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History Blog

Steam-Tow-Passage-Boats

2/28/2025

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Picture
Image from Hudson River Steamboats The Flyers of the Hudson. Drawings by Samuel Ward Stanton.
Editor's note: The following article was originally published in the "Commercial Advertiser" on June 25, 1825. Thanks to volunteer researcher George A. Thompson for finding and cataloging this article. The language, spelling and grammar of each article reflects the time period when it was written.
Steam Tow Passage Boats
The expediency and humanity of separating passengers from the danger of steam-boat explosions may now again be urged upon the attention of this community. To become habituated to danger, is not to remove it from the path so many must travel. Time wears upon the steamboats in use, and constantly increases their liability to accident. None now-a-days take passage without a consciousness of hazard. Formerly, the deck was a scene of remarkable cheerfulness – it has become a place of anxiety. The occurrence of the least noise alarms – the awful hissing of the steam from the safety valve, no longer gives assurance of safety, but rather bears testimony to the existence of a tremendous force, which even that precaution cannot always guard against. So many have now been the explosions fatal to not a few, and dangerous to great numbers, that friends part at a steam-boat never without a feeling of the possibility of a catastrophe, from past example, too horrible for description.

Nor has the occurrence of accident been peculiar to our own country and navigation. We know that they have happened at manufactories as well as on board vessels, in various places in England, at Pittsburg and Philadelphia, on the Ohio, the Mississippi the Santee and the Hudson.

The explosion of boilers depends on several causes; and some of them are scarcely known to that class of men to whom the management of the engine is committed. It is a poor consolation to the bereaved, and the scalded, that the testimony of the captain and crew, on oath proves that they have not been careless – that the water, and the steam, was in due order and degree – that a "vacuum in a flue" (if this were possible) might have been the cause, or else some defect of workmanship. The persons employed about a steam-boat may not be aware that the force of steam accumulates in a geometrical ratio to the arithmetical increase of the fire – that the sheets of metal of which the boiler is made, are undergoing an external oxidation from the action of heat, and this with rapidity, if the boiler gets foul within. The same effect takes place on the flues; and a little negligence of the supply, allows the water to leave them uncovered, when they soon become red hot – and if they do not give way at once, their heated surface may, on the sudden accession of the water, generate the steam too fast for the safety-valve to vent: or if the valves of the supply-pump get choaked (sic), or out of order, and the constant entrance of water fails, in a short time the flues, and even the bottom of the boiler, becomes red hot – and some portion of the water and steam within, is probably decomposed into its constituents, oxygen and hydrogen gas, which, igniting, from the heated iron, produces those tremendous effects, which, igniting, from the heated iron, produces those tremendous effects, which have been witnessed in a few instances out of the many less violent, but not less fatal to life, in England – in the ferryboat at Powles Hook, and at Pittsburg: and these were engines of low pressure. Experience has shewn, that no kind of steam-engine is exempt from danger. But the danger is increased on our waters by flued-boilers. The flues pass through the water: the pressure is on their convexity: their strength is not within any rule of computation. On the contrary, those boilers which are single cylinders, have the pressure on the concave side, and are within certain established rules of strength. But this kind of boiler must necessarily be so set, as unavoidably to heat the boat too much to be tolerable to passengers.

There is not therefore a steam-boat on the waters of New-York which has not a flued-boiler. That inconvenience is nothing to the crew of the boat, as she may be well ventilated; and, if necessary, the lodgings be on deck. The single boiler is safer for them, too, as one only of the number used, can give way at once. The power that may be thus put on board a steam-tow-boat may be so great, as to produce a speed heretofore unknown, and may be expected to accomplish the passage between New-York and Albany, between sun-rise and sun-set.

The deck for the light passage boat in tow will be free from all incumbrance and inconvenience – heat, smoke, effluvia, noise and danger; uniting convenience and elegance with safety and speed. Those whose interest is averse to that of the public, may say this is no improvement in steam navigation. I am willing to have this point decided by the public. Test the opinion by opportunity of choice, and we shall see no ladies on board of any other than the towed passage boat – no parent – no man of reflection – that will not be willing to pay a little more for a pleasant, secure, and not inelegant mode of conveyance.

It required no peculiar discernment to foresee the increase of the danger in steam-boats, especially when competition should reduce the fare so low as to induce the employment of the cheapest means of operation. The remedy is alone the separation of the load from the power. It was under a strong impression that this separation has utility, and would become an acknowledged improvement, that my experiments were made, (with an engine of twenty horse power) which led to the grant of my patent, founded on one of the principles of the Patent law, the application of a known power to a new and useful purpose. And I consider it a fair and convincing testimonial of its utility, to mention, on all proper occasions, that it had not escaped the discernment of Mr. Fulton. He is well known to have opposed my claim, with a claim of his own per the same improvement: yet the arbitrators, between us unanimously awarded the priority to me. He had not become by experiment, as I had, aware of the little loss of speed in towing, nor of the diminished resistance to a boat following in the wake of the power boat: the former applicable to freight boats along-side, the latter to the passage boat.

As to the points of expense and speed, there are circumstances favorable to the new system. The single, or old form of steam navigation, requires the whole weight of the machinery to be at or near the centre of a long hull, which, to be sufficiently strong, must be heavy timbered. She, therefore, draws and displaces more water, and meets with more resistance. But on the new system, we may have a comparatively light power boat, and a very light passage boat. The power may be greater than usual, the resistance less.
My patent bears date the 4th of December, 1816, of which I annex a copy; and of course there remains but a few years of the term. But it may be renewed. Every proper step was taken to obtain admission into the waters of New-York, closed and exclusively occupied by the State's grant to Messrs. Livingston and Fulton, lately decided to be unconstitutional. Congress may therefore renew my patent for such term of time as may appear to that honorable body, under all circumstances, to be just and consistent with the public good; not only because those of Evans and of Whittemore were renewed, but because the intention of the provisions of law were frustrated in my case; and because it is good policy in a government to induce capitalists, by the temporary privilege of a patent, to establish in use any costly improvement that may thereafter, by example and experience, become of great and lasting public benefit.

