New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-01-21
div oceunied with q recital Of the hopes and the

-, 60 - live INTO the air, 10 vanish Ia an
instant from sight For, at that time, steam en-.
gines as annlied % the varous processes OF
or other industry on lana, were
b,tle known generally, and the whole United
S,s,es furnished but one machneshop or foun-
,lr~ ubere a steam.engIne could be made, and
M II wasopposte 10 thIs City, at HoooAen, IN the
works o. Col. Stevens of wasn-mOre anon.
pnt the Clsrmont. in the sight of leerins
rather than encouraging crowd, got unoer way,
and SLOWLY very slowly, as we now estimate
eneed. forced ahead Robert Fulton and few
chosen friends and faithful mechanics only on
hoard for he refused to take passengers gene
rally. only conserving, after much solicitation, 10
take siX. If whom the late Seiah Strong was one,
and re7havs the first man who ever pad for
steamboat passag Up the Hudson.
in . hours. running time. aiter stopping one
rioht AZ the seat Of r. r. Livingston, the Cler-
mont MADE her appearance at Albany, having re-
ceived IN her fiery track along the riveraolhdant
manifestations Of interest. astonlshmenl, and
even terror-and thereby securing the monopoly
nroni,ed bv act OF the Legislature TO any persons
Who shoud accomplish the distance by steam
between Albany and New-YoTk within 36 hours.
The return trIp was made IN 30 continuous hours,
averaline five miles an hour The engine Of this
boat was made In the workshops OF the famous
Watt, at Birmingham
/, memorable proof OF how little was then
anticipated from this great discovery, mat the
chief commercial newspaper OF that day L1ngs
Gazefie) makes no allusion whatever 10 the great
event as now we must call It and that. cut OF
FIVE OF SIX daily papers published IN the City, one
only (The American Citizen, edited by an En-
plishman-Cheotham)r Preferred 10 the vessel when
about 10 take her departure. and published on
her return the short and modest letter IN Wnich
Robert Fulton related the occurrences anu re-
suit Of the trip. Nctin the columns OF these same
r.rra Ia IN ma o.
examinations and the fleeing and peTlshabie IN
terests and questions Of the day Even fulton
himself was far from seeing the iull value OIL MS
discovery, for the scope Of his original plan was
apparently 90 stem the current OF the MISSISSIPPI
and slmilarrlyers, and thus supeTsede the palhiul
end tedious ascending navigation Of those rivers
by poles and drag lines, with his steam.
PROGRESS OF RIVER STEAMERS.
The palm thus gained by Fulton was closely
contested bv John Stevens OF HOb0ken, VINO,
long in concert with f. X. Livingston ana
Robert Fulton. had made experiments IN steam
as means Of propulsion. but now, aided by
the genius and practical mechanical ski oil
his son r. L. Stevens, was operating separately
Almost simultaneously, bat yet behind byihai ja'
tai ouarter Of an hour which determines the tate
OF so many enterprises, and Of 50 many human
beings. both men and women, Mr.. Stevens pro-
duced. INDEPENDENTLY OF Fulton's plans and ex-
periments. his Steamboat Phoenix but preeluded
hy tie monopoly which Fulton's success had OBJ
tanned for him of the waters Of New-i ORR, IT.
Stevens first employed her as lassage boat be-
tween this City and Now-Bruns wick, and final
X conceived the bold purpose OF sending her
round to Philadelphia by sea and he executed
II successfully His son, Robert l.. Stevens,
went roond with the boat in the month of June,
1863. A fierce storm overlook them. \ schooner
in company was driven out TO sea, and was absent
many DAYS, but the PhGniX made a safe harbor az
Barnegat, whence, when the storm abated, she
proceeded safely TO Philadelphia, and Piled many
wears betweenthatcl city aud Trenton. Mr. Stevens
thus earned indisputably the honor Of first ven
turing and succeeding 20 encounter the might OF
the ocean with a steam propelled vessel. When
the Phoenix went round to Philadelphia, the At
lantlc, and no other sea, had ever known the
dondnation of victorious steam. Even nov,
when our magnificent steamers, exceeding IN
dimensions lne-obattle ships, 90 and come with
the regularity of mall-cOaches on a beaten turn
pike road, this first daring conception OF trust
ing TO the ocean frail craft, with nothing but
steam for her means of safety and progress, may
recall the lines o! the Roman lyrlst
Hi robur ct as tnplex
CIca pecus erat qui fTagem trGcl
COmmisit peago ralem
Cased was his breast in triple brass aud OAK,
Who first old Oceans Slofm-tOssed surface DfOAo
With his frall bark
From these beginnings, the progress OF steam,
and the prodlglous acceieraton OF speed no"
obtained would afford most gratifying details Tor
examination, if our time and proper scope al
lowed But we must-almost as II Steam-dnVen
hurry on. a.,
The limit, the utmost limit Of speed, to which
Fulton hoped or thought It possible to attain
was nine miles an hour, and that he, IN later
boats. accomplished but II was again reserved
10. as d he Robert
l.. Stevens after long and numerous experiments
cautiously conducted and tested, as TO the form
of vessel best calculated 10 overcome the resist
ance OF the dense medium through whlchlt was
TO make Its way, to send forth on the hudson
the monopoly law OF the state OF Newly ora
having meanwhile been oveuuled by the Const'-
tuition of United States-a boat as superior IN
size and equipments as IN speed to all before IL,
and to travel at the rate of l35 miles per hour.
Even that is now slow, and the l50mlles which
separate Us from Albany are passed over by
steamboats-not one but many-ln eight or nine
hours; and the actual rate of nineteen and even
twenty miles has been attained by some OF the
later boats. But when the ew,Phlladelphia,
X. /. Steyens's boat, in 1914 started forth at
The rate of l3l per hour, even the senses were
dlstruStee, philosophy. which had calculated
only the resistance OF the medium to the forms
then usual, was at iault, and what had been
actually done was pronounced impossible
But the steady, far-reaching mind Of the younger
Stevens knew the secret Of his succesS-that
II was due to the form he had given to his yes
sci Tie saw too, after some trips that even that
form was far from the perfection he had designed,
and accordingly he went to Brown x Bell, then,
and even yet | believe, eminent ship build
ers, and begged them to put on the New-Phll-
adolphIa long, sharp false bow. of which he
gave them the drawings. Alter considering the
proposition, -hey declined, declaring themselves
unwilling 20 encounter the ridicule Of what
struck them as SO unseemly a work, and Mr.
Ben added that Il would be called Bells nose,
and would be the general laughing stock
RepulSed but not disconnected. young Ste
vens, sure OF his own conclusions built
false bow at his own shop, put /, on. aud
obtained IN consequence an additional speed Of
several miles the hour With the New Philadel-
pima commenced the first day fne 10 Albany.
This was the commencement OF the new models
which, alike in clipper steamers and IN clipper
ships have given TO both classes Of our build and