Edward Shorter

It is unclear when and through whom Edward learned his trade, however prior to 1798 he had obtained Freedom of the City and was working as a clockmaker in Giltspur Street, London.

[5] The certificate for the successful testing of the propeller near Malta is today in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.

While Shorter did claim that his propelling system could be powered by a steam engine, there is no evidence he further developed this idea or sought to register an exclusive right to it.

[6] A scale model of his screw propeller invention is on display in the London Science Museum and is shown in the image above.

[12] On 1 May 1811, Shorter made a declaration of his assets to his creditors[13] as part of a plea for debtor relief, and was discharged from prison soon after this.

Shorter resumed his machinist’s enterprise at new premises in Union Street, Southwark, and was joined by James Lowe, a young lad of 13 years age.

[16] In October 1825, Shorter wrote to the Lord Mayor, in an attempt to persuade him to influence the adoption of his screw propeller, on the basis of greatly improved safety compared with the incumbent paddle wheel driven boats.

His machine shop assets including a new type of roasting jack he had developed were put up for sale in June 1836.