The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-07
THE FIRST STEAMBOAT.
a Chat With the Only Survivor of the
Party Aboard FultOn's ssClermOnt'
On Its Trial Trip.
Tpbiladelphia Times !"

n lEDuduOIpuIh AlLHbS'
sHThe event is like dream to me, 1"
save Mr.. Freeman. Probably my mem
ory would now be unable to reach it but
Tor the constant rehearsals OF the scenes
and incidents made to me In youth.
These wildly impressed the whole upon
ii my mind, and together with my faint
leoDersonal recollection OF the occasion
|reaeft more faithful picture than unas-
neiisted tradition or history could paint
Iy 1 pom a memory less allied to the cir
G,h9 sNhen Columbus, prior to his voyage
otis sc cle scovery, walked the streets in Spain
lila supsating upon his project, which had
|bt. b. Leee generally known, men, and even
E ,ss and boys, would significantly point
wa 51F fingers at their foreheads and ex-
|n .makfpse smiles. just 80 was Robert
leave on treated before he turned the
n n .Aatsgh upon whole country OF scoffers.
tbes wv favored him, but fortunately there
LAS one, Robert Livingston, who had
II. been American Ambassador at Paris,
and who so much appreciated Fulton's
efforts that he furnished him with funds
/ enough to build the Clermont in the
spring OF 1907. The first steam packet
\ (of 140 feet keel and 16a feet beam) was
trim and handsome enough, excepting
\ the boilers, machinery and smoke
stack, which were crude, cumbrous and
of extremely formidable appearance.
START OF THE cLERMoNT.
'fThe side wheel, too, was clumsy
! affair, uncovered and with twelve huge
paddles, held in their place by ring
half way between their extremities and
, the hub, that sent water splashing upon
i the deck with every revolution. The top
OF the smoke. stack was about thirty
feet above the deck-nearly as high as
the two masts, from the rear one of
{ L{nbx hn Lfar md Gtrinnc
Hours before she started great multi
tude had assembled along the wharves
to witness the expected inglorious end
sT1lton's Folly Dries Of God help
YOU, Bobbyr Bring us back chip Of
the North PoleP A fool and his money
are soon parted' were frequent, loud
that the crowd were sincere IN
their ridicule, and, with a con-
fident smile, went on superintend-
ing preparations for the start, as
If he knew that triumph would present
ly more than overbalance the sneers,
jibes and cat-calls Of the vulgar and
pitying manners of the more refined.
Smoke issues from the stack; the haw-
seris drawn in the side-wheel quivers;
at the helm turns out the bow he ts
pale, but still confident and selfpos
sessed the Clermont moves out into
the stream, the ponderous machinery
thumping and groaning, the wheel
frantically splashing and the stack
! belching like volcano; but the Cler-
mont steadily moves; all aboard swing
/ their hats into the air, and give a cheer
that is Immediately taken up by the
entire multitude on land; the Pennsyl-
yanian has triumphed, and the hith-
erto incredulous and hooking populace
OF New York are the first to do him
/ honor; the crowd remain cheering on
the piers until the Clermont is out of
sight up the Hudson"
TERROR ON THE HUDSON.
Mr.. Freeman says that the boat ar
4 rived at Albany on September II, thir-
ty-six hours after starting from New
York, It had not been continually in
] motion, the party having stopped at the
residence Of Chancellor Livingston on
the way up, The speed was at the rate
of five 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 craft
u apassing by, for comparatively few OF
Western shippers coming down could, In
DAYS Of Glow mail and no tele"
s;HEz Juh, have been prepared to en-
s u ZEE tJunter such an Oddly; but at
aednlf2lb the OI6ImOub SpICaA OOuSOSA hnN
- ton 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, II owing steadily
through the darkness up the middle
OF the river and accompanied, by the
rumbling and grooming of the hard. la,
boring machinery, was well calculated
to strike terror into the hearts OF sail
ors on the sloops and other craft com
ing down with grain and general farm
produce, who had never heard Of any
motive power for vessels except wind
and who, withal, were extremely super
stitious.
ssMy father and others told me-" says
Mr., Freeman, "that whole crews pros.
frated themselves upon their knees anC
besought Divine Providence to protect
them from the horrible monster. thai
was marching on the tides and lighting
I'D its pathway by its fires.
When the members OF the Freeman
family went aboard the Clermont, upor
its arrival at Albany, Mrs. Freeman OBJ
served workman emerging from TN