Nor are patentees without protection. They have been put by a law of Congress (Feb. 1819) expressly under the protection of the Circuit Court of the United States, and may file a bill, and by injunction of court obtained, prevent the infringement of a right from proceeding a second step. Nor is he precluded by the process from the recovery of treble damages given by the previous provisions of law.

The recent explosions on board the "Legislator" and the "Constitution", ought, perhaps to revive the recollection of others, and to convince the community that there can be no assurance of safety but by the separation of the accommodation from the power. This city – or those of the inhabitants who feel the force of those considerations, which speak loudly to the heart, the friends – the philanthropic and the wealthy should not, perhaps, wait till some crowded steam-boat, shall be destroyed with all on board.

If it were not my right and interest to invite to this branch of enterprize, I should do so from a sense of duty, knowing so well the causes of the explosion of boilers, I therefore take this method to invite the formation of a powerful but not numerous company, to carry on this branch of steam navigation upon the waters of New-York.

Should this proposition be acceptable, I shall hope it may be communicated before my professional employments shall make it less convenient than at this moment, to make the proper arrangements. JNO. L. SULLIVAN, Civil Engineer, State-street, No. 1, June 22, 1825.
​
Words of the Patent referred to in the preceding publication:
"I claim, as my invention, the application of steam-engine power, placed in one vessel, to the towing or drawing after her another vessel, for the purpose of conveying thereon passengers of merchanidize, or either of them, being a new application of a known power. The manner in which this application may be made varies with the circumstances in some measure, but essentially consists in attaching the packet to the steam-boat, with ropes, chains or spars, so as to communicate the power of the engine, from the towing vessel to the other vessel, thus kept always at a convenient distance apart, & c." The advantages & c. are then described.

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Steamboats "Constitution" and "Constellation"

2/21/2025

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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. ​
PictureImage from "Hudson River Steamboats" by Samuel Ward Stanton.
The “Constitution” and her sister ship, the “Constellation”, were built in 1825. Her hull was of wooden construction and was the creation of Brown and Bel of New York city, while her engine was constructed by J. Berbeck of New York. The hull was 145 feet long with a 27-foot beam, and she was rated as a vessel of 267 tons. The “Constitution” was put in service in May, 1825, while the “Constellation” followed in August of the same year.

These two boats were greatly improved models and in all particulars were considered superior to any of the boats on the Hudson river. The passenger accommodations were very extensive and most elegantly fitted.

Landings were made at all the principal points on the river and the running time on the regular route between New York and Albany averaged about 13 miles an hour.

The “Constitution” ran but a short time when a sad accident occurred on board the vessel. She left New York at 5 o’clock on June 20, 1825, with 80 passengers bound for Albany on her regular trip. During the night between two and three o’clock, when opposite Poughkeepsie, one of her boilers exploded, and two of the crew, John Joseph and Caroline Chew, were scalded to death.
​

She was repaired and continued running in the freight and passenger trade for a number of years, and after her days of usefulness as a passenger boat were over, she was converted into a towboat named the “Illinois”. Under this name she was a familiar figure on the Hudson river for many years.

Picture
Image from "Hudson River Steamboats" by Samuel Ward Stanton.

Author

George W. Murdock, (b. 1853-d. 1940) was a veteran marine engineer who served on the steamboats "Utica", "Sunnyside", "City of Troy", and "Mary Powell". He also helped dismantle engines in scrapped steamboats in the winter months and later in his career worked as an engineer at the brickyards in Port Ewen. In 1883 he moved to Brooklyn, NY and operated several private yachts. He ended his career working in power houses in the outer boroughs of New York City. His mother Catherine Murdock was the keeper of the Rondout Lighthouse for 50 years. ​


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Winter Travelling in America. The Steamboat.

2/14/2025

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Editor's note: This article is from the "Northern Echo" (Darlington, England) March 4, 1875., Thank you to Contributing Scholar George A. Thompson for finding and cataloging  the article. The language, spelling and grammar of the article reflects the time period when it was written.
PictureCrossing East River on the Ice - Dangers of the Break-up. Image courtesy of Ephemeral New York- WordPress.com
Winter Travelling in America. The Steamboat. [from our own correspondent.]
I propose, in my next few letters, to give the readers of the Echo a few sketches of the various modes of travelling during the winter season in America, but I shall preface my remarks by a slight allusion to the kind of weather we are now experiencing. Although the cold is much more intense in this country than it is in England, the winter taken altogether is much more pleasant than it is “at home.” The air is keen but dry, and there is not that atmospheric dampness noticeable here that characterizes an English winter, and we escape that depressing heavy feeling which so frequently steals over us in England when the weather sometimes get a little out of sorts. This has been one of the coldest winters known in America for many years. Here, in New York, the thermometer has sometimes stood at 3 deg. Below zero, but within a half-day’s journey of us the cold has been much more severely felt, 16 deg. Below having been reported on more than one occasion; while in the “cold districts” the thermometer has stood at 40 deg. Below for days together. Of course, there have been a large number of casualties, and great loss of life in some parts. Steamships have been caught in the ice and kept there for days. Trains have been snowed up, and many a poor creature has been frozen to death. Hopes are now entertained that the worst has passed. There are many people here, as in England, live long distances from their places of business, and to watch the influx into New York every morning is a sight to be remembered. Some come by rail or steam-cars, others make their trips by tramway or horse car, and again vast numbers patronize the river boats and steam ferries. 
​
It is with these latter that I shall deal now, leaving over the “tramways” – a subject by the way that old Stockton is considerably interested in – until a future occasion. The river steamers which several times a day make trips from Harlem to Fulton-street, New York, a distance of eight miles, are marvels of comfort and cleanliness. They are large enough to accommodate about 500 persons, and as they stop to take up and set down passengers at various places along the route, large numbers of persons avail themselves of the accommodations they afford. The fare is ten cents (5d) and when the river is clear of ice the trip is made in about thirty-five minutes, or nearly as fast as the steamers travel from Stockton to Middlesbrough. The saloons are fitted up in a style far superior to anything I have ever seen in English steamers; and, although the trip from point to point of travel is not a long one, the steamboat companies here, unlike their English brethren, minister to the comfort of their patrons. Notwithstanding that the river is blocked with miniature icebergs, I have this day made a trip in the “Harlem”, doing the eight miles in fifty minutes. When the captain of any of the boats sees a chunk of ice in his path, he does not ring his bell for the engineer to shut off steam, but directs the bow of the boat at the offending object, splitting the ice into pieces, and often smashing the steamer’s paddle wheels into splinters, while the passengers who have been watching the exploit suddenly find themselves so mixed up “in a heap” that it takes several seconds for each man to pick himself out of the pile of humanity, and make sure of his personal identity.

