The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1885-07-08
rAs NMfAERINg oF olERNoNrl
A Interesting Story b one q RoSorl

r. 49,
FaltSn's Fint Passengers.
Exeter, a iittls 0shirS town oi
/ southern New Hampshire, Is r
niarkable In many respects, but
not the least for including among
Is list Of citizens llF. William
Ferry, ayencrable gentleman who, sen,
enty.eight yeats ago, Eamo down the
Hudson river with Robert lullon on
that memorable trial trip the iirss yoy
age OF the iirst steamboat In the world.
lie Is tho sole survivor Of the City pas.
sengerS who enjoyed that distinction,
and though now his years have almost
reached the century turn.p0inL stu his
memory $50 clear and his intellect 50
strong that hs Is able 10 recall every do,
tail OF the Quincy aud TO correct several
misapprehensIons which have found cru:
dvncc even with the careful historians
The do.tor, sitting In his pleasant
chamber overlooking the ranlcf Of tie
5beauliful little village spoke os rs
tauons trip with Robert Futon slos
he SAID, TIE name Of the boat hss boon
10 often mis- tloled that even many clte
fultce0rders have described Il rs The
Slermont That was not Ia full name
! remember \ distinelly Il was
Katherine ot Cletmont, given h honor
Of fulton's wife, katherine Livingston
OF Clermont, Columbia county, 4. /,
Fulton, you know, had gone abroad Ia
study his profession as q painter, but;
having his attention turtibd 70 mechanics
he brought back TO Now ork IAN onglnOl
and or that he constructed the hull ul
his vessel. lie lacked the necessary
means 10 complete his experiment, and
his Nife's fatli0r, Livingston, then min.
istcr 10 England, came to his aid with
financial help
"How did yOu happOn to boa paSsen.
ger, doctor"
II was attending Union college,
Schenectady, n. Y, hut was not salts.
fed with the institution aud so deter.
mined 10 enter Harvard. On my way
home arrived at Albany and there, ID
my discomfort, learned that must on.
dlre a long delay, for none Of the river
boats then In use were 10 start for sew.
eral days / went 10 tho tavern aud
engaged room. Eut early the next
morning a man hurried into the led.
room Of the inn aud shouted out: eIh6
steamboat arrived last night and Is 20.
ing to start down river at o'clock to.
day. / decided at onOo that | should
be passenger on that craft, whatever
It might DO. There was a lady OF Con.
hectiCut undOr my charge, on her way
to New York city, and when | told her
we could take the new steamboat she
expressed her willingness to ttatel tfat
way, But It took her so long to got.
ready that when we reached the wharf
the boat vas steaming of. How.
ever, they were more accommOdatingoIi
that trip than they would be now. The
officers heard US call, and stopping thG
vessel sent back small boat to take US
on board. Then we were oil on our
voyage"
outf'
"At first 1t was smooth sailing or
rather stcaningi but in the afternoon
this, you know, was August t0i
lSOi-she ran aground and We
had to wait for high tide again
before we tould float of. After
that the boat got into more serious
trouble, but did not happen TO be ON
loard at the time. When We arrived st
Kingston | thought ! would stop over a
day and visit my brother there, and so
went ashore. The katherine Of Cler,
mont continued her courSe, but had
travelled only a few mihs further when
her boiler burst and she hatl to be laid
up for repairs for several day; Soon
after that she began regular trips bo.
tween New York and Albany"
do you remember how the boat
looked, doetori'
AS distinctly as though Il all hap.
pened yesterday, She wis rule.built
craft, about 1875 feot long and nearly
twenty feet wide, with side paddle.
wheels and Q sheet iron boiler. She
could make about six miles an hour.
ou reColloct what trouble thete was
atterward aboSt the rights Of tho boat
do you noti'
u can say do. Unfortunately my
recollection does not extend back so
far"
"Ah, l forgot, It was so long ago.
Well, the owners Of the sailing boats,
who previous to this had had tie mo,
nOpoly Of tho river transport ,tiuh,
claimed that the right Of tho Hudson
navigation belonged 10 them, and they
had an injunction granted to restrain
Fulton from using his steamboat. lIut
they couldn't hold theircase, for Daniel
Webster appeared IN behalf Of the
steamer, made his first great plea, aud
won the case; that gave Mr. Webster u
wide reputation at once.
afterwards Fulton had many law.
suits, for his patent, covering, as II did
only certain points relating 70 tho at.
tacliment Of the paddle wheels 10 tbs
axle Of the crank, left a great opening.
for infringement All his life he was
fighting for his claims in that respect,
although lie and Livingston had tho
sure monopoly Of steam traffic on the
waters Of the state through a gradk
from tho legislature. Fulton con.
structcd not only tho first practiC.
able steamboat for passengers and
freight, but also, In 1s1l, the first war
steamer Of The world, tho United SAFE,
steamer Fulton the First, She suffered
worse than the Katherine OF Clermont,
for she was blown to pieces by accident.
Great btitain received her first practic.
able steamboat III 1879, fiyO Sehts after
the trial trip Of Fulton's boat, but it
was not till 1873 that tho efficiency Of
tho putting craft for transportation 10.
tween The two countries was mAde man.
ifest Then the little Savannah steamed
across the ocean, making the trip IN
twenty.SiI days A few months ago.
according TO the record Of tho papers.
Che Oregon made the distance in a littlo
over six days"
Eugli.h and Itus.lan CIsoyth