Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-01-07
FIRST TRIP OF THE CLERMONT.
y Group Of Women Who Made the His
toric Voyage.

a Group of Women Who Made the His
toric Voyage.
The new boat Of the letter was the
now celebrated Clermont. the steam
boat of Robert Fulton. which in Au-
gust, 1907, made the first successful
steam voyage up the astonished Hud-
son, and demonstrated to the world
+ that a new force had been discovered
by which old methods in nearly all lines
were to be reyoIutionized.
Very likely. with all their loving con-
fdence in the wisdom of the chanceI-
lor, the sisters embarked with some
1istrust 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
/ they were not afraid of anything worse
than delay, though most of their
/ friends feared for them. During the
nine years that had passed since Rob
ert X. Livingston and Robert Fulton
had first secured the concession to navi-
gate the waters in New York state for
20 years, providing they should build
boat of not less than 20 tons, that
would go not less than four miles an
hour against wind and tide" the sub
ject 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 the north
river, and was witnessed by a crowd of
mot less than 500 persons" Many
W ere friends of the passengers, who
babe them farewell with as much solicit
tude as if they were going to Madagas-
car, especially trembling with appre-
! hension 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
cellor Livingston, were about 40 in
number, 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, the fnancier of the
revolution), were at least one of The
chancellor's two daughters, four of
the many daughters of his brothers
John r. and Col. Harry, and young
lady who was more interested in the
result of this memorable experiment
than anyone save the inventor himself.
In all the biographies of Fulton, Miss
Harriet Livingston is called the chan
cellor's niece, but she was really his
cousin. She was a beautiful, graceful
and accomplished woman, and had
long given her heart to Robert Fulton.
The fair Harriet was at this time about
two-and-twenty, and deeply in love
with her handsome, gifted lover as any
girl we'll could be-" There were many
distinguished and fine-loOlling men on
board the Clermont, but my gradmoth-
Ell always described Robert Fulton as
SURPRISING them all. 'That son of u
Pennsylvania farmer" she was wont to
say, was really prince among men.
! He was as modest as he was great, and
as handsome as he was modest. His
eyes were glorious with love and
genius"
A little before reaching Clermolt,
when the success of the voyage was well
assured, the betrothal was announced
by the chancellor in a graceful speech,
in the course of which he prophesied
that the name of the inventor would
descend to posterity as that of bene-
| factor of the world, and that it was not
| impossible that before the close of the
present century vessels might even be
able to make the voyage to Europe
without other motive power than
steam
This hardy prediction was received
with but moderate approval by any,
while smiles of incredibly were eN-
changed between those who we're so
placed that they could not be seen by
the speechmaller or the inventor. John
R was heard to say, in an aside to
his cousin, John Swift Livingston, that
Bob had many 4 bee in his bonnet be-
fore now, but this steam folly would
prove the worst one yet" But the
chanceilor's brothers lived to see the
ocean regularly traversed by steam YES
sells, but the prophet himself and the
inventor both passed away before the
realization of their dreams.-Helen
| Eyertson Smith, in Century.