 The experiment failed, the speed attained being only equivalent to about in still water.On September 6, 1798, Roosevelt described and earnestly recommended to Livingston a vertical wheel, which is the first practical suggestion of the combination that made steam navigation a commercial success, although four years later Robert Fulton believed that chains and floats were alone to be relied on.Livingston, however, had replied to Roosevelt's proposition on October 28, 1798 saying that "vertical wheels are out of the question."