Steamboat
Similar boats were made in 1785 by John Fitch in Philadelphia and William Symington in Dumfries, Scotland. Fitch successfully trialled his boat in 1787, and in 1788, he began operating a regular commercial service along the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Burlington, New Jersey, carrying as many as 30 passengers. This boat could typically make and travelled more than during its short length of service. The Fitch steamboat was not a commercial success, as this travel route was adequately covered by relatively good wagon roads. The following year, a second boat made excursions, and in 1790, a third boat ran a series of trials on the Delaware River before patent disputes dissuaded Fitch from continuing.
François Bourdon
The "SS Sirius" was the first steamboat to cross the Atlantic, in 1838, closely followed by the paddleboat "SS Great Western", which began regular crossings. In 1840, a French law authorized construction of 18 similar trans-Atlantic steamers. The Schneiders won orders to build 450-horsepower steam engines to power four of them.
A new type of hammer was needed for industrial production of the large forgings needed in these engines.
François Bourdon is best known for his invention of the steam hammer, an idea that is also attributed to the Scottish engineer James Nasmyth.
In 1839, Bourdon conceived of the idea of directly attaching a mass of iron to the piston rod of a steam engine.
Bourdon called his engine a "Pilon" and made detailed drawings of his design that he showed to all engineers who visited the works at Le Creusot.
Around the same time, Nasmyth was faced with the problem of forging a diameter shaft for a paddle steamer, larger than any that had been previously made. He came up with his own steam hammer design, making a sketch dated 24 November 1839, but the immediate need disappeared when the practicality of screw propellers was demonstrated. Nasmyth also showed his design to all visitors.