Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1859-05-24
The First Trip of the First Steamboat,
Here is something from the Journal of Com
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Here is something from the Journal of Com
merco which possesses all the in, ,eress of romance.
During the past summer correspondent of
the Journal oT commerce visited Esstport, Me-,
and there ascertaiRed that one of the emnlovees
who went TO Albany on the first trim of the
" Ciernont, was residing on Deer Island
Deer Island is one of those blue gems, belong-
ing to the province of New Brunswick, which
stud the St. Crvix and the Bay of Fundv.-
These lnsuiar dots are the most charming fea-
lures in the beautiful scene which one looks M
on from the town of Eastpo
The correspondent referred TO wa. at some
pains to lind out the story of this practical work
ing man, who has lived 10 see from Fulton q
first experiment. boats propelled bysteam gird.
ing the globe. and regulating the commerce of
all nations. Capt. Nc Kinney is still hale
hearty old man, and every ten days he NAV be
seen IN Eastport, where he goes to purchase
household necessaries for his Island home He
Is a man OF probity and a member of the church
When IN active life he a sea captain and
made many VOYAGES to the West / dies in the
employ OF the Eastport merchants. Capt Nc
hinneys father was loyalist in the revolution
and hence left his property near Newburg on
the Hudson. and emi grated to the provinces
Capt. Nc kinney was born at Digby, Nova SEQ
TIA, IN l1oo. The family of his father afterwards
came TO Deer Island, where our hero still resides.
The property near Newb burg had been confis-
Gated, as the elder Mckinney did not fight
against the Americans His father was pre-
pared to go TO New York to reclaim his land,
but died IN the spring of 1907. This led the
subject OF this article TO this city in Nav 1851
For some cause he remained here and sought
employment He was informed that a steam
boat was building on the East River. On the
hrst OF June he hired himself 10 Robert Fulton
for three months. The boat had been launched
before ne came, and it fell to him TO work with
the engineer, Englishman by the name of
jackson. hOI!ar not in I,
after the boat was launched The carpenters
were arranging the wood work, and preparing
the "Clermont" for service. The boat. Capt.
Mex. says, +" was built the East River near
Hurl Gate. Fulton's boat was built in the last
yard but one, viz: ta2t of Charles Brown, a
Scotchman. 1t started from this place on
her trip up the river"
Capt Nc Kinney says that the boat was rot
l40 feet long. She was fiat bottomed like
skiff sides straight like scow stem like skiff
She was painted lead color. The Clermont
drew % inches of water, and the rudder went
below the roat. To the rudder post pieces
of wood were fastened. These projected some
four or five feet. and bolt WAS extended across
them to prevent the rudder from gaing down
lower than it ought. In addition the rudder
was arranged for shoal water that could he lift
ed to the surface. il necessary. Her wheels ex-
tended below the bottom of the boat. A fly
wheel was attached to the paddle wheel. having
a run four inches wide. which Mr.. Jackson. the
engineer, told Mr. Nc Kinney 70 make the
paddle wheel pass the center without a Jerk
There big hub" continued Capt. Nc K.
Just inside the boat, into which the shalt fitted
1t could be unshipped with crow bar and the
revolution of one of the wheels stopped when
they wanted to turn the boat around There
were two rows of fire bricks which the boiler res
ted on. These bricks We're imported from Eng
land. and cost SIX cents each. The boiler was
OF copper, top arched; The boiler fed liself"-
The captains description of some of the machi
merry viii be both amusing aud Interesting to
those who have watched the progress of this
branch of mechanics His own language used
in describing the apparatus for supplying the
water to the boiler will give far more graphic
ides than any which could hope 20 convey.
grindstoue was suspended from its center,
by wire inside the boiler. A lead pipe ran
from the boiler TO the water. The top of the
gripdstone was level with the water in the boil
er. As the water boiled away the stone would
fall and as the boiler filed up the stone would
rise. Machinery working like pump handle
connected this grndstone with the cock of the
water pipe outside of the boiler. As the grind
stone fell, it would open the cock wider, and
the reverse. &c.
Capt. Nc Kinney saws that when the Cler-
mont starred On her first trip TO Albany, she
left New York according TO mis- recollection.
about nine O'Clock In the morning, and went up
as far as the Livingston Manor the next day
There she remained all the next day and night
and received passengers - among whom We're
some OF the Livingston tamil Y. The next morn
ing she proceeded on her journey and arrived
at Albany late in the afternoon. All the way
up the river the steamboat attracted great at
tentlon. People thronged the banks, or pulled
out into the stream to have closer look at
this new monster. The Clermont made about
six knots hour. On the first trip the crew
consisted of only some half dozen of men, while
those whom Capt. Mckinney took to be passen-
gers might number % or 80 persons. At Alba
l.. I. i.
TO let no one come on board and the boat was
pushed q p!ank's length from the shore. But
the engineer dsobeyed so soon as Fulton was
shilling a head
They came on board so fast that in five minutes
they took tre!ye dollars So many came that
they were compelled TO turn the tide in the op-
posite direction. and order them all ashore"
Fultons captain, says our hero, was named
Hunt, and :he passage doxn was brIbed $50
experimental steamboat ashore. In accomplish
ing the wish of the shippers of the wheels
was broken and the ClermoIt was navgated to
New York with one wheel. Such is the ac-
count given, by perhaps the only surviving hand
of the pioneer of our river. lake and ocean pala-
ces. 1t is the premier pas q,ti coute says the
French proverb, but what glorious results to the
world came from that first step" of Fultonl
The old Clermont should have been preserved
As the proudest trophy of New York, and the
most fitting monument to Fulton. But where
now IS the Clermout?
Exhaustion of Talk.