building the american landscape - Univerza v Novi Gorici
building the american landscape - Univerza v Novi Gorici
building the american landscape - Univerza v Novi Gorici
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sailed downstream in 30. 180 Fulton had <strong>the</strong> idea to mount James Watt’s (1736‐1819)<br />
steam engine, and to exploit <strong>the</strong> driving force it generated to move boats over <strong>the</strong><br />
water. Experiments of <strong>the</strong> kind had also been attempted in Europe, even by Fulton<br />
himself in Paris, from <strong>the</strong> end of <strong>the</strong> eighteenth century, but <strong>the</strong>y proved to be<br />
ei<strong>the</strong>r financial or engineering failures. Fulton’s boat was, on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand,<br />
powerful enough to sail upstream. Moreover, <strong>the</strong> journey lasted but a few hours in<br />
contrast with <strong>the</strong> several days and substantial difficulties overland. Fulton and his<br />
financial backer, Robert Livingston (1746‐1813), known in France when <strong>the</strong> latter<br />
was ambassador, were able to build a small commercial empire thanks to contracts<br />
and favours from politicians. As a result of <strong>the</strong>ir wave of success, <strong>the</strong> two men were<br />
also nominated members of <strong>the</strong> Eric Canal commission in 1811.<br />
Daniel R. Headrick describes <strong>the</strong> history of <strong>the</strong> supremacy of <strong>the</strong> steamboat on <strong>the</strong><br />
waters of American rivers as follows:<br />
In 1816 ano<strong>the</strong>r competitor, Henry Shreve, built <strong>the</strong> Washington from a<br />
radically new design. Until <strong>the</strong>n, <strong>the</strong> engines of <strong>the</strong> boats constructed by<br />
Fulton and French were located in <strong>the</strong> hull with a 90 or more centimetre<br />
draught. On <strong>the</strong> contrary, <strong>the</strong> hull of Shreve’s boat was wide and flat like<br />
a barge and drew a maximum of 60 centimetres. As <strong>the</strong> engine would<br />
not fit into <strong>the</strong> hull, it was placed on <strong>the</strong> bridge and a second bridge was<br />
built above for <strong>the</strong> passengers and cargo. Instead of side wheels it had a<br />
single, large wheel astern which could be raised to avoid obstacles.<br />
Shreve had <strong>the</strong> audacious and even dangerous idea of installing a high<br />
pressure engine which took up little space and worked at 150 pounds<br />
per square inch to provide <strong>the</strong> necessary power to get <strong>the</strong> better of <strong>the</strong><br />
strong current of <strong>the</strong> River Ohio. This boat was able to sail on <strong>the</strong> Ohio<br />
and Mississippi all year, and remained afloat on sandbanks which would<br />
have caused a deeper hull to run aground. The Washington was capable<br />
of sailing up <strong>the</strong> Mississippi and <strong>the</strong> Ohio from New Orleans to Louisville<br />
in twenty‐five days, a journey which would have required several<br />
months by barge or canoe. From that day onwards, Shreve’s design was<br />
used as <strong>the</strong> model for <strong>the</strong> classic river boat on <strong>the</strong> Mississippi Later <strong>the</strong>re<br />
was a sensational increase in <strong>the</strong> number of steamboats. In 1820 sixtynine<br />
sailed <strong>the</strong> Ohio and Mississippi; in 1830, <strong>the</strong>re were 187; in 1840,<br />
557, and in 1850, 740. The historian, Louis Hunter, calculated that <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
engines produced three fifths of all <strong>the</strong> steam used in <strong>the</strong> United States<br />
and made a decisive contribution to <strong>the</strong> industrialisation of <strong>the</strong> country.<br />
180 Cf. HEADRICK, Daniel R., Power over Peoples. Technology, Environment, and Western Imperialism,<br />
1400 to Present, Princeton‐Oxford, Princeton University Press, 2010 (Italian translation by Giovanni<br />
Arganese, Il predominio dell’occidente. Tecnologia, ambiente, imperialismo, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2010,<br />
p. 161)<br />
107