Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-07-04
FULTON'S FIRST VOYAGE,
RecOllectiOns of one of the Earliest of
Albany Passengers.

/ Albany Passengers.
The Rev. f. r. Freeman, an Illinois
Baptist clergyman, has been telling a
reporter of the Philadelphia Times of
/ FultOn's first voyage, whereof he claims
| to be the sole survivor-erroneous
however. He said: The constant re-
| hearsals of the scenes and incidents
made to me in my youth wildly i'm
pressed the whole upon nay mind and
together with my faint personal recol-
lection of the occasion left a more faith
full picture than unassisted tradition or
history could paint upon memory less
allied to the circumstances.
The GernoTt was the first steam
packet, 140 feet keel and 164 feet beam:
was trim and handsome enough, except-
ing the boilers, machinery and smoke
stack, which were rude, cumbrous and
of extremely formidable appearance.
The Slde-wheel, too, was a clumsy affair,
uncovered and with twelve huge pad
dies, held in their place by ring half
way between their extremities and the
hub, that sent water splashing upon 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 which
tioated the stars and stripes. Hours be-
fore she started great multitude had
assembled along the wharves to witness
the expected ingloriOus ending of what
was generally known as "Fulton's
Folly" Cries of "God help you,
Bobby p Bring us back Il chip of the
North Pole p "A fool and his money
are soon parted" &C., 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 con-
tident and selfpossessed; the CLernoont
moves out into the stream, the ponder
Gus machinery humping and groaning,
the wheel frantically splashing and the
stack belching like a volcano; but the
ClernaOnt steadily moves; all aboard
swing their hats into the air, and give
cheer that is Immediately taken up by
the entire multitude on the land; the
crowd remain cheering on the piers un-
til the CEerDeo1H is out Of sight up the
Hudson.
Mr.. Freeman says that the boat ar
rived at Albany on September II, thirty
SIX 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
five miles an hour. The appearance of
the strange vessel as she steamed up the
river had a remarkable effect, even in
daytime, upon the crews of crafts pass
Ir1Cr hTr g Al,
shippers coming down could, in those
days of slow mail and no telegraph,
have been prepared to encounter such
an oddity; but at night the Gelnaom
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 col
umns of flame and sparks from the
mouth of the tall stack. This ap-
parent volcano, moving steadily through
the darkness up the middle of the river
and accompanied by the rumbling and
groaning of the ehard-laboring machinery
was well 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 super
stitious
:" 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 pathway by its fires )"
When the members of the Freeman
family went aboard the Clermont, upon
It's arrival at Albany. Mrs Freeman OBJ
served workman carrying in his hands
a ladle filled with moulten lead. With
this he proceeded to fill up holes whose
presence here and there in the rude
machinery was indicated by escaping
steam