PictureCrossing East River on the Ice - Dangers of the Break-up. Image courtesy of Ephemeral New York- WordPress.com
Winter Travelling in America. The Steamboat. [from our own correspondent.]
I propose, in my next few letters, to give the readers of the Echo a few sketches of the various modes of travelling during the winter season in America, but I shall preface my remarks by a slight allusion to the kind of weather we are now experiencing. Although the cold is much more intense in this country than it is in England, the winter taken altogether is much more pleasant than it is “at home.” The air is keen but dry, and there is not that atmospheric dampness noticeable here that characterizes an English winter, and we escape that depressing heavy feeling which so frequently steals over us in England when the weather sometimes get a little out of sorts. This has been one of the coldest winters known in America for many years. Here, in New York, the thermometer has sometimes stood at 3 deg. Below zero, but within a half-day’s journey of us the cold has been much more severely felt, 16 deg. Below having been reported on more than one occasion; while in the “cold districts” the thermometer has stood at 40 deg. Below for days together. Of course, there have been a large number of casualties, and great loss of life in some parts. Steamships have been caught in the ice and kept there for days. Trains have been snowed up, and many a poor creature has been frozen to death. Hopes are now entertained that the worst has passed. There are many people here, as in England, live long distances from their places of business, and to watch the influx into New York every morning is a sight to be remembered. Some come by rail or steam-cars, others make their trips by tramway or horse car, and again vast numbers patronize the river boats and steam ferries. 
​
It is with these latter that I shall deal now, leaving over the “tramways” – a subject by the way that old Stockton is considerably interested in – until a future occasion. The river steamers which several times a day make trips from Harlem to Fulton-street, New York, a distance of eight miles, are marvels of comfort and cleanliness. They are large enough to accommodate about 500 persons, and as they stop to take up and set down passengers at various places along the route, large numbers of persons avail themselves of the accommodations they afford. The fare is ten cents (5d) and when the river is clear of ice the trip is made in about thirty-five minutes, or nearly as fast as the steamers travel from Stockton to Middlesbrough. The saloons are fitted up in a style far superior to anything I have ever seen in English steamers; and, although the trip from point to point of travel is not a long one, the steamboat companies here, unlike their English brethren, minister to the comfort of their patrons. Notwithstanding that the river is blocked with miniature icebergs, I have this day made a trip in the “Harlem”, doing the eight miles in fifty minutes. When the captain of any of the boats sees a chunk of ice in his path, he does not ring his bell for the engineer to shut off steam, but directs the bow of the boat at the offending object, splitting the ice into pieces, and often smashing the steamer’s paddle wheels into splinters, while the passengers who have been watching the exploit suddenly find themselves so mixed up “in a heap” that it takes several seconds for each man to pick himself out of the pile of humanity, and make sure of his personal identity.

PictureImage from "New York Bay Steam Vessels" by Samuel Ward Stanton.
To a stranger is is rather hard work to appear perfectly composed and unconcerned at the sudden shocks he experiences from these collisions; but I do really believe that if a captain were to try and dodge one of these obstacles instead of smashing it, the whole crowd, ladies as well, would turn out on to the promenade decks and mob him. Each steamer is fitted up with refreshment bars, ladies’ saloons, smoking compartments for the gentlemen, wash-rooms, where soap and clean towels are always on hand, store-rooms for parcels and, above everything, in the winter time every part of the boat is comfortably heated, either with stoves or warm water pipes. In the day time, the numerous windows in both decks – there are two decks – make the compartments very cheery and lightsome; and in the evening the saloons are brilliantly lighted with lamps. There are large polished glass mirrors fixed up in different parts of the saloons, and when the boats are lighted up, they certainly do present the appearance of floating palaces; and for speed, comfort, economy, and the civility which the traveller meets with from the officials, this river travelling beats anything of its kind that it has been my fortune to have every witnessed in the Old Country. 

The huge ferries which daily carry thousands of passengers, and horses, and wagons of all kinds, to and from New York and Brooklyn on the one side, and Jersey City on the other, are also well worthy of notice; but as the trip, when the river is clear, only takes a few minutes, there has not been that attention paid to the comforts of the passengers that is to be met with in the boats making the longer trips. The fare on these ferries is two cents per passenger, and this winter there have been several instances in which the unfortunate passengers have received considerably more than their money’s worth. The distance across the river to Brooklyn is only about 200 yards, but the ice has come up the river in such tremendous quantities that in some instances persons have been four hours crossing. There is no bridge, and the only way to get across is by the ferries, unless one likes to chance jumping from piece to piece of detached ice to gain the New York side – a foolhardy feat that has been accomplished by numbers of people this year. The steamboats have in many instances become wedged in by fields of ice, and have either been compelled to remain stationary in the middle of the river, or have drifted far down the water away from their proper destination. Only about a week ago, one steamer had to remain with a full cargo embedded in the ice all night, in sight of both shores, without the passengers being able to get to land or help being afforded by those on terra firma. Under these circumstances, steamboat travelling is not altogether an unalloyed pleasure, and if “the novelty of the situation” is somewhat romantic, it is not very charming. G.S.B. New York, February 19th, 1875


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One Accident Leads to Another

2/7/2025

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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 Contributing Scholar Carl Mayer. This article was originally published March 5, 1972.
Picture
A SKETCH OF THE “REINDEER” by marine artist Samuel Ward Stanton, of Newburgh. Since early steamboats operated in the age before photography, Stanton’s sketches and paintings, in many cases, are the only known likeness of the vessels. Stanton perished as a passenger on the ill-fated maiden voyage of the liner “Titanic.” He was returning from Europe where he had gathered source material for a series of murals for the Day Liner “Washington Irving,” then being built.
Back in 1938, the tugboats “Winthrop” and “Brimstone’’ of the Hedger Transportation Company were coming down the Hudson River with a tow of canal boats.  Off Evesport, north of Saugerties, they ran into heavy fog.

