View source for Experiment (horse-powered boat)

{{short description|Horse-powered boat}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
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| Ship caption=''Experiment''
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| Ship builder=[[David Wilkinson (machinist)|David Wilkinson]]
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| Ship power=eight horses on a treadmill contraption
| Ship propulsion="goose-foot paddle" large mechanical screw propeller
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[[File:Ticket for The Experiment 1808.jpg|thumb|{{center|Ticket for ''Experiment''}}]]
[[File:Rusty screw propeller.jpg|thumb|Screw propeller similar to one used by ''Experiment'']]
'''''Experiment''''' was an early 19th-century [[Team boat|boat]] powered by horses and incorporating the idea of a [[Screw-propeller|screw propeller]], which was a new idea at the time.<ref name="HorsePaddleBoat">{{cite web |first1=Dick |last1=Sheaff |work=Ephemera |url=http://www.sheaff-ephemera.com/list/powered_boats.html |title=Powered Boats |accessdate=12 December 2011}}</ref><ref name="Lane">{{cite book |publisher=[[Antiques (magazine)|Antiques Magazine]] |date=19 March 1925 |last1=Lane |first1=Gladys R. (Librarian of the Shepley Library, [[Providence, Rhode Island]]) |volume=VII |page=133 |title= Rhode Island's Earliest Engraver }}</ref>

==History==
''Experiment'' was a horse-powered [[ferry boat]]. It was a 12-ton, three-masted boat drawing a few feet of water, about {{convert|100|ft|2}} long by {{convert|20|ft|}} [[Beam (nautical)|beam]].<ref name="Bishop">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K1YdAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA120 |last1=Bishop |first1=James Leander |first2=Edwin Troxell |last2=Freedley |first3=Edward |last3=Young |title=A history of American manufactures from 1608 to 1860: exhibiting the origin and growth of the principal mechanic arts and manufactures |volume=2 |date= April 1961 |pages=12, 36}}</ref>) in 1807 to 1810, depending on the source.<ref name="RIS-EDI">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BhROAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA29 |last1=Rhode Island Society for the Encouragement of Domestic Industry |title=Transactions of the Rhode Island Society for the Encouragement of Domestic Industry|publisher=Rhode Island Society for the Encouragement of Domestic Industry|year=1859}} p. 31 ''Mr. Varnum Wilkinson, now living (1859), built "The Experiment," he thinks in 1809 or 1810. ''</ref><ref name="Field510">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4FP2GGvdI98C&pg=PA510 |last1=Field |first1=Edward |title=State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations at the end of the century: a history |volume=2 |publisher=Mason Pub. Co |year=1902 |page=510}}</ref><ref name="scientific">{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UPMhAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA9464 |title=Early Experiments in Steam Power |journal=Scientific American Supplement |number=593 |date=14 May 1887 |volume=23 |page=9464}}</ref> It was propelled by a "goose-foot paddle," a large mechanical screw propeller in the water instead of a paddle wheel at water surface.<ref name="Field510"/> The new technology devised by Grieve and Wilkinson was powered by eight horses on a [[treadmill]]. The technology to propel the boat upstream was originally invented by David Grieve and granted a patent 24 February 1801 in the category of "Boats to ascend rivers". The complete recorded patent was lost in the [[1836 U.S. Patent Office fire]].<ref name="HorsePaddleBoat"/> The idea of propelling vessels by a mechanical screw in the water is now referred to as [[John Ericsson#Propeller design|Ericsson's propeller]].<ref name="Bishop"/>

