72 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



that day I embarked in her; the officer in command was named Jenkins; 

 and Fulton himself, accompanied by the lady whom he had recently mar- 

 ried, was on board. The first marked incident was the leaving of several 

 passengers who had ventured to trust to the want of punctuality then usual 

 in the departure of vessels. The rule of starting at an exact hour was then 

 enforced for the first time, and from that rule there was for the future no 

 deviation. One or two of the dilatory parties jumped into a boat that was 

 towing astern, the others were left behind. 



Leaving Cortlandt-street at five o'clock, we were at the base of Butler Hill 

 about daybreak the next morning. A delay of a couple of hours took place 

 at Chancellor Livingston's seat, Clermont, and the whole passage was made 

 in less than forty hours. Symptoms of difficulty were manifest, however, 

 even on the upward passage. Mr. Fulton appeared anxious and abstracted. 

 Finally, steam began to make its appearance in very minute jets through the 

 joints of a wooden trunk, that was first considered by the passengers as the 

 case of the boiler. It was at last found to be the boiler itself, and it was 

 whispered that Fulton had been overruled by his associates, and that a cylin- 

 der of wooden staves, containing fire-place and flues of copper, had been 

 substituted for the boiler of Watt, instead of replacing it by a new boiler of 

 copper. This form of boiler had been proposed, but as far as I can learn, 

 had never been used by Watt. On the return voyage the leaks in the boiler 

 continued to increase; the speed of the vessel, although aided by a flood in 

 the river, became less and less; and after fifty-seven hours of struggling, the 

 engine ceased to work. We were then at the foot of Christopher street. 

 The flood-tide made itself felt in opposition to our progress, and the pas- 

 sengers considered it better to make a landing, and find their way on foot to 

 the peopled parts of the city. 



It took some weeks to obtain a new boiler, after the expiration of which 

 the Clermont resumed her proposed trips. 



In the month of September, 1809, I was a partaker in the exciting scene, 

 then first enacted, of a steamboat race. A company at Albany had been 

 formed for the purpose of competing with Fulton. The first vessel of this 

 rival line was advertised to leave Albany at the same time with Fulton's. 

 Parties ran high in the hotels at Albany. The partisans of Fulton Avere 

 enrolled under Professor Kemp of Columbia College, those of the opposition 

 under Jacob Stout. The victory was long in suspense ; and it was not until 

 after the thirtieth hour of a hard struggle that the result was proclaimed by 

 Dr. Kemp, standing on the taffrail of Fulton's vessel, and holding out, in 

 derision, a coil of rope to Captain Stout, for the purpose, as he informed 

 him, of towing him into port. When the age, high standing, and sedate 

 character of these two gentlemen arc considered, it did not surprise me, Avho 

 witnessed their excitement, when I afterwards heard of Western w r omen 

 having devoted their bacon to feed the fires of a steamboat furnace. 



Although I became intimately acquainted with Fulton about the year 1810, 

 I have nothing of interest to mention to you, except that this intimacy pro- 

 cured me the privilege of accompanying him on the trial-trips of two of his 

 vessels I think the Paragon and the Fulton. The latter was intended for 

 the navigation of fhe Sound, but was prevented from plying on that route 

 by the presence of British cruisers. On one of these occasions we had the 

 opportunity of seeing the respect in which Fulton's genius was held by ene- 

 mies of the country. On issuing from the Narrows, we saw, close in with 

 the Point of Sandy Hook, a large English vessel, the Razee Saturn, by 



