1813 Cost to ride a Hudson River Steam Boat

Editor's note: The following text is from articles printed in the  New York Evening Post and ran 167 times in 1813. Thank you to Contributing Scholar Carl Mayer for finding, cataloging and transcribing these articles. The language, spelling and grammar of the article reflects the time period when it was written. The purchasing power of $1 in 1813 is equivalent to about $20 in 2026. Daily wages for manual labor averaged  $1.50 per day in 1813.

HUDSON RIVER STEAM BOATS.
For the information of the public,
The PARAGON, Capt. Wiswall, will leave New-York every Saturday afternoon, at 5 o'clock.
The CAR OF NEPTUNE, Capt. Roorbach, will leave New-York every Tuesday afternoon, at 5 o’clock.
The NORTH RIVER, Capt. Bartholomew, will leave New-York every Thursday afternoon, at 5 o’clock — and
The PARAGON will leave Albany every Thursday morning at 9 o’clock.
The CAR OF NEPTUNE will leave Albany every Saturday morning at 9 o'clock.
The NORTH RIVER will leave Albany every Tuesday morning at 9 o’clock.
 
                                                PRICES OF PASSAGE.
FROM NEW-YORK,               Dols.                FROM ALBANY,                     Dols.
To Verplanck’s Point,              2                      To Kinderhook,                        1.50
West-Point,                             2.50                 Coxsackie,                              2
Newburgh,                              3                      Hudson,                                  2
Wappinger’s creek,                 3.25                 Catskill,                                   2.25
Poughkeepsie,                        3.50                 Redhook,                                2.75
Hyde Park,                              4                      Esopus,                                   3
Esopus,                                   4.25                 Hyde Park,                              3.25
Redhook,                                4.50                 Poughkeepsie,                        3.50
Catskill,                                   5                      Wappinger’s Creek,                4
Hudson,                                  5                      Newburgh,                              4.25
Coxsackie,                              5.50                 West-Point,                             4.75
Kinderhook,                             5.75                 Verplanck’s Point,                   5.25
Albany,                                    7                      New-York,                               7
 
All other way passengers to pay at the rate of one dollar for every twenty miles.
No one can be taken on board and put on shore, however short the distance, for less than 1 dollar.
Young persons from two to ten years of age to pay half price.
Children under two years, one fourth price.
Servants who use a berth, two thirds price; half price, if none.
Every person entering a name on the book for a passage, shall pay at the time of so doing, otherwise the birth will not be considered as engaged. Any person who having paid, and afterwards declines to go, shall be entitled to a passage in the same boat at any future period, but not to have the money refunded.
One dollar to be paid for each dog or animal, not exceeding the size of a sheep — they are to be tied on deck forward of the foremast.
Every person paying full price, is allowed 60 lbs. of baggage — if less than whole price, 40 lbs — all surplus baggage to be paid for.

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