[2][3] A new firm, the Maine Steam Navigation Company, was incorporated in 1853 to achieve this end,[4][5] and a new steamboat ordered from the shipyard of Samuel Sneden in Greenpoint, New York.

[c] The steamer was powered by a single-cylinder vertical beam engine with bore of 52 inches (130 cm) and stroke of 11 feet (3.4 m),[5][6] built by the West Street Foundry of Brooklyn, New York.

[9] Daniel Webster was one of the first steamers to be designed expressly for service in the rough waters of the Maine coast, having a higher than usual topside and strongly planked bulwarks forward.

[3][14] Her saloon decorations included a lifesize portrait of the steamer's namesake, donated by his friends,[3] who also gifted the vessel an elegant piano with a value in excess of $600 (equivalent to $22,000 in 2023).

[6] She thereafter settled into a regular schedule, departing her home port of Bangor at 6 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and clearing Portland the same evenings—after the arrival of the express train from Boston at around 5 pm—for the overnight return trip.

[14][22] Initially, Daniel Webster found herself in competition on the route with the Sanford Independent Line's steamer Governor, but early in the season, the owners of the two steamboats decided that it was in their mutual interest to run their vessels on alternate days, the two together thus providing a daily service.

[23] In addition to her regular service, Daniel Webster was occasionally employed on excursions, such as day trips,[24] sightseeing tours[25] and school outings.

[26][27] In July and August 1856, the steamer was chartered by the Republican Party for several political conventions—said at the time to be the largest ever held in eastern Maine—in support of presidential candidate John C.

[31] In late August 1856, Daniel Webster was making her way up the Penobscot in heavy fog when the brig Lady of the Lake collided with her just forward of the pilot house.

The Mississippi senator, who had spent the summer in Maine for health reasons, traveled aboard the steamer from Portland to Belfast, where he conducted a troop inspection and gave a speech.

[36] Daniel Webster was absent from her usual route for reasons unknown in early 1860, her place taken by the steamer Forest City, which was chartered for the purpose from the Portland Line.

[37] With the outbreak of the American Civil War in April 1861, Daniel Webster's captain publicly pledged to transport Union troops and munitions on the steamer free of charge.

As she was classified by the Army as a "coast steamer"—that is, a vessel not designed for deepwater service—her range was restricted to regional hospitals, namely those at Fort Monroe; Washington, D.C.;[44] and Philadelphia.

2 completed her first government charter in October and returned to Maine, still bearing the scars of her wartime service, which included the cannonball hits, "fifty to a hundred rifle ball holes in her sides"[50] and other damage.

[54] Instead, she commenced running on a newly established, thrice-weekly passenger service between Boston and Bath, Maine, in opposition to the steamer Eastern Queen.

By 1865, Expounder's original name, Daniel Webster, had been restored, and after returning from a final government charter in August, she resumed service on the Boston–Bath route, albeit without her stablemate Eastern City, which had been transferred to Philadelphia.

Spear, Lang & Delano were unable to sustain the battle beyond the year, and in 1867, both Daniel Webster and Eastern City lay idle until July, when they were reportedly put up for auction.

Eastern City was the first of the pair to enter service for the company, on a route between Baltimore, Maryland, and the rail connection at West Point, Virginia.

The steamboat line promoted the attractions of sea bathing, fishing, and the "far famed"[75] scenery of the Saguenay, while the rustic charms of the smaller settlements along the route were also appealing for some.

[78] Particular highlights for tourists included visits to Éternité Bay and Cap Trinité on the Saguenay, where the river is up to 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) deep and the surrounding peaks rise to a height of 550 metres (1,800 ft); at these locations, steamboats of the line would stop their engines and sound their whistles or fire a cannon to demonstrate the remarkable echo.

[77][79][80] A further enticement for travelers aboard Saguenay was the cuisine, with one reviewer describing it as "equal to a first-class hotel",[78] while others commented on the superior quality of the fresh-caught salmon and other produce.

[21] At about 11:30 pm on September 25, 1884, while on a return voyage to Quebec City, Saguenay was lying at Pointe au Pic, La Malbaie, when a passenger noticed flames and raised the alarm.

[83] After trying, apparently in vain, to signal for help, they attempted to escape through the portholes, intending to use pieces of lumber from the cargo hold as floats, but with minutes to spare, they were rescued by a crew member in a small boat.

[21][83][84] The steamer eventually drifted about 150 metres (490 ft) offshore and burned to the waterline before sinking, taking with her all of the mails, most of the passengers' belongings, and a substantial number of cattle.