The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-09-27
ROBERT FULTON
AND The CLERM Mt
inventors eva description of
First Steamb at
FIRST VOYAGE ON HUDSON
Why an Adequate Account of the In.
ventor's Achievements Has
Never Been Written.
Fulton's Letters.
FIRST VOYAGE ON HUDSON


man this year," recently observed a
casual speaker
Sir was the answer, Robert Full
ton was a great man a hundred years
age or the Justice of the American ma
ton would not, at the end of a century,
be recalling his life with gratitude"
An adequate recital of Fultons
achievements has never been written,
nor can it be until some fellow crafts
man, having access to his papers, sets
forth the technical progress of his in
ventive power which successfully pro-
duced a machine for cutting marble, a
machine for spinning flax, double in
clined plane for canal navigation, ma
chine for twisting rope, an earth scoop
for canal and irrigation purposes, a
cable cutter the first French panorama,
the submarine torpedo boat and several
minor canal improvements-al predeces-
sors of his greatest invention, the steam
boat. When to this list is added a
record of his numerous paintings and
miniatures and of his far-sighted writ
ings, including "A Treatise on Canal
Navigation" his Torpedo Warfare
and Submarine Navigation and Essay
to the Friends of Mankind and another
entitled Thoughts on Free Tade, IL
cause of which he was an ardent adVo-
cate; and when it is remembered that
he died at the age of CO. there comes
IL
ing span could yield products SO many
and so diverse.
Fultons own description OF the Ger
mont is contained in paper IN possess
sion of one of his heirs
My first steamboat on the Hudson river
was 100 feet long, 10 feet wide drawing
. feet of water, bow and stern 60 de-
grees: she displaced 36. 40 cubic feet equal
to 100 tons of water; her bow presented
DC rno 40 ha tlnS and minus the
resistance of 1 foot, running miles an
hour.
In the Nautical Gazette for 1907, the
editor, Mr. Samuel Ward Stanton, gives
the following additional details:
The bottom of the boat was formed of
yellow pine plank Is inches thick
tongued and grooved, and set together
with white lead. This bottom or plat
form was laid in a transverse platform
and moulded out with batten and nails.
The shape of the bottom being thus
formed, the floors of oak ana spruce were
placed across the bottom; the spruce
floors being 4xS inches and feet apart.
The oak floors were reserved for the
ends, and were both sided and moulded 3
inches Her top timbers (Which were or
spruce and extended from a log that
formed the bridge to the declO were sided
inches and moulded at heel and both
sided and moulded inches at the head.
She had no guards when first built and
was steered by a tiller Her draught OF
water was q inches.
| Fulton did not take out patent for
his steamboat until February, 1909, and his
/ second patent was secured October q
/ 1910. None of his patents is in existence
! The United States patent office has re-
Gently stated that while the Index OF
Patents says that on February 8, 1911, a
patent was issued to furnish a copy OF
It, as the records of this and other early
patents were destroyed in the patent Of
flee fire of 1896. There remains, however,
in possession of one of his heirs his
Notes on the Patent of 1907.
The commercial success which the Cler-
mont attained led, within few months.
to the necessity of its enlargement and
development, and this reconstruction OBJ
scured the knowledge of the initial plans
for the first American boat, which until
recently have been considered lost
We now come to the Clermonts me-
morable first voyage on the Hudson. On
August H. at / o'clock, the boat was
loosed from Its moorings at dock at the
North river, near the states prison,
Greenwich village. Fultons own ac-
count of the event and of his feelings at
this crisis have fortunately been pre-
served in a valuable letter to an I'M
known FRIEND which is now in the pos
session of Mrs. Robert Fulton Blight.
and which has never before been pub
lished 1t reads:
MY Dear Sir: The moment arrived
in which the word was to be given for
the boat to move. My friends were In
groups on the deck There was anxiety
mixed with fear among them. They were
silent, sad and weary | read in their
looks nothing but disaster. and almost
repented of my efforts. The signal was
given and the boat moved on short dis
lance and then stopped and became inn
movable. To the silence of the preceding
moment now succeeded murmurs of dis
content, and agitations, and whispers and
shrugs. ] could hear distinctly repeated.
I told you ii was So it Is foolish
scheme | wish we were well out It IT,
Il elevated myself upon platform
and addressed the assembly. | stated
that I knew not what was the matter.
but If they would be quiet and indulge
me for half an hour T. would either 60
on or abandon the voyage for that time
This short respite was conceded without
objection. / went below and examined
the machinery, and discovered that the
cause was slight maladjustment of
some of the work. In a short time 1t
was obviated. The boat was again put
in motion She continued to move on.
All were still incredulous. None seemed
willing to trust the evidence of their
own senses. We left the fair city of
New York; we passed through the ro-
mantle and every-varying scenery of the
Highlands; We deserted the clustering
houses of Albany; we reached its shores
and them even then, when all seemed
achieved, I was the victim of disappoint-
ment
"Imagination superseded the influence
of fact 1t was then doubted if it could
be done again. or, if.done, 1t was doubted
if it could be made of any great value
Yours. r. FULTON.'
It was an odd craft The machinery,
placed in the center, was exposed to view
and creakod ominously. Only the bow
and stern were covered to form tho
cabin. The unprotected paddle wheels
swung ponderously at each side and
splashed the water as they revolved.
There were two masts, but no bowsprlt
as sometimes pictured. The compass was
rather rude, but answered the purpose
WELL though the man at the tiller in the
stern had difficulty in defining the course.
After the first voyage Fulton recognized
the displacement of the filler. and pro-
posed an adjustment of guiding ropes
from each side of the tiller to forward
wheel near the mainmast, and this alter
alton was made before the vessel passed
into commercial service. There was no
steam whistle, and upon arrival at
wharf horn was blown, and some OF
the crew were set to work to carry
enough wood on board to supply fuel to
last until the next landing. The historic
bell of the Clermont, rung at the launch-
ing of the new model, July 10, 1909, under
the auspices of the Hudson Fulton cele-
bration commission, was probably used on