![William Symington](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/William_Symington.png)
William Symington (1764–1831) was a Scottish engineer and inventor, and the builder of the first practical
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 ...
, the
Charlotte Dundas
''Charlotte Dundas'' is regarded as the world's second successful steamboat, the first towing steamboat and the boat that demonstrated the practicality of steam power for ships.Fry, p. 27.
Early experiments
Development of experimental steam engi ...
.
Early life
Symington was born in
Leadhills
Leadhills, originally settled for the accommodation of miners, is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, WSW of Elvanfoot. The population in 1901 was 835. It was originally known as Waterhead.
It is the second highest village in Scotland, ...
,
South Lanarkshire
gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas
, image_skyline =
, image_flag =
, image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg
, image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg
, blank_emblem_type = Council logo
, image_map ...
, Scotland, to a family he described as being "respectable but not wealthy." His father worked as a practical mechanic at the Leadhills mines.
Although his parents intended for him to enter the ministry, he intended to use his good education to make a career as an engineer. So, in 1785, he joined his brother George in his attempts to build a
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 ...
at
Wanlockhead
Wanlockhead is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, nestling in the Lowther Hills and south of Leadhills at the head of the Mennock Pass, which forms part of the Southern Uplands. It is Scotland's highest village, at an elevation of ar ...
, Dumfriesshire. While there, he impressed the manager of a local mining company, Gilbert Meason, so much that he was sent to the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
in 1786 to spend a few months attending science lectures.
By the time William joined his brother, George had already succeeded in building the second engine using
James Watt
James Watt (; 30 January 1736 (19 January 1736 OS) – 25 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fun ...
's design to be built in Scotland.
Improvements to Watt's design
![William Symington, portrait](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/William_Symington%2C_portrait.jpg)
Symington quickly saw a way to marry the efficiency of the Watt engine with the simplicity of that devised by
Thomas Newcomen
Thomas Newcomen (; February 1664 – 5 August 1729) was an English inventor who created the atmospheric engine, the first practical fuel-burning engine in 1712. He was an ironmonger by trade and a Baptist lay preacher by calling.
He ...
. Encouraged by
Gilbert Meason Gilbert may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gilbert (surname), including a list of people
Places Australia
* Gilbert River (Queensland)
* Gilbert River (Sout ...
, Symington demonstrated the practicality of his idea and his improved atmospheric engine was patented in 1787. When Watt sent someone to make a sketch of how this new engine worked, he discovered that the steam was condensed under a second piston and this was then pushed down when fresh steam entered the cylinder, forcing out the condensate. The power piston worked by the
atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure, also known as barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1013.25 millibars, 7 ...
acting on the
vacuum
A vacuum is a space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective ''vacuus'' for "vacant" or "void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressure. Physicists often dis ...
created by the condensing steam.
After its completion, Symington drew up a prospectus outlining the advantages of his invention, and this was circulated by Meason and his influential friends.
Dalswinton steamboat
The banker
Patrick Miller of Dalswinton
Patrick Miller of Dalswinton, just north of Dumfries (1731–1815) was a Scottish banker, shareholder in the Carron Company engineering works and inventor. Miller is buried in a tomb against the southern wall of Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinbur ...
, just north of
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...
, had experimented with double hulled pleasure boats propelled by cranked paddle-wheels placed between the hulls, and he got Symington to build the patent steam engine with its drive into a pleasure boat built in 1785 which was successfully tried out on
Dalswinton Loch near Miller's house on 14 October 1788. The trial was said to have been a success.
Alexander Nasmyth depicted her on her trial run. A version of the illustration held by the Science Museum in London, Ref No. 0307379 shows her flying a red saltire, presumably a lithographer's mistake. James Nasmyth in his autobiography published in 1883 stated erroneously that she was built of tinned iron plate.
The canal steamboat
After the successful demonstration of a steam engine on a boat, a larger engine was commissioned that would be tried in a boat on the Forth and Clyde Canal.
The parts for the engine were ordered and an engine similar to that used previously, but a lot larger, was erected on another twin hull paddle boat. It was . The first trial, on 2 December 1789, was unsuccessful because the paddle wheels were not up to the task and began to break up when an increase in speed was attempted.
Patrick Miller, the patron of the venture, sanctioned repairs and, on 26 and 27 December, more successful trials were done.
Mines and mills
Although Symington is best remembered for his contribution to steam powered vessels, he also built successful engines for mines and mills.
The first of these was built on a mine in
Wanlockhead
Wanlockhead is a village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, nestling in the Lowther Hills and south of Leadhills at the head of the Mennock Pass, which forms part of the Southern Uplands. It is Scotland's highest village, at an elevation of ar ...
in 1790. This was followed by engines in
Sanquhar
Sanquhar ( sco, Sanchar, gd, Seanchair) is a village on the River Nith in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, north of Thornhill and west of Moffat. It is a former Royal Burgh.
It is notable for its tiny post office, established in 1712 and con ...
, and then in London. In 1792, he built a large pumping engine that James Watt was also considered for. In the same year, he built an engine for the colliery of James Bruce. This marked a move to live near
Falkirk
Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a ...
and, later, a place as engine consultant for the
Carron Company
The Carron Company was an ironworks established in 1759 on the banks of the River Carron near Falkirk, in Stirlingshire, Scotland. After initial problems, the company was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom. ...
