Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-01-02
FULTON AND HIS STEAMBOAT
This Picture Cermon
Trinity Church Left, Battery the Right.

dietion regarding the development Of
waterway trade mo less than $780,
337 tons of freight passed through the
800" Canal, between the opening IF
the lake season and the first of asst
month.
Although Fulton was the original
Of of the Erie canal project and the
particular advocate of the plan to de-
velop the commercial possibilities of
the Great Lake region, at the same
time he gave his attention to Amer1-
man waterways, in general in much
the same manner as the present ma
tionaI rivers and harbors congress is
doing. To show the extent of water
ways development in the United
States during the last century, the
$l0,000,000 which Fulton estimated
would be the cost Oh the Erie canal
may be compared with the $4,000 900
which the Rivers and Harbors con
gress and many commercial organi-
zatious throughout the country are
urging the government to appropriate
annually for the maintenance and i'm
provment of the national waterways.
Time has softened much of the
criticism which followed the building
Of the Clermont, and today Fulton is
universally acknowledged as the ia
Their of navigation. Steamboats, were
heard of as far back as the middle of
the sixteenth century. when a Span
lard. Belasco de Gary, is reported to
have propelled vessel by steam III
the harbor of Barcelona Writers Oh
steam navigation, however. are III
clined to give the honor of the first
attempt at steamboating to Papin,
who published his ideas in 1890, giyinb
rude plan OF apaddle steamer and
who in 1907 experimental with a
steamboat upon the river Fulda in
Germany
About thirty years later Jonathan
Hull built tow boat. equipped with
single wheel at the stern, which
was exhibited at London. and in 1868
an American, William Henry, of
Chester county, Pennsylvania. tried
experiments with a steamboat on the
Conestoga This happened just Two
years before Fulton was born at Lit
tie Britain tnow Fulton,) in the neigh
boring county of Lancaster, and per
haps n his boyhood Robert was told
of THIS experiment
Before the end of the eighteenth
century Count dAuxiron and the Mar
louis de Jouffory conducted expert
nents in steam navigation in France.
The ingenious DR. Franklin, who
drew the lightning from the skies,
also believed the steamboat practic.
able, but he ridiculed the wheels
which years later, serving as propel-
lers, made Fultons steamboat a sue
cess. James Rumsey, who expert
mented on the Potomac in ashing-
toms presence in 1874 and John Fitch
Of Philadelphia, who designed steam
/ craft in l7S5, are worthy of mention,
hough nothing came of their ell
Nathan Read, another American, who
ni7S9. in 4 boat equipped with pad
Hes moved by steam, achieved some
success at Danvers, Massachusetts,.
Nevertheless Fulton claimed-aud
now receiyes-the credit of inventing
the steamboat for the simple reason
hat his was the first useful and pro
itable vess of its kind.
The Ctrmont took her name from
the county seat of Chancellor Living
ston, Fulton's partner in the enter
prise She was 1870 feet long, 16 ana
half feet wide. and of 100 tons dis
placement; and she drew four feet OF
water. Then engine used in her was
built by the famous inventor Watt OF
Birmin CHAR, England. according TO
designs made by Fulton. The Cler-
mont was launched in August 1907,
and ON Monday, August II, started
on her historic trip to Albany and re-
turn. which was accomplished in foul
days. Her speed, allowing for stops
was five miles an hour. They uset
white pine for fuel. and every school
boy has read how at night with