Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1878-07-18
The First Steamboat.

man, Baptist clergyman OF Illinois
now in his 73d year, was an infant Of
two years at the time OF the arrival Of
the Clermont at Albany, on her first
voyage up the Hudson. He was car
ried on board in his mothers arms
and having made the history OF the
voyage a matter OF study and record
in after years, he communicates the
following occount to the Philadelphia
Press: F iia a-
"The first steam packet (of 140 feet
keel and 16 IL feet beam) was trim
and handsome enough, excepting the
boilers. machinery and smoke-stack
which were rude, cumbrous and OF
extremely formidable appearance.
The side wheel, too, was clumsy
affair, uncovered and with twelve
huge paddles, held in their place by
a ring half way between their ex-
tremities and the hub, that sent wa
ter 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, fIom the rear one OF
which foated the stars and stripes.
~Hours before she started great
multitude had assembled along the
wharfs to witness the expected in
glorious ending OF what was general
ly known as 'Fulton's Folly Cries
of God help you, Bobby!' Bring us
back chip of the North Polep "A
fool and his money are soon parted? p
ETC., were frequent, loud and annoy
ing. Fulton, however, knew that the
crowd was sincere in their ridicule,
and. with confident smile, went on
experimenting preparations for the
start, as IL he knew that triumph
would presently more than overbal-
ance the sneers, jibes and cat-calls
of the vulgar, and pitying manners
OF the more refined. Smoke issues
from the stacks; 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 groaning. the wheel
frantically splashing and the stack
belching like a volcano. but the Cler-
mont steadily moves; all aboard
swing their hats in the air, and give
a cheer that is Immediately taken up
by the entire multitude on land; the
Pennsylvania has triumphed, and
the hitherto incredulous and mocking
populace Of New York are the first to
do him honor; the crowd remained
cheering Oh the piers until the Cler-
mont Is out OF sight up the Hudson.
Mr.. Freeman says that the boat
arrived at Albany on September 10,
thirty-six hours after starting from
New York. 1t had been continually
in motion, the party having stopped
at the residence OF Chancellor Liv-
ingston on the way up. The speed
was at the rate Of five miles an hour.
The appearance Of the strange ves-
sci as she steamed up the river had a
remarkable effect, even in daytime,
upon the crews OF crafts passing 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 night 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 groaning of the
hard-laboring machinery, was well
calculated to strike terror into the
hearts OF sailors on the sloops and
other crafts coming down with grain
and general farm produce, 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, shat whole crews
prostrated themselves upon their
knees and besought Divine Provi-
dsnce to protect them from the hor-
rible monster that was marching on
the tides and lighting up its pathway
hy fto firas %