Semi=weekly graphic., 1896-12-26
ON THE CLERMONT.
INCIDENTS OF THE FIRST VOYAGE OF
 FULToN's STEAMBOAT.

4 Group of Women Who Made the His
 torio Trip-How the Engagcmea of tao
 Inventor Was Announced Predict.
 Made by Chancellor Liviagston.
 Helen Evertson Smith. in The Gen. tury, has paper on "A Group of Amer ioan Girls Early In tho Century, which gives pleasant glimpses of Chancellor Livingston and Robert Fulton Tho chancellor invited several of his fair cousins to mako Il trip from New York to his home at Clermont in new boat. Miss Smith says:
 The new boat" of the letter was tho now celebrated Clermont, tho steam boat of Robert Fulton, which in August, 1907, made the first successful ste m voyage up the astonished Hudson aud demonstrated to the world that a new force had been discovered by which old methods in nearly all lines were to bc revolutionizod
 Very likely, with all their loving | confidence in the wisdom of tho m | eellor, tho sisters embarked wlth distrust of his new boats making good it's promise to get them homo In less than three daya. even If both wind and tide should prove unfavorable. bus they were not afraid of anything worse than delay. though most of their friends feared for 5hem. During the nine years that had passed since Robert R Liv- ingston and Robert Fulton had first se. cured tho concession to navigate the waters iii New York state for 20 years, providing they should build A boat ot not less than 20 tons, that would 20 noi less than four miles an hour against wind and tide, E" the subject had been sc often talked over in their presence that tho sisters were already quite intelligoui upon it and laughed at tho fears of tnsls i timorous friends,
 Tho authorization was from a dock "near the state prison (which was ir Greenwich village" on tho North river) and was witnessed by crowd ot mot less than 800 persons. Many wcfs friends of tho passengers, who bai1 them farewell with as much solcitu { as if they were going to Madagasci especially trembling with npprehensi Il at the terrible risk run by sailing in boat full of fire. !"
 The adventurous yoyagers, who were the guests of Robert Fulton and Chan cellor Livingston, were about 40 in num- ber, including but a few ladies. Among the latter, besides our two young sisters and their aunt, Mrs. Thomas Morris (daughter in law of Robert Morris, ths financier of the Revolution), were ai least one of the chancellor's two dnuRh. ters, four of the many daughters of his brothers, John R. and Colonel Harry ,and a young lady who was more interested in tho result of this memorable experi. ment than any one save the inventor himself In all the biographies of Full ton Miss Harriet Livingston is called the chaneellor's niece, but she was real. ly his cousin. She was a beautiful, graceful and accomplished woman and had long given her heart to Robert Fui. ton. The fair Harriet was at this tims about two and twenty and deeply K love with her handsome, gifted lever aa any girl well could be. There wefo many distinguished and fine looking men on board the Clermont, but my grandmother always deseribed Robert Fulton as surpassing them all. ''Thas son of Pennsy lvania farmer. sho was won't to say, twas really prince among men He was as modest as k' was great and us handsome as he was modest. His eyes were glorious wirh love and genius
 A little before reaching Clermont, when the success of the voyage was well assured, the betrothal was announced by the chancellor in graceful speech, in the course of which he prophesied that the "name of the inventor would descend Go posterity as that of bene- factor to tho world, and that 1t was not impossible that before the close of ths present century vessels might even ba able to make the voyage to Europe with cut other motive power than staam
 This hardy predleteg vas rsse es7 with but moderate approval
 while smiles ef ineredulity were ey changed between those who were so placed that they could rot be seen by thl speechmaker or the inventor. John k. was heard to say in an aside to his cons. i'll, John Swift Livingston, that Bob had many bee in his bonnet befors now, but this steam folly would previ the worst one yet . But the chancelle brothers lived to see the ocean reg
 ly traversed by steam vessels. bsi ' prophet himself and the inventor G5a passed away before tho realization their dreams.