Improvements in Transportation Essay Example for Free

Improvements in Transportation Essay The growth of the Industrial Revolution depended on the ability to transport raw materials and finished goods over long distances. There were three main types of transportation that increased during the Industrial Revolution: waterways, roads, and railroads. Transportation was important because many people began living in the west and farther away from their homes. Prior to 1750, villagers either had to walk everywhere they went or travel by horse and carriage. The roads were in poor condition and in wet weather they became very muddy with the carriages often becoming bogged down. The villagers spent most of their time trying to repair the roads without receiving any pay for their work, but as turnpikes were created this was no longer a problem. A turnpike is a road that has a smooth layer of crushed rocks, with large rocks underneath. This allows the water to drain properly. Before the steamboat ships had to use the power of the wind in order to move from place to place, and so the speed of travel was limited and slow. Then steamboat emerged, Robert Fulton made the first steam-powered engine to power a steamboat, and in 1807 he demonstrated its use by going from New York City to Albany via the Hudson River. His steamboat was able to carry raw materials across the Atlantic Ocean by the mid 1800s. This was a great advancement for transporting materials. At the turn of the 19th century the steam engine was invented. Even though iron rails were being used in the coal mines, there were no self-propelled locomotives to run on them. James Watt was able to make steam engines faster and more efficient, later when he joined up with a businessman who helped him keep improving it. This eventually led to the first train.