Evening journal., 1897-01-01
ON THE CLERMONrL'.
INCIDENTS OF THE FIRST VOYAGE OF
FULToN'5 STEAMBOAT.

A Group Of Women Who Made the IEis-
toric Trip-Iiow the Engagement of tho
Inventor Was Announced Predictions
Made by Chancellor Livingston.
Helen Evertson Smith. in The Cen
tury, has paper ON "A Group of Amer
lean Girls Early In the Century, which
gives pleasant glimpses of Chancellor
Livingston and Robert Fulton. The
chancellor invited several of his fair
cousins to make q trip from New York
to his home at Clermont in new boat.
Miss Smith says;
The thew boat of the letter was the
now celebrated Clormont, the steamboat
of Robert Fulton, which in August,
1907, made the first successful steam
voyage up the astonished Hudson and
demonstrated to the wcrld that a new
force had been discovered by which old
methods in nearly all lines were to bo
revolutioniaed
Very likely, with all their loving
confidence in the wisdom of the chan.
cellor, the sisters embarked with some
distrust Of his new boats making good
its promise to get them home in less
than three days, even if both wind and
tide should prove unfayorable, but thoy
were not afraid of anything worse than
delay, though most Of their friends
feared for them. During the nine years
that had passed since Robert r. Liv-
ingston and Robert Fulton had first Sc
cured the concession to navigate tho
waters in New York state for 90 years,
providing they should build a boat Of
not less than 20 tons, that would 90 not
less than four miles an hour against
wind and lido, the subject had been so
often talked over in their presence that
the sisters were already quite intelligent
upon it and laughed at the fears Of their
timorous friends.
The embarkation was from a dock
NEAR the state prison" (Which was in
Greenwich village" on tho North
river) aud was witnessed by a crowd of
mot less than 500 persons. " Many were
friends Of the passengers, who bado
them farewell with as much solicitude
as if they were going to Madagascar,
especially trembling with apprehension
at the terrible risk run by sailing in a
boat full of fire.
The adventurous voyagers, who were
the guests of Robert Fulton and Chan.
ccllOr Livingston, were about 40 in num-
Der, including but few ladies. Among
the latter, besides our two young sisters
and their aunt, Mrs. Thomas Morris
(daughter-in-lawo of Robert Morris, the
financier of the Revolution) were al
least one Of the chancellor's two daugh-
ters, four of the many daughters Of hi,
brothers, John Il. and Colonel Harry, ,and
young lady who was more interested
in the result Of this memorable expert
ment than any one save the inventor
himself. In all the biographies of Full
ton Miss Harriet Livingston is calle,
the chancellor's niece, but she was real
ly his cousin. She was beautiful
graceful and accomplished woman au'
had long giyoa her heart 20 Robert Ful
ton. Tho fair Harriet wgs at this tim'
about two aud twenty aud deeply il
love with her handsome, gifted lover %
any girl well could BE-. d." There wcu
many distinguished and fine loolir,
men on b0Md the Clermoni, but my
grandmother always described Rober
Fulton as surprising them all. "Tha
son of Pennsylvania farmer, " she wa
wont to say, twas really q prince
among men. He was as modest as r.
was great and as handsome as he wa
modest His eyes were glorious will
love and genius
A little before reaching Clermont
when the success Of the voyage was wei
assured, the betrothal was announced
by the chancellor in "A graceful speech
in the course Of which he prophesieI
that the ''name Of the inventor would
descend to posterity as that of a bene
factor to the world, and that it was 10
impossible that before the close Of th
present century vessels might even b
able TO make the voyage TO Europe with
out other motive power than steam.
This hardy prediction was received
with bat moderate approval by any
while smiles Of incredulity were ex
changed between those who were 81
placed that they could not be seen by th
speechmaker or the inventor John a
was heard to say in an aside TO his cons
in, John Swift Livingston, that "Bo
had many a bee in his bonnet befor
now, but this steam folly would prov
the worst one yet. But the chancellor
brothers lived 60 sec the ocean regular
~ traversed ly steam vessels, but th
prophet himself ana the inventor botl
passed away before the realization O
their dreams.
The Sleeping Disease.
On the western coast of Africa tho.