Hoosier Dusty Files - October 27, 1811 - New Orleans - First Steamboat on the Ohio River - Passes Madison
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| A Year of Indiana History - 2016 |
A new age in transportation began when residents of Madison, Indiana watched Robert Fulton and Robert R. Livingston's steamboat, the New Orleans; steam past on its historic journey down the Ohio River.
Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815)
The son of Irish immigrants Robert Fulton and Mary Livingston Fulton, Robert is native to Quarryville, Pennsylvania. Robert's father died while he was young. Mary schooled Robert and his four siblings at home. Robert did enroll in a Quaker school, where he excelled in painting, mechanics and drawing. He became apprenticed to a jeweler while also selling landscape and portrait paintings. He moved to England to study art under the tutelage of renowned artist Benjamin West. During his sojourn in Europe, he became fascinated with engineering and naval warfare. His many projects included the construction of the first practical submarine, the development of the torpedo and he helped design the first steam-powered warship. He became associated with Robert R. Livingston while living in France.
Robert Livingston (November 27, 1746 – February 26, 1813)
The son of Robert Livingston and Margaret Beekman Livingston, Robert was native to Clermont, New York. The wealthy Livingstons included ten children, of which Robert was the oldest. He graduated from King's College, now Columbia University, in 1764. He married Mary Stevens, with whom he would have two daughters. The youngest daughter, Margaret Maria Livingston, married Robert Fulton. During the Revolutionary War, Livingston helped draft the Declaration of Independence and as Chancellor of New York, he would administer the oath of office to the new President, George Washington. President Thomas Jefferson appointed him as Minister to France in 1801. During his service in France, he would play a crucial role in the Louisiana Purchase. While living in France, Livingstone became acquainted with Robert Fulton. The two men would collaborate on turning a recent invention by Robert Fitch, the steamboat, into a viable means of transportation.
The New Orleans
The two men, Livingston and Fulton, collaborated on building their first steamboat, the North River Steamboat, in 1807. This boat used the Livingston home on the Hudson River, Clermont, as a homeport. Their vision included building a steamboat that could navigate from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania to New Orleans via the Ohio River. The main problem was the fall of the Ohio, which presented a barrier to boat traffic on the Ohio River. The men transported shipbuilders and materials to the Monongahela River, just upstream from its junction with the Allegheny River. The first successful trial voyages took place on October 15, 1811. Accurate records of the ship have been lost. Most historians reckon that the ship was a stern wheeler, about 148 feet long, 32 feet wide and 12 foot tall. She had a draft of about six inches. After provisioning, the New Orleans departed from Pittsburg on October 20. She would pass Madison on October 27, 1811 and arrive at the Falls of the Ohio on October 28. The ship would spend several weeks waiting for the Ohio to rise high enough for the New Orleans to pass safely through the rapids. During this interval, Fulton demonstrated to skeptical visitors the ability of the New Orleans to navigate upstream, thought to be impossible. After departing Louisville, the New Orleans would arrive at New Orleans on January 10, 1812. A new age in transportation had arrived, with important consequences for the river towns of southern Indiana.
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