===Maiden voyage===
It is reported that ''Experiment'' made one unsuccessful voyage, as it ran aground on the return trip. The mechanism and associated parts were put together by Ephraim Southworth; little thought was put into the construction and it was poorly built.<ref name="Field511">[https://books.google.com/books?id=4FP2GGvdI98C&pg=PA511 Field, pp. 511–512]</ref> The maiden voyage was in June 1809 with a group of gentlemen from the Grand Lodge of the State.<ref name="Society">[https://books.google.com/books?id=BhROAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA29 Rhode Island Society, p. 30]</ref> The first attempt of the "Screw Boat" began at Jackson's Wharf on Eddy's Point near [[Providence, Rhode Island]], with a destination of [[Pawtuxet Village]].<ref name="Hazard294"/> The eight horses for the "horse power" were owned by Marvin Morris; they were connected to a poorly designed contraption to make the boat move. It obtained a top speed of four [[knot (unit)|knot]]s with the help of a tide going in her direction and the wind on her back. It managed to get to Pawtuxet Village, where there was much celebration over its success. The return trip, however, resulted in humiliation when a gust of wind drove ''Experiment'' onto mud flats, causing its demise.<ref name="Hazard294">Hazard, p. 294</ref><ref name="Grieve2">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofstateof08bick/historyofstateof08bick_djvu.txt|title=The Sea Trade in Rhode Island an Providence Plantations |first1=Robert |last1=Grieve |year=1920 |place=New York |publisher=[[American Historical Society]], Inc |pages=511–512 |accessdate=14 December 2011}}</ref>

===Financial failure===
The ''Experiment'' venture had sold shares of stock from a [[Prospectus (finance)|prospectus]] to raise money to build it.<ref name="Society"/> There was so much confidence in the venture that tickets were engraved by [[William Hamlin]] for its anticipated voyages to ''[[Newport, Rhode Island|New-Port]]'' and Providence.<ref name="Lane"/><ref name="RIHS">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j8q9csm-e3IC&pg=RA1-PA96 |title=Rhode Island Historical Society collections |volume=15–18 |publisher=[[Rhode Island Historical Society]] |page=96 |year=1922}}</ref> Ultimately, the horse boat and all the associated items were seized by the Sheriff at the behest of Grieve's creditors and sold for lack of payments on the loans, since it was not a successful venture.<ref name="Hazard294"/> Wilkinson later said that "after the frolic" it was "hauled up" and allowed to go to waste and ruin.<ref name="Field510"/> Nevertheless, the ship was carefully studied by [[Daniel French (inventor)|Daniel French]], who did the drawings for [[Robert Fulton]]'s ''[[North River Steamboat]]'' (known as ''Clermont''), and may have benefited that enterprise.<ref name="Field510"/>

''Experiment'' is important as a precursor of public transportation on rivers, and it was the forerunner of a number of [[Team boat|horse-powered boats]], chiefly ferries used for more than a half-century along the eastern seaboard of the United States.  Most commonly, those were [[Paddle steamer|paddle wheel]] boats, not screw-type [[propeller]]s.<ref name="Perkins">{{cite web |url=http://www.nasw.org/users/sperkins/hrsferry.html |title=When Horses Really Walked on Water: Before the steam engine was invented, there were three sources of usable power: wind, water, and animals. The first of these to be harnessed {{mdash}} literally {{mdash}} was animal. |first1=Sid |last1=Perkins |pages= 90–92 |date=21 May 1999 |work=The Chronicle of the Horse |accessdate=12 December 2011}}</ref><ref name="Crisman">{{cite book |first1=Kevin J. |last1=Crisman |first2=Arthur B. |last2=Cohn |title=When Horses Walked on Water: Horse-Powered Ferries in Nineteenth-Century America |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WkZUAAAAMAAJ |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution Press]] |year=1998 |pages=292|isbn=9781560988434 }}</ref><ref name="Kennard">{{cite web |url=http://www.shipwreckworld.com/articles/horse-powered-ferry-boat-discovered-in-lake-champlain |title=Lake Champlain: Horse Powered Ferry Boat discovered in Lake Champlain |date=2 July 2005 |first1=Jim |last1=Kennard |accessdate=12 December 2011 |publisher=Shipwreck World}}</ref> Inclined treadmills were often used.<ref name="Perkins"/>

