CHAPTER II. 60-120

Progress of steam navigation in Europe—Clyde mechanics take the lead—James Watt, 1766—Henry Bell, 1800—Correspondence between Bell and Fulton—Letter from Bell to Miller of Dalswinton—The _Comet_ steamer, 1811, plies between Glasgow and Greenock, and afterwards on the Forth—Extraordinary progress of shipbuilding on the Clyde—Great value and importance of the private building yards—J. Elder and Company; their extensive premises, _note_—Steam between Norwich and Yarmouth, 1813; between London and Margate, 1815—The _Glasgow_—Early opposition to the employment of steam-vessels—Barges on the Thames—First steamer between Liverpool and the Clyde—H. M. steam-ship _Comet_—The _Rob Roy_ and other vessels, 1818—The _United Kingdom_, 1826—First idea of iron ships, 1830—Proposals of Trevethick and Dickenson, 1809-1815—The _Vulcan_, 1818—The _Aaron Manby_, 1821—The Shannon Steam Packet Company, 1824—Mr. John Laird and Sir William Fairbairn—The _Elburkah_, 1832, and _Garry Owen_, 1834—The _Rainbow_, 1837—Messrs. Tod and MacGregor—The _Great Britain_, 1839-1843—Advantages of iron ships—Action of salt water on iron inconsiderable—Durability, strength, and safety of iron—Affords greater capacity for stowage—Admiralty slow to adopt iron for ships of war—Mr. Galloway’s feathering paddles, 1829—Story of the screw-propeller—Joseph Bramah, 1785—Mr. J. Stevens, 1804—Richard Trevethick, 1815—Robert Wilson, 1833—Captain Ericsson, 1836—The _Francis B. Ogden_, though successful, fails to convince the Admiralty—Mr. T. P. Smith—The _Archimedes_—Her trial with the _Widgeon_, Oct. 1839, and its results—The _Rattler_ and the _Alecto_, 1843—The _Rattler_ not as successful as expected—Captain Robert F. Stockton efficiently supports Ericsson’s views—His vessel, a complete success, and the first “screw” used for commerce in America—Superiority of Mr. Woodcroft’s “varying” propeller, 1832—In building fit vessels, the trade in which they are to be employed must be considered