The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1907-08-17
A DREAM COME TRUE.

Among the men of imperishable fame III the
field of invention one standing deservedy near the
top is Robert Fulton, who passed from earth in
February, 1916, virtually penniless and whose body
lies in the old Trinity churchyard, New York where
his grave is almost forgotten. Robert Fulton, as
everybody knows or ought to know, built the first
successful steamboat, the Clermont, which in Au-
gust, 1901 hundred years ago, was launched and
made her successful passage from New York to
Albany. The stories that have come down to us
of this first voyage how the natives and the sailors
along the Hudson were frightened and incredulous,
and how they maryeed at the new wonder all seem
very amusing in the light which a century of de-
velopment gives US. But then it was new.
While there are records of more or less success
full steamboats, before Fulton's time going back to
the middle of the sixteenth century, when a Span
lard is reported to have navigaed a vessel by steam
around Barcelona, it was not until the sidewheeler
Cermont had made the trip to Albany that the
practicabiity of steam navigation was assured. Of
course, the idea was not new to Fulton or to his
generation, but his achievement will stand forever
as marking an era in the worlds advancement
Although Fultons fame rests with The achieve
ment of the Clermont he was the designer and
builder of number Of other steamboats, which were
used on the Hudson, the East and the Delaware
rivers. He also built the first steamboat which
navigated the Mississippi, and one which piled be-
tween New York and New Haven
Steam navigation was his great achievement,
but with it he saw the wonderful possibilities lying
in the development of the inland waterways of the
continent. He was among the earliest, if not
tualy the first, to advocate digging the Erie canal
to connect the waters of Lake Erie with the Hudson
river. 1t was in this connection that he dreamed
dream which has since come true In the records
of commission appointed by the New York legis-
lature to investigate the feasibility of the Erie ca
nal project is letter from Fulton to the president
of the commission containing these significant
words:
"Had it pleased the Author of the Universe to
have drawn Hudson's river from Lake Erie calm
and gentle stream of ten feet of water, the reflect
ing mind would contemplate with gratitude the Di-
vine munfcence; and he who feels that $50 miles
of navigation Hudson's river would be blessing
to this state would compare the successful range OF
extended benefits, and draw exact estimates of ma
tiona wealth from 100 miles of easy communication
to the western extremity of Lake Superior. For if
Hudson's river, collecting freight from its
rounding country and an interior not more distant
than Cayuga or Ontario, bears its waters
nearly 100000 tons per annum, where shall the mind
be arrested; on what number of tons shall it dwell,
when coming from the population of the next
twenty years. and the countries which surround
Lake Superior, Michigan, Huron and the canal of
800 miles through fertile territory9 Compared
with the trade now on Hudson's river it cannot be
less than million of tons each year."
This was nearly hundred years ago. Today,
instead of nearly "a million of tons each year."
the Erie canal alone carries two million TONS the
500 canal and locks forty million tons, while it is
estimated the Detroit river and the st. Clair canal
carry upward of fifty million tons and the total
tonnage of the Great Lakes approximates hun
dred million tons each year.
Since the development of the navigation of the