==See also==
*{{annotated link|Animal-powered transport}}
*{{annotated link|Horse-drawn boat}}
*{{annotated link|Team boat}}
*{{annotated link|Horse mill}}
*{{annotated link|Horse power (machine)|Horse engine}}
*{{annotated link|Marine propulsion}}
*{{annotated link|Paddle steamer}} includes comment regarding animal drive ships
*{{annotated link|Treadwheel}}
*{{annotated link|Working animal}}

==References==

===Notes===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K1YdAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA120 |last1=Bishop |first1=James Leander |first2=Edwin Troxell |last2=Freedley |first3=Edward |last3=Young |page=12 |title=A history of American manufactures from 1608 to 1860: exhibiting the origin and growth of the principal mechanic arts and manufactures, from the earliest colonial period to the adoption of the constitution and comprising annals of the industry of the United States in machinery |volume=2 |publisher=E. Young & Co |year=1864}}
*{{cite book |first1=Kevin J. |last1=Crisman |first2=Arthur B. |last2=Cohn |title=When Horses Walked on Water: Horse-Powered Ferries in Nineteenth-Century America |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WkZUAAAAMAAJ |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution Press]] |year=1998 |pages=292|isbn=9781560988434 }}
*{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UPMhAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA9464 |title=Early Experiments in Steam Power |journal=Scientific American Supplement |number=593 |date=14 May 1887 |volume=23 |page=9464}}
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4FP2GGvdI98C&pg=PA510 |last1=Field |first1=Edward |title=State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations at the end of the century: a history |volume=2 |publisher=Mason Pub. Co |year=1902 |page=510}}
*{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofstateof08bick/historyofstateof08bick_djvu.txt|title=The Sea Trade in Rhode Island an Providence Plantations |first1=Robert |last1=Grieve |year=1920 |place=New York |publisher=[[American Historical Society]], Inc |pages=511–512 |accessdate=14 December 2011}}
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z0Avt3ruFx0C&pg=PA294 |last1=Hazard|first1=Samuel|title=Hazard's United States commercial and statistical register|volume=4 |publisher= W. F. Geddes|year=1841 |page=294}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.shipwreckworld.com/articles/horse-powered-ferry-boat-discovered-in-lake-champlain |title=Lake Champlain: Horse Powered Ferry Boat discovered in Lake Champlain |date=2 July 2005 |first1=Jim |last1=Kennard |accessdate=12 December 2011 |publisher=Shipwreck World}}
*{{cite book |publisher=[[Antiques (magazine)|Antiques Magazine]] |date=19 March 1925 |last1=Lane |first1=Gladys R. (Librarian of the Shepley Library, [[Providence, Rhode Island]]) |volume=VII |page=133 |title= Rhode Island's Earliest Engraver }}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.nasw.org/users/sperkins/hrsferry.html |title=When Horses Really Walked on Water: Before the steam engine was invented, there were three sources of usable power: wind, water, and animals. The first of these to be harnessed {{mdash}} literally {{mdash}} was animal. |first1=Sid |last1=Perkins |pages= 90–92 |date=21 May 1999 |work=The Chronicle of the Horse |accessdate=12 December 2011}}
*{{cite web |first1=Dick |last1=Sheaff |work=Ephemera |url=http://www.sheaff-ephemera.com/list/powered_boats.html |title=Powered Boats |accessdate=12 December 2011}}
*{{cite journal |url=http://www.rihs.org/assetts/files/publications/1961_April.pdf |title=William Hamlin: Providence Engraver |first1=Eugene |last1=VanWyk |journal=[[Rhode Island History]] |volume=20 |number=2 |date= April 1961 |page=36 |accessdate=12 December 2011}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Experiment (horse powered boat)}}
[[Category:1807 ships]]
[[Category:Animal-powered vehicles]]
[[Category:Culture of Providence, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Experimental ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Ferries of the United States]]
[[Category:Ferry transport]]
[[Category:History of science and technology in the United States]]
[[Category:Horse history and evolution]]
[[Category:Marine propulsion]]
[[Category:Riverboats]]
[[Category:Ships built in Providence, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Ship types]]
[[Category:19th-century ships]]