Feeling their way along in the fog, the tow started to pull to the eastward towards Tivoli.  But, the tow didn’t get very far before it fetched up on the mud flats on the east side of the channel.  Before long, some of the barges started to leak and two of them sank.

When the barges were pumped out and raised, it was discovered that their bottoms were cut by deep gashes.  The gashes looked as though they had been made by heavy steel obstructions and not by rocks on the river bottom.  At low tide, an inspection, made by divers for the insurance company in the area just north of where the tow had run aground, disclosed the remains of a boiler and engine bed of an old steamboat wreck.  The wreck was about nine feet under water and close to the flats.

Was it the ‘Reindeer’?

Because of the location of the old steamboat wreck, it was generally thought the wreck on the river bottom was that of the old steamboat “Reindeer” which had burned and gone under at that location way back in 1852.

The ‘‘Reindeer” had originally been built in 1846 for service between New York City and New Brunswick, N.J. on the Raritan River.  She later ran between New York and New Haven, Conn. — and on this run her ability to travel at high speed was soon noted.  Because of her speed, in 1851 she was placed in service on the Hudson River in the then highly competitive service between New York and Albany.
On September 4, 1852, the “Reindeer’’ was proceeding up river for Albany with between 300 and 400 passengers aboard.  She had just made her landing at Bristol, now called Malden-On-Hudson, when her boiler blew up.  The smoke stack fell, demolishing the pilot house and upper deck.  Steam from the bursted boiler flooded the lower cabin where many passengers sat eating dinner.  Some 31 persons lost their lives in the accident.  She caught fire as a result, but the flames were apparently extinguished.

Three days after the accident, fire broke out again and got out of control.  The ‘‘Reindeer’’ was cut loose from the Bristol dock where she had been secured, and the remains of the steamboat drifted aflame to the east side of the channel where the fire burned itself out.  What was left of the “Reindeer” sank on Green’s Flats, just north of where the red flashing Beacon No. 38 is now standing.

So in 1938 — 86 years after her fatal accident — the “Reindeer” came back to plague boatmen of another era in another century.  At that time, stories were again told of her feats of speed and races she had engaged in against other steamboats — an age when the first steamboat to reach a landing got the waiting passengers.

Author

Captain 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. ​


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An Appalling Disaster

1/31/2025

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Editor's note: The following text is from an article printed in the Harpers Weekly magazine issue of August 12, 1871. Thank you to Contributing Scholar Carl Mayer for finding, cataloging and transcribing this article. The language, spelling and grammar of the article reflects the time period when it was written.
Picture
Harper's Weekly Magazine, August 12, 1871
About half past one Sunday afternoon, July 30, the Staten Island ferry boat Westfield was lying quietly in her slip at the foot of Whitehall Street, New York. Over four hundred souls were on board, lured by the delightful weather from their crowded homes to breathe the pure sea air and enjoy the grass and shade of the uncontaminated country. Everything was in readiness for the start. The captain was at his post, the engineer was on his way to the engine room, men were standing ready to unhook the chains, when suddenly there came a terrible crash, and in an instant the steamer was a wreck.

Those who witnessed the disaster say that first there was a dull crunching sound, somewhat like that made by the fall of a large building, followed immediately by the sharp hiss of escaping steam. The main deck was forced upward for a considerable distance; the beams and planks were torn into fragments. Many of them were thrown high into the air, and fell back in a confused mass into the hold. The pilot house, which was directly over the boiler, was hurled into the air to a great height, and falling back upon the hurricane deck was shattered to pieces. The pilot was in the house, and yet, strange to say, aside from a few severe scratches and contusions and a severe shock, escaped unhurt. He could scarcely believe that he was not mortally injured, as he crawled from the ruins and saw the havoc and desolation that had been made. The heavy smoke stack was also blown high in the air and fell into the general wreck. The escaping steam filled the boat, and many were scaled who would have otherwise escaped unhurt.

The part of the boiler which gave way was opposite the fire box, and toward the bow of the boat. Such was the force of the explosion that a piece of the upper half of the shell of the boiler, twenty feet in length and weighing two tons, was hurled forward a distance of twenty-five fee, and lodged in the bow. The fracture apparently started at a place where the boiler was patched to cover a defect.

A majority of the passengers were collected on the main deck, directly over the boiler. These were blown into the air to the height of thirty or forty feet, falling back into the wreck, or into the water. Happy were those who died instantly! Scores of men, women, and children who escaped the full force of the explosion were immediately enveloped in a scalding cloud of steam. The scene of the boat was harrowing. Groans and loud screams of agony came from the scalded, wounded, and dying. Parents were eagerly seeking their children, children for parents, friends for friends. Many in their panic leaped overboard, some were rescued by boats that surrounded the wreck, while others sank at once and were drowned.

The Police and Fire departments called upon for assistance, and at once furnished men and means to convey to the hospitals such sufferers who could be moved. A pitiable sight they presented when brought upon the docks. Many had the skin almost entirely scalded from the face, neck, and breasts. Others had lost portions of their hair, from the scalp literally being parboiled and peeled off. Others were covered with ghastly wounds, and all were begrimed with soot and dust. As fast as possible the sufferers were removed to the hospitals, where the utmost that surgical skill could do was done to relieve them. In spite of every attention, many died after their removal. The number of the victims has not been fully ascertained. It is thought that between forty and fifty were killed outright, and that the list of fatalities may be swelled to a hundred by deaths in the hospital.

