“You would make a ship sail against the winds and currents by lighting a bonfire under her decks? I have no time for such nonsense.” —- supposed quote from Napo

“You would make a ship sail against the winds and currents by lighting a bonfire under her decks? I have no time for such nonsense.” —- supposed quote from Napoleon about the first steamships. Yes, of course it would need measures to make it safer than the naive, straightforward version of the idea.