Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-03-16

n first-class steamboat of 1888, the words
"great expense" and "despatch" sound
curiously for the utmost speed OF the
Vermont is declared to have been only
five miles an hour. AS to her assured
Safety it proved no mere boast. We
cannot learn that passenger ever perish,
ed from her deck. But severe wind
would compel her to seek the nearest
port and if stiff breeze favored the
sailing vessels of King, she fell to the
stern, and was easily distanccd by her RI
walls. But her fame and novelty drew
tourists to the Champlain, and she in
creased the traffic and commerce OF this
important water-course. The Vermont
was not mere novelty. She possessed
utilitarian and commercial value, and
brought her owners money. trip ON
board her cost the traveller ten dollars.
Her captain was proud OF her. Few
wharves were built at that date none
was made to receive steamboat at
Rouses Point until the year 1916. She
would select a convenien. place, lie oil
the shore, and land and receive passen-
gers in small boat. A round trip occu-
pied distance of three hundred miles,
the northern terminus being st. Johns in
Canada, and the southern, Whitehall, n.
Y, at the extreme southern point OF the
lake. She was expected to make the pas
sage of the lake and Richelieu river in
twenty-four hours, but often consumed
the better part of week in single trip
Her owners advertised her to leave st.
Johns at nine a. m, pass Plattsburgh at
five p. m, Burlington at nine p. M, and
arrive at Whitehall at nine q. m. the fol-
lowing morning. For several years after
her first trip, little is said about her We
only know that she continued uninfer-
ruptedly to perform her trips until the
breaking out of the war with Great Bri-
tain. And, SO far as we can learn, the
Vermont never had but one owner and
commander, and that was John Winans,
who appears to have been skilful, compe-
tent ard prudent in his office, and jealous
to preserve the good reputation OF his
pet.
During the war of 1S12-1S1i the Yer
mont performed patriotic services. Com
PEELED to suspend her trips 20 st. Johns,
she still piled the waters of the broad
lake, and was at times employed to trans
port the American armies to the frontier,
where she wculd land them at the mouth
of the Big Chazy River, for war opera
tions on the Champlain border. At one
time she narrowly ESCAPED capture by
the enemy. This occurred during May,
1911. The British fleet, under Capt.
Pring, had proceeded up the lake, and
opened fire on the American batteries at
the mouth of Otter Creek On the re-
turn. May Is, three gunboats lay in am
busl close under the shore of Providence
Island, opposite Cumberland Head, in
tending to chase and seize the little queen
steamer which then made trips between
Plattsburgh and all the southern lake
ports. The enemy, with much stratngem,
carefully concealed their presence by
covering the gunboats with green bushes,
to give resemblance to the bush-lined
shores of the island. But during the
darkness of the night Duncan McGregor,
a citizen Of tlburgh. VT, then engaged
i'll smuggling operations on the Canadian
line while concealed on Providence Is
land, overheard conversation between the
crews of the enemy's vessels, and being
made aware thereby of the plan to cap
ture the Vermont, at once, silently and
alone, in small boat, with mutfled oars
rowed all night in the dark for the pur
pose of intercepting the steamer. His
|
ed his informant so for service rendered
and then at once headed the bow of thu
Vermont towards safe quarters under The
guns OF the Notifications at Plattsburgh
And SO it was that Alburgh saved Bur
lington the misfortune of having her no
vel steam-pet fall into inimical hands.
After the war had ended the Vernon
resumed her regular trips to st. Johns
From the clumsy and imperfect nature o
her machinery-the best those years af
forded, however-she was subject to fire
quent break-downs, causing vexatious de
lays. The last one came. After caree
of six years. and while coming up tn
Richelieu on October 15 1915, at n spo
opposite Bloody Island, and about thre
) miles below where now stands Fort Mont
gomery, at the outlet of the lake, tn
connecting rod became detached from tn
crank. The alarm was sounded, but be
fore the engine could be stopped the mer
ciless iron and steam had done its disas
trous work, the rod was forced throug
the bottom of the boat, and in shor
time the pioneer steamboat sunk dowl
into the sands, q wreck forever. Their
G was no loss of life. The brave Captai
0 Winans took out her engine and boilers
ald sold them to the Lake Champlai
Steamboat Company, chartered by til
a State of New York, March II, 1913, VIII
n put them into another boat named tn
e Champlain, and which was the thir
c steamboat built on the lake, from whic
o boat they were finally transferred to I'll
= first steamboat built on Lake George
I 1877, viz, the Caldwell. Vermont Stat
}, was so well pleased with the success {
+ her first steamboat, that on the 10th I
Il November, 1915, she granted to job
Winans, A. w. Burnum. G. p. Van Ne
y and Il. ID. Woodbridge the sole and e
II elusive right of building and navigatii
l. such vessels on the Vermont waters
t. Lake Champlain for term of twent
N three years, said vessels to be propell'
'd "by the force of steam" The last '
H. can trace of John and James Winan
r they, in 1917, in company with Capt
nr Sherman, built the Caldwell on Lal
i. George, AS already stated, which was
ie stroyed by fire in 1921.
y The Honest Farmer and tho Sensitl
- steer.