Local People Help Make Event a Success as Splendid Spirit is Shown; Bridge Will Mean Much to Entire Section

The big day has come and gone, but the spirit shown in Highland for the bridge opening will long be remembered for Monday was the greatest in the history of the village.
With the weather dawning bright and clear, the cars bearing those to witness the ceremonies started to arrive early in the morning and by noon all roads leading into town were jammed, but that able body of fifty State police deserve a lot of credit for the way they kept things moving.

From the time Fire Chief John H. Parks sounded the fire alarm at three o'clock as a signal for the marshall of the parade to start, everything went off with the smoothness of clock work. The parade, the largest ever held here was a colorful one with eight fire companies, Arlington, Excelsior of Kingston, Enterprise Seamer of Walden, New Paltz, Port Ewen, Clintondale, Marlborough and Highland, with the drum corps and gay uniforms, also the Jr. O., U.S.M. of Kingston with the local lodge, the Sons of Italy, the Italian-American club, with their band, and some beautiful floats, all went to make up a most  inspiring line up.

1900 Model Auto in Parade to Bridge
One of the features of the parade was the appearance of an automobile of the vintage of 1900, entered by the New Paltz boys and driven by two men in costume in keeping with that time. The progress of this could be traced by the laughs along the line. After parading the main streets of the town, the march to the bridge was made where the arrival of Gov. and Mrs. Roosevelt and Mr. and Mrs. Alfred E. Smith was eagerly awaited. By the time the official party drew in sight, it was hard to find standing room on the plaza.

At about five o'clock the party reached the western end of the bridge where they were given a rousing reception by the estimated crowd of 5,000 that were gathered, hundreds of who were clinging to the rocks above the plaza.

Mrs. Roosevelt Cuts Ribbon
Mrs. Roosevelt was handed the scissors with which she walked to the ribbon amid a moment's hush, but with the fluttering to the roadway of the severed ribbon, a cheer went up that surely must have been heard in Poughkeepsie. Mrs. Roosevelt then returned to her car, and Judge A.T. Clearwater came forward to make Highland and Ulster county's address of welcome to the guests of honor. Following his address, Judge Clearwater introduced former Gov. Smith and Gov. Roosevelt – more cheers Both made short speeches, with the many advantages of the new span for a keynote.

When the official car had left the bridge on the Poughkeepsie side, the police lowered the ropes and came a grand rush of those who wished to walk the bridge, led by scores of eager youngsters, many running the entire length of the bridge.

Rose Car First to Cross From Here
The first Highland car to cross was that of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse D. Rose. This was followed by that of Congressman Harcourt J. Pratt containing Mr. Pratt, his secretary, George Yaeger, George E. Dean and Robert Dean. The third car carried the village board – Charles Carpenter, S.G. Carpenter, Walter Hasbrouck, John F. Wadlin and Lorin Callahan.

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT. A Sketch of the Great Northern or Champlain Canal.
WATERFORD, 28TH NOV. 1822.

On this day the last stone of the Northern or Champlain Canal, was laid by Governor Clinton, President of the Board of Canal Commissioners, kin the presence of a great assemblage of people. [a speech by Clinton and the invocation of a blessing]

The company passed in two boats, drawn by five elegant horses, from the river through a tier of three locks of white marble and excellent workmanship, into the Canal. The marble was procured from Westchester county, and is firmly cemented by hydraulic mortar, made of Northern limestone. The locks are of eleven feet lift each, and are almost perfectly water tight. Between the locks there are two spacious circular basins for the accommodation of boats passing out and into the river. Waterford is the head of sloop and boat navigation of the Hudson, and the Northern Canal is now finished to it; indeed it has already been navigated by boats of transportation. One has just arrived from Lake Ontario, by the St. Lawrence and Sorel rivers, and Lake Champlain; and I saw with great pleasure, packages and boxes, stowed on the banks of the Canal, destined for Whitehall and Peru, in Clinton county.

As the importance of this Canal is not sufficiently appreciated, nor its character extensively known, it may not be amiss to subjoin a few remarks, which I have derived principally from the enlightened acting commissioner.

From Whitehall, where it unites with Lake (col. 2) Champlain, to Waterford, where it finally enters the Hudson River, the distance is about 61½ miles. From Whitehall to Fort Edward, there are 19 miles of Canal, and about 5 miles of the waters of Wood Creek. In this space there are ten locks: three at Whitehall to let boats down into the Lake: three at Fort Edward for the same purpose, as to the Hudson River; about half way between Fort Edward and Whitehall, to wit, at Fort Ann, there are three locks, which descend to the level of Wood Creek and Halfway Brook. These streams white below the village, and feed this lower level of the Canal. Some short distance below this junction, there is a lock recently located and made of wood. The upper level of the canal from Fort Edward to Fort Ann is supplied by the Hudson: the water is impelled into a feeder by a most stupendous dam of 30 feet altitude, erected across that river, and there is now another feeder preparing to run from above Glen's Falls, and to pass into the Canal north of Sandy Hill, which will also serve as an auxiliary Canal, to convey lumber and other commodities from an extensive range of country in that direction.

