Name

three

innovations

in transportation

during

the 1800

The use of steamships became very popular in the United States in the early 18oos after Robert Fulton had traveled to France and investigated what had been done there with the steam engine. In 1811, the first in a line of river steamboats left the dock in Pittsburgh to steam down the Ohio River to the Mississippi and on down to New Orleans, a major port of the United States. Steamboats were used on rivers and the great lakes for inexpensive transportation of goods. However, there were hazards and many ships were damaged in their excursions. Also, they burned wood and much deforestation took place during the era of steamboats.

A third advancement was in the construction of metal bridges which could sustain the weight of railroad cars, etc. Plans for such bridges such as the Manhattan Bridge date back to the early 1800s.

Another great boon to transportation was the creation of trains that could rapidly traverse the country with good. Later, with the invention of the refrigerator car, produce from California could arrive fresh in New England, for example. John Steinbeck's novel, East of Eden has a character who seeks to make money by transporting lettuce on the railways. However, his idea was premature because the refrigerator cars were not yet made.