He invited the Mayor and many others to hear him lecture.
They came and were all much interested.
He showed them the copper cylinders which were to hold the powder.
Then he showed them the clockwork, which, when it was set running,
would cause the cylinders to explode.
He turned to a case and drew out a peg.
He then said, "Gentlemen, this torpedo is all ready to blow up a
vessel.
It contains one hundred and seventy pounds of powder.
The clockwork is now running.
If I should allow it to run fifteen minutes it would blow us all to
atoms."
His audience was much frightened.
They all ran away.
Mr. Fulton put the peg back in its place.
He told them it was then safe.
Not until then did they dare come back.
But now our giant, Steam, became the friend of Mr. Fulton.
Many had tried to put this giant to work.
But at first he seemed rather hard to teach.
Long before, a poet had written these lines, which show how much
people hoped to make the giant do:--
"Soon shall thy arm, unconquered Steam, afar
Drag the slow barge, or drive the rapid car."
It was a true prophecy.
Mr. Fulton married the daughter of a Mr. Walter Livingston.
This Mr. Livingston had a relative who was a great man, and a rich
man.
He was much interested in all inventions.
He often helped inventors with his money.
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