The cause of the explosion has not been ascertained. Various surmises are afloat in regards to it. Only two months ago, the United States inspector of boilers inspected the Westfield and pronounced it safe. The engineer, a colored man, is said to be capable and trustworthy. He states that just before the explosion took place, he found the water in the boiler all right, and the steam gauge indicating a pressure of twenty-seven pounds. A fragment of the boiler picked upon the dock was pronounced by good judges to be unsound iron. It was taken to police headquarters to be produced before the coroner’s jury, when the questions of cause and responsibility will be fully inquired into.

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Sloop travel in the 1790s

1/24/2025

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Picture
Reynolds Beal drawing of Hudson River Sloop. Hudson River Maritime Museum collection
Editor's note: The following articles were originally published in the 1790s in the newspapers listed below. Thanks to volunteer researcher George A. Thompson for finding, cataloging and transcribing this article. The language, spelling and grammar of each article reflects the time period when it was written.
Daily Advertiser, October 20, 1795
:Stolen or drifted away last night, from Mr. Ludlow's wharf, near the Fly-market, a
small PLEASURE BOAT, built and rigged sloop fashion, about 25 or 30 feet keel, and
about 3-4th decked, a mainmast and jib almost new, with the sail-maker's name,
Gerardus Smith, on them; her bottom painted white, her sides yellow and black, her
stern white with a black edge; she had a small skiff upon her deck, lately painted; built
Clinker fashion, with an iron chain fastened to her bow. Whoever will bring her to the
owner at No. 143 Front-street, shall be handsomely rewarded, and doubly so, if stolen,
and the thief discovered. N. B. It is supposed she has been carried up the East River.

Argus, or Greenleaf’s New Daily Advertiser, September 24, 1795
On Sunday afternoon last, a pleasure boat was overset in a heavy gust of wind,
in the East River, near Blackwell's Island, by which unfortunate circumstance four men
were drowned.
Herald, September 26, 1795 -A serious warning to those who are fond of amusing themselves on the water on Sabbath days.

N-Y Gazette & General Advertiser, April 3, 1797
For Sale; Cheap for Cash or short Credit, An excellent SLOOP, two years old, will
carry about 2000 bushels of wheat . . . , an exceedingly faithful built vessel, and is
remarkable tight and staunch, having been built within a few miles of the city, in a very
careful manner, and of seasoned timber.​

The Journals of Hugh Gaine, Printer, April 4, 1798
Wednesday [April] 4th[, 1798]. This Day a Sloop arrived from Albany in 18
Hours; The first this Spring, and the Weather very cold and rainey.​

The Travel Journals of Henrietta Marchant Liston, June 18, 1799
On [June 18, 1799] we took our passage in an Albany Sloop & sailed at six in the
Evening; our accommodation was extremely good, the weather fine, & we were happy
to get free from great Towns during the heats.  This voyage is sometimes made in 48
hours, the distance being a hundred & sixty five miles, it is pretty much the same as by
Land.
       
A southerly Wind very soon removed from our view the Town of Newyork, & we
were much gratified by the appearance of the beautiful Villas ranged along the Hudson,
to the distance of seven or eight miles.  The opposite (or Jersy side) producing a fine
contrast of Wood & Rock mixed with a gloomy grandeur.  The vast number of Sloops
and Brigs scattered in the River added to the variety, the setting Sun enlivening or
saddening the Scene.
       
About nine o'clock at night all was changed, a sudden Gust arose, (I have said
that these Storms of Thunder Lightening & rain always cool & refresh the air,  indeed, I have observed that when they were frequent there existed no yellow fever.)  We
remained on Deck viewing the effects of the lightening; its vivid flashes every moment
displaying the romantic scene around us, while the roaring of the Thunder was echoed
by the Hills & Rocks.  Though the Moon was little past the full the night was dark, & at
ten we were forced down to the Cabin by a heavy shower of rain.  The violence of the
storm obliged us to Anchor for the night.  Next morning proved fine, but the wind being
against us we did not get underway till after breakfast.

On rising I found that the Vessel was lying very near the land on the Jersy side; we sent the Boat on shore & got fresh Milk from a Fishermans Hut.  We passed Fort Washington &, at the distance of 15 miles, came to the termination of York Island.  No wind all day, after the tide left us we were obliged to Anchor & wait till its return again enabled us to set sail.  We Anchored opposite to a pretty building, called Phillips Manor; near it a gilded Spire oertopped the Trees, & on the shore was a Mill near to an adjoining Creek, from whence we procured excellent water.  We were likewise supplied with strawberries and milk.  We sailed slowly through the night with light winds, & at six on Thursday morning found ourselves passing rapidly through the Highlands, being then about forty miles from Newyork.  At the entrance to these, the River is about seven miles broad, & one of the first objects that presented itself was Stony point; the Highlands are twenty miles in extent, on both sides of the River, very beautiful, often very majestic objects.  Stupendous Rocks & high Hills, wooded to their Summit, all bold & romantic.  Here and there the scenery softened by a pretty House & small Garden ground.  The Fort of Mongtomery is on the Newyork side, those of Putney & Westpoint on the Jersey side, the last well fortified with a handsome House & Barracks.

Westpoint offers one of the most magnificent objects to be conceived. The River, which had gradually been reduced to two miles, seems to press itself into still smaller
bounds in order to pass through the Mountain, in a compass not exceeding half a mile.
This was the Pass which General Arnold meant to have delivered to General Clinton, & a House about a mile from Westpoint was that in which Arnold & the unfortunate Major Andrée held their meetings.

