The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1878-07-16
FULTON'S FIRST VOYAGE.
KecOllectiOns Of ONE Of the Earliest Of
Albany Passengers.

AlUWby koSSch6CASs
The Rev. F. r. Freeman, an Illinois
Baptist clergyman, has been telling a
reporter of Fulton's first voyage, whereof
he claims to be the sole survivor, erron-
eously, however. He said:
The Clermont was the first steam
packet, 140 feet keel and 19I feet beam !;
was trim and handsome enough, except
the boilers, machinery and smoke-stack,
which were rude, cumbrous and OF ex-
tremely formidable appearance. The
side-wheel, too, was clumsy affair, I'M
covered and with IL huge paddles, held
in their place by ling half way between
their extremities and the hub, that sent
water splashing upon the deck with
everv .eyc!nti2a.. =. The top Of the smoke
stack was about 10 feet above the deck
nearly as high as the two masts, from
the rear one of which foated the Stars
and Stripes, Hours before she started a
great multitude had assembled along the
wharves to witness the expected inglor-
ious ending of what was generally known
as "Fulton's Folly" Cries of "God
help you, Bobby!" Bring us back a
chip of the north pole!" "a fool and
his money are soon parted" ETC., were
frequent, loud and annoying. Smoke
issues from the stack; the hawser is
drawn in; the side wheel quivers; it
slowly revolves; Fulton's own hand at
the helm turns out the bow; he is pale,
but still confident and self-possessed;
the Clermont moves out into the stream,
the ponderous machinery humping and
grooming, the wheel frantically splasiling
and the stack belching like a volcano.
But the Clermont steadily moves; all
aboard swing their hats in the air, and
give cheer that is Immediately taken
up by the entire multitude on land; the
crowd remain cheering on the piers until
the Clermont is out of sight up the
Hudson.
Mr.. Freeman says that the boat ar
rived at Albany on September II, So
hours after starting from New York.
1t had not been continually in motion,
the party having stopped at the resi-
dence of Chancellor Livingston on the
way up. The speed was at the rate of
5 miles an hour. The appearance of the
strange vessel as she steamed up the
river had remarkable effect, even in
daytime, upon the crews of crafts pass
ing by, for comparatively few of the
shippers coming down could, in those
days of slow mail and no telegraph, have
been prepared to encounter such an
oddity; but at nj ght the Clermont spread
CONSERVATION and terror on all sides.
1t was very dark, and the fires were fed
with dry, white-pine wood, which, when
stirred, would send up columns of flame
and sparks from the mouth of the tall
stack. This apparent volcano, moving
steadily through the darkness up the
middle Of the river, and accompanied by
the rumbling and grooming of the hard
laboring machinery, was we'll calculated
to strike terror into the hearts of sailors
on the sloops and other crafts, who had
never heard of any motive power for
vessels except wind, and who, withal,
were extremely superstitious.
"My father and others told me-" says
Mr.. Freeman, " that whole crews pros
trated themselves upon their knees and
besought Divine Providence to protect
them from the horrible monster that
was marching on the tides and lighting
up its path way by it's fires"
When the members of the Freeman
family went aboard the Clermont, upon
its arrival at Albany, Mrs. Freeman
observed q workman carrying in his
hands a ladle filled with molten lead.
With this he proceeded to stop up holes
whose presence here and there in the
rude machinery was indicated by escap-
ing steam.