Evening star., 1909-06-12
HUDSON AND FULTON
Achievements Will Be Cele.
brated in New York.
PREPARATIONS UNDER WAY
Replicas of the Half Moon and
"Clermont" Being Made.
EXERCISES FOR TWO WEEKS
Commemorating the Discovery of
the River and the Inauguration
of Steam Navigation.
PREPARATIONS UNDER WAY
EXERCISES FOR TWO WEEKS

of Steam Navigation.
BY WILLIAM F. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
NEW YORK. June II. 1900.
There will be three great celebrations in
New York this summer commemorating
| the discovery Of the Hudson river and
| the discovery Of Lake Champlain. which
occurred 300 years ago. and the inaugu-
| ration of steam navigation by Robert
Fulton 1O2 years ago. the plans for
commemoration Of the latter event in
1907 having been postponed for various
| reasons. The Champlain tricentenary
occurs the first week In July. and will be
observed with appropriate ceremonies in
| which New York and Vermont will Join,
| commissions to prepare and carry out a
program having been appointed by the
two governors. The Hudson tricentenary
will be celebrated Jointly with the Full
| ton anniversary, beginning September %
and extending over the following week
in the city and for second week up the
river at Poughkeepsie. Kingston, Cats
kill. Hudson. Albany and Troy.
These celebrations are being arranged
by a commission appointed by the Gov
| ernor' of New York and the mayors of
named. of which Gen. Stewart l.. Wood
ford is president Herman Ridder. pub
Usher of the New York Staats-Zeitung;
Joseph H. Choate. Seth Low, J. Pierpont
ker. John f Parsons and several other
eminent gentlemen are vice presidents.
Henry w. Sackett. Edward Hagaman
| Hall. William Parry. A. H. Stoddard.
are doing the active work. and Capt
Jacob A. Miller, general manager OF the
Fall River line Of steamers: Capt. George
A. White, assistant general manager of
are preparing the pageants and parades.
The state legislature has appropriated
$500, ,OOO. the board of aldermen $500. 900
| and 1t Is expected that at least a half
million dollars more will be raised by pri-
vate subscription to pay the expenses of
the celebration, with the understanding
that any portion Of the fund which may
| remain after the commemoration shall be
devoted to permanent memorial. The
finance committee has issued an appeal
which has been very cordially responded
to.
Two years ago committee in charge
of the celebration Of the Fulton centen-
NAL planned a permanent memorial in the
| form of a monumental landing pier or sea
gate to the city on the Hudson river. at
| the foot of 10th street. which is the
southern terminus Of Riverside drive 1t
was to be used for marine ceremonies. as
landing place for distinguished strangers
and for the officers and crews of foreign
men, n-of-war, which are usually assigned
to anchorage opposite that point. That is
also the usual anchorage OF United States
naval vessels which visit this city. but
there is only an ordinary and rather
shaky old wooden pier there now. The
plan contemplated the construction of an
| armory for the New York Naval Reserve
lov, Gfd Nf thn SAo md Hnr
| stadium for the sports Of the students Of
Columbia University on the other; but
the Fulton committee could not raise the
money. and the alumni of Columbia had
other plans In view, SO that the scheme
was abandoned. or rather postponed. 1t
Is hoped that there will be enough money
left this time from the Hudson-Fulton
celebration to build the sea gate at least.
Temporary Sea Gate.
AS a starter the board of aldermen has
appropriated $1,000 for the construction
of temporary wooden sea gate at the
foot of 10th street, two piers inclosing
a basin $50 by 200 feet square. with land
ing floats to accommodate small craft.
and during the ceremonies-and probably
after them-replicas Of the Clermont. Full
tons first steamer, and De Halve Maene,
or the Half Moon. Hudsons vessel, will
be anchored at either pier
The ClermOnt is now being reproduced
at Mariners harbor. Staten Island, upon
plans made from descriptions printed at
the time and letters written by Fulton
in which he gives the details of his first
steamer.
The cost Of the reproduction will be
about the same as that of the original.
which was $4,000. and will be paid for
by the commission. 1t has been general
ly understood that the original Clermont
was built in a little cove just south Of
the residence of Chancellor Livingston
on the Hudson river. near the city of
Hudson. but the Investigations of the
engineers in determining the plans have
convinced them that it was builtsat Charles
Browns shipyard. in East river. in the
city of New York. The best informa-
tion as to the details of construction
may be found in the specifications upon
which Fulton obtained his patents.
The Original Clermont.
The original Clermont was $50 feet long
depth of hold. She drew two feet Of
water. Her hull (below the deck). had
wedge-shaped bow and stern, cut sharp
to the angle of sixty degrees. In hori-
zontal plan, her sides were parallel, and
she was almost wall sided. being very
little wider on deck than on the bottom.
Her bottom was fiat. with no keel. and
boards. to prevent drifting sideways. She
had two masts, but no bowSprit or fig
urehead. She had two cabins, one for
ward and one aft The tiller by which
she was steered was at the back end
of the after cabin, SO that 1t was diff
cult for the helmsman to see what lay
ahead. The engine, which was made in
England. was amidship, between the two
cabins, and was uncovered. The boiler
was of copper. The paddlewheels. fifteen
feet in diameter. were uncovered, which
resulted In drenching the passengers. and
no guards protected the wheels from
collision. Later, the paddlewheels were
covered. To turn around. enc paddle
wheel was disconnected. The fywheels
of the engine were outside the hull for
ward Of the paddlewheels. and revolved
the same way. On one occasion. when
one of the paddlewhees was disa bled. it
is said, paddles were attached to the
fywheels and the voyage continued. In
the winter of 1S01-1S0S. the Clermont
was widened to sixteen feet on the bot
tom and eighteen feet on deck to give
her greater stability, and she was other
wise improved.
Shortly after the organization of the
tri-centennial commission, Teunis G. Ber-
gen, Brooklyn lawyer. and a descend
ant of the first white child born on
Manhattan Island. was sent to Holland
to interest the government and people
of. that country In the Hudson celebra-
ton, and a group Of wealthy gentlemen
are now building an exact reproduction
Of DE Halve Maene" on the same SPOT