        We now approached the termination of the High Lands, & the objects rather 
encreased in beauty.  The River wearing sometimes the appearance of a fine Lake,
compleatly surrounded with Hills & Rocks, out of which there seemed to be no passage,
when after a sharp, though beautiful winding, the objects changed, the Rocks & lofty
wooded Hills & romantic Cliffs sunk from our view, & there appeared an expanse of
Water & level Banks, crowded with Houses, & frequently populous Villages.  The Rocks being Lime the Inhabitants are almost supported by Limekilns, from which it is
transported in Boats to the adjacent Ports.
       
The wind continuing fair we made great way in the afternoon, & anchored at
Albany by ten at night.

 We had passed during the second Day, the small Town near which poor Major
Andrée was taken, the very Tree (a Tulip Tree) beneath which he was seized &
searched is plainly to be seen.
       
Within fifty miles of Albany, on the Newyork side, the Manor of Livingston is
visible, some of the Houses very showy, others are beautifully embosomed in Wood.
       
We landed at Albany to breakfast on friday morning, our passage having lasted
two days & three nights.  ***
       
The convenient position of Albany renders it a rising place.  The Seat of Assembly is now removed to it, & it is, of course, the residence of the Governor of the State.  We rode five or six miles up the River, saw on the other side a small Town called Troy, & on this side the beginning of one called Washington [now Watervliet (editor's note).


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Personal Recollections of Kingston Point by Dorothy Chipp King

1/17/2025

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Picture
Kingston Point Hotel and dancing pavilion, Kingston Point Park, lagoon bridge in foreground. Hudson River Maritime Museum.
In the early part of this century Kingston Point was the only park in the city. As Columbus Point it had been historically important from very early times. Whether Hendrick Hudson stopped there when in 1609 he sailed up the great river which now bears his name is a moot question, but it certainly became a trading post early in the seventeenth century and tradition has it that the British landed there when they burned Kingston in 1777. Important in Colonial days, it gradually sank into obscurity, to be revived by its purchase in 1893 by the late S.D. Coykendall.

In the same year the old horse-drawn cars were replaced by electric trolleys, and in 1896 the Ulster and Delaware Railroad made it a terminal, meeting the Day Boats there and conveying their passengers to their destinations in the Catskills. In 1902 the rival line, the Colonial, was bought by Mr. Coykendall, and, the two lines combined, covered the greater part of the city, making Kingston Point delightfully accessible to the whole population. In a day when the automobile was practically non-existant and comparatively few families had horses and carriages, the only way for the average citizen to get around was on foot or by trolley. On a hot night in summer it was pleasant for the whole family, perhaps with guests, to board one of the "open trolleys," with seats running across the car, breeze down to the Point at an outlay of ten cents per person, round trip, and amuse themselves, according to age and inclination, with what the park had to offer.

There was a merry-go-round for the children (the two largest and best horses were named for the Spanish War heroes, Gen. Shafter and Gen. Miles) and various and sundry games. For the lover and his lass, there were canoes for rent in which to paddle idly round the lagoons, or more rashly on the river, and there were secluded seats in the shadowy parts of the wooded area for what was then called "spooning." For adults there were still pictures shown on a screen, the forerunner of the cinema, and there was "Morphy the man who sings to beat the band" and did he sing to beat the band! A large man, clad in white suit and cap, with a nautical air, his vocal effects were fortissimo to the nth degree! There were picnic tables at which to eat lunch or supper, there was Bath Beach where bathing in the river could be enjoyed, and there was the arrival of the Day Boats, north and south bound. The river played an important role in travel to New York and Albany. If time were no object, it was a delightful way to go to town, though for the very young the night boats, the Baldwin and the Romer, were more exciting. To go to bed in Kingston, and wake up in the great metropolis with a whole day to spend before the Mary Powell brought one home was a rare treat in those days.

My own recollections of Kingston Point, assisted by the diary which all young girls kept in my time, are especially connected with two dates, 1908 and 1909. On May 29, 1908 the Point was the scene of an impressive ceremony. I was a student at Vassar College then and a number of my classmates were visiting me. We went down to Kingston Point to see the flotilla come in, the escort of the ship bearing Gov. George Clinton's remains from Washington where he died in 1812, while serving as vice-president of the United States, to Kingston, the scene of his inauguration as governor of New York. The unusual sight of the U.S. Navy ships in the river, five destroyers and two sub-marines, the salutes exchanged, the crowds massed there was an interesting experience. The next day, alas, a heavy rain set in and the funeral parade up Broadway to the First Dutch Churchyard where Gov. Clinton's body was interred with pomp and circumstance was marred by the weather. The gloom was considerably lightened for us, however, by the fact that my father's friend Capt. W.H. Webb U.S.N.RET. brought a suitable number of young naval officers to call on us. Among them were acting captains Bingham, Marquart and Daniel and we had a delightful time with these young men. During the weekend, Mrs. Thomas J. Hickey took some of us out to the torpedo boat DeLong. As soon as the officers heard my and my sister's name they looked at us with more attention and brought out from what looked like lockers in the wall of the officers mess-room where they were entertaining us where ship's papers and the log of George W. DeLong who commanded the Jeannette in the ill-fated Arctic expedition in which my father's cousin Lt. Charles Winans Chipp U.S.N. perished, in 1881.

In 1909 there occurred the Hudson-Fulton Celebration and again the river was full of ships , including the replicas of the Half Moon and the Clermont which were anchored off the Point. Some of the ships bore men that day who have since become famous. On the Worden was Lt. Harold R. Stark, later chief of operations at the time of Pearl Harbor. On the Dupont was Lt.  William F. Halsey, later an admiral and one of the outstanding figures of World War II.

In those days before we had bridges across the Hudson I had some other less agreeable experiences at Kingston Point, for while I was at Vassar we had winters of extremely low temperatures. For two different years, the ferry stopped running for long periods and one was obliged to cross the river in a horse-drawn sleigh or on foot, both of which I did no two or three occasions. It was an eerie experience at any time, but in the late winter just before the break-up of the ice it was a nerve-racking one.

