Kevin Burkhart., Age 11, Of Tucson, Ariz., For his question:

Who made the first successful steam boat?

Most peop1e think that Robert Fulton's steamboat, the Clermont, was the first steam driven craft to make a successful voyage on the water. In the year 1807, it chugged 150 miles up the Hudson River from New York City to Albany. It was indeed the first steamboat to make a successful financial profit.

But in 1787, a steam driven boat was launched successfully in the Delaware River. It was invented by John Fitch, and its steam engine propelled it along by turning 12 paddles, somewhat like those used to propel a canoe. The next year, Fitch launched a 60 foot steamboat to run a passenger service between Burlington, N,J., and Philadelphia, Pa. These steamboats succeeded 20 years before Fulton's Clermont.