To obtain the power of driving the boat, I make use of Watt and Bolton's steam engine, or any other steam engine of equal power, my claim to invention not extending to the steam engine, but to the proportioning, combining, and applying it in such a manner to a boat or vessel of such dimensions as to drive her to a certainty, more than four miles an hour in still water. After having determined the length, width, and draught of water of the boat, the details of my patent, dated February 11th, 1809, will shew the mode for ascertaining her total resistance while running 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 miles an hour in still water; also, the mode for proportioning the power of the engine, the velocity of the piston, and the diameter of the water wheels, with the velocity of their periphery, and the size of each of their propellers, to overcome any given resistance of boat while running 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 miles an hour in still water. Having been the first to demonstrate the superior advantages of a water wheel or wheels, I claim as my exclusive right, the use of two wheels, one over each side of the boat to take the purchase on the water; to turn such wheels forward or backwards, I claim as my combinations and exclusive right the following modes of communicating the power from the piston rod of the steam engine to them.

First By two triangular beams, which are described in the details of my patent, dated February 11th, 1809, and only mentioned here to bring together my several combinations.

Second-By wheels without a beam. In this case, a crank or crank wheel is on each side of the cylinder, to which shackle bars descend from the cross bar on the top of the piston rod, which, turning the cranks, the water wheels being connected with their axis, turn also these two crank wheels, drive two wheels of equal diameters, from which a movement may be taken to work the air pump, which two wheels drive two pinions, on the shaft of which is the fly wheel or wheels.

Third-By means of a cast or wrought iron beam, on each side of the cylinder, near the bottom of the boat, from a cross bar on the top of the piston rod, a shackle bar descends on each of the cylinders and connects with the ends of the beams; a shackle bar arises from the other end of each beam to a cross bar, from which cross bar shackle bars descend to turn two cranks or orank wheels, to the axles of which the water wheels are connected; the two crank wheels drive two pinions, on the shaft of which the fly wheels are fixed.

Fourth-By means of a cast or wrought iron beam above the cylinder, which receives motion from the piston rod; from the other end of the beam a strong shackle bar gives motion to a crank, on the axle of which, or connected with it, are the two water wheels; from the crank shaft a movement may be taken to turn the fly wheels, or by using sun and planet wheels, the shaft of the sun wheel will act as a fly, and drive the water wheels by means of a pinion on the sun wheel shaft and a wheel on the water wheel shaft, thus, if required, reducing the revolutions of the water wheels to half the number of revolutions of the fly; or if the water wheels are put on the shaft of the sun wheels and weighted with iron, they will act without any other fly, but not to such advantage as with a fly and water wheel, because rapid moving and small propellers is a loss of power. I use coupling boxes, or any other means, to throw the propelling wheels in or out of gear, or to throw one wheel out and work the other as may be required. This convenience in combining the machinery of steam boats, I claim as my discovery and exclusive right, whatever may be the mode by which it may be executed. I also claim as my invention, the guards which are round the outside of the propelling wheels, which guards may support the outside gudgeons of said propelling wheels and give a convenience of a deposit for fuel, bins or lockers, for various materials; water closets for the convenience of passengers, and steps to enter from or go into the row boats, which guards protect the wheels from injury by wharves, vessels, &c. &c. I claim as my invention, to project from the side or sides of a steam boat, beams, or timbers, or spars, or fenders of wood or iron of any kind, to guard or protect the water wheels from injury by wharves, vessels, &c. &c. I also claim the exclusive right to cover the water wheels, whether by boards, netting or grating, canvass or leather, or in whatever manner it may be done to prevent them throwing water on deck or entangling in ropes. I claim as my invention, to place the tiller or steering wheel, and pilot and steers◄ man, further forward in steam boats than is usual in other vessels, the necessity of which is, that the boat being long and the deck covered with passengers, the pilot could not see forward, unless near the middle of the deck; hence, any one who moves a steersman further forward in a steam boat than is usual in other vessels, shall be considered as using this part of my invention in the convenient arrangement of steam boats. I claim as my invention, the straight and diagonal braces, which I have placed in the sides of