There is a striking feature in the geology of this route, which deserves a scrutinizing examination. It appears that the Hudson River at Fort Edward, which, you know, is below Glen's and Baker's Falls, is 22 feet higher than Lake Champlain. There is a descent of 50 feet from the summit level at Fort Ann, to the Lake at Whitehall, and 28 feet to the river at Fort Edward. Forty or fifty feet high, in the primitive rocks at a place called the Narrows in Wood Creek, there are great cavities or pots, produced by the action of rotary stones falling perpendicularly: a critical inspection of these lapideous excavations might determine whether the Hudson River did not, previous to its rupture of the great barrier at the Highlands, diverge to the north in this direction. From the Canal at Fort Edward to Fort Miller Falls, 8 miles, the river is used in lieu of the Canal, and is kept up to the requisite altitude by a dam. Round those falls there is a short Canal of half a mile, which unites again with the river by two locks; the river is again used for about two and a half miles, and then by a dam it is forced into a canal, on the west side, which extends about 26½ to Waterford. -- This contains six locks, and at Waterford there are three more, making in the whole extent 21 locks; 46 miles of artificial navigation, and 15½ miles of improved natural navigation, to wit, five miles of Wood Creek, and 10½ miles of the Hudson River. From Waterford the Canal proceeds 2½ miles further south, where it unites with the western or Erie Canal, after crossing the Mohawk River by a dam, and which river is thereby put into requisition as a feeder for the northern Canal, in both a northern and southern direction, and also before and after its junction with the western. This latter portion is nearly completed.

The whole extent is 64 miles. The work was commenced on the 10th of June, 1818, and has been finished in somewhat more than four years. When compared with similar works in the old world, the execution may be pronounced a rapid one, and has never been exceeded in that respect, except by its relative, the western Canal. The celebrated Canal of Languedoc is 148 miles long, it took fourteen years to finish it, and it employed always the labour of 8,000, and sometimes of 12,000 men. The Forth and Clyde Canal is 35 miles long,. It was commenced in 1768, and not completed until 1790.
***
The influence of these works is already felt, not only in different parts of the United States, but has extended to Europe. The transportation of merchandise from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, has fallen from 120 dollars to 40 dollars a ton. When the western Canal is finished, goods can be transported from New York to Pittsburgh for 30 dollars a ton. They formerly cost 100 dollars from New-York to Buffalo. It will now be done for less than 15 dollars. The receipts of the Holland Land Company have this year been immense, because the western settlers have found a market; and the share holders of our vader-land will be astonished at the unexpected increase of their profits.

In their report of 1817, the Canal Board estimated, that the country within the reach of the northern Canal, would furnish annually two million of boards and planks; one million feet of square timber, and immense quantities of dock logs, scantling, masts, and spars. Besides, those northern regions are the sites appropriated by nature for her mineral productions; and it is well known that they contain iron ore unsurpassed for quantity and quality; marbles of various kinds and colours; lime stone from the primitive to the secondary, and the materials for the best hydraulic cement; bark for tanning and other manufacturing processes; inexhaustible stores of pot and pearl ashes; wheat, flour, butter, cheese, flax, flax-seed, wool, beef, pork, and maple-sugar; the best of cattle for the butcher, dairyman and grazier, and the finest sheep, hogs, and poultry, besides the fruits of autumn. In going to the New-York market, the proprietors of these articles follow the current of interest, and the direction of political affinity, and their preference is enforced by the act of the British Parliament, fettering our commerce with the Canada, and thereby imposing the necessity of a limited or partial trade with those countries.

We cannot form any definite opinion of the value or the amount of commodities, that will be conveyed down the Canal, nor of the merchandise that will be returned, because it has not been in operation until this day. So far back as July last, it was estimated such was the immense amount of lumber in the Canal and in the Lake, waiting for the advent of the waters, that it would take twenty days for that in the Lake to pass into the Canal, and forty days for that in the lower level to pass into the upper; and the waters of the Hudson are, even at this advanced period of the season, covered with rafts, making their way to our great commercial emporium. - G. W.

The Hudson River was a main highway for a many years for all of Ulster County, including the Wallkill Valley. The Milton Turnpike was built to connect the western part of southern Ulster with the Hudson River and the Milton Dock, where first sloops, and then steamers, came for cargo.

Many wagon loads of produce were hauled by oxen or horses along this route to reach the vessels that would take their merchandise to New York, Albany, and points along the way. There was also much trading between towns, in the Turnpike and on the river, but for river trade, of course, docks were necessary.

Alonzo Wood, the earliest Milton settler of a name still (1969) well known in the Town of Marlborough, was the builder of the "Quaker Packet," owned by a company of Friends. This was about 1800. Shortly afterward the "Stranger" made regular trips, though not very often; and after 1812 the "Eclipse" traveled to the city once a week, which was then unheard of. These were sailing sloops.

Many steamboats ran to the city with stops along the way, after steam became practiced, most of them starting at Wilbur or Rondout, both adjacent to Kingston.

In 1836-37 with Captain Tremper in charge the "Fanny" ran between Marlborough and New York.

