Human nature being what It is, we all have an odd quirk or two. Boatmen were no exception. 

The foibles of two boatmen that come to mind were those of Staats Winnie and Ira Cooper, two of the better old time boatmen on the Hudson. Staats Winnie's whim was that he wore red flannel underwear the year round — Ira Cooper’s was a dislike for uniforms. 

Staats Winnie was an old time pilot for the Hudson River Day line and at the turn of the century was second pilot of the “Albany.” When the “Hendrick Hudson” came out in 1906 he was to become her first pilot and served as her head helmsman during that steamboat’s early years on the Hudson. Like many old time boatmen, he had previously been a pilot on towboats and tugboats of the Cornell Steamboat Company. 

With an impressive mustache and a stern gaze, Staats Winnie was a formidable looking man.  As my good friend Donald C. Ringwald observed in his book “Hudson River Day Line,” Pilot Winnie looked as if he could steer anything afloat. 

Like a number of old boatmen in his era, Staats Winnie wore red flannel underwear.  Only he wore his year round, summer and winter. During the hot days in July and August, Pilot Winnie would frequently doff his uniform jacket and roll up his shirt sleeves, exposing a pair of bright red shod forearms.

Steamboatmen were always known as great arm wavers. Whenever two steamers passed each other, it was rare indeed if several crew members were not observed vigorously waving in the direction of the passing steamboat. One would have thought the crew members of the two steamers hadn’t seen each other in months. 

As a matter of fact, in some instances this situation would have been true — as when a line had two steamers running between New York and Albany in daily service.  The two steamboats would leave New York and Albany on alternate days and the only time crew members would see each other for months on end would be on their daily passing in the middle part of the river. Many crew members of a particular steamboat line came from the same community and were neighbors. During the season they would get but a fleeting glance of each other as their steamboats passed in mid-Hudson and this, perhaps, was the probable reason for the vigorous arm waving. 

Staats Winnie was well known as one of the arm wavers.  During July and August in his years of piloting the Day Liners, boatmen on passing steamers became accustomed to seeing a red shod arm waving a greeting from his pilot house window.  It was said that passengers, however were frequently startled by the sight. 
Ira Cooper was captain of the steamer “Onteora” of the Catskill Evening Line.  During the early years of steamboating, officers of the steamers wore their usual civilian clothes in carrying out their jobs afloat.  During the 1880’s and 1890’s, the larger steamboat companies began to introduce the use of uniforms for their steamer's personnel, particularly the officers. 

The practice of wearing uniforms soon spread to all steamboat lines.  First, it was just a uniform cap.  Then it became a full fledged uniform with brass buttons and gold braid.  On some lines, the uniforms were provided by the companies outright, others granted a uniform allowance and the officers purchased their own uniforms, while on others a partial reimbursement for uniforms was given to officer personnel. 

Captain Cooper was an individualist of the old school.  He would have no truck [sic] with the new fangled idea of uniforms. For him, what was good enough to wear ashore was good enough to wear afloat. To the very end, he steadfastly refused to don either a uniform or even the traditional steamboatman's cap. He undoubtedly was the last captain of one of the larger Hudson River passenger steamboats to command his steamer dressed in civilian garb. 

It was said Captain Cooper's ideas as to dress did not particularly please the owners and operators of the Catskill Evening Line. It is my understanding, as a matter of fact, that a clash of wills ensued — and, since the owners held the trump cards, Captain Cooper left the “Onteora.”  He was later captain for many years of the big tugboat “J. C. Hartt” of the Cornell Steamboat Company — where he had no trouble dressing as he pleased.  The Catskill Evening Line’s loss, however, was the Cornell Steamboat Company's gain — for Captain Cooper was one of the best boatmen on the river.  

Editor's Note: The following text is a verbatim transcription of an article written by George W. Murdock, for the Kingston (NY) Daily Freeman newspaper in the 1930s. Murdock, a veteran marine engineer, wrote a regular column. Articles transcribed by HRMM volunteer Adam Kaplan. For more of Murdock's articles, see the "Steamboat Biographies" category.

                                                                  No. 32- Escort
The “Escort” was built at Mystic Bridge, Conn., in 1863, and was 185 feet long, carrying a gross tonnage of 675 and a net tonnage of 500. She was propelled by a vertical beam engine.

Built for service in the east, the “Escort” sailed the waters of the Connecticut river and Long Island Sound and was then chartered to the government in the Quartermaster’s Department during the Civil War. At the close of the war she was brought north again and used in eastern waters until 1873.

The “Escort” was then purchased by Catskill people and put in service on the Catskill and New York night line.

In 1883 the “Escort” was rebuilt and her name was changed to the “Catskill”. She ran in line with the “Kaaterskill” and “Walter Brett”.

On September 22, 1897, the “Catskill was rammed and sunk off West 57th street, New York, about seven o’clock in the evening by the steamer “St. Johns”, owned by the Central Railroad of New Jersey. There were 46 passengers aboard the “Catskill” and all escaped except a five-year-old boy, Bertie Timmerman of Leeds, who was drowned. At the time of the accident, the “Catskill” had an unusually heavy cargo of freight aboard for her north-bound trip. The usual signal whistles were blown but there was evidently a misunderstanding and the two vessels came together with a crash that could be heard for some distance along the waterfront. The excursion steamboat struck the “Catskill” on the starboard side about 30 feet aft of the bow and tore a great hole in her side, the whole depth of her guards and freeboard and way below the waterline. Captain Braisted of the “St. Johns”, seeing that the damage to the “Catskill” was serious and that the vessel would sink, blew his whistle for aid and a passing steamer and some tugs rushed to the assistance of the “Catskill” and took off the passengers.

​The “Catskill” was raised and rebuilt, being lengthened from 185 to 226 feet two inches, and her tonnage was increased from 675 gross tons to 816 gross tons. Her name was then changed to the “City of Hudson”, and when she made her appearance she gave the impression of an entirely new vessel. The “City of Hudson” continued running on the Catskill line until the fall of 1910, when she was laid up at Newburgh, having outlived her usefulness. She was purchased by Charles E. Bishop of Rondout and Abram W. Powell of Port Ewen in October, 1911, and taken to Port Ewen, where she was dismantled, her engine and boiler being junked and her woodwork used for fuel in burning brick on a brickyard.