Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-12-03
LEAF FROM THE PAST.
Thurlow Weed Tells of His Trip on
One or the First Steanboats with
Lafayette.
1ndinnnnnlis Jonrnnl.

about the political situation, my eyes
fell upon a steel engraving Of Lafayette
on the wall with letter in French on
the broad margin, written by the
daughter of the great champion of lib
erty. 1t thanked Mr.. Weed iii warm
terms for his polite attentions to her
father when in America recently, +"
and expressed the most earnest inter
est in the future progress of the repub-
lie.
80 you knew Lafayette?' | asked.
"Oh, yes" the old gentleman said,
his face Lighting up, II knew him well
intimately. in fact. | travelled con
siderably with him while he was here.
That was in--in what year was it'll
forget
I'm 1924" ] suggested
Yes" he went on, che was TO. |
should think, and | was about 81.
was invited down here, and accom-
panied the general and his suite to AL
bany. We went on the steamboat
Chancellor Kent. 1t was summer
time, and we were three days going to
Albany. The boat stopped at all vii
lagos along the river, and everywhere
II great ovation awaited the deliverer.
There were flags and speeches Of JOY.
An event of lifetime, that was. As
we moved quietly along from point to
point, Lafayette sat on the promenade
deck viewing the beautiful scenery and
responding To the welcoming shouts
of crowds along the shore. Lafayette
was very large man, man of colossal
proportions and of majestic demeanor,
He Was larger thalA | am, and | am
over six feet, even NOW, in my old
age.
How did the company amuse
themselves during the three days."
Most of the time was spent by the
veterans in telling stories OF the revo-
luton. There were more than n dozen
revolutionary officers there; and they
have all been dead these forty years.
One of these was, remember, Colonel
Nick Fish, father Of Governor Fish.
lie had served near the person Of
Washington, and he was good story
teller. He told great many amusing
anecdotes, showing that all hands had
II good deal offun, even when the army
was ragged and barofooted in the Jer-
seys, and it wasn't certain where they
were going to get their next dinner.
And here is u picture" said Mr..
Weed, rising and feeling along the
wall for it, that interests one about rs
much rs that of Lafayette.
He laid his hand on framed copy
of the familiar silhouette of the first
railroad train that ever ran IN this
country-from Albany to Schenectady,
in 1881. Then he carefully measured
oil u distance from one end, and
pointing with his finger, said, 81 am
right there-do you see me in the car?
| was greatly interested in the expert
ment, and when ] sat there | forsaw
some of the greatness to which the
railroad system has since grown in
this land. The train made very good
time that day, too, surprising every
body"
MIR Weed resumed his easy chair,
and said "Fhe first steamboat, too.
| reckon | may be the only man living
that saw Fulton's steamboat, the Cler-
mont, make its first trip in 1907. | was
n boy of 10, and lived ut Catskll. Sud
denly everybody heard that the very
next day II boat was coming up the
river from New York against the wind
and tide. All We're incrcdulous, but |
determined to see what itamounted to,
and early III the morning | started off,
with two other youngsters, for Catskill
Landing. Arriving there, we thought
we could get n better view from an is
land III the river; SO, hiding i'll the
bushes, we took our clothes (boys'
clothes didn't amount to much in
those days., tied them on plank
and swami over to the island, pushing
1t ahead Of lis. don't know when
have talked or thought of this before
Once on the island, we put on our
clothes again and waited, fishing with
pin-hooks from log with not very
much success. BY and by we saw u
strange smoke down the river and
presently up it came, wheeling and
putting and splashing along like some
wild animal. There was no paddle
boxes, and the wheels were visible, and
the engine and boiler set up OH deck,
exposed to the elements. 1t went about
four or five miles All hour and passed
within twenty rods of us on the island
1t was well calculated to inspire awe.
for it burned pine wood, and poured
fire from its smoke-stack like an active
volcano.
THE progress of this country must
be astonishing TO you, Mr.. Weed2'
More than | can tell you, passed
through tie site of the present city OF
Syracuse when it was m impenctrnble
swamp-not a house or vestige Of \
houselts only inhabitants snakes and
owls and toads | first came 70 New
York in lSOS rs il cahin-b boy ON sloop.
Between the City Hall and Broadway
was the Bridewell-thc city Jail. There
were some crooked reads iii the
suburbs, between Chambers and Canal
streets, but above that were only farms
and pastures, with an occasional gar
den, Where Canal street is Il stream
flowed down to the North river, and
Broadway crossed it by rude wooden
bridge. This city to-day seems to me
like another world.