BRINCKERHOFF'S Aged Pilot Captain Ackley has been in the boating business for 65 years

"Brinckerhoff" on September 15, 1940. Tracey I. Brooks Collection, Hudson River Maritime Museum

Editor's note: The following is from the Kingston  (NY) Daily Freeman, July 31, 1905, Thank you to Contributing Scholar George A. Thompson for finding, cataloging and transcribing this article. The language, spelling and grammar of the article reflects the time period when it was written.

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The Nautical Gazette says: One of the oldest pilots actively engaged in steamboating today is Captain James P. Ackley, who daily steers the Hudson River ferryboat "Brinkerhoff" on her trips between Poughkeepsie and Highland. Captain Ackley is 77 years of age, and has been in the boating business for sixty-five years.  His first experience was on the sloop "Judge Swift", owned by the late Captain William Roberts.  Following this he was pilot on some of the famous early-time Hudson river sloops, such as the "Westchester," "Deep River", "Alfred Richards" and others.
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Captain Ackley was first mate on the "Matthew Vassar" when that vessel made trips to Virginia for wood which was burned on the Hudson River rail-road instead of coal. The "Matthew Vassar" also made one trip to Bermuda during the Mexican war with a cargo of merchandise. This was Captain Ackley's last trip on her. Upon her return the gold excitement was at its height in California and the sloop was sold to a stock company of Poughkeepsians, who loaded her with a cargo of merchandise for the gold mines.  This enterprise proved a failure financially. Captain Ackley was mate on the well known schooner "Oliver H. Booth".  He was on her in Hampton Roads when Virginia seceded.  When the crew heard the news all hands the crew heard the news all hands hastened to get out of their dangerous predicament.  They took French leave, setting sail at midnight and finally got back to Poughkeepsie after several exciting adventures.  The last interesting sloop of which Captain Ackley was master was the old "Surprise", owned by M, Vassar & Company.  Her last cargo was in part the old cannon and cannon balls that now adorn the grounds around the soldiers' fountain, Poughkeepsie.

The first steamboat Captain Ackley piloted was the "Fairfield", one of the original excursion boats to Coney Island, which made two trips a day from New York.  It was the only boat running on this route at that time and had ample accommodations for all traffic.  Just after the breaking out of the civil war Captain Ackley was pilot on the steamboat "H. S. Allison", which carried soldiers from Hart's Island to New York.  From this boat Captain Ackley went with the Hudson river towing lines. They paid better wages than were offered on passenger boats.  For nineteen years he was pilot on the largest towboats in the world, including the "Vanderbilt" and "Connecticut".  He made a record in 1887 which has never been surpassed, that of towing 117 loaded boats in one tow from Albany to New York.

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