1811 - started working for Edward Shorter, London mechanic. 1813 - apprenticed to Edward Shorter. 1819 - joined a whaling ship. 1825 - after three successful voyages, returned to London and went into partnership with Edward Shorter. 1826 - along with Shorter, fitted 'two parts of a screw' to the Royal George barge but it was unsuccessful. 1834 - leaves the partnership with Shorter after losing money in propeller research. 1837 - while working for and backed by Webster Flockton, his propeller fitted to the steamboat Wizard for testing prior to his patent application. 1838 - took out a patent for ‘improvements in propelling vessels’. 1844 - brought a successful action in the court of Queen's bench against Penn & Co., engineers at Greenwich, for infringement of his patent. 1852 - took out another patent for his propeller. 1866 - run over by a wagon in Blackfriars Road, London, and killed.