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The ''North River Steamboat'' or ''North River'', colloquially known as the ''Clermont'', is widely regarded as the world's first vessel to demonstrate the viability of using
steam propulsion A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be tran ...
for commercial water transportation. Built in 1807, the ''North River Steamboat'' operated on the
Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...
– at that time often known as the North River – between New York City and
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York Cit ...
. She was built by the wealthy investor and politician Robert Livingston and inventor and entrepreneur
Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steambo ...
(1765–1815).


Background

Livingston had obtained from the New York legislature the
exclusive right In Anglo-Saxon law, an exclusive right, or exclusivity, is a de facto, non-tangible prerogative existing in law (that is, the power or, in a wider sense, right) to perform an action or acquire a benefit and to permit or deny others the right t ...
to steam navigation on the Hudson River. In 1803, while Livingston was Minister to France, Fulton's company built a small steamboat and tested it on the
Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributa ...
. With this success, Livingston then contracted with Fulton to take advantage of his Hudson River monopoly and build a larger version for commercial service. Their larger steamer was built at the Charles Browne shipyard in New York and was fitted with Fulton's innovative steam engine design, manufactured for Livingston and Fulton by
Boulton and Watt Boulton & Watt was an early British engineering and manufacturing firm in the business of designing and making marine and stationary steam engines. Founded in the English West Midlands around Birmingham in 1775 as a partnership between the Eng ...
in Birmingham, England. Before she was later widened, the vessel's original dimensions were long × wide × deep; she drew a little more than of water when launched. The steamer was equipped with two paddle wheels, one each to a side; each paddle wheel assembly was equipped with two sets of eight spokes. She also carried two masts with spars, rigging, and sails, likely a
foremast The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation ...
with square sail and a
mizzen mast The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation ...
with fore-and-aft sail (spanker), with the steam engine placed
amidships This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water (mostly though not necessarily on the sea). Some remain current, while many date from the 17t ...
, directly behind the paddle wheel's drive gear machinery.


Fulton's descriptions of his steamboat

"My first steamboat on the Hudson's River was 150 feet long, 13 feet wide, drawing 2 ft. of water, bow and stern 60 degrees: she displaced 36.40 iccubic feet, equal 100 tons of water; her bow presented 26 ft. to the water, plus and minus the resistance of 1 ft. running 4 miles an hour." Fulton's published specifications after ''Steamboat''s widening and general rebuild: *Length: 142 feet (43 m) *Maximum width: 18 feet (4.3 m) *Maximum height: 62 feet (19 m) *Depth: 7 feet (2.1 m) *Displacement: 121 tons *Average speed: 4.7 miles per hour *Time saved: 150 miles in 32 hours The paddle wheels were 4 feet (1.2 m) wide and 15 feet (4.6 m) in diameter. In the ''Nautical Gazette'' the editor, Mr. Samuel Ward Stanton, gives the following additional details: The boat had three cabins with 54 berths, kitchen, larder, pantry, bar, and steward's room.


First voyage

The steamer's inaugural run was helmed by Captain Andrew Brink, and left New York on August 17, 1807, with a complement of invited guests aboard. They arrived in Albany two days later, after 32 hours of travel time and a 20-hour stop at Livingston's estate, Clermont Manor. The return trip was completed in 30 hours with only a one-hour stop at Clermont; the average speed of the steamer was . Fulton wrote to a friend, Joel Barlow: The 1870 book ''Great Fortunes'' quotes a former resident of Poughkeepsie who described the scene: Scheduled passenger service began on September 4, 1807. ''Steamboat'' left New York on Saturdays at 6:00 pm, and returned from Albany on Wednesdays at 8:00 am, taking about 36 hours for each journey. Stops were made at
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Esopus, and Hudson; other stops were sometimes made, such as Red Hook and Catskill. In the company's publicity the ship was called ''North River Steamboat'' or just ''Steamboat'' (there being no other in operation at the time).Adams, Arthur G. (1983) ''The Hudson through the Years''. Westwood, New Jersey: Lind Publications. p
44
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Enrollment and rebuilding

The steamer's original 1807 federal government enrollment (registration) was lost, but because the vessel was rebuilt during the winter of 1807-1808, she had to be enrolled again. The second document lists the owners as Livingston and Fulton, and the ship's name as ''North River Steamboat of Clermont''. The rebuilding of the ship was substantial: she was widened by six feet to increase navigation stability, and her simple stern
tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder ...
steering was moved forward and changed to a ship's wheel, steering ropes, and rudder system. A
poop deck In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear, or "aft", part of the superstructure of a ship. The name originates from the French word for stern, ''la poupe'', from Latin ''puppis''. Thus ...
and other topside additions were made or rebuilt entirely. Her exposed mid-ships engine compartment had an overhead weather deck/roof added to increase the topside deck area. Anticipating future passenger requirements, her twin paddle wheels were enclosed above the waterline to quiet their loud splashing noise, reducing heavy river mist, while also preventing floating debris from being kicked up into the vessel's mid-hull area. Later, the ship's long name was shortened to ''North River''.


