North River Steamboat

With this success, Livingston then contracted with Fulton to take advantage of his Hudson River monopoly and build a larger version for commercial service.The morning I left New York, there were not perhaps thirty persons in the city who believed that the boat would ever move one mile an hour, or be of the least utility, and while we were putting off from the wharf, which was crowded with spectators, I heard a number of sarcastic remarks.Having employed much time, money and zeal in accomplishing this work, it gives me, as it will you, great pleasure to see it fully answer my expectations.The 1870 book Great Fortunes quotes a former resident of Poughkeepsie who described the scene:[5] It was in the early autumn of the year 1807 that a knot of villagers was gathered on a high bluff just opposite Poughkeepsie, on the west bank of the Hudson, attracted by the appearance of a strange, dark-looking craft, which was slowly making its way up the river.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.[7] Livingston's heirs later granted an exclusive license to Aaron Ogden to run a ferry between New York and New Jersey, while Thomas Gibbons and Cornelius Vanderbilt 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.[11] 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.[13][14] 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.[15] She was to be seen in the parade with a replica of the Henry Hudson's ship Half Moon, brought from Rotterdam to New York that July by the Holland America Line vessel SS Soestdyk.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.The film, based on the play by Rida Johnson Young, was directed by Henry King, produced by Darryl F. Zanuck, and stars Alice Faye, Fred MacMurray, and Richard Greene.
Portrait of Robert Fulton by Benjamin West , 1806
Illustration from an 1870 book
Advertisement for the North River Steamboat in 1808
Model of the North River Steamboat at the Hudson River Maritime Museum
Clermont replica in New York harbor, 1910
Robert LivingstonRobert FultonPaddle wheelsteam propulsionHudson RiverNorth RiverAlbany, New Yorkexclusive rightBoulton and Wattforemasta square sailmizzen mastfore-and-aft sailamidshipsPortrait of Robert FultonBenjamin WestClermont ManorWest PointNewburghPoughkeepsieEsopusHudsonRed HookCatskilltillerpoop deckAaron OgdenCornelius VanderbiltGibbons v. OgdenCadwallader D. ColdenHudson-Fulton Celebrationthe Mariners' harbor yardsStaten Island, New YorkClermont, New YorkHenry Hudson'sHalf MoonRotterdamHolland America LinePoughkeepsie, New YorkKingston Point, New YorkGreat DepressionMarion DaviesLittle Old New York20th Century FoxRida Johnson YoungHenry KingDarryl F. ZanuckAlice FayeFred MacMurrayRichard GreeneBeach Boys'HollandDennis Wilson'sDaniel FrenchExperiment (horse-powered boat)Story, JosephProject GutenbergUnited States foundingCommittee of FiveDeclaration of IndependenceNew York ConstitutionUnited States Secretary of Foreign AffairsLouisiana Purchase (negotiated)SS Robert R. LivingstonRobert Livingston (father)Edward Livingston (brother)Robert Livingston (grandfather)Clermont State Historic SiteFirst inauguration of George Washington1776 (1969 musical, 1972 film)