science · 10 June 1809 · 215 years ago
In 1809, the Phoenix paddle wheel steamboat took 13 days to sail from New York City to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the first steamboat to navigate the open seas. This was John Stevens' first commercial steamboat, 100-ft long, built at Hoboken, N.J. Because of the Fulton monopoly in Jersey-New York waters, the Phoenix went to Philadelphia. There, it began to run to Bordentown in 1809, becoming a link in the fast stage-coach and boat service connecting New York and Philadelphia.
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