Weekly Trinity journal., 1879-02-01
THE FIRST STEAMBOAT.

The Rev. Frederick Reynolds Free
man, a Baptist clergy man of Illinois,
now in his I'D year, was an infant of two
years at the time Of the arrival Of the
Ge'mom at Albany on her voyage up the
Hudson. He was carried or board in his
mothers arms, and having made the his.
tory of the vovage matter Of study and
record in after years, he communicates
the following account to tho Philadelphia
Press:
"The first steam packet GAO feet keel
and l6l3 feet BEAM was trim and hand
some enough, excepting tho boilers,
machinery, and smoke. stack, which were
rude, cumbrous and extremely formi-
dable in appearance. The side whoel,
too, was clumsy affair, uncovered and
with twelve huge paddles, held in their
place by ring half way between their
extremities and tho hub, that sent water
splashing upon the deck with every revo
tuition. The top of the smoke stack was
about thirty feet above tho dccll-nearly
as high rs :he two masts, from the rear
one of which foatod the stars and stripes
"Hours before she started a great null
titude had assembled along tho wharls to
witness the expected inglorious ending Of
what was generally known as 'Fulton's
Folly Cries Of God help you, Bobbyv
Bring us back chip Of the North Poler
a fool and his money are soon parted =
etc, were frequent, loud and annoying
Fulton, however, knew that the crowd
were sincere in their ridicue, and with II
confident smile, went on experimenting
preparations for the start, rs il he know
that triumph would presently more than
over balance the sneers, jibes and catcalls
OF the vulgar, and the plying manners of
tho more refined Smoke issues from
the stack tho hawscr is drawn in the
side-wheeI quivers it slowly revolves
Fultou's own hand at tho helm turns
out the bow; 10 pGle but still confident
and selfpossesscd the Cie,moU moves
out into the stream, the ponderous ma
chinery humping and groaning, the
wheels trontically splashing and the stack
belching like n volcano; but the Geimom
steadily moves all aboard swing their
hats in the mir, and give cheer that is
immediately taken up by tho entire mul-
titudc on land the Pennsylvania has
trumphed, and the hitherto incrcduous
and mocking populace Of New York are
the first to do him honor the crowd ro
manned cheering on tho piers until the
Cie,mont was out of sight up the Hudson,
Mr.. Freeman says that the boat arrived
at Albany on September TO- thilty.six
hours after starting rom New York. 1t
had not been continually in motion, tho
purity having stopped at the residence Of
Chancellor Livingston on tho way up
The speed was ut the rate OF five miles an
hour. The appearance Of the strange
vessel as she steamed up tho river had L
remarkable effect, even in daytime, upon
the crews Of crafts passing by, for com
paratiyely few Of tie skippers coming
down could in those days of slow mail
and no telegraph, have been prepared to
encounter such An oddity but at night
C{eJUt0Ht sproad Consideration 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 tho tall stack. This apparent volcano,
moving steadily through the darkness up
the1niddle OF tho river and accompanied
by the rumbling and groaning OF the
hard laboring machinery, was well calcu-
lated to strike terror into the hearts OF
sailors on tho sloops and other crafts
coming down with grain and general farm
produce, who had never heard Of any
motive power Tor vessels except wind
and who withal were extremely superst
tious.
My father and others told mo-" savs
Mr.. Freeman, "that whole crews pros
tratsd themselves upon their knees and
besought divine Providence to protect
them from tho horrible monster that was
marching on the tides and lighting up its
pathway by its fires"