New-York tribune., 1907-08-18
STEAMBOATS, BIRTHDAY
psV TRIBUTE TO FULTON.
Celebrate Sailing of the Clerntont Up
Hudson a Hundred Years Ago.

,-aru steam propelled craft in the harbor and
,,sr-s around New York whistled and Joined in
Grand salute yesterday at l o'clock in COM
-,enoorstior of the hundredth anniversary of the
cart Of Robert Fulton's Cler;nont the first
successful trip ever made by a steamboat Not
onl, tugs and ferryboats but ocean tramps and
,,s steamships lying their piers Joined in the
,a,,-ssion Of the event which made their ex-
.stence possible
The ocean liners coming in from Europe yes
..-dav were informed by wireless OF the cele-
bra.;on. and appeared of Sandy Hook with all
flags flying.
nv sunrise every vessel on both rivers and on
che Timer and Lower bays was decl,ed in holiday
limiting Every ferryboat few the Stars and
s,rsnes and the Union Jack. while ocean liners
ena local steamers had their signal flags hang
,ns in 2 brilliant line from their mastheads
Fe5lam seemed TO have broken loose when the
chorus OF whistles began. but 1t is said that
even Mrs Rice. had she been here. would not
have objected TO the noise. The dipping of the
erssns on the boats of all nationalities was
srso part of the festivities az the hour Of the
sailing Of the Clermont-
coloneI H. O. s. Heistand. L. s. A. the chair
msn Of the executive committee Of the Robert
r,,iton Monument Association, and Frederick
roazeli of the Association for the Protection Of
ro,r1erce sent cut the suggestions to the
steamboat companies that they observe the an
,jversary in such a manner. The boats of the
rudson River Day Line now run over the same
course as the ClerInont her first trip Short
addresses were made on these boats. and at the
hour the whistles Joined in the chorus. the en-
signs ane Union Jacks were dipped, and the
orcbestrss struck up Bonnie Doom" the same
Gang sung by those board the ClermOnt as
she steamed for the first tirpe through the
Highlands
te-he-, L. Bridgeman. Of ''The Brooklyn
standard Union" and Captain Robert Bartlett.
&c Commander Peary's Arctic ship. the ROose-
rel, smoke on board the steamer Albany
pearv was 10 have spoken, but was unable TO
Al 50 On the Mary Powell Richard E. Connell
delivered Z fve-rninute address on the Worlds
,-nns;5 Debt 10 Genius while the speakers on
,ha Hendrick Hudson and the New York were
che Rev. John Chandler and the Rev. c. s.
Bullock.
a number of relics Of Fulton and the Cler-
r,o-f were collected by the Day Line and ex-
hibi,ed or all the boats being transferred at
,h-..a points Yonkers, NeVburg and West Point,
from boat 20 boat that the passengers on all
tie boats could them E. Sloat. in charge OF
.hese. bears the name of the cabin boy OF the
Clernont on her first trip
The West portrait OF Fulton the warren
Sieppard painting OF tne I4elfifeli tAie S0N-
4ertv Fulton were among the relics in charge OF
s,r. sloat There was also piece Of the hun
Of the C-lerrnont, q copper spike eight inches
long taken from the first steam man-o-war' at
er-s called the Fulton and afterward the Dernol-
or,s. and an original letter from Robert Fulton
70 cap+ain Andrew Brink, the captain OF the
cserrnont written when the boat was hrst
u,aoea upon the route for passengers. In the
last nart of this letter, which is dated October
8 1907 Fulton says:
Run no risQues of any kind when you meet
or overtake vessels beating or crossing your
var Always run under their stern II there De
the least doubt that voz cannot clear thelr
head by fifty yards or more
Another feature Of the celebration was the
raising OF the peace 1las. the largest in the
world. on the top Of the Singer Building, the
fallest building IN the world The flag, which
is % by 80 feet, waved 800 feet above the
ground. This flag, which consists Of the ma
tiOnal ensign in a field Of white, was first un-
furled or the liberty poll erected by the city at
Atlantic Highlands IN 1893. and was saluted by
the fleets Of the world the formal opening
of the Worlds Columbian Exposition
Shortly before the unflrling OF the flag an
Informal reception was held IN the offices of the
Singer company by William o. Mcdowell. presi-
Friedman. the custodian of the flag, and Mr..
Mcdowell made a short address regarding Full
tons invention and the peace conference now in
session al The Hague.