History and mystery mingle in W.Va.'s Eastern Panhandle

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. -- We all know that Robert Fulton invented the steamboat, firebrand abolitionist John Brown's body lies "amould'ring in the grave" and scissors-toting spirits can't go around snipping holes in bed covers. Don't we?

Maybe, but logic and lessons learned in history class sometimes take a back seat to local lore in West Virginia's eastern panhandle. Otherwise, how to explain the impressive monument in Shepherdstown honoring James Rumsey, inventor of the steamboat, and reports of John Brown walking his dog in Harpers Ferry? And why are crescent moon and scissors emblems displayed on houses in Middleway, once called Wizard Clip?

Not to knock the guys in the Rumseian Society but....

John Fitch was a New Englander who did not have much formal education, but he had a natural instinct for mechanics. He knew that steam had the power to move gears and wheels. "Why," he asked himself, "can't I use steam to drive a boat forward?" He determined to put his ideas to work; he would build a steamboat.

It occurred to Fitch that the thing to do was to hitch a steam engine to oars; only instead of moving the oars with muscle power, he would use steam power. After many trials and errors he produced such a boat. The result was a strange looking contraption. The boat looked like a great canoe with six oars on each side, except that there were no paddlers. People hooted and laughed when they saw Fitch's creation. Few people wanted to get too close; they saw smoke billowing out of the smokestack. They were afraid the boat might blow up. But, Fitch had the last laugh. When he pushed the throttle into forward and the oars began to lift and dip, and the John Fitch, as the boat was named, began to move across the water, people had second thoughts. Fitch had created America's first successful steamboat.

Fitch went on to improve his invention. Before 1800 he had launched three steamboats on the Delaware River. The boats carried passengers from Burlington, New Jersey, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the three years his boats operated, they sailed more than 2000 miles up and down the Delaware River.

Fitch redesigned his original boat by getting rid of the oars. He replaced them with a central paddle wheel that was set within the hull. The wheel operated in a manner similar to the way a duck's feet work to paddle through water. Unfortunately, Fitch's boats frequently broke down. Also, many people remained frightened of the boats and preferred to use horse-drawn carriages.

The passenger line Fitch operated began to lose money. The great losses Fitch and his partners suffered forced them to go out of business. Fitch's interest in steamboats remained, but his debts were so great that he had to turn to other ways to make a living. But, Fitch had shown the way, and others who were better financed improved on his ideas. By 1850 steamboats had become a familiar sight on America's rivers.

I have many, many old books noting Rumsey as the inventor and entitled to the recognition. Unfortunately, the matter was notably political and Fulton got to bear the title of "inventor".

There are so many untruths in our current books. Everytime I hear the GW tree story and Betsey Ross story being propogated to the children, I flame.

The Betsey Ross claim didn't even come about until 1870.

Lived in Williamsburg, Va for a year. Loved every minute of it!!

Sac

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