The Central Hudson Steamboat line carried both passengers and fruit and other produce for many years – a few passengers only but the writers of these lines have traveled to the city that way on night runs in the early 1920s, perched on fruit crates on deck in the moonlight!

Ralph Young was long the agent for this line, and when trucking finally took over the fruit carrying business, about 1925 or 6 – Ralph was certain it was "only temporary," for trucks would shake the fruit to pieces.

And so they did until roads were improved, which increased truck traffic itself soon brought about.

The steamer "St. John", whose Captain was Romer Hadley of Milton, was a favorite carrier, but was burned to the water's edge in November, 1865, when her boiler exploded, opposite Elysian Fields, New York City. Thirteen lives were lost and many people injured

Furnishings on the "St. John" were removed to the home of Captain Hadley in Milton and stored there awaiting the building of another vessel. The second "St. John" was not built until the 1880s when the simple "early American" style of the first vessel's rooms was "out" and fancy late Victorian adornments were "in". The many items from the first vessel remained in the Hadley house at Milton until the last member of the family died leaving her estate to All Saints Episcopal Church. The auction held to settle the estate lasted several days, and many interesting items landed in local as well as distant homes.
…
Other members of the Hadley family worked in various capacities on the new "St. John", one as purser.

Older people in the 1920s told many true tales of the small ferries that crossed the Hudson before the Mid-Hudson Bridge was built between Highland and Poughkeepsie. One ran from Milton; another from Marlborough to New Hamburg and Wappingers Creek.

​In the winter when the ice was thick enough, merchandise was carried back and forth on bobsleds pulled by horses. There are many sad accounts of the ice breaking through, with horses and cargo lost.

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The Hudson River steamboats of the past were expected to refrain from racing each other.
But when a boat was shiny and new, its officers could be expected to wonder how fast their modern beauty would go — especially if it was pitted against other steamers on the river.  And what better way to settle the matter than a friendly little “go.”
 
When the “Clermont’’ of the Catskill Evening Line arrived on the scene in 1911, Francis “Dick” Chapman of New Baltimore was pilot of the new steamer.  And one group of officers on the ‘‘Clermont’’ were convinced she could trim anything on the river.  One Saturday morning, as the “Clermont’’ was dead-heading to New York to come out on the evening run to Catskill, the “Benjamin B. Odell” of the Central Hudson Line (also new that same year), was lying at Poughkeepsie in anticipation of leaving.  Aboard the ‘‘Clermont,” officers looked upon this fact as a good chance to test out their steamer as “No. 1.”  So, on the “Clermont,” they took it a little easy to give the “Odell” a chance to get out in the river and let go.
 
As the “Odell” slowly left the dock, the crew on the “Clermont” could see by the way the black soft coal smoke was coming out of the “Odell’s” smokestack, that the crew on the “Odell” also had ideas of making ready to “have it out.”  And it took very little time for the “Odell” to show which steamboat was master of the river as far as any race between these two was concerned.
As the “Odell” landed at Newburgh, the “Clermont” was just passing Roseton.  And so ended any idea that the “Clermont” could trim the “Benjamin B. Odell.”
 
Another Challenge
 About two weeks later, as the “Clermont” was passing Newburgh, the tugboat ‘‘George W. Washburn” of the Cornell Steamboat Company was leaving to run light to Tompkins Cove to start a stone tow to New York. They could see on the “Clermont” that the “Washburn” was going to see what she could do against the new steamboat, and the “Washburn” was one of the fastest tugboats on the river.
 
Down through the Highlands, the “Washburn” was astern of the “Clermont.”  Below West Point, the chief engineer of the “Clermont” thought he would tease the “Washburn” a little and around Conns Hook he let the “Washburn” get alongside.
 
As the chief engineer of the ‘‘Clermont’’ opened her up, he found he could not shake the ‘‘Washburn.”  By this time, the “Washburn” appeared to be pushing the whole river ahead of her.  On reaching Anthony’s Nose, the “Washburn” had the inside of the turn and eased ahead of the “Clermont,’’ the great new “‘Clermont’’ doing the best he could against the lowly tugboat.
 
Going down to supper that night, pilot Dick Chapman said to the chief engineer, “Well chief, I guess she is not as fast as some will have us believe.  First the “Odell” beat us and now the tow boats are even walking by us.  What’s next?” The chief engineer replied, “You mind your business and I’ll mind mine,” and after the incident never again spoke to the pilot for years.
 
With Her at End
 Two years later, Dick Chapman left the “Clermont” and went to the Hudson River Night Line where he later became a captain.  Nearly thirty years later, in 1943, Dick Chapman went back on the “Clermont” as captain and stayed on her until she was layed up for good in 1948.
 
By this time, the “Clermont” was an excursion boat running from New York to Bear Mountain.  All during this time, from the day she entered service until she ended her career — some 37 years — the “Clermont’’ had but one chief engineer.  I never got a chance to ask Dick Chapman how he and the chief got along after he returned and if the chief had ever gotten over his losing bouts with the ‘‘Benjamin B. Odell” and “George W. Washburn.”