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Jonathan Hulls' steamboat, historical artwork. A patent for this steam-powered towboat was taken out by the British inventor Jonathan Hulls in 1736. It used a Newcomen engine to power a paddlewheel (left). However, the boat was never built as the engine was thought too cumbersome for the vessel. Image taken from Mechanics Magazine (October 1823). (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/SHEILA TERRY)