2007 - The Bicentennial Year

Welcome to 2007. The year the world celebrates the bicentennial of the first commercially viable steamboat in the world! From August 17 - 19, 1807 Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat of Clermont, NY completed a voyage from New York to Albany at an average speed in excess of 5 mph. Please note I am are not speaking of the first operational steamboat, the first steamboat to charge for passage, etc. The "Clermont" was the first steamboat to set up a regularly scheduled service carrying passengers and freight for a fee.

 

here we go again - we're bigger and better than you! Yes you are in every way! (NOT)

 

Ah, you mistake this Yank. I'm beating the drum for the advances in powered boats in general. The engine was supplied by the firm of Boulton and Watt; Mr. Fulton's partner, Chancellor Livingston, having obtained by Act of Parliament and the Crown a license to purchase said engine and import it to the USA.

 

All well and good Artemis, but yer still beating the drum! and it was on your river using your money etc. And if God had intended us to use smoking puffing billies and go faster than a horse he'd have given us - well something!

So OK you wrapped it up in tinsel and pretty paper, but we get the drift and I need something to whinge about otherwise it will play havoc with my repretation or whatever!

 

Long overdue correction....

"The "Clermont" was the first steamboat to set up a regularly scheduled service carrying passengers and freight for a fee. "

Actually that honor belongs to John Fitch, who operated a regular scheduled steamboat service, passenger and freight, on the Delaware river at Philadelphia in 1790. That summer more than 2000 miles was logged on the Fitch steamboat.

However the Fitch endeavor was not a commercial sucess, as decent roads were available on both sides of the Delaware. Difficult road travel along the Hudson river to Albany, so Fulton's commercial operation there was wildly sucessful, although 17 years after Fitch.