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Romance of the Hoboken Ferry.

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This record is a text only record with transcription of pages 100 to end of: Library primary record, 2004.026.0004. Romance of the Hoboken Ferry. By Harry J. Smith, Jr. Under the personal supervision of John M. Emery, Manager Marine Department Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company. NY: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1931. Due to online database format restrictions, the full text will not display in this record. Related records may be seen that have the text in sections. SEE library records online for text displayed in notes in four sections: 2004.026.0001 beginning to page 40. 2004.026.0001.01 pages 40 to 71 2004.026.0004.02 pages 70 to 100 2004.026.0004.03 pages 100 to end of volume. (Transcriptions for long volumes must be split into related records due to online database format restrictions. The primary record does hold the full text and PDF as well as word documents are available.) ==== page 100 The following is from the Observer, dated December 20th: "The two new ferryhouses and racks of the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company, near the foot of Twenty-third Street, were practically destroyed by fire this morning. The D. L. &; W. loss is $425,000.00. The Central loss will be nearly as much more. At 12:30 the fire was under control. "The Company expects to conduct its traffic on something like schedule time by using nearby ferry slips of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Erie Railroad. "A gang of 150 men were sent over from Fourteenth Street, Hoboken, to clear away the debris from the north pier, so that the boats may run from Fourteenth Street in the morning. "Herman Von Dolen, who had charge of the newsstand at the Lackawanna Ferry House was missing, but he later turned up at his home, having taken refuge on the tug ORANGE when the fire broke out. "The fire started near the waiting room of the D. L. & W. R. R. ferryhouse, the more northerly of the two, and which ran from Twenty-second to Twenty- third Street, along the North River. A brisk wind was blowing from the north, spreading the flames with remarkable speed through the entire structure. The building was soon a mass of flames, which communicated to the Central ferryhouse, located along the river front from Twenty-first to Twenty-second Street. "The spread of the flames was aided by the tardy ==== page 101 arrival of the fire fighters. This was due to a defective fire alarm box at the foot of Twenty-third Street. IT would not work, and a mounted policeman had to gallop several blocks before he found a box that was in working order. "The ferryboat HAMBURG, on which there were five hundred passengers, was in the Lackawanna slip when the fire broke out, but its pilot quickly pulled out into the stream away from danger. A number of painters were at work on this structure and they had to run for their lives. "The two ferryhouses occupied a space about five hundred feet long and one hundred and fifty feet wide. The buildings were about fifty feet high, having two stories. At 11:30 o'clock the whole place was ablaze and great flames and volumes of smoke were belching high into the air. Chief Crocker, who was then on the scene, said both ferryhouses and slips would be totally gutted. "The Erie and Pennsylvania ferryhouses are located just north of the burning buildings, but the wind was away from them, and the firemen thought they were in no danger. Their boats were running and landing passengers in the Pennsylvania slip, which is furthest removed from the scene of the fire. "Surmounting the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad house was a tower, about one hundred feet high, near the top of which was set a clock. This clock stopped running at 10:55 a. m. Half an hour later the tower collapsed and fell into the burning ruins and into the street. ==== page 102 "John Horner, ticket agent of the D. L. & W., is the only person injured, so far as known. He car-ried out $41,000.00 in money and tickets from the safe and had to make a couple of trips to do it. He was burned and scorched about the face and arms on his second trip, an