Evening star., 1909-07-11
Replica of the cIermont Is
Launched in New York :.
FOR HUDSON CELEBRATION
Will Go Under Her Own Steam Up
the Historic River.
HALF NOON SENT BY HOLLAND
Russia, France and Germany Unde-
cided About Sending Warships
to Participate in Celebration.

NEW YORK. July 10.-Amid salutes
from the United States gunboats Wasp
and Aileen, the replica of Robert Fui
tons steamboat Clermont was launched
this afternoon at the Mariners Harbor
shipyards of the Staten Island Ship
building Company.
Descendants OF Robert Fulton and of
Chancellor Livingston witnessed the
launching. Mrs. Alice Crary Suteliffe. u
great granddaughter Of the first man
to apply steam propulsion successfully
to navigation, broke upon the PROV OF
the Clermont q beautiful silver-filigree
glass bottle filed with water from the
well upon the old Livingston place at
'Clermont, where Fulton stopped on his
first trip up the river. and where he
won his bride, HARRIET Livingston,
daughter Of his patron and benefactor.
At the same instant the bottle was
shattered a dozen pigeons were released
and started on their way north to their
dovecotes on the Hudson river at
Peekskili and at Athens.
Contrasts Of a Century.
Launches, yachts and steamers crowd
ed the waters of the Kill Won kull for
hours before the time set for starting
the Clermont down the ways. Five
thousand official invitations had been
issued, and several times that number
gathered to see the strange, fiatsided,
elongated Clermont slip into the water.
The replica Of Fultons famous craft
was In sharp contrast to the trim Salut-
ing gunboats and to the scores OF motor
boats, the owners of which had received
3rS, t.f -, ho MT n n q
the contrast between the old and the
newest In marine architecture.
Probably the contrast between the
replica and the present-day craft was no
greater than between the fashionable
roik OF 1897 who walked the deck of Full
tons Folly and debated the crafts
chances of success and the party OF men
and women of 1900 who crowded aboard
the little vessel today.
When the steamers with the official
party reached Mariners harbor the first
and second battalions Of naval militia
were found on guard.
Old Clermont's Bell Used.
On the high launching stage erected at
the prov OF the Clermont stood the huge
bell which was used on the original Cler-
mont to summon the passengers who
Jagged at starting time and to serve the
purpose Of the mooern steam whistles
FOR signaling.
Officers of the Hudson Fulton celebra-
ton commission, the members of the
commissions committee which has charge
of the construction OF the replica, the
tneal descendants of fulton and Living
ston, Mrs. Sutcliffe, Miss Miller, daughter
of Capt. Jacob Miller of the commission,
and the official guests occupied the
launching platform.
The program included speech by Gen:
Stewart Woodford, after the invocation,
and by Col. Henry w. Sackett, secretary
OF the commission.
The new Clermont will play an impor-
tant part in the celebration this fall to
commemorate the 3UUth anniversary of
the discovery OF the Hudson river by
Henry Hudson and the Tooth anniversary
of its first successful navigation by steam
by Robert Fulton.
The replica Is an exact reproduction Of
the original, 15O feet long. IL feet wide.
I feet deep, and draws two feet OF water.
It's sides are almost straight up and down
and both ends are wedge shaped. 1t will
be equipped with a replica of the old en-
gine and will be seen on its trip up the
Hudson to Albany under its own steam.
Clermont to. Burn Wood.
The Clermont, except for safety de-
vices demanded by government statute.
will be outfitted as nearly as possible like
Fulton's steamer. Wood will be burned un-
der the Clermont's boilers on the trip up
the Hudson and the black smoke and red
sparks poured from the tall smokestack
will make her resemble even more closely
the old-fashfoned prints which depicted
the Clernont. on her voyages between AL
bany and this city. The replica of the
Half-moon, recently launched In Holland.
will accompany the Cledrnont on the
river trip
Robert Fulton was born in Lancaster
county, Pa, and was forty-f0ur years old
when he built the Clernlont. While study
ing in England in 1895 he submitted to
the English government designs for a
steam-propelled vessel. He was an artist
Of talent. and his portrait in the rooms
of the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers ip this city Is ascribed to his
own brush.
on Brest. in 1901. he gave an exhibi-'
ton with submarine boat Of his own
invention. remaining four hours and
twenty minutes under water. The vessel
was propelled by hand while submerged.
and. respiration was made possible by
supply of compressed air In copper
globe. This exhibition was part of
series of negotiations with the French
government for torpedoes and submarines