New Jersey's Part in the Conquest of the Atlantic:
A Record of the Steamship "Savannah"


By Elmer T. Hutchinson
Corresponding Secretary, New Jersey Historical Society
(Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, Vol. 67, No. 2: April, 1949)


  Early on the morning of August 17, 1807, Robert Fulton sailed from New York City aboard the "Clermont" on his first attempt to navigate the Hudson River. Although the voyage to Albany, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, required thirty-two hours, it convinced nautical skeptics of the possibilities of steam navigation.

David Lear Buckman, Old Steamboat Days on the Hudson River (New York, 1907), pp. 10-11. The "Clermont" was built on the East River at the yards of Charles Browne. She was 130 feet in length; 16 foot beam; 78 tons deadweight, with a draft of 28 inches. The paddle wheels were 15 feet in diameter, 4 feet wide and uncovered. She was named after Chancellor Livingston's county seat on the east shore of the Hudson River in Columbia County..


Less than twelve years later, on March 28, 1819, another vessel, the "Savannah," was to sail from New York and demonstrate the feasibility of using steam propulsion in transatlantic navigation, by successfully performing a voyage to St. Petersburg, via Liverpool, and returning to her home port, Savannah, Georgia. The "Savannah," a full-rigged wooden sailing ship built in New York at the Corlear's Hook yards of Crocker & Fickett, was originally intended for a New York and Havre packet. According to the New York Custom House records, he measurements were: length, 98 ½ feet; beam, 26 feet, depth of hold, 14 ½ feet; tonnage, 319. Prior to her launching on August 22, 1818, she was purchased by Scarborough & Isaacs of Savannah, on behalf of themselves and a group of local shipping men. Among these was Captain Rogers,

Moses Rogers, a native of New London, Conn., died of yellow fever at Georgetown, South Carolina, November 15, 1821, aged about 42 years. His remains were committed to the tomb in the burial ground of the Baptist Church of Georgetown. For some years he was actively engaged at New York in the earliest experiments made in the application of steam to the purposes of navigation. After his voyage aboard the "Savannah" he was engaged in 1820 to take command of the steamer "Pee Dee" operating between Georgetown and Cheraw. At the time of his death his family was living in Philadelphia. Georgetown Intelligencer, reprinted in The New Brunswick (N.J.) Fredonian, December 6, 1821.


a moving spirit in the project, who, as the skipper of the "Savannah," was destined to be the recipient of outstanding recognition from shipowners and captains throughout the maritime world.

Although the new owners publicly announced that following her conversion to a steam packet the vessel would engage in regular passenger and freight service between Savannah and Liverpool, it was rumored in shipping circles that the purchasers contemplated disposing her to the Emperor of Russia. Be that as it may, a contract was made with Daniel Dod

Daniel Dod, son of Lebbeus Dod and Mary Baldwin, was born September 8, 1778, at Patterson's Creek, Va., while his parents were on a visit to that state. He married August 25, 1802, Nancy Squire of Mendham, N.J. He died May 9, 1823, as the result of the explosion of a boiler of the steamboat "Patent," whose machinery he had been repairing, and which, at the time of the explosion, was making a trial trip on the East River. He was of varied mechanical interests; from his father he learned the trade of clock and mathematical instrument making. He was also a profound theologian and wrote poetry. Daniel and his two older brothers, Stephen and Abner, established at Mendham a cotton mill, but the depression following the War of 1812 and Daniel's removal to Elizabethtown contributed to its downfall. At Elizabethtown Daniel constructed engines for vessels at Kingston, Can., Sackett's Harbor, N.Y., Philadelphia, Norfolk, Va., Mobile, and New Orleans. Allison Dodd, and Joseph F. Folsom, Genealogy and History of the Daniel Dod Family in America (Bloomfield, N.J., 1940), pp. 120-21; John F. Hageman, History of Princeton and its Institutions (Phila., 1879), Vol. 2, pp. 277-78; Edwin F. Hatfield, History of Elizabeth, New Jersey (Newark, N.J., 1868), p. 658.


of Elizabethtown, N.J., to design the boiler and engine, and to plan such alterations in the vessel's construction as would permit their installation. Upon approval of his plans, the owners arranged with Stephen Vail,