incident which shows the rapidity with which the fire spread. "The painters, it appears, were responsible for the fire. They were engaged in covering and painting pipes under the ferryhouse. The process was to cover the pipes with cotton, then bind them with canvas and finally to paint them with a preparation known as asphaltum. It is necessary to heat the asphaltum and this should have been done in the street, but, instead, the men prepared it under the ferryhouse where they were at work. Some of this caught fire, which spread to the painted pipes, and these helped to carry the flames quickly to all portions of the building. "The D. L. & W. R. R. and the C. R. R. of N. J. Twenty-third Street Terminals have been in use for only a few months, everything being new and the paint on the huge girders of the shed roof being scarcely dry. It looked within fifteen minutes after an alarm had been turned in, as if there was little chance of saving anything. The fact, however, that the breeze from the river was not very strong, saved the ferryhouses of the Erie and Pennsylvania Railroad, directly to the north. "There was a general scattering on the part of waiting passengers and cabmen to escape the fire ==== page 103 engines, and small crafts in the river as well as several ferryboats were hurried out of the reach of the flames, which were soon licking up the piling of these ferry slips. Three alarms were turned in and Fire Chief Crocker himself arrived with the engines brought by the second alarm. "The section in which the fire broke out is, outside of the Grand Central Station, probably the most important passenger terminal in the city. Until recently only the Pennsylvania and Erie Railroads maintained a ferry service from Twenty-third Street, but with the installation of boats by the D. L. & W. and Central roads, the number of passengers using Twenty-third Street, coming and going, has been doubled. It is only recently that the ferryboat slips and houses of the D. L. & W. R. R. were wiped out by fire in Hoboken, work on the new station being in progress at the present time. "Police reserves were ordered to the scene from the Charles Street, West Twentieth Street, West Thirtieth Street and West Thirty-seventh Street stations. "The fire appeared to be fiercest between the ferry- houses of the Central and the Lackawanna, and was eating both ways. The front of these buildings is sheeted with copper, which the flames melted like so much tinfoil, and it dripped off into the street. The fire boats NEW YORKER and MCCLELLAN fought the fire from the river. "At the the foot of Twenty-third Street is the Erie ferryhouse, a two-story frame shack, and the firemen ==== page 104 practically abandoned the other places to try and save this, as it was feared that if it caught, the row of ferryhouses, including the Pennsylvania, would go. "A. H. Jakin, one of the managers of the Central Railroad, proved his bravery by rushing through the fire to the second story of the Central offices. With R. Shumann and a man named Rosenberg he saved over $200,000.00 worth of money and tickets. Jakin knelt by a large safe while the fire was burning about him and opened it, getting the valuables out. He had to be dragged out, and was overcome. He was taken to the Erie ferryhouse, where he was revived. "Mr. McLaughlin and Captain Hickman, night and day superintendents of the Lackawanna ferries in Hoboken, are handling the traffic in Hoboken, as well as they can in the absence of John M. Emery, who went over to New York on a tug immediately after the fire broke out. Two boats are being run from Fourteenth Street to Christopher Street; one boat is plying between the Twenty-third Street slip at the lower Hoboken ferry to Christopher, and there are three boats running on the regular Christopher Street ferry, making six boats in all running into that slip every hour. "When the fire started, the Lackawanna ferryboats were running from Fourteenth Street into the Pennsylvania Railroad slips at Twenty-third Street. The Central Railroad later on started sending its boats into the same slip. This crowded the Lackawanna out and the company was obliged to send its Fourteenth Street boats to Christopher Street." ==== page 105 CHAPTER XIX From 1905 to 1908 ON September 2, 1905, the