my steam boats to give them strength to support the weight of the engine, boiler, and machinery, and which braces extend from a line behind the boiler to a line forward of the machinery. I claim as my invention, to set the engine and machinery in a frame which is laid on the bottom of the boat, which frame must be of a length, breadth, and strength, to bear the weight of the machinery and working of the engine, and divide it over so great a surface of the boat as to do her no injury. I also claim as my invention, to accommodate a steam engine to a boat, my mode of setting the air pump and machinery behind the cylinder that is on the side opposite the hand-gear, and which is the reverse of the mode in which engines are put up on land. I claim as my invention and exclusive right, the combination of sails with a steam engine to drive a boat, I being the first who have done so, and proved by practice, the utility of the union of the two powers of wind and steam : Hence, as a boat may be rigged a variety of ways, my invention is not for any particular mode of rigging, but for the discovery and proof by practice, of the importance of using sails with a steam engine to drive a boat. I claim as my invention, my particular mode of proportioning and placing a propelling wheel or wheels in the stern of a boat, which wheel or wheels are in a chamber formed by the two sides of the boat, extending aft one or more feet further than the extreme diameter of the propelling wheel, to each of which side projections there is a rudder, which two rudders, connected by a cross bar working on pivots, cause them to move together and parallel to each other; from this cross bar, or from the rudders, the ropes or chains for steering lead on to the pilot.

To put a propelling wheel or wheels in motion at the stern of a steam boat, a movement may be carried from the engine to it, or them, by bevel wheels and shafts to opposite the centre of the axle of the propelling wheel and between two wheels, or by bevel wheels and a shaft on one side of one propelling wheel, or by a triangular beam at the engine, and long shackle bars moving in guides on rollers, and which communication may be performed by shackle bars leading along the centre of the boat, turning a crank between two wheels, or by a shackle bar on each side of the propelling wheel, each acting on a crank on each end of the shaft of the propelling wheel.

(Witnesses,)

JOHN NICHOLSON,

GEOR. LYON.

ROBERT FULTON.

To all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting:

I certify, that the annexed is a true copy of a patent granted to Robert Fulton, for his improvement, entitled, " Inventions and Discoveries, for constructing Boats or Vessels, which are to be navigated by the power of Steam Engines;" dated February 9th,

1811.

L. S.

In testimony whereof, I, John Q. Adams, Secretary of State, of the United States, have hereunto subscribed my name, and caused the seal of the Department of State to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, the sixth day of June, A. D. J. Q. ADAMS.

1818.

E.

CERTIFICATE.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,

Washington County.

At the request of Doctor William Thornton, of this county, personally appeared before me the subscriber, one of the justices of the peace for the said county, Oliver Evans, of Philadelphia, who solemnly affirmed, that when John Fitch and his company were engaged in constructing their steam boat in Philadelphia, he the said Oliver, suggested to the said John Fitch, the plan of driving and propelling the said boat by paddle or flutter wheels at the sides of the boat; when the said Fitch or some other person, but he thinks it was Fitch, informed him, that one of the company had already proposed and urged the use of wheels at the sides, but that he had objected to them. The said Oliver also states, that he afterwards mentioned the same to Henry Voight, one of the members of that company, who said, that Doctor William Thornton, also a member of the same, was the person who had proposed the said paddle or flutter wheels at the sides of the boat, but that both himself and John Fitch had objected to them.

The said Oliver further saith, that Robert Fulton, the patentee of steam boats in the state of New-York, had observed to him, thạt he deemed it impossible to drive a boat or vessel by steam at a greater speed than five miles per hour; but the said Oliver says, he had understood, Fitch's boat had very far exceeded that speed, and that Fitch's experiment had completely succeeded to shew

that boats could be driven by steam to advantage; and also, that when the said John Fitch was afterwards setting out for the western country, he called on the said Oliver at his house, and declared his intention to be, to form a company to establish steam boats on the western waters, of the advantages of which, he appeared to have formed vast conceptions and great expectations. The said Oliver also saith, that some time about the years 1786, 1787, or 1788, the said Fitch informed him, that he contemplated employing his steam boat on the lakes, and meant to construct them with two keels, to answer as runners, and when the lakes should freeze over, he would raise his boat on the ice, and by a wheel on each side, with spikes in the rims to take hold of the ice, he calculated it would be possible to run thirty miles an hour; also, that he meant to tow boats and other floats by steam boats. OLIVER EVANS.

(Signed)

Affirmed to before the subscriber, one of the justices of the peace for Washington county, Columbia, this 16th day of December, 1814.

SIR,

Oxford, (N. Hampshire,) Oct. 31, 1818.

WILLIAM A. DUER, ESQ.

In answer to your inquiries, relative to my experiments with steam boats many years ago, at New-York, previous to the construction of them by the late Chancellor Livingston and Mr. Fulton, I will state the simple facts as briefly as possible, and as nearly as I can at this time recollect.

As nearly as I can recollect, it was as early as 1790, that I turned my attention to improving the steam engine, and in applying it to the purpose of propelling boats. I began my experiments in this vicinity on Connecticut river. When my arrangements were sufficiently mature for exhibition, I went to New-York and built a boat, and during three successive summers, tried many experiments in modifying the engine and in propelling. Sickness in my family calling me home, I had the boat brought to Hartford as a more convenient place, and there ran her in presence of many persons.