Talk:Nicholas Roosevelt (inventor)
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Captain Nicholas Rossevelt took a keelboat trip down the Ohio to New Orleans in 1809. His purpose was to take notes of the navigational situation for Livingston & Fulton. He was a steam engine builder who had difficulty in getting folks to accept his twin verticle wheel concept. In 1802, Livingston discussed the concept with Fulton again.
By 1809, they agreed to the plan as the captain's field trip proved promising. Futlon began constructing the vessel in 1810 at Pittsburgh. The new idea of a packet line between New Orleans and Louisville was on its way to be a first on the western rivers.
Their 'New Orleans was the first commercial steam vessel on the Ohio River. Although, it carried no cargo or passengers down the river to its Louisville port. Rushing over Letart falls was not much of a problem. What a sight of belching smoke at Kanawha's Point the keel boaters must have viewed. The 'New Orleans' captain had repairs to make along the way. They made many random stops for the small crew to collect fire wood for the boiler.
Fulton had built the hall 148 feet long and a beam of 32 feet. The deep 12 feet draft gave Captain Roosevelt much trouble beginng at the long rapids of Louisville Falls. The under powered low preasure boiler and that draft shown design short falls on the big water's sandbars. Snags brought the vessel to a stop and had to be cleared. It took three months to make the trip from Pittsburgh to New Orleans.
On the turn around trip back up the Mississippi River, Captain Roosevelt could not get up enough steam for the quick currents around the sandbars above Natcheys. It set too deep in the water especially so with the load. The trio discussed the situation and found no practical solution to the problem.
Currents stopped the 'New Orleans' return to Louisville port was the talk on the keelboats. It spent the next couple of years on a New Orleans to Natcheys packet line before it grounded for the last time. Passenger fee was whopping $30 and most freight investors thought there was no profit in steam boats.
