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Editor’s Note: The following text is a verbatim transcription of an article featuring stories by Captain William O. Benson (1911-1986). Beginning in 1971, Benson, a retired tugboat captain, reminisced about his 40 years on the Hudson River in a regular column for the Kingston (NY) Freeman’s Sunday Tempo magazine. Captain Benson's articles were compiled and transcribed by HRMM volunteer Carl Mayer. See more of Captain Benson’s articles here. This article was originally published March 26, 1972.  The Cornell Steamboat Company tug “Perseverance” with other Cornell tugs at the company docks on Rondout Creek, waiting for spring, circa 1920s. Donald C. Ringwald Collection, Hudson River Maritime Museum Back in the days when the Cornell Steamboat Company was towing large tows of barges and scows up and down the river, the company developed a series of whistle signals so that the helper tug could communicate with each other. Generally, the tows would be large. The big towing tug would be up ahead with the tow strung out astern. Frequently, the helper tug would be back at the tow adding to or taking off barges from the tow for local delivery. The two tugs had to be in communication with each other and, before the age of electronics and short wave radios, whistle signals were the method used. For example, five long and three short blasts was the signal for “the tow is all made up, hood up and go on,” three short blasts was “go slow,” four short blasts was “stop,” three long and three short was “go ahead,” two long and two short to a passing steamer meant “your signal lights are out,” etc. If one tug originated the signal, the other tug would answer with the same signal to indicate that the signal was understood. It so happened the whistle signal of one long and two short was the Cornell signal for “The steamer having the tow wants her hawsers cast off.” It was also the same signal under the Nautical Rules of the Road for a tow underway in a fog. One night back in 1937, the big Cornell tug “Perseverance” was coming up river on a flood tide with a very large tow. John Hickey, captain of the “Perseverance,” had on board as a crew member a young, green deckhand. The decky had heard at different time, the “Perseverance” and the helper tug exchange the one long and two short whistle signals, and then helped to haul the towing hawsers in. On this particular night, when the tow was off Hyde Park, it set in very foggy. The helper tug had already left the tow and had gone on up ahead to Kingston. Captain Hickey started to run slow and to blow the fog signal of one long and two short whistle blasts as required by the Rules of the Road. After the second or third fog signal on the whistle, the “Perseverance” seemed to be moving ahead very fast. At the same time, the deckhand came up to the pilot house and said, “All right Cap, all gone.” Captain Hickey replied, “What do you mean?” The decky said, “I threw the hawsers off. You blew two, didn’t you?” Boy, oh boy, did Captain Hickey ever blow his top when he heard that! Of course, he had to turn the “Perseverance” around and try and find the tow in the fog. And what a job after they found the tow to get the hawsers up on the “Percy” again. The forward momentum of the tow, when the hawsers were cast off, caused to the tow to run over the hawsers. When they finally did get everything squared away again, they had the new problem of trying to figure out where they were. All that maneuvering and time lost in the fog caused them to lose completely and exact idea of their position. By inching ahead, Captain Hickey finally rounded up and bucked the tide until morning when the fog cleared up. AuthorCaptain William Odell Benson was a life-long resident of Sleightsburgh, N.Y., where he was born on March 17, 1911, the son of the late Albert and Ida Olson Benson. He served as captain of Callanan Company tugs including Peter Callanan, and Callanan No. 1 and was an early member of the Hudson River Maritime Museum. He retained, and shared, lifelong memories of incidents and anecdotes along the Hudson River. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