Stephen Vail, son of Davis Vail (1756-1816) and Hannah Moore (1761-1822), was born July 28, 1780, on his father's farm in Littleton, a small village near Whippany, Morris County, N.J. At the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to the Fairchild Forge and Mill, located about one mile north of "The Green" in Morristown. Here he made such rapid progress that in the year 1807 he purchased a half interest in the property and changed the name of the works to The Speedwell Iron Works. In 1812 he purchased the remaining interest and thus became sole owner of the property and its business. He continued to manage its affairs alone until 1837 when his son George Vail (1809-1875) became a partner and the name was changed to S. Vail & Son. In 1850 the business was operated by George Vail and Isaac Augustus Canfield, under the firm name of George Vail & Co., and so continued until 1860, when George Vail retired and was succeeded by Messrs. Canfield & Lidgerwood. On July 4, 1801, Stephen Vail was married to Bethiah Young. His second marriage was to Mary Carter (Hedges) Lidgerwood, a widow. His third venture in matrimony was with a Miss Miller. He died July 12, 1864. Stacy B. Kirkbride, Kirkbride's New Jersey Business Directory (Trenton, N.J., 1850) p. 336; Frederick A. Canfield, A History of Thomas Canfield and of Matthias Canfield (Dover, N.J., 1897) p. 62.


owner and manager of the Speedwell Iron Works of Morris County, N.J., to construct the boiler and heavy castings of the engine. To Dod was entrusted the building of an inclined, direct-acting, low-pressure engine of ninety horsepower, with a single cylinder of forty inches in diameter, five foot stroke, capable of attaining a normal speed of eight knots per hour. The selection of Dod to execute this important assignment doubtless resulted from his success in designing and constructing the engine for Col. Aaron Ogden's 71-ton passenger vessel, the "Sea Horse" in 1812. Ogden had recognized Dod's mechanical abilities, and in 1811 induced him to remove from Mendham to Elizabethtown and there set up a machine shop, in which to build the engine of the "Sea Horse." The shop was erected on the bank of the Elizabeth River in the vicinity of what is now Bridge Street. Here the engine for the "Savannah" was constructed. Dod's home was located in East Scott Place, nearly opposite the site later occupied by the City Hall.

The house was razed in 1917 and the land is now part of the site occupied by the Thomas Jefferson High School.


Here he lived from 1811 or 1812 until 1820 when he removed to New York.
Impatient to put the vessel into service, the owners urged both Vail and Dod to accelerate construction. This resulted in the completion and delivery of their respective assignments in less than six months from the time the vessel was purchased. By March, 1819, the boiler, engine, and paddle wheels had been installed and tested. Because of their ingenious construction, the paddle wheels, on either side, could be unshipped when the weather became rough and whenever it was desired to use sails. The construction of the shaft permitted the wheels to be moved inboard, where they could be folded like a fan upon the deck. The time required to effect this change did not exceed thirty minutes. The wheel houses were made of canvas stretched over iron rims.

On March 22, 1819, the "Savannah" made her trial trip. Although carrying at no time more than an inch of steam, and confronted by a head wind, she proceeded to within a mile of Staten Island Anchorage and returned to her dock at the Fly Market in one hour and fifty minutes. Inasmuch as she had been tested for twenty-one inches of steam, it was obvious she could have outdistanced any steamboat operating on our rivers at the time.

Fredonian, April 1, 1819



On the morning of Sunday, March 28, 1819, a great crowd assembled at Fly Market Wharf to witness the steamer's departure. In the wheel-house were Captain Moses Rogers and his brother-in-law Stephen Rogers, mate. Admiring hundreds who lined the Battery waterfront watched her as she glided gracefully by Governor'' Island, entered the Narrows, and gradually disappeared from view on her journey to the Port of Savannah, whence she would proceed to Liverpool and St. Petersburg. After an uneventful voyage of nine days she reached her home port, where hundreds of citizens flocked to the banks of the Savannah River and, as she ascended, saluted her with loud cheers and the waving of hats and handkerchiefs.

The "Savannah" delayed her journey to Europe for more than a month. During this time she was open to the public for inspection of her engine and accommodations. Her cabin, furnished in a comfortable and attractive manner, comprised thirty-two berths, all of which were staterooms. A cabin for ladies, separate from that from gentlemen, afforded private retirement rarely found aboard passenger ships of that day. Notwithstanding these inducements, the prevailing fear that she might be set afire by her furnace or wrecked by a boiler explosion deterred even venturesome travelers from booking passage. For like reasons, merchants hesitated to entrust her with export freight. Crossing the ocean by steam was then an untried experiment.

