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A sternwheeler paddleboat in Louisiana.
The paddle wheel is a large wheel, generally built of a steel framework, upon the outer edge of which are fitted numerous paddle blades (called floats). It is placed in the water so that the bottom quarter or so is underwater. Rotation of the paddle wheel produces thrust, forwards or backwards as required. More advanced paddle wheel designs have featured feathering methods that keep the paddle blade pointing closer to vertically downwards during the period it's in the water; this increases efficiency. __NOTOC__
The first paddle steamer was the Pyroscaphe built by Marquis Claude de Jouffroy of Lyons in France, built in 1783. It had a horizontal double-acting steam engine driving two 13.1 ft paddle wheels on the sides of the craft. On July 15, 1783 it steamed successfully up the Saône for fifteen minutes before the engine failed. Political events disturbed further development.
The next attempt at a paddle-driven steam ship was by the Scottish engineer William Symington. Experimental boats built in 1788 and 1789 worked successfully; in 1802, Symington built a barge-hauler, Charlotte Dundas, for the Forth and Clyde Canal Company . It successfully hauled two 70-ton barges almost 20 miles in 6 hours against a strong headwind on test in 1802. There was much enthusiasm, but some directors of the company were concerned about the banks of the canal being damaged by the wash from a powered vessel, and no more were ordered.
While Charlotte Dundas was the first commercial paddle-steamer and steamboat, the first commercial success was possibly Robert Fulton's North River Steam Boat in New York, which went into commercial service in 1807Events February Napoleon attacks Russia February 8 Battle of Eylau Napoleon defeats Russians under General Benigssen February 19 In Alabama, Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason. March 2 The United States Congress between New York and AlbanyAlbany is the capital of the state of New York in the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 95,658. It is the county seat of Albany County. The City of Albany lies 145 miles (233 kilometers) north of and slightly east fro. Many other paddle-equipped river boats followed all round the world.
The first sea-going trip of a paddle steamer was that of the Albany in 1808, which was sailed from the Hudson RiverThe Hudson River called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk in Mahican, is a river running mainly through New York State but partly forming the boundary between the states of New York and New Jersey. It is named for Henry Hudson, an Englishman sailing for the Netherlands, around the coast to the Delaware RiverThe Delaware River is a river on the Atlantic coast of the United States. It meets tide-water at Trenton, New Jersey. Its total length, from the head of the longest branch to the capes, is 410 miles (660 km), and above the head of the bay its length is 36. This was purely for the purposes of moving a river-boat to a new market, but the use of paddle-steamers for short coastal trips began soon after that.
The first paddle-steamer to make a long ocean voyage was the Savannah, built in 1819Events January 17 Simon Bolivar proclaims the Republic of Colombia January 29 Sir Stamford Raffles lands on the island of Singapore February 6 Formal treaty between Sultan Hussein of Johor and the British Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles originates Singapore F expressly for this service. Savannah set sail for LiverpoolFor alternate uses of "Liverpool" see Liverpool (disambiguation Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside in north west England, on the north side of the Mersey estuary. Liverpool is governed by Liverpool City Council, one of five council on May 22May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). There are 223 days remaining. Events 1176 Murder attempt by the Hashshashin (Assassins) on Saladin near Aleppo. 1455 Wars of the Roses: First Battle of St Albans Richard,, 1819, sighting Ireland after 23 days at sea. This was the first powered crossing of the Atlantic, although Savannah also carried a full rig of sail to assist the engines when winds were favorable.
The Sirius in 1838Events January 6 Samuel Morse first publicly demonstrates the telegraph. January 8 Alfred Vail demonstrates a telegraph using dots and dashes (this is the forerunner of Morse code) January 12 Joseph Smith, Jr. and Sidney Rigdon flee Ohio for Missouri Marc, a fairly small steam packet built for the Cork to London route, became the first vessel to cross the Atlantic under sustained steam power, beating Isambard Kingdom Brunel's much larger Great Western by a day. Great Western, however, was actually built for the transatlantic trade, and its crossing began the regular sailing of powered vessels across the Atlantic.
In oceangoing service, the paddle steamer became obsolete rather quickly with the invention of the screw propeller, but they remained in use in coastal service, thanks to their shallow draught and good maneuverability.