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Editor’s Note: The following text is a verbatim transcription of an article featuring stories by Captain William O. Benson (1911-1986). Beginning in 1971, Benson, a retired tugboat captain, reminisced about his 40 years on the Hudson River in a regular column for the Kingston (NY) Freeman’s Sunday Tempo magazine. Captain Benson's articles were compiled and transcribed by HRMM volunteer Carl Mayer. See more of Captain Benson’s articles here. This article was originally published October 31, 1971.  Captain William O. Benson. A Riverman’s Log’ New Tempo Feature TEMPO begins Sunday publication with several new features. And, proud as we are of all of them, the one that promises to become our own personal favorite is a regular column by Captain William O. Benson. You’ll find the first offering by Capt. Benson taking up a full page spread in this week's issue, complete with nostalgic photos of the tugboat Lion and the steamboat M. Martin, and appearing under the banner headline “Whistles Salute Two Presidents.” Captain William Odell Benson is a life-long resident of Sleightsburgh, where he was born on March 17, 1911, the son of the late Albert and Ida Olson Benson. As captain of the tugboat Peter Callanan, he retains memories of incidents and anecdotes along the Hudson River; has long known the waterway’s steamboats and the men who manned them. The perfect choice then to author about steamboating on the Hudson in years past. 40 Years on River Bill Benson's reminiscences on Hudson River life and lore now join this magazine as a regular feature; will be culled from his 40 years of working, will appear weekly for a long time to come. A river boatman his entire working life, he was closely associated with the Hudson and its steamboats long before he took to the tides himself. His father was ship's carpenter of the famous in-legend Mary Powell; held the same position for the Central Hudson Steamboat Company and the Cornell Steamboat Company. His older brother, Algot J. Benson, before his death in 1923, served as chief mate and pilot of the steamboat Onteora, had been a deckhand and quartermaster on the Mary Powell, and a quartermaster of the Long Island Sound steamers Plymouth, Concord and Naugatuck. TEMPO’s new contributor can lay claim, as well, to having been named after a Hudson River steamboat. His middle name, “Odell,” derives from the steamboat Benjamin B. Odell, the largest steamer of the old Central Hudson Line, which entered service on the river the year Capt. Benson was born. The wealth of anecdotes at your columnist’s recall date back to his school days at the old District No. 13 School, Port Ewen. Education completed, he left school in 1927 to work for the Hudson River Day Line at Kingston Point. The years of 1928 and 1929 saw him serving as a deckhand on the old Day Line steamer Albany. Then came a long period (1930 to 1946) as a deckhand, pilot and captain on the tugboats of the Cornell Steamboat Company. Served on Many Tugs Those Depression to post-World War II years saw him serving on the Cornell tugs S. L. Crosby, Lion, Jumbo, Bear, Pocahontas, Perseverance, George W. Washburn, R. G. Townsend, Edwin Terry, J. G. Rose, Cornell, Cornell No. 20, Cornell No. 21, Cornell No. 41, John D. Schoonmaker, Rob, and William S. Earl. During 1946 he captained the tugboat maintained at Poughkeepsie to assist tows to pass safely through that city’s bridges. Since 1947 he’s been pilot and captain on the Callanan Road Improvement Company's tugboats Callanan No. 1 and Peter Callanan, and other tugs that from time to time have been chartered by the Callanan Company. The steamboat columns we've received in advance read like a riverman’s log of humor and heritage. Suffice it to say that we're looking forward to each new Benson column with as much enthusiasm as any other TEMPO reader. We welcome the captain aboard with a salute of three whistles; look forward to pleasurable hours of reading about the men and the boats of the Hudson's past in the months ahead.  Tug "Callanan No. 1" a Kingston, N.Y. tug at Troy, N.Y., June 25, 1954, 12:30 p.m. Left to right in Pilot House: W.O. Benson (Sleightsburgh, NY); Peter Tucker, (Kingston, NY); Ed Carpenter, cook (Ulster Park, NY); Bud Atkins, deckhand (Port Ewen, NY); Chris Mancuso, deckhand (Greenpoint, NY); Jim Malene, 1st Assistant Engineer (Kingston, NY);Teddy/Theodore Crowl, 2nd Assistant Engineer, (Farmingdale, NY). AuthorCaptain William Odell Benson was a life-long resident of Sleightsburgh, N.Y., where he was born on March 17, 1911, the son of the late Albert and Ida Olson Benson. He served as captain of Callanan Company tugs including Peter Callanan, and Callanan No. 1 and was an early member of the Hudson River Maritime Museum. He retained, and shared, lifelong memories of incidents and anecdotes along the Hudson River. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
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