Subsequent events

In its first year the new steamer differentiated itself from all of its predecessors by turning a tidy profit.Livingston-Fulton Steamboat Partnership, 1807 - 2007
''Friends of Clermont''. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
The quick commercial success of ''North River Steamboat'' led Livingston and Fulton to commission in 1809 a second, very similar steamboat, ''Car of Neptune'', followed in 1811 by ''Paragon''. An advertisement for the passenger service in 1812 lists the three boats' schedules, using the name ''North River'' for the firm's first vessel. The ''North River'' was retired in 1814, and its ultimate fate remains unknown. By the time Fulton died in 1815, he had built a total of seventeen steamboats, and a half-dozen more were constructed by other ship builders using his plans. Livingston died in 1813 and passed his shares of the steamboat company on to his sons-in-law. With Fulton’s death two years later, the original power behind the partnership dissolved. This left the company with its monopoly in New York waters prey to other ambitious American businessmen. Livingston's heirs later granted an exclusive license to
Aaron Ogden Aaron Ogden (December 3, 1756April 19, 1839) was an American soldier, lawyer, United States Senator and the fifth governor of New Jersey. Ogden is perhaps best known today as the complainant in '' Gibbons v. Ogden'' which destroyed the monopoly ...
to run a ferry between New York and New Jersey, while Thomas Gibbons and
Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...
established a competing service. The Livingston Fulton monopoly was dissolved in 1824 following the landmark Gibbons v. Ogden Supreme Court case, opening New York waters to all competitive steam navigation companies. In 1819 there were only nine steamboats in operation on the Hudson River; by 1840, customers could choose from more than 100 in service. The Steamboat Era had arrived.


Known as ''Clermont''

The misnomer ''Clermont'' first appeared in Cadwallader D. Colden's biography of Fulton, published in 1817, two years after Fulton's death. Since Colden was a friend of both Fulton and Livingston, his book was considered an authoritative source, and his errors were perpetuated in later accounts up to the present day. The vessel is now nearly always referred to as ''Clermont'', but no contemporary account called her by that name.


1909 ''Clermont'' replica

A full-sized, 150 foot long by 16 foot wide steam-powered replica, named ''Clermont,'' was built for the 1909 Hudson-Fulton Celebration in New York, by the Staten Island Shipbuilding Company at the Mariners' harbor yards. The replica's design and final appearance was decided by an appointed commission who carefully researched Fulton's steamer from what evidence and word-of-mouth had survived to the early 20th century. Their replica was launched at Mariner's Island, S.I. with great fanfare on July 10, 1909, at
Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and ...
. Her US Official Number (O.N.) was 206719. The water used to christen her came from the same well Fulton drank from, at Livingston Place,
Clermont, New York Clermont is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,965 at the 2010 census. The name of the town is French for "Clear Mountain", in reference to the mountain views in the town. The town is in the southwestern co ...
. Her ship's bell, from the original ''Clermont'', was borrowed from the Hudson River Day Line's riverboat ''Robert Fulton'' (1909). She started sea trials along the Staten Island and Jersey shores on September 3, 1909, and proved to be faster than the Fulton's original, making about 6 miles an hour against the tide in the bay. Her paddle wheels turned at 20 revolutions per minute. ''Clairmont'' continued being made ready for her place in the opening day's parade on September 25. She was to be seen in the parade with a replica of the Henry Hudson's ship '' Half Moon'', brought from
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte (river), Rotte'') is the second largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the Prov ...
to New York that July by the
Holland America Line Holland America Line is an American-owned cruise line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. Holland America Line was founded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and from 1873 to 1989, it operated ...
vessel ''SS Soestdyk''. In 1910, following the large celebration, ''Clermont'' was sold by her owners, the Hudson-Fulton Celebration Commission, to defray their losses; she was purchased by the Hudson River Day Line and served the company as a moored river transportation museum at their two locations in New York harbor. In 1911 ''Clermont'' was moved to
Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeeps ...
and served Day Line as a New York state historic ship attraction. The company eventually lost interest in the steamboat as a money-making attraction and placed her in a tidal lagoon on the inner side of their landing at
Kingston Point, New York Kingston Point station, was one of the last stations built on the Ulster and Delaware Railroad (U&D). It was built in Kingston, New York, to permit passengers and cargo to be transferred between the U&D and boats transiting the Hudson River betwee ...
. For many years Day Line kept ''Clermont'' in presentable condition, but as their business and profits slowed during the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, they voted to stop maintaining her; ''Clermont'' was eventually broken up for scrap in 1936, 27 years after her launching.


In popular culture

'' Little Old New York'' (1940) is an historical film drama from
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
, based on
Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steambo ...
's venture to build the ''North River Steamboat'' (aka ''Clermont'' in the film). Both a 12-foot shooting miniature and a full size mock-up of the steamboat were built for the Fox production; both were based on the original full sized 1909 ''Clermont'' reproduction that had been broken up several years before. The film, based on the play by
Rida Johnson Young Rida Johnson Young (February 28, 1875 – May 8, 1926) was an American playwright, songwriter and librettist.IBDBRida Johnson Young Retrieved November 21, 2007 In her career, Young wrote over thirty plays and musicals, and over 500 songs. She ...
, was directed by Henry King, produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, and stars
Alice Faye Alice Faye (born Alice Jeanne Leppert; May 5, 1915 – May 9, 1998) was an American actress and singer. A musical star of 20th Century-Fox in the 1930s and 1940s, Faye starred in such films as ''On the Avenue'' (1937) and ''Alexander's Ragtime B ...
,
Fred MacMurray Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series, in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...
, and Richard Greene. On the Beach Boys' album ''
Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former Provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...
'' (1973), Fulton's steamer is featured in Dennis Wilson's song, "Steamboat."


See also

* Daniel French * ''Experiment'' (horse-powered boat)


References


External links


"Steamboat Days at Clermont"
Friends of Clermont. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
''The Clermont''
''International Marine Engineering'', September 1909: Discussion of original and building of replica {{Robert Livingston, state=collapsed 1807 ships Paddle steamers Ships built in New York City Steamboats of the Hudson River