Steamboat

Before trains, cars, trucks and airplanes existed, rivers were used for travel. They carried
people and goods from one place to another. River travel was often slow because speed of
travel depended on the river current and manpower. That all changed with the introduction of
steampowered boats in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

How does it operate?

The heart of the steamboat is the steam engine. Many different designs and variations of
steam engines were developed and tried during the era of steam ships. The basic Watt engine
was the most important design. To start the process, water is fed to a boiler that heats it up
until it produces steam. The steam is then fed into a piston cylinder. It pushes the piston up to
the top of its stroke. When it reaches the top, a valve is opened in the side of the cylinder to
vent out the steam. The valve drops down again, and the whole cycle starts again.

Steamboats could be driven by screws like most modern ships, and many of them were. The
most classic image of a steamship, however, is the riverboat paddle-wheeler. These ships came
in two varieties: the sternwheeler, which had a single wheel at the stern of the boat, and the
sidewheeler, with one wheel at either side. The wheel was large and fitted with paddle blades
along the outside. Power to the boat was produced by pushing these blades through the
water. Sidewheelers could also use their paddles to turn by powering one wheel and stopping
or reversing the other.

How will steamboat help on business?

The steam-powered boats could travel at the astonishing speed of up to five miles per hour.
They soon revolutionized river travel and trade, and dominated the waterways. The dangers of
steamboat travel such as explosions, sinkings, Indian attacks, and daring steamboat races
captured the imagination of the country. The great steam-powered boats.