For many years now Kingston Point has suffered an eclipse, the change from trolleys to busses, the withdrawal of the great river boats, the fact that people now go to the Catskills by car instead of by train, the establishment of parks in other parts of the city has changed the situation. On the other hand, boating, water-skiing and allied sports are at a peak in this country and many more people now enjoy cruising on the lovely river at our doors. With that fact in mind a number of citizens interested in the welfare of Ulster County, have obtained promise of support from the Federal, the State and the city governments with the view of purchasing and maintaining Kingston Point as a park, so perhaps in the future a new and better Kingston Point may rise, like a phoenix, from the ashes of the old one, and our grandchildren may disport themselves, as we did, in that charming old playground, finding delight in the beauty of the Hudson and relaxation in new and more exciting water sports.
Picture
Crowds strolling at Kingston Point Park with ferris wheel, Hudson River and buildings in background. Hudson River Maritime Museum.

Author

Dorothy Chipp King's recollections were published in the Kingston (NY) Daily Freeman, August 23, 1962.


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Steamboat "General McDonald"

1/10/2025

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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. ​
Picture
Steamboat "General McDonald" at Rondout, New York along Island Dock. Hudson River Maritime Museum collection.
The steamboat “General McDonald” is another one of those vessels that were originally built for passenger service and ended its career as a towboat on the Hudson river.
               
The wooden hull of the General McDonald was built at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1851. It measured 222 feet long, breadth of beam 29 feet 7 inches, depth of hold 9 feet, 7 inches, gross tonnage 541, and net tonnage 421. She was powered with a vertical beam engine with a cylinder diameter of 68 inches and an 11 foot stroke.
               
Built for service in southern waters, the “General McDonald” sailed on Chesapeake Bay between Baltimore and Frenchtown as a freight and passenger boat, and in May, 1852, she arrived in Philadelphia from Baltimore to enter into regular service between Philadelphia and Cape May in line with the famous steamboat, “Thomas Powell.” The next four years saw these two steamboats running in line to Cape May; and then they were both brought to New York.
               
Following a brief period in service to the east of New York, the General McDonald” was returned to the metropolitan area. During this period in her life, the steamboat carried two boilers on her guards and she was not known as a vessel capable of any great speed.
               
The month of April 1855 found the “General McDonald” on the market, and she was finally purchased by Jerry Austin of Albany, owner of a fleet of towboats. This marked the end of the “General McDonald” as a passenger carrier, as her new owner converted her into a towboat and placed her in service between New York and Albany, towing in line with the other towboat of the line, the “Austin.” Later, the “General McDonald” was in service with the towboat “Syracuse,” built in 1857, and the “Ohio.”
               
After some years of service in the Austin line, the “General McDonald” was rebuilt and her boilers were removed from her guards and one large boiler was placed in her hold. The removal of the boilers from the guards and the installation of one smokestack, changed the appearance of the steamboat quite a bit.
               
The General McDonald continued in service on this Albany towing route with the rest of the fleet until the fall of 1876 when the Austin line was abandoned. The towboat “Ohio” was broken up at Castleton on the Hudson, the “Syracuse” was purchased by Samuel Schuyler of Albany, and the “General McDonald,” “Austin,” and “Silas O. Pierce” were purchased by Thomas Cornell of Rondout in the winter of 1877.
               
This marked the appearance of the “General McDonald” in local steamboat history as she came to the Rondout creek in 1877 and ended her days of usefulness out of the same port. The former Austin line vessel was placed in regular towing service between Rondout and New York with the rest of the Cornell fleet, hauling scows and barges up and down the Hudson river for many years. During the latter part of the 19th century, the “General McDonald” had new boilers placed in her hold and two smokestacks took the place of the former lone stack- again changing her appearance considerably.
               
​For a span of 50 years the “General McDonald” was a familiar figure on the Hudson river, and finally at the turn of the century, she was found to be rather worn out and of no further use. She was sold to J.H. Gregory of Perth Amboy, N.J., and on September 5, 1905, she sailed from Rondout on her last trip down the Hudson- to the graveyard of many a river steamer, Perth Amboy.

Author

George W. Murdock, (b. 1853-d. 1940) was a veteran marine engineer who served on the steamboats "Utica", "Sunnyside", "City of Troy", and "Mary Powell". He also helped dismantle engines in scrapped steamboats in the winter months and later in his career worked as an engineer at the brickyards in Port Ewen. In 1883 he moved to Brooklyn, NY and operated several private yachts. He ended his career working in power houses in the outer boroughs of New York City. His mother Catherine Murdock was the keeper of the Rondout Lighthouse for 50 years. ​


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Poughkeepsie Whaling

1/3/2025

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Editor's note: The excerpts are from the newspaper articles listed, Thank you to Contributing Scholar George A. Thompson for finding, cataloging and transcribing these articles. The language, spelling and grammar of the article reflects the time period when it was written.
September 10, 1832, Boston Courier (Boston, Massachusetts)
The Poughkeepsie Whaling Company have purchased the ship Vermont, 3000 tons burthen, which they will proceed immediately to fit out for a voyage to the Pacific Ocean.
​

November 1, 1832, Newburgh (NY) Telegraph
The Whale ship Vermont, owned by the Poughkeepsie Whaling Company, left this place yesterday morning for her voyage.  She was saluted by the firing of cannon on her departure.  We hope her voyage will be short and prosperous, and her master and crew return in health. — Poughkeepsie Tel.

November 10, 1832, Charleston Courier (South Carolina)
Whale Ship - The Vermont, a fine ship, and the first fitted out by the Poughkeepsie Whaling Company, took her departure for a three years voyage in the Pacific, under a National Salute from an eminence adjacent to the village of Poughkeepsie, (NY)

June 13, 1833, Newburgh (NY) Telegraph
The Poughkeepsie Whaling Company have purchased the ship Elbe, and intend to fit her out immediately for the South Atlantic.