After taking aboard seventy-five tons of coal and twenty-five cords of wood for fuel, the "Savannah" sailed without passengers or cargo at 9:00 A.M. on May 22, 1819, with Liverpool as her first port of call. Nothing of interest appears among the daily entries in her log

In possession of the United States National Museum, Washington, D.C.


kept during the voyage. On June 17, when off Kinsdale, near Cork, the "Savannah" was discovered by the semaphore station at Cape Cleare. Believing, from the smoke pouring from her funnel, that the vessel was on fire, the station called the matter to the attention of the admiral commanding the British fleet, then aboard his flagship lying in the Cove of Cork. The admiral humanely instructed Lieutenant Bowie, commander of the revenue cruiser "Kite," to hasten to her aid. When Captain Rogers finally observed he was being followed, he ordered the engine stopped to permit the "Kite" to come alongside.

Elizabethtown Gazette, September 14, 1819


Although, somewhat crestfallen to find his chase had been fruitless, Lieutenant Bowie and members of his crew accepted an invitation to board and inspect what they later termed "a singular yankee craft." The "Savannah" then proceeded to Cork where she replenished her fuel. After a brief stay, her journey resumed, and at six o'clock on the evening of June 20th she arrived at Liverpool, having used steam eighty yours during her voyage of twenty-nine days. Captain Rogers explained that the only reason the whole voyage was not performed under steam was the fear that her fuel might give out. At Liverpool the steamer was greeted by an enthusiastic welcome. Crowds lined the wharfs and roofs of houses, while others clung to the masts and upper works of dockside shipping, seeking a glimpse of the first steamer to cross the ocean.

During her stay in Liverpool the "Savannah" was visited by many persons of distinction. On July 21st, she departed for Elsinore and Copenhagen enroute to St. Petersburg. Owing to Jerome Bonaparte's having offered a large reward for anyone who would rescue his brother, Napoleon, from St. Helena, British authorities were suspicious that the "Savannah" was designed to accomplish that purpose. Accordingly, on her departure, a ship of war was ordered to keep her in sight for several days. While at Liverpool, she picked up as a passenger Sir Thomas Graham (afterward Lord Lyndock), who was deeply impressed by her engine and appointments. Captain Rogers quotes him as saying, "I blame no man born in the United States for being proud of his country, and were I a young man I would go there myself."

The "Savannah" arrived at St. Petersburg on September 13, where she maneuvered in the harbor under steam for three days with members of the royal family as her guests. Their effusive praise of the vessel and of the prowess of her master were attested by a service of plate. For nearly a month Captain Rogers carried on negotiations with the Russian government for the sale of the vessel. Finally convinced that further endeavors in this direction were futile, he sailed for home on October 10th, putting into Arendal, Norway, enroute. From Arendal, the "Savannah" was twenty-two days in reaching the port of Savannah.

Fredonian, April 8, 1845


Owing to the high price of fuel, no steam was carried on her return passage. Although the King of Sweden is said to have offered $100,000 for the vessel, to be paid in hemp and iron delivered in New York or Boston, the offer was declined, cash being sought. It was reported that fifty or sixty thousand dollars were sunk by the syndicate which fitted up the "Savannah" as a steamer. Upon completion of her transatlantic voyage the vessel was purchased by Captain Nathaniel Holdredge, divested of her steam apparatus and used by him as a coasting packet between Savannah and New York. She continued in this service until November 5, 1821, when she sank off the south Shore of Long Island during a storm.

Although the voyage of the "Savannah" demonstrated the feasibility of steam applied to transatlantic navigation, she was not a steamer in the generally accepted meaning of the term. Her machinery was purely auxiliary and intended for use only during calms or light head winds. In appearance she was identical with the sailing vessels of her day, except that her mainmast was stepped further aft than usual so that the boiler, engine, bunkers, etc., could be forward of the mainmast and yet amidship.

No contemporaneous picture of the "Savannah" is known to be extant. A somewhat crude lithograph published about 1855 by Rosenthal at Philadelphia is the basis of all pictures of this historic vessel.


Thus, through the ingenuity of two Jerseymen, Dod and Vail, the "Savannah" conquered the Atlantic and ushered in a new era in the annals of ocean navigation. In conclusion it might be added that the achievement of the "Savannah" was not repeated until April 26, 1827, when the steamer "Curecao" of the Royal Netherlands Navy sailed from Hellevoetsluis, near Rotterdam, for Paramaribo and Curacao (Dutch West Indies) and on her return voyage reached Rotterdam on August 4.

New Jersey's Part in the Conquest of the Atlantic:
A Record of the Steamship "Savannah"
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