Thetinyvesselreachedherdestinationinsafety。Surelythedifficultyofatestingtrial，althoughwithamodelscrew，hadatlengthbeenovercome。Butno！Thepaddlestillpossessedtheascendency；andathousandinterests——investedcapital，useandwont，andconservativeinstincts——allstoodintheway。
Someyearsbefore——indeed，aboutthetimethatSmithtookouthispatent——CaptainEricsson，theSwede，inventedascrewpropeller。
SmithtookouthispatentinMay，1836；andEricssoninthefollowingJuly。Ericssonwasaborninventor。WhileaboyinSweden，hemadesawmillsandpumpingengines，withtoolsinventedbyhimself。Helearnttodraw，andhismechanicalcareerbegan。Whenonlytwelveyearsold，hewasappointedacadetintheSwedishcorpsofmechanicalengineers，andinthefollowingyearhewasputinchargeofasectionoftheGothaShipCanal，thenunderconstruction。Arrivedatmanhood，EricssonwentovertoEngland，thegreatcentreofmechanicalindustry。Hewasthentwenty-threeyearsold。HeenteredintopartnershipwithJohnBraithwaite，andwithhimconstructedtheNovelty，whichtookpartinthelocomotivecompetitionatRainhillonthe6thOctober，1829。TheprizewasawardedtoStephenson’sRocketonthe14th；butitwasacknowledgedbyTheTimesofthedaythattheNoveltywasStephenson’ssharpestcompetitor。
Ericssonhadawonderfullyinventivebrain，adeterminedpurpose，andagreatcapacityforwork。Whenawantwasfelt，hewasimmediatelyreadywithaninvention。TherecordsofthePatentOfficeshowhisincessantactivity。Heinventedpumpingengines，steamengines，fireengines，andcaloricengines。Hisfirstpatentfora“reciprocatingpropeller“wastakenoutinOctober1834。Toexhibititsaction，hehadasmallboatconstructedofonlyabouttwofeetlong。Itwaspropelledbymeansofascrew；
andwasshownatworkinacircularbathinLondon。Itperformeditsvoyageroundthebasinattherateofaboutthreemilesanhour。Hispatentfora“spiralpropeller，“wastakenoutinJuly1836。Thiswastheinvention，toexhibitwhichhehadavesselconstructed，ofabout40feetlong，withtwopropellers，eachof5feet3inchesdiameter。