Hudson River Day Line Introduction
Formation of the Hudson River Day Line - 1860s
Hudson River Day Line - 1860 to 1880
New Steamboats New York and Albany - 1880's
The New Century - 1900's
Hudson River Day Line
The New Century - The 1900's
Alfred Van Santvoord, one of the founders of the Day Line, died in 1901, and was replaced by Eben Erskine Olcott, Van Santvoord's son-in-law. Before marrying Van Santvoord's daughter, Olcott was a mining engineer in Venezuela, the western US, Mexico and many parts of South America. Olcott was an extremely energetic man and was very popular with the Day Line employees. Olcott built the Day Line into something that far was beyond the wildest dreams of Van Santvoord.
Olcott felt it was time to build another steamboat. In 1899, the New York and Albany carried more than 230,000 passengers. The new steamer would be considerably larger than the New York and would be the finest day passenger vessel in the country. The new steamboat, the Hendrick Hudson was put into service in 1906 at a cost almost a million dollars. She had an advertized length of over 400 feet and was licensed to carry 5,500 passengers.
 Steamer Hendrick Hudson A new steamboat for a new century, she began carrying passengers in 1906. The company claimed the boat cost a million dollars and was 400 feet in length. Both claims were minor exaggerations. She was licensed to carry 5,500 passengers. Art was commissioned for interior decoration. Murals depicting Henry Hudson's Halve Maene, Washington Irving's home, the senate house at Kingston, and the capital at Albany were part of the interior displays. |
 Steamer Robert Fulton Introduced in 1909 in time for the Hudson-Fulton Celebration, she replaced the New York which had burned at Newburg. Samuel Ward Stanton, the famous marine artist, completed five murals showing the development of steam navigation on the Hudson River for interior decoration. |
There was some controversy about the name. Although Hudson had explored the river on a Dutch ship in the employ of the Dutch East India Company, he was an Englishman and his proper name was Henry. Hendrick is the Dutch interpretation of the name Henry, and purists still refer to the steamer as the Henry Hudson.
The Day Line planed to build another large steamboat to have a matched pair for the Albany route. The new steamboat was planned to be available in time for the 1909 Hudson-Fulton Celebration, but the Day Line decided they could not afford another million dollar steamer. But events conspired to change the situation.In October 1908, the steamer New York collided with a tug in New York harbor resulting in some minor damage. The New York continued sailing until the end of the season, and was then taken to Newburgh for repairs.
Preparing for these repairs, the boiler fires were doused and the boat was generally cleaned. That evening, after the cleaning work was competed, a fire started in the crew's quarters. Because of the lack of pumps and water pressure, the fire soon got out of control, and the New York was destroyed in a spectacular roar of flames. Little remained except the hull, engine, boilers, smokestacks and paddle wheels.
The loss of the New York was a serious problem for the Day Line. The 1909 Hudson-Fulton Celebration was expected to draw worldwide attention and crowds to the Hudson River, and the Day Line did not have adequate capacity for the expected river traffic. A new steamer was needed, and it was needed fast.
Bids were first solicited for a steamboat of the same size and capacity as the newly built Hendrick Hudson, but they quickly found no shipbuilder could deliver such a large boat in time for the 1909 season. Inspection of the engines and boilers from the destroyed New York determined they were in good working order, so it was decided to use this equipment and build a boat of the same size as the former New York. Not only could this steamer be built quickly, but cost would also be reduced because the machinery was already available. On March 20, 1909, the steamboat Robert Fulton was launched and regular service begun in May.
In the fall of 1909, the Hudson-Fulton Celebration got under way with a great Naval Parade. Over 750 vessels participated, including over 100 steamboats. The Day Line's Hendrick Hudson, Robert Fulton, and Albany steamers lead the 1st division.
The Day Line still needed another large steamer to match the Hendrick Hudson. The Washington Irving, the largest of all the Day Line steamers, was launched in 1912 and put into regular service for the 1913 season.
The Washington Irving was to be the greatest of the Day Line's floating art galleries, and Samuel Ward Stanton, the famous marine artist, was commissioned by the Day Line to do a series of Spanish views for the Washington Irving. Stanton went to Spain to prepare for his commission, but unfortunately, he decided to return on the Titanic. Another artist was appointed to complete the commission.
The Day Line now had two pairs of matched steamboats. The Hendrick Hudson and the Washington Irving providing day boat service on the Albany-New York run. The two smaller boats in the Day Line fleet, the Robert Fulton and the Albany, were used on the Poughkeepsie and Kingston runs to New York and for charter service.
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