Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-07-03
HE SAILED WITH FULTON.
The Only Man Now Living Who was
in the First Steamboats, Trial Trip.

HESA1LED WITH FULTON.
The Only Man Now Living who was
in the First Steamboats, Trial Trip
EXETER, N. H, June 2S.-This lit
tie town is remarkable in many
respects, for including in its list of
citizens a venerable gentleman who
seventy eight years ago, went down
the Hudson River with Robert Full.
ton on that memorable trial trip of
the first steamboat He is the only
survivor of the fifty passengers who
enjoyed that distinction, and though
now his years have almost reached
the century turnpoint, still his mem
DRY is SO clear and his intellect so
strong that he is able to recall every
detail of the journey and to correct
several misapprehensions which have
found credence even with careful
historians.
Not alone for his trip down the
Hudson is DR.. William Perry notable.
To day he stands the oldest living
graduate of Harvard College, veter-
an now in his 81 year, but who in
1911 was a senior in the Cambridge
University. The doctor sitting in
his pleasant chamber overlooking the
centre of the beautiful little village,
spoke of the famous trip with Rob-
err Fulton.
1.-The name of the boat has been so
often misquoted," he said, that even
many careful recorders have mention
ed IT as tEe Ciermont. This was not
h f.,ll II 4
tInctIy. It was Katherine of Cler-
mont, given in honor of Fulton's
wife, Katherine Livingston of Cler-
mont, Columbia County. New York.
Fulton, you know, bad gone abroad
to study his profession as painter,
but having his attention turned to
mechanics he brought back to New
York an engine, and over that con-
structed the hall of his vessel. He
lacked the necessary money to com~
plete his experiment, and his wife's
father Livingston, then American
Minister to England, came 10 his aid
with financial help"
'How did you happen to be pass
enger, doctori"
II was attending Union College at
~. l. OISb do loJ SGaA4o-
fed with the institution and so deter
mined to enter Harvard. Ga my
way | arrived at Albany, and there,
to my discomfort, learned that must
endure a long delay, for none of the
river boats then in use were to start
for several days. | went to the tav
ern and engaged room. But early
the next morning man hurried into
the barroom of the mn and announce
ed: The steamboat arrived last
night and is going to star: down the
river at O'clock decided at once
that I would be passenger on the
strange craft, whatever it might be.
There was lady of Connecticut und
er my charge on ner way to New
York City. and when [ told her that
We could take the new steamboat she
expressed her willingness to travel
that way. But it took her SO long to
get ready that when we reached the
wharf the boat was steaming off.
| However, they were mere accom-
nlodatlng on that trip then they
would be now. The officers heard us
call and, stopping the vessel, sent
back small boat to take us on board.
Then we were off on our voyage.
Sat first it was smooth sailing, or
rather steaming, but in the afternoon
this, you know, was Au-
gust 10, 1S07-she ran aground, and
we had to wait for high tide before
we could float off. After that the
boat got into more serious trouble,
but ! did not happen to be on board
at the time. When we arrived at
Kingston thought would stop over
day and visit my brother there, and
so went ashore. The Katherine of
Clermont continued her course, and
had gone only a few miles further
when her boiler burst, anu 10 had
to be laid up for repairs for ., raj
days, Soon after that she began TO
make regular trips between New
York and Albany, She was rude
built craft, about 125 feet long, and
nearly 20 feet wide, with side paddle
wheels and sheet-iran boiler. She
could make about miles an hoar.
The owners of the sailing vessels,
who previous to this had had the
monopoly of the river transportation,
claimed that the right to navigate the
Hudson belonged to them and they
secured an injunction restraining
Fulton from using his steamboat.
But they couldn't hold their case, for
Daniel Webster appeared in behalf of
the steamer, made his first great plea,
and won the case. That gave Mr..
Webster wide reputation. After
wards Fulton had many lawsuits,
for his patent, covering as it did only
certain points relating to the attach
ment of the paddle wheels to the axle
OF the crank, left great opening for
infringement. All his life he was
fighting for his claims ia that respect,
although he and Livingston had the
monopoly of steam traffic on the
waters of the State through a grant
of the Legislature. Fulton construct
ed not only the first practical steam
boat for passengers and freight, but
also, in 1914, the first war steamer
of the world, the United States
steamer, Fulton the First. She suffer-
ed worse than the Katherine of Cler.
mont, for she was blown to pieces by
accident. Great Britain received her
first practical steamboat in 1912, five
years after the trial trip of Fulton's
boat, but was not until 1916 that the
efficacy of the putting craft for trans
portatlon between the two countries
was made manifest. Then the little
Savannah steamed across the ocean,
making the trip in twenty>six days,
T..