Clinton, DeWitt, 1769-1828 [Depositions of Andrew Bartholomew & Arthur H. Roorbach]
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC04332 Author/Creator: Clinton, DeWitt, 1769-1828 Place Written: New York, New York Type: Document signed Date: 13 December 1813 Pagination: 3 p. ; 33 x 19.9 cm. Order a Copy
Clinton's written summary of the depositions of Andrew Bartholomew & Arthur Roorbach, both steamboat captains employed by Robert Fulton and Robert Livingston. Also includes a statement by Clinton certifying that the depositions are true. The depositions relate to the length of service of these two men and the kind of work they have been doing. Both men state they have captained steamboats for Fulton for almost three years and claim they have towed many boats during this time. These depositions seem to be part of an attempt by Fulton to establish that he was the first to employ steamboats for towing in New York. John L. Sullivan of Boston was attacking Fulton's patent "for towing boats and warping them over rapids by means of their engines," and he may have hoped to use these depositions as a means of defending himself. DeWitt Clinton was Mayor of New York City, later governor of New York State, and also a friend of both Fulton and Livingston.
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