August 10, 1833, Columbian Register (New Haven, Connecticut)

The ship Elbe, owned by the Poughkeepsie Whaling Company, came down from that place on Monday, and will sail in a day or two on a three years cruise in the Pacific. She was provisioned and manned at Poughkeepsie, and we hope the company may be remunerated for their enterprize by a profitable voyage. – N.Y. Gazette


Picture
Can you feel the sea breeze?
Can you see the great tail?
This ship has been roaming in search of the whale.
And though we've returned to this arm of the sea
The smell of the ocean's still clinging to me.

Well then, I'm bound for Poughkeepsie
Well then, I'm headed for home
Well then, I'm bound for Poughkeepsie
Well then, I'm headed for home

Well hello, Father Hudson, it's good to be home
I'm headed up river to seek out my own
And with luck by tomorrow my loved ones I'll see
Where the reach of the ocean is too far from me

Well then, I'm bound for Poughkeepsie
Well then, I'm headed for home
Well then, I'm bound for Poughkeepsie
Well then, I'm headed for home

Oh the water is fresh here, the gulls are all crows
It's time I gave though to a set of new clothes
And it's good to be where I've been wanting to be
Where the sight of the ocean is too far to see

Well then, I'm here in Poughkeepsie
Well then, I'm back in my home
Well then, I'm here in Poughkeepsie
Well then, I'm back in my home

I can sleep in a bed that won't shift 'neath my back
And I won't care tomorrow should the clouds turn to black
I can walk anywhere that I'm wanting to be
To be quit of the ocean is alright with me

Well then, I'm here in Poughkeepsie
Well then, I'm back in my home
Well then, I'm here in Poughkeepsie
Well then I'm back in my home

All my friends and relations are gathered around
Each day I thank God for my feet on the ground
But the whales are still sportin' where the waves can run free
And the song of the ocean is singing to me

Well then, I'll be leaving Poughkeepsie
Well then, farewell to my home
Well then, I'll be leaving Poughkeepsie
Well then, farewell to my home

Oh the talk is all turning to bushels and bales
But my heart is yearning for the wind in the sails
Let the farmer sow here, I can reap from the sea
Where the swell of the ocean is pulling at me

Well then, I'll be leaving Poughkeepsie
Well then, farewell to my home
Well then, I'll be leaving Poughkeepsie
Well then, farewell to my home
​credits from Where the Heron Waits, released January 1, 2009

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Trotting on the Ice

12/27/2024

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Editor's note: The following articles were originally published between 1877 and 1911 in the newspapers listed below. Thanks to volunteer researcher George A. Thompson for finding, cataloging and transcribing this article. The language, spelling and grammar of each article reflects the time period when it was written.
Picture
https://www.meisterdrucke.ie/fine-art-prints/William-Hounsom-Byles/1055168/Races-Historic-and-Modern%2C-Trotting-Races-on-Ice-%28chromolitho%29.html
February 3, 1877 Rockland County Journal (Nyack, NY)Trotting on the Ice.
A horse trot of considerable interest took place on the bay, in front of our village, on Thursday afternoon of this week.  A large crowd of persons were in attendance, and had it been more widely known that the trot was to take place on that day, the number would have been still greater, for our village can boast of some of the liveliest horse-flesh in Rockland county. 

A trot had been agreed upon by the respective owners of "Col. Campbell" and "Judge Robertson," which was to take place on the road.  But the road not being in proper order for trotting, it was decided to use the ice upon the river, which was of a sufficient thickness to be safe and good.  Some of the Haverstraw sportsmen, who think their trotters are A No. 1, had been invited to join in the race, but they for some reason unknown failed to put in an appearance, and the race went on without them. 

At four o'clock the following horses were entered, although rather informally, for the trot: "Col. Campbell," owned by J. P. Taylor; A. Cornelison's "Judge Robertson," Ferdon horse, from Closter, D. B. Amos's "Prince," Capt. J. P. Smith's sorrel mare, and Sisson's horse, from Closter.  The horses were all in prime order for trotting, and the interest exhibited by their owners was just warm enough to urge them on to a full test of the merits of their animals.  A spirit of generous rivalry always makes a contest of any kind the more interesting. 
​

After three spirited heats the race came to a close, "Col. Campbell" bearing away the laurels of the race, he winning all three heats. —  "Judge Robertson" came in second, Ferdon horse, third, "Prince," fourth, and Smith's sorrel mare and Sissou's horse about neck and neck.

January 14, 1887 - Chatham Republican (Chatham, NY) Catskill sportsmen are now crazy for trotting on the ice.  A mile track in the form of a horse-shoe has been laid out, and next Tuesday they will begin a three days’ meeting with $1,000 in premiums.

January 22, 1904 - Kingston (NY) Daily Freeman - TROTTING ON THE ICE
A trot on the ice for $50 a side took place on the Wallkill Wednesday afternoon between a horse owned by Sol. Thorn and one owned by John Miller.  The race was won by Thorn's horse, which was driven by Elting Harp. 
​

There was a trot on the ice on Saturday between a horse owned by H. Ellis of Clintondale, and one owned by John Miller.  The latter is a much better horse than his appearance indicated. The race was won by Miller. -- New Paltz Independent.

February 19, 1909 - Ramapo Valley Gazette (Monroe, NY) - Trotting on the Ice. 
A large crowd went to Cromwell Lake on Friday, to witness the trotting on the ice.  The weather was just what was wanted, and the condition of the ice exceedingly favorable.  Fast time was made, but just how fast the horses went could not be told, as the course was not measured.  The ice was very smooth and considerable difficulty was found in turning to make the start, and getting away. 

William Leonard with Ramona, captured the three heats in succession, thereby winning the race.  Belle Direct, owned by George Hull, and driven by Frank Rogers, was second, and Black Mahogany, owned and driven by George Fitzgerald, third.

January 27, 1911 - Ramapo Valley Gazette (Monroe, NY)
The weather now appears favorable for the trotting on the ice of Cromwell Lake, to be held Saturday, if possible.  A purse of $100 has been offered, and several of the local sports will participate.  It is expected that Pierre Lorillard of Tuxedo, will also have a starter.


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