Swedish-born engineer and inventor Captain John Ericsson was ahead of his time. His sleek fire engine could shoot gallons of water as high as ninety feet. His steam locomotive could fly down the tracks at the unheard of speed of thirty miles per hour. But was such a quantity of water necessary? Was such speed advisable? Neither the starched lords of the British Admiralty nor the snooty London Fire Brigade were ready for his strange and wonderful inventions. However, wonderful opportunities awaited Captain Ericsson on the other side of the Atlantic, where people had a taste for dreamers.