People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 December 1896 — ON THE CLERMONT. [ARTICLE]

ON THE CLERMONT.

INCIDENTB OF THE FIRST VOYAGE OF FULTON*B STEAMBOAT. ▲ Group at Women Who Blade tbe Htetorio Trip—How tbe Engagement of the Inventor Was Announced—Predictions Made by Chancellor Livingston. Helen Evertson Smith, in The Century, has a paper on “A Group of American Girls Early In tbe Century, ” which gives pleasant glimpses of Ohanoellor Livingston and Robert Fulton. The ohanoellor invited several of his fair oouains to make a trip from New York to his home at Clermont In a new boat. Miss Smith says: The “new boat" of toe letter was tbe now oelebrated Clermont, the steamboat of Robert Fulton, which In August, 1807, made the first suooesaful steam voyage up the astonished Hudson and demonstrated to the world that a new force had been discovered by which old methods in nearly all lines were to be revolutionized. Very likely, with Ml their loving confidence in the wisdom of the chancellor, the sisters embarked with some distrust of his new boat’s making good its promise to get them home In less than three days, even if both wind and tide should prove unfavorable, bat they were not afraid of anything worse than delay, though most of their friends feared for them. During the nine years that had passed since “Robert R. Livingston and Robert Fulton had first secured the oonoesalon to navigate the waters In New York state for 80 years, providing they should build a boat of not lpss than 80 tons, that yrould go not less than four muea an hour against wind and tide, ” the subject had been so often talked over in their presenoe that the sisters were already quite Intelligent upon it and laughed at the fearc of their timorous friend* The embarkation was from a dock “near the state prison” (which was in "Greenwioh village,” on the North river) and was witnessed by a crowd of ’ ’not less than 500 persons. " Many were friends of the passengers, who bade them farewell with as much solicitude as if they were going to Madagascar, especially trembling with apprehension at the “terrible risk run by sailing in « boat full of fire. ”

The adventurous voyagers, who were the guests of Robert Fulton und Chancellor Livingston, were about 40 In number, including but a few ladies. Among the latter, besides our two young sisters' and their annt, Mrs. Thomas Morris (daughter-in-law of Robert Morris, the financier of the Revolution), were at least one of the chancellor’s two daughters, four of the many daughters of bis brothers, John R. and Colonel Harry,and a young lady who was more interested in the result of this memorable experiment than any one save the invcDtor himself. In all tho biographies of Fulton Miss Harriet Livingston Is called the chancellor's nieoe, but she was really his cousin. She was a beautiful, graoeful and aooompllsbed woman and had long given her heart to Robert Fulton. 'The fair Harriet was at this time about two and twenty and ’ ‘deeply In love with her handsome, gifted lover as any girl well oould be. ” There were many distinguished and fine looking men on board tho Clermont, but my grandmother always described Robert Fulton as surpassing them all. “That son of a Pennsylvania farmer, ” she was want to say, “was really a prince among-men. He was as modest ns he was great and as handsome as he was modest His eyes were glorious with love and genius.” A little before reaching Clermont, when the success of the voyage was well assured, the betrothal was announood by the chancellor in a graoeful speech, in the oourse of which be prophesied that the “name of the Inventor would desoend to posterity as that of a honefactor to the world, and that It was not impossible that before the close of the present century vessels might even be able to make the voyage to Europe without other motive power than steam. ” This hardy prediction was received with but moderate approval by any, while smiles of Incredulity were exchanged between those who wore so placed that they oould not be seen by the speech maker or the inventor. John R. was beard to soy In an aside to his cousin, John Swift Livingston, that “Bob had many a bee in his bonnet before now, but this steam folly would prova the worst one yet. ” But the chancellor’s brothers lived to see the oooan regularly traversed by steam vessels, but the prophet himself and the inventor both passed away before the realization of their dreams.