In January 1782, construction of the ship began in Vaise , a suburb of Lyon . A two-cylinder steam engine from the Jean brothers served as the drive. On July 15, 1783, Jouffroy d'Abbans made his first test drive on the Saône , which many onlookers watch from the bank. On August 19, he went on a test drive with invited guests and had them confirm the successful experiment by signing a document. The steamboat reached a speed of six miles an hour against the current and sailed on the Saône for 16 months.
