New York Age, July 6, 1911 On July 13, 1911, the Abyssinian Baptist Church and Sabbath School will go on their annual excursion to Empire Grove on the Hudson River, 33 miles from New York City.  The following are some of the features at this grove: Athletic playground, swings, boats, bathing, Etc.  All the friends of the church and Sabbath School who desire a nice quiet day's outing are cordially invited to go.  The beautiful steamer Rosedale has been chartered for the occasion.  The committee reserves the right to and will exclude any and all objectionable persons.  No dancing or games of chance will be allowed either on the boat or in the grove.  Tickets: Adults, 50 cents, children 12 years and under, 25 cents.  Tickets sold by the committee at the dock only.  J. H. Page, chairman.  Music by Excelsior Military Band.

Tattler, August 8, 1930 As soon as the mercury hangs around ninety, we Dark Harlemites get a sea-going fever, which expresses itself in navy blue and white flannels, berets and yacht parties. Among the activities of this group -- one which the younger set, and those of the older sets who still cling to their young ideas, count as par excellent - is the annual yacht party of the Harry Henley Osbiny Club.
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Sailing orders this year designated Friday evening, August 1st, the Steamer Onteora. By the appointed hour, 7:30, a stream of merry makers overran the three decks of the Onteora, and settled themselves for a long summer's cruise up the Hudson River to Bear Mountain. The usual nautical sports were indulged in -- hand-holding, dining, eating, sipping. And a perfect sail was enjoyed by all.

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By William O. Benson as told to Ann Marrott
SLEIGHTSBURGH – The Benjamin B. Odell was named after a former governor of New York State. Gov. Odell served two terms, prior to which he was a member of the assembly and the state senate. Before that he was the treasurer of the Central Hudson Steamboat Company. He could have been President, but he wouldn't accept the nomination.

Along with a few other men, he started the Central Hudson Steamboat Company in 1897; they acquired all the lines south of Kingston – the Romer and Tremper, Poughkeepsie Transportation Company and the Ramsdell Transportation Co. Their main office was in Newburgh.

Well, the "Benjamin B. Odell" was built in 1911 in Wilmington, Delaware, built for the Central Hudson line to operate between Kingston and New York as a year-round night boat.

When she came out they said she could do 22 or 23 miles an hour. The "Mary Powell" was always a fast boat. But a couple of times, when the "Odell" had to run down the river, she had to run slow for something or another and the "Mary Powell" would pass her. Of course, the crew on the "Mary Powell" kidded the crew of the "Odell" – the "Mary Powell" was fifty years old and she can still beat the new "Odell." That rankled in the minds of the "Odell" crew.

So it seems that in the fall of 1911, the "Mary Powell" had a late excursion out of Kingston to New York. She left New York at about 5 o'clock in the afternoon and the "Odell" left right behind her. But the "Powell" had to land at 129th St. and the "Odell" had to wait for the "Powell" to get out of there so she could land. Well, the "Odell" landed and the "Powell" stopped at Yonkers, but when she was leaving, the "Odell" was about a mile behind her. Nate Dunn, the chief engineer of the "Odell" had at one time been on the "Homer Ramsdell".
Now, the "Homer Ramsdell" was a smart boat, too, but she couldn't run with the "Mary Powell." It always rankled Nate Dunn – he'd like to be on a boat that could beat the "Mary Powell."

So he thought, "This is the day to try it." If we can't catch the "Powell," nobody would be the wiser." He told the fireman, "Stoke her up. We're gonna overtake the "Powell" if we can today.
Well, away they went up through Tappan Zee,, Haverstraw Bay. The "Odell" was creeping up on the "Powell" – slowly and slowly. By and by, just before they got below Bear Mountain, the "Odell" was right abreast of the "Mary Powell" and the "Odell", she was going. She flew the big flag of the Central Hudson Steamboat Co. behind her pilot house. And the black smoke foaming out of her stacks. She passed the "Mary Powell" of course, that night. The Newburgh Evening News came out that day: "Central Hudson Line Captures Queen of the Hudson."

From that day on, when the captain of the "Mary Powell," Captain Anderson, would meet Nate Dunn on the street in Kingston, (he knew him very well), he'd turn his head the other way. He wouldn't speak to Nate.

Of course, there's more to the story than that. My father was always a "Mary Powell" man, and he was ship carpenter on her at the time. He always said, and Phillip Maines, the made on her, told me the same thing, that the "Mary Powell" had a load of women and children that day from some of the churches here in Kingston. And Captain Anderson went down and told the chief engineer, "Don't you run this boat wide open. She's getting too old and we're not going to race. If the "Odell" wants to go by, let her go by."

But when the "Odell" did pass the "Mary Powell" her swell washed right up on the "Mary Powell's" gangway and even got the peoples' feet wet. Of course, as others said at the time, the "Mary Powell" was 50 years old and the "Odell" was just fresh from the builders. They always said that if the "Mary Powell" was 30 years younger, the "Odell" would never have caught up with her.

