Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1889-05-23
For the kilsw orih American
Steamboats,.
TIE FIRST TO cross TUE OCEAN.

TIE FIRST TO CROSS THE OCEAN.
1t is doubtful il there j. school-boy on
the coast of Maine who does not know all
about Robert Fulton, steamboat the
'Clermont. built in l>07 and successfully
run between Albany and New \ ORR. She
was not only the first one ever built, but
the only one in the world for a number of
Years The next one was built at Glas-
.ow and named the Clyde" have seen
relics of her machinery in the Grcenock
museum where | was visiting with par
Is of ladies and gentlemen. all except my
self belonging in that country. one Of the
party offered tho Information that these
relics were from the first steamboat ever
than tact Immediately disputed him and
declared with some heat and haste that
George Fulton lmaking mistake in the
given name built the first steamboat iii
the world on the Hudson River, in the [ nj
tel States He looked at me in quizzing
WAY and quietly said "Gcorge did:" |
laughed 1T myself With the rest but Sc
crrily decided To allow that scotland built
Bunker iill monument in sc they claim
cd it.
had been familiar with the history Of
Fu'tou'> Clcrmont before learning the
l.pri'> PRAYER or the story Of Washington
and hi, Ratchet, hut not till visited the
wurld.> fair At New orleans IN 1854 was
ahic To- learn What steamer first crossed
thr Atlantic; and that part OF What am
Writing i All that | expect Viii be or any
interest 10 the reader. In Isl, there was
huill At Savannah ia full-riggcd ship
called the SAY aunah OF $50 tons register
and lifted with steam engine and paddle
Wheels. SAc had no guards" built outside
Of the paddles a> >ile-whcelcr, now have
but HE Shaft simply lay across the deck
on four bearings and hinged on each side
- that by derrick the wheels could be
lifted out OF water and laid IN over the
deck. She could then become a simple
many southern steamers. of even these
days. >hc burned pitch pine wood instead of
coal. NAr was commanded by Moses
Rogers and sailed from Say annah, for
Liverpool On the 2oth Of May l-l9->cycn-
" wears ago. Steam was not used all
the time but before passing up 10y Holy
head ihe paddles were lowered and with
all sail -: >hc rounded the Skerrics and into
the bay passing the rock and up the Mcr-
scy under full steam, amid the shouts and
hurrah> Of the a~tnu>hcd and gathering
tAroug-. How things have changed, To-
day thc ten thousand ton steamship comes
~ "h the landing stage and little tender
a large a. the "a, aunah, >teams ont to her
and the whole affair causes no e. ctiemcut
or ~ondcr
While the Savanuah remained at Liver
pool She was visited BY thousands, after
which she sailed for Crou>tadt. There
the We, ~cl and master were received with
unbounded admiration and rc>pect-being
Visited by Russian nobility itself From
Russia -he came back to Savannah. arriv-
iug home the 10th Of November. without
the los Of a ropc-yarn or any damage what
ever 10 her primitive machinery.
4 the New Orleans Exposition the mod
el of this first steamer Savannah was cN-
hibted side hy side with that OF the
steamer CITY Of Savannah built on the
Delaware in 1876. The former being very
sharp and burdened with machinery and
wood could probably not carry more than
ha> a capacity for > 800 tons, and the diff
ference in their burden > among the
slightest of their many contrasts
Steamer, have now become entirely too
numerous to suit the interest of sailing
vessels; they have swept away even the
hopes Of profit from our hungry hatchways
and they 90 sweeping on, favored by mcr-
chants and corporations of course, but
what is worse, by our Government, in
ways that can explain if required to do 50.
Americans have not built any of that class
Of steamers called "tramps," nearly all un-
der our flag being regular liners and on
coa>twisc routes ;but steamers with various
flags and of many kinds have increased in
number and size to remarkable degree
within twenty years though most everyone
holding stock says they do not pay.
No longer ago than 1860 there was no
steamer running from Rockland TO Mt.
Desert or to any other Hancock county
landings, except the Bangor and Boston
boats touching at Bucksport There were
hotels at Southwest Hsrbor and visitors
to them came to Bucksport and thence by
land. There had been boat between
Rockland and Machias, touching at all
landings, for some years previous, but
ls65 must have been an of year. Now it
would take one some time TO calculate the
number of steamers, large and small, rip
ping the waters and making landings in
our county during the summer months.
They are useful carriages when one is in
haste to get home and travelling on pas
senger boat H. any part of the world Is In
teresting to one with all open eye and a
quick sense of humor.
The Lewiston came on the route in 1866
or 81, am not sure which She was said
to be liked, by some, and she certainly was
fortunate or else well managed to run so
many years on such a rocky and foggy
route without serious accident.
One season when the ''City of Rich
mond" was running from Portland to Bar
Harbor and making rapid trip east on
Sunday mornings, with no stops at small
| landings, we arrived at Portland from sea
and getting through with the usual busi-
ness of entry on Saturday were free to go
| home, if we could get there l applied to
Mr. Cushing, the agent, and without com
hitting himself at all he referred me to
| the captain. ''Oh, no" SAID the captain
| it was not the rule and he could not agree
to stop at halfway landings. Though he
| was polite he evidently thought that what
little business or perhaps p asure that
might be calling me east would keep until
the next week. l always abhorred beggine
or asking for favors, but here was man