new Twenty-third Street Terminal was connected to the lower terminal of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. Ferry service was started uptown on that day, and two boats were placed on this route, the HAMBURG and the BREMEN. On September 10, 1906, the ITHACA, the last of the five boats to be built by the Newport News Ship Building and Dry Dock Company of Newport News, Virginia, was delivered to the Hoboken Ferry Company. She was 231 feet long, 62 1/2 feet wide, draft 16 feet, 1462 gross tons, 676 net tons, and 1600 horse power. Captains Alfred Housman and William Moran were placed in command of her, with John Barr as Chief Engineer. The boat was put on the Barclay Street route in the place of the ferryboat SCRANTON, and the SCRANTON was made extra boat. These five boats were the finest type of ferryboats to be found in existence, as they brought about a radical departure in ferryboat construction. From the "straight nose" bows of the side wheel, to the sharp "cut away" bows of the propeller, they became the fastest boats on the river, and are the forerunners of the present type of New York Harbor ferryboat. On October 1, 1906, three boats were placed on the Twenty-third Street route from the lower ferry from ==== page 106 6:40 A. M. to 10 A. M. and from 4 P. M. to 7 P. M. Captain Bade went on the day boat. It was on this day that the new Twenty-third Street Terminal, New York, was opened to the public. Captain Emery did not have any labor difficulties from 1905 until 1906-when trouble came about through a collision between the iron steamboat PERSEUS and the ferryboat BERGEN, in charge of Captain O. D. Relyea. The Twenty-third Street ferryboat was coming up from the lower ferry to Twenty-third Street, New York, and in making her slip at Twenty- third Street, Captain Relyea saw the iron steamboat coming down the river. Captain Relyea blew the PERSEUS one whistle. This was answered by two from the PERSEUS. The PERSEUS hit the Twenty-third Street ferryboat on the port side, doing considerable damage to both vessels. The Captain of the PERSEUS was A member of the Harbor Union No. 1, but Captain Relyea was not a member, and when the case came up before the Local Inspectors, although Captain Relyea was in the right, he was suspended for one hundred days. Captain Emery did not like this, for he knew Captain Relyea was in the right; and to suspend a man just because he did not belong to the Harbor Union, he considered very unjust. At the time of this collision there were seventeen pilots on the Hoboken Ferry who belonged to the Harbor Union No. 1. Captain Emery gave these men their choice of resigning from either the Harbor Union or the ferry. The men resigned from the Harbor Union. This was the ==== page 107 first break between Captain Emery and the Harbor Union and Captain L. Dow, who was the head of the Harbor Union at that time. The next two boats to be added to the Hoboken Ferry were the LACKAWANNA and HOPATCONG. The LACKAWANNA, which was formerly the WOODBURY, was built by Harlan, Hollingsworth & Company at Wilmington, Delaware, in the year 1905. She was 195 feet long, 40 feet wide, draft 15 feet, double deck, steel hull, 1400 horse power, 857 gross tons, net 583 tons, and cost $148,381.50. This boat was purchased by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad on May 23, 1907, from the Norfolk & Washington Steamboat Company, and renamed the LACKAWANNA on July 8th of that year. She arrived at the Fourteenth Street yards of the ferry on Thursday, May 30,1907, at 10:30 A. M. and was reconstructed for upper deck service by extending the upper deck for approaches. Her trial trip took place on September 30 at 4:05 P. M., and her final trial trip on October 2, 1907. She was put in commission on Christopher Street ferry service Thursday, October 3, 1907. The HOPATCONG was built, as was the LACKAWANNA,, by Harlan, Hollingsworth & Company at Wilmington, Delaware, in 1905. She was 195 feet long, 40 feet wide, draft 15 feet, double deck, steel hull, 1400 horse power, 857 gross tons, net 583 tons. This boat, which was named CALLAHAN, was purchased by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad from the Norfolk & Washington Steamboat ==== see notes for continuation of text from 108 to end.

