Francis Pettit Smith
Encyclopedia
Sir Francis Pettit Smith (1808 – 12 February 1874) was an English inventor and, along with Frédéric Sauvage
and John Ericsson
, one of a number of people with a claim to having been the inventor of the screw propeller. He was also the driving force behind the construction of the world's first screw-propelled steamship, .
, Kent
where his father was the postmaster. He was educated at a private school in Ashford
run by the Rev. Alexander Power, before working as a grazing Farmer on Romney Marsh
, later moving to Hendon
in Middlesex where he continued to farm for 37 years as a poor man
which was in use at the time. The following year he built a superior model with which he performed a number of experiments at Hendon and in 1836 took out a patent
for propelling vessels by means of a screw revolving beneath the water at the stern.
After securing the financial backing of several parties, he helped organize the Propeller Steamship Company which in 1839 built the world's first successful screw-propelled steamship, .
A short time later, he was instrumental in persuading Isambard Kingdom Brunel
to change the design of the SS Great Britain
from paddle to screw propulsion, by lending Brunel the Archimedes for several months. He also helped persuade the British Admiralty to adopt screw propulsion.
Smith died at 15 Thurlow Place, South Kensington in February 1874, and is buried in St Leonards Cemetery, Hythe, Kent, Hythe, Kent.
for the lease of a plot of land on Sydenham Hill
where he built his house named Centra House in 1864. The house still stands today. In the grounds Smith had planted a considerable shrubbery and had use of woodlands down to College Road. A later resident added the terracotta fountain and renamed the house Dilkoosh. It was later renamed to its present title - Fountain Lodge.
Frédéric Sauvage
Frédéric Sauvage was a French boat builder who carried out early tests of screw-type marine propellers.Sauvage was born at Boulogne-sur-Mer. In a public demonstration with a small boat on January 15, 1832 in Honfleur, he was able to show that a propeller is more efficient than the then standard...
and John Ericsson
John Ericsson
John Ericsson was a Swedish-American inventor and mechanical engineer, as was his brother Nils Ericson. He was born at Långbanshyttan in Värmland, Sweden, but primarily came to be active in England and the United States...
, one of a number of people with a claim to having been the inventor of the screw propeller. He was also the driving force behind the construction of the world's first screw-propelled steamship, .
Early life
He was born at HytheHythe, Kent
Hythe , is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway on the south coast of Kent. The word Hythe or Hithe is an Old English word meaning Haven or Landing Place....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
where his father was the postmaster. He was educated at a private school in Ashford
Ashford, Kent
Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...
run by the Rev. Alexander Power, before working as a grazing Farmer on Romney Marsh
Romney Marsh
Romney Marsh is a sparsely populated wetland area in the counties of Kent and East Sussex in the south-east of England. It covers about 100 mi ² .-Quotations:*“As Egypt was the gift of the Nile, this level tract .....
, later moving to Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...
in Middlesex where he continued to farm for 37 years as a poor man
Career
As a boy he had acquired great skill in the construction of model boats and took special interest in their means of propulsion. This fascination with boats remained with him and in 1834 on a reservoir near his farm, he perfected the propulsion of a model boat by means of a wooden screw driven by a spring. He became utterly convinced that this form of propulsion was greatly superior to the paddle wheelPaddle wheel
A paddle wheel is a waterwheel in which a number of scoops are set around the periphery of the wheel. It has several usages.* Very low lift water pumping, such as flooding paddy fields at no more than about height above the water source....
which was in use at the time. The following year he built a superior model with which he performed a number of experiments at Hendon and in 1836 took out a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
for propelling vessels by means of a screw revolving beneath the water at the stern.
After securing the financial backing of several parties, he helped organize the Propeller Steamship Company which in 1839 built the world's first successful screw-propelled steamship, .
A short time later, he was instrumental in persuading Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
to change the design of the SS Great Britain
SS Great Britain
SS Great Britain was an advanced passenger steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company's transatlantic service between Bristol and New York. While other ships had previously been built of iron or equipped with a screw propeller, Great Britain was the first...
from paddle to screw propulsion, by lending Brunel the Archimedes for several months. He also helped persuade the British Admiralty to adopt screw propulsion.
Later life
In 1860 the government appointed him to the post of curator of the Patent Museum at South Kensington. In 1871 a knighthood was conferred upon him.Smith died at 15 Thurlow Place, South Kensington in February 1874, and is buried in St Leonards Cemetery, Hythe, Kent, Hythe, Kent.
Legacy
Smith negotiated with the Governors of Dulwich CollegeDulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
for the lease of a plot of land on Sydenham Hill
Sydenham Hill
For other uses of 'Sydenham', see Sydenham .Sydenham Hill is a hill or ridge and a locality in South-East London and the name of a road which runs along the northern eastern part of the ridge and forms the boundary between the London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Lewisham. The...
where he built his house named Centra House in 1864. The house still stands today. In the grounds Smith had planted a considerable shrubbery and had use of woodlands down to College Road. A later resident added the terracotta fountain and renamed the house Dilkoosh. It was later renamed to its present title - Fountain Lodge.