, 1885-07-02
ma kAragaIne OF cleaNonT.r


An Intaresting Story by One OF Robert
fulton's First Passengers
Exeter, a little "shire town" OF
southern New Hampshire, is re
markable in many respects, but
not the least for including among
lis list Of citizens DIR. William
Perry. a venerable gentleman who, sew
enty eight years ago, came down the
Hudson river with Robert Fulton on
that memorable trial trip, the first yoy-
age OF the first steamboat in the world.
lie is the sole survivor OF the fifty pas
sengers who enjoyed that distinction,
and though now his years have almost
reached the century turn point, still his
memory Is so clear and his intellect so
strong that he is able TO recall every de
tail Of the Quincy aud to correct several
mIsapprehensions which have found ere
dence even with the careful historians.
The doctor, sitting in his pleasant
chamber overlooking the center OF tho
beautiful little village, spoke OF his
fan Gus trip with Robert Fulton. Yes, =
he saiJ. the name Of the boat has been
so often mis- quoted hat even many care
ful recorders have described il as the
Clermont. That was not its full name.
remember il distinctly. IL was
Katherine Of Clermont, given in honor
of fulton's wife, Katherine Livingston,
OF Clermont, Columbia county, n. Y.
Fulton, you know, had gone abroad to
study his profession as q painter, but,
having his attention turned 10 mechanics,
he brought back to New York an engine,
and over that he constructed the hull of
his vessel. He lacked the necessary
means to complete his experiment, and
his wife's father, Livingston, then min
lister to England, came TO his aid with
financial help"
How did you happen 10 be Il passen-
ger, doctor
"i was attending Union college,
Scheme tady, n. Y, but was not salts
fled with the institution and so deter
mined to enter Harvard. On my way
home | arrived at Albany, and there, to
my discomfort, learned that / must en-
dnre . long delay, for none Of the river
boats then in use were to start for sew
eral days. / went to the tavern and
engaged a room. But early the next
morning q man hurried into the bed
room OF the inn aud shouted out. THE
steamboat arrived last night and is go
ing TO start down river at 8 O'Clock to-
day | decided at once that l should
be a passenger on that craft, whatever
it might be. There was a lady of Con-
necticut under my charge, on her way
to New York city, and when told her
wo could take the new steamboat she
expressed her willingness to travel that
way. But it took her so long to get
ready hat when we reached the wharf
the boat was steaming of. How
ever, they were more accommodating on
that trip than they would be now. The
officers heard us call, and stopping the
vessel sent back n small boat to take us
on board. Then we were off on
voyage.
'now did this momentous trip Turn
OUT
AT first it was smooth sailing, or
rather steaming, but in the afternoon
this, you know, was August 10,
1sOt-she ran aground and We
had to wait for high tide again
before we could float off. After
that the boat got into more serious
trouble, but did not happen to be on
hoard at the time. When we arrived at
Kingston | thought l 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 miles further when
her boiler burst and she had to be laid
up for repairs for several day. Soon
after that she began regular trips be-
tween New York and Albany"
DO you remember how the boat
looked, doctori'
AS distinctly as though it all hap
pened yesterday. She was a rude built
craft, about 125 feet long and nearly
twenty feet wide, with side paddle
wheels and n sheet-iron boiler. Sho
could make about six miles an hour.
on rocollect what trouble there was
afterward about the rights Of the boat,
do you nott'
~ can t say | do. Unfortunately my
recollection does not extend back so
far"
"Ah, | forgot, it was so long ago.
Well, tho owners of the sailing boats,
who previous to this had had the mo-
nopoly of the river transportation,
claimed that the right of the Hudson
navigation belonged to them, and they
had an injunction granted to restrain
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 a
wido reputation at once.
Afterwards Fulton had many law
suits, for his patent, covering, as it did
only certain points relating to tho at
taehment Of the paddle wheels to the
axle of the crank, left a great opening
for infringement. All his life he was
fighting for his claims in that respect,
although he and Livingston had the
sure monopoly Of steam traffic on the
waters Of the state through a grant
from The legislature Fulton con
struoted not only tho first praotic-
able steamboat for passengers and
freight. but also, in 1914, the first wal
steamer of tho world, the United States
steamer Fulton tho First. She suffered
worse than the Katherine Of Clermont,
for she was blown to pieces by accident.
Great Britain received her first practie-
able steamboat in 1879, five years after
the trial trip Of Fulton's boat, but it
was not till 1919 that the efficiency Of
the putting craft for transportation 10
tween the two countries was made nan
ifet Then the little Savannah steamed
across the ocean, making the trip in
twenty-six days. A few months ago,
according to the record of the papers,
the Oregon made the distance in a little
over six tlays