whose in terest it is, to carry this invention into effect. All which is respectfully submitted for your consider ation." In the year 1805 I published a book describing the principles of my steam engine, with directions for working it, when applied to propel boats against the current of the Mississippi, and carriages on turnpike roads. And I am still willing to make a steam car riage that will run 15 miles an hour, on good level rail ways, on condition that I have double price if it shall run with that velocity, and nothing for it, if it shall not come up to that velocity. What can an in ventor do more than to insure the performance of his inventions? Or, I will make the engine and apparatus, at a fair price, and warrant its utility for the purpose of conveying heavy burthens on good turnpike roads.