Franklin County GaArchives News.....The First Ocean Steamship June 3, 1910
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Alisa Dunn ardunn91@gmail.com May 30, 2025, 8:45 pm

The Carnesville Advance June 3, 1910
The Georgian is reminded that May 23, 1819, just 91 years ago from last Sunday, 
there left the docks at Savannah the first steamship to cross the Atlantic ocean.

It was owned by William Scarborough, an enterprising merchant and planter of large 
means, and in honor of the port from which it sailed it was christened the 
Savannah. According to the records of the New York customs house, the Savannah was 
a vessel of one deck, but it boasted three masts, was nearly 100 feet in length 
and registered 320 tons.

On one of the total trips which the steamer took along the Atlantic coasts between 
Savannah and New York no less distinguished a personage than President James 
Monroe was a passenger.  After thorough inspection from stem to stern and repeated 
experimental junkets, the Savannah was at last declared to be in readiness for the 
long journey across the deep waters.

 The object point of the steam was Liverpool. In due course of time it covered the 
distance without serious mishap of any sort. Thence it proceeded to Copenhagen and 
finally it anchored in the mouth of the Neva at St. Petersburg.

Everywhere the Savannah was an object curious interest and the story goes that 
some of the spectators on one of the Scandinavian docks, seeing the smoke from the 
engine stack, thought the vessel was on fire and offered to aid the crew in 
extinguishing the flames. Thus twelve years subsequent to Fulton's initial 
experiment with the Clermont on the Hudson the Atlantic ocean was successfully  
traversed by means of steam.

In spite of the ludicrous phases of the voyage, it marked an eventful epoch. For 
harvests of vaster magnitude have assuredly not sprung from the the rich prairie 
of lands of the great West than from the furrows plowed by the keel of this 
pioneer boat.--The Georgian.

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