The "Odell" every Sunday and holiday had a big excursion out of New York. Sometimes she'd have 3,000 people on her.

When Governor Benjamin B Odell died in 1926, the Central Hudson Line was running on hard times and they went into the hands of receivers. They operated until 1929, when they were sold at a receiving sale.

Then the "Odell", as part of the new Hudson River Steamboat Co., was running in opposition to the big Albany night boats. In the winter of 1934, when the temperature in Kingston and the Hudson Valley was between 25 and 30 degrees below zero, the "Poughkeepsie" and the "Odell" operated the whole time from Kingston to Albany.

The "Odell" had the most melodious whistle. Today, that's on a boat that runs between New Bedford and Nantucket Island. When the whistle was put on the "B.B. Odell" in 1911, Nate Dunn told me it cost $500. That was a lot of money in those days. When that whistle blew, you could hear it from 5 or 6 miles away.
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But the "Odell" was laid up in winter quarters in Marlborough in 1937 and she caught fire and burned up.

The following account of the speed of an ice boat on the Hudson river in the vicinity of Staatsburg is given by the Poughkeepsie Eagle: — "On Thursday (19 February) the wind blew very fresh from the south, and the owner of the new ice bout Cyclone, determined to take advantage of the favourable opportunity for timing his yacht.  The Hudson at this point is very wide, and at the course selected its breadth is one mile.  Having made every preparation for the feat to be accomplished the reef points were shaken out of the sails, and every stitch of canvas spread to the gale.  With two men on the windward runner to keep the boat down to the ice, the helm was turned, the sails filled and in a moment, with every inch of canvass drawing, she was under full headway.  Like an arrow from a how she darted away on the course, clouds of pulverised ice following in the track of her runners.  As they hummed over the surface of the river, and in what seemed but an instant the river had been crossed and the mile accomplished in the almost incredible time of 31 sec. being at the rate of two miles in 1 min. 2 sec.  Persons on shore compared the speed of the flying racer to that of a meteor flashing through the sky, and watched her movements with eager interest.  Wanganui Herald (Wanganui, New Zealand), May 18, 1874

Another Murder. -- Last evening between six and seven o'clock, a colored man supposed to be one of the waiters of the Steamboat Rochester, was knocked overboard by a man named Edward Morris, and drowned  It appears that the colored man had a trunk on his shoulder which he was about taking on board of the Rochester, and when he had got on to the gangway plank, he was partially shoved off by one of the runners named James Lawlor, which caused him to drop the trunk.  He was immediately struck by Morris, with so much violence as to cause him to fall from the plank into the water, and was drowned.  ***
           
These runners and the other hangers on around the steamboats, are perfect pests, both to the proprietors of the boats and to the travelling community. . . Evening Post, June 3, 1845, 
 
Manslaughter if not Murder. -- Yesterday between 6 and 7 o'clock, as a colored man named Best, a waiter on board the steamer Rochester, was getting on board with a trunk, he was roughly jostled by a runner named James Lawler, and putting the trunk down was struck a severe blow by another runner named Edward Morris, which knocked him off the string piece into the river and he was drowned.  Officers Huthwaite and Hallamacker arrested Morris and Lawler. -- Sun.  N-Y Commercial Advertiser, June 3, 1845.
 
Coroner's Inquests -- Tuesday. On the body of John West, the colored waiter on board the steamer Rochester, who was struck at by Lawler, and knocked into the dock from the wharf foot of Courtlandt street by Edward Morris, and drowned.  The body was recovered yesterday and taken to the dead house.  $5,50 were found in his pockets and given to his family.  N-Y Commercial Advertiser, June 4, 1845.
 
Recovery of the body of the Porter of the Rochester . -- ***  Yesterday afternoon his body was recovered.  His name was John West, and an inquest will be held on his body to-day.
Evening Post, June 4, 1845
 
In the General Sessions, yesterday, Edward Morris, indicted for manslaughter, in having, while engaged in a scuffle with John West on board one of the North River steamboats, thrown overboard the last named person on the 2d of June, 1845, on being placed at the bar, entered a plea of guilty, and was remanded for sentence. Evening Post, July 11, 1845,
 
Edward Morris, indicted for manslaughter, in having, on the 2d of June, 1845, in a scuffle, thrown John West overboard from a steamboat, by which was drowned, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the first degree, and will be sentenced tomorrow. NY Morning Express, July 11, 1845,
 
Edward Morris, who yesterday plead guilty to an indictment for manslaughter in the 4th degree, was sentenced to be confined in the City Prison for the term of one month.NY Evening Express, July 11, 1845,
 
Editor's Note: "Runners" tried to persuade travellers to take their steamer, which was much the best.  They could be pretty aggressive, perhaps grabbing a trunk and carrying it on board. 

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