__NOTOC__ Daniel French (1770–1853), a "Yankee" inventor, was born in Berlin, Connecticut. From an early age French strove to become a "mechanician," an artisan trained in the theory of mechanics and skilled in the working of metals at increasing levels of precision. His friend Oliver Evans, an accomplished engineer, described French as an "original and ingenious inventor." French's most significant invention was the horizontally mounted, high-pressure, non-condensing, directly connected

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...

for mills, boats, etc. French was awarded a patent for his steam engine in 1809. This type of engine became standard on the western

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

. In 1807 Robert Fulton placed on the Hudson River the steamboat '' North River'' (aka ''Clermont'') which was powered by a low pressure Boulton and Watt steam engine. The heavy and inherently inefficient engine required an increase in the size, and hence the weight, of the steam cylinder for an increase in power. Mounting the cylinder vertically, Fulton "invented" a complex series of levers and cranks to transmit the power of the piston to each paddle wheel crank. Two paddle wheels, one on each side, were mounted midway between the bow and the stern. On the western rivers, Fulton's design was the standard for steamboats until the '' Enterprise'' which was designed by French. Daniel French's steam engine and drive train were substantially different from Fulton's. By employing Oliver Evans' patented (1804) high-pressure steam principle, French increased the power of his engine. By omitting the condensing of steam French reduced problems with construction and also reduced the weight of his engine. He also eliminated the flywheel. The resulting engine was more powerful, lighter, and more efficient and was easier to construct and repair than the Boulton and Watt engine. Another important improvement French made was to mount his steam cylinder horizontally, level with the axis of the paddle wheel, and with the piston rod connected directly to the paddle wheel

crank Crank may refer to: Mechanisms * Crank (mechanism), in mechanical engineering, a bent portion of an axle or shaft, or an arm keyed at right angles to the end of a shaft, by which motion is imparted to or received from it * Crankset, the compone ...

. As the crank rotated by the application of steam, the cylinder, which was mounted on trunnions, oscillated above and below the horizontal. Over the years, French's steam engine and drive train proved to be a significant improvement compared to Fulton's. French successfully applied his engine to a steam ferry to cross the Hudson River, but was denied the Paulus Hook ferry lease by the legal monopoly of Fulton and Robert Livingston. French then established a ferry on the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

. After moving to Brownsville, Pennsylvania, French built, for the shareholders of the Monongahela and Ohio Steam Boat Company, the engine and drive train for the highly successful '' Enterprise'', the first steamboat to ascend the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers from New Orleans to Louisville. The steamboat ''Washington'' was built by George White at Wheeling, West Virginia, for

Henry Shreve Henry Miller Shreve (October 21, 1785 – March 6, 1851) was the American inventor and steamboat captain who opened the Mississippi, Ohio, and Red rivers to steamboat navigation. Shreveport, Louisiana, is named in his honor. Shreve was also instru ...

and partners. The engine and drive train were constructed by French at Brownsville.Maass, Alfred R. (1996), "Daniel French and the western steamboat engine", ''The American Neptune'', 56: 29–44 To power the 400-ton vessel, French cast and bored a steam cylinder larger than the one he used on the smaller ''Enterprise''. The larger cylinder required a larger steam boiler which was placed on the ''Washington'' main deck. Since the steam cylinder was too heavy for French's oscillating-type engine, he fixed it in a horizontal position below the main deck immediately forward of the stern paddle wheel. French connected the piston rod directly to the stern paddle wheel crank by means of a "pitman", to adjust for the crank's circular motion. To utilize the increased steam power French increased the width of the paddle wheel from six feet (as on the ''Enterprise'') to twelve feet. With the highly successful ''Washington'', French set a standard for powerful and swift steamboats.

Gallery

File:American Telegraph 7-5-1815.jpg, ''Enterprise'' completes her epic 2,200-mile voyage and ''Despatch'' is launched. File:American Telegraph 3-5-1817.jpg, Daniel French's new steam engine.

References

Daniel French's autobiographical letter to his mother
*Hunter, Louis C. (1949), ''Steamboats on the western rivers, an economic and technological history'', Cambridge: Harvard University Press

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:French, Daniel Engineers from Pennsylvania American inventors People from Brownsville, Pennsylvania American steam engine engineers 1770 births 1853 deaths People from Berlin, Connecticut

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References

External links