.
In 1793, he developed a crank drive with a crosshead above the cylinder, and built such an engine to wind coal from one of Bruce's pits. his engine proved very successful and about fifteen were built.
In all, there are firm references to thirty-two engines built by Symington up until 1808, and passing mention of several more.
More steamboats
It was
Thomas, Lord Dundas who would motivate further steamboat trials. This was because he had extensive business interests on the east and west coasts and was governor of the
Forth and Clyde Canal Company
The Forth and Clyde Canal is a canal opened in 1790, crossing central Scotland; it provided a route for the seagoing vessels of the day between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. This allowe ...
. Therefore,
the canal was essential to his business, and steam power could speed up the movement of vessels through the canal. It helped progress that the Dundas family were one of the most powerful families of the late 18th century.
At a meeting of company directors on 5 June 1800, Dundas brought up the idea of having a Captain Schank boat worked by a steam engine provided by Symington. The directors immediately agreed that this was a good idea.
A diagram of Symington's engine recently came to light and it showed an engine driving a forward wheel (or two wheels, one on either side) within the hull. The boat was built by
Alexander Hart at
Grangemouth
Grangemouth ( sco, Grangemooth; gd, Inbhir Ghrainnse, ) is a town in the Falkirk council area, Scotland. Historically part of the county of Stirlingshire, the town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk ...
and was tested on the
River Carron in June 1801, when it moved with ease. It was less successful on the canal and was rejected by the committee.
By 1800, Watt's patent had expired, so Symington set about the task of building a
horizontal engine. He got a patent for his design in 1801. This design was ahead of its time because other engineers believed that it would not work. It was not widely accepted until 1825.
The ''Charlotte Dundas''
Since the Canal Company had not been satisfied with the first boat, Lord Dundas gave Symington his support for the building of a second boat. Therefore, a model of the new boat was shown to Dundas and was named after one of his daughters in an attempt to secure his interest. The hull of the boat was made by John Allan to Symington's direction and the Carron Company made the engine.
The ''
Charlotte Dundas
''Charlotte Dundas'' is regarded as the world's second successful steamboat, the first towing steamboat and the boat that demonstrated the practicality of steam power for ships.Fry, p. 27.
Early experiments
Development of experimental steam engi ...
'' was first sailed on 4 January 1803, with Lord Dundas and some of his friends and relatives on board. The crowd were pleased with what they saw, but Symington wanted to make improvements and another more ambitious trial was made on 28 March. On this occasion, the steamboat towed two loaded vessels through the canal, covering 18½ miles in 9½ hours.
The ''Charlotte Dundas'' therefore became the first boat to do more than just move itself, but the Canal Company – to Symington's disappointment – did not wish to pursue the construction of another vessel. Symington was further upset when a scheme to build tug boats for the
Duke of Bridgewater
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
collapsed when the Duke died a few days before the trial was due to take place.
Colliery manager
As well as an engine builder, Symington was a colliery manager, also known as a 'viewer'. His first appointment in this capacity was in 1794 when the Trustees asked him to take over on James Bruce's death. His salary for this was
£100 per annum and a house on the estate. This appointment ended in 1800 when Symington took over management of the Grange colliery near
Bo'ness
Borrowstounness (commonly known as Bo'ness ( )) is a town and former burgh and seaport on the south bank of the Firth of Forth in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Historically part of the county of West Lothian, it is a place within the Falki ...
. William Cadell was behind Symington at this job.
In 1804, he joined a local businessman in a partnership intended to manage the Callendar colliery at Falkirk. A new pump was needed there and this allowed Symington to develop what he called a 'lifting engine'. He may have built one of these for the Wanlockhead mines in 1789.
The Callendar venture ended badly, however, and, in a dispute at the
High Court in Edinburgh that lasted until 1810, Symington lost.
Last years
Due to Patrick Miller's unwillingness to pursue the potential of the 1789 trial, the loss of interest from Lord Dundas and the proceedings at the High Court, Symington was left
out-of-pocket
An out-of-pocket expense (or out-of-pocket cost, OOP) is the direct payment of money that may or may not be later reimbursed from a third-party source.
For example, when operating a vehicle, gasoline, parking fees and tolls are considered out-of ...
.
In 1829, in ill health and in debt, Symington and his wife moved to London to live with their daughter and her husband. Symington died in 1831 and was buried in St. Botulph's churchyard. In 1890, a bust was unveiled in Edinburgh, in what is now the National Museum, in memory of the great engineer.
References
*Harvey, W.S. & Downs-Rose, G. (1980). ''William Symington Inventor and Engine Builder''. Northgate Publishing Co Ltd.
*B.E.G. Clark, ''Symington and the Steamboat'' (Amazon)
*B.E.G. Clark, ''Steamboat Evolution; A Short History'' (Amazon)
* James Nasmyth Autobiography of 1883.
External links
A history of the growth of the steam-engineVideo footage of the first ever steam powered vessel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Symington, William
Scottish engineers
Scottish inventors
People from South Lanarkshire
1764 births
1831 deaths
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
British steam engine engineers