2004.026.0004.03

2004.026

Natale, Mildred Marion "Molly" Pescatore

Gift

Gift of Mildred Marion Pescatore Natale.

Smith, Harry J., Jr.

Notes: 2004.026.0004.03 This record is a text only record with transcription of pages 100 to end for: Romance of the Hoboken Ferry. By Harry J. Smith, Jr. Under the personal supervision of John M. Emery, Manager Marine Department Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company. NY: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1931. SEE library record 2004.026.0004.01 for pages 40 to 71; library record 2004.026.0004.02 for pages 70 to 100. For beginning of volume to page 40, see the primary record, 2004.026.0004. [text for pages 100 to 107 are in the summary field] ==== page 108 Company, Washington, D. C., on May 23, 1907, at a cost of $127,500.00. The old ferryboat LACKAWANNA was accepted by the Norfolk & Washington Steamboat Company as part payment for the CALLAHAN and WOODBURY, with the additional amount of $220,000.00. On August 30, 1907, the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad sent Captain A. Compton, Fletcher Van Gieson, Sr., and William Kane to Newport News to bring this boat to Hoboken. At the time she was running between Newport News and Jamestown, Virginia. She was delivered to the Hoboken Ferry Company on Tuesday, October 15, 1907, being towed to Hoboken by the tug SCRANTON; also the ferryboat had her own engines going on the way up. The boat arrived at Fourteenth Street, Hoboken, at 12:30 P.M., Friday, October 18, 1907. She was sent to James Shewan & Sons Dry Dock, Brooklyn, at 3 P. M., Friday, October 18, 1907, for reconstruction work suitable for double deck service. Her trial trip was made on February 4, 1908. She was placed in commission as day boat on the Twenty-third Street ferry route Monday, February 17, 1908, at 4 P. M. In 1908 John Stuart was pensioned. This man had been a great factor in building up the Hoboken Ferry. He was boss carpenter for the Ferry and, as far as the records show, he began his career with the Ferry in the year 1863. From that time until 1885, he built seven ferryboats for the Ferry Company, and all of these boats were a success. Soon after being pensioned, he died. ==== page 109 CHAPTER XX The New Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Terminal at Hoboken THE new Lackawanna Terminal at Hoboken was opened to the public at six o'clock in the morn-ing on February 25, 1907. The following is from the New York Tribune dated February 24, 1907: "The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad's new Hoboken Terminal station will be ready for business to-morrow morning. Yesterday about one hundred and fifty guests of the company inspected the facilities that are planned to give the patrons of the road, whether suburbanites or long distance travellers, everything in the way of comforts demanded. George A. Cullen, the general passenger agent, was in charge, and piloted representatives of various industries and professions around. From the Lackawanna Management there were also present B. D. Caldwell, Vice-President, who looks after the traffic end of the road; E. E. Loomis, Vice-President; George W. Hayler, Assistant General Passenger Agent; the architect, Kenneth Murchison; the advertising manager, Frederick P. Fox, and his assistant, James Fister, and Joseph E. Snell, Superin- ==== page 110 tendent of buildings, representing L. Bush, who designed the train shed, the only one of its kind, it is said, in the country. "After the guests were taken through the main building and into the outlying parts, and had thoroughly digested the advantages of the station to the traveling public, luncheon was served in the buffet by the dining room service. The main dining room was open for inspection, but the buffet was used to show how quickly meals could be served. "When a demand by the guests for a speech was made, Mr. Cullen was ready. He had been in consultation with Phoebe Snow, who had prepared for him several stanzas, which he was graciously permitted to recite. But first Mr. Cullen welcomed the guests, and they couldn't help but feel that he meant every word he said. Then he attacked the verses. They were as follows: Miss Phoebe Snow Her greetings sends To one and all Her gallant friends: To those who share With her her joys Here-everywhere, Her railroad boys. To those who wield The facile pen In largest field - Newspapermen. ==== [inserted plate] illustration. The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Terminal, Hoboken, N.J., 1907 ==== page 111 To him who first With her-all hail! Whom could she mean But Prex Truesdale? To one whose skill And taste so nice Have wrought, this building, Loomis, Vice. To Caldwell who Doth fill each car And keeps the stock Way over par. To one whose art We look upon; It takes each heart, Murchison. "Everybody wanted to know at once who the original Phoebe Snow was, and with much reluctance Mr. Cullen said that she was a Miss Marion Murray, a model. He would not admit that she wrote the verse, but refused to say who was the author. "There were other speakers - Messrs. Caldwell and Murchison of the Lackawanna, Mayor Steil of Hoboken, Palmer Campbell, president of the Hoboken Land and Improvement Company and Harry D. Vought, secretary of the New York Railroad Club. "As soon as the fire of August 7, 1905, destroyed the old station, the Lackawanna management decided to replace it with one that would combine everything excellent in a new terminal structure and approaches. ==== page 112 Temporary buildings and facilities were prepared as quickly as possible and the regular traffic was not impeded. This makeshift arrangement had to provide for two things, that the patrons of the road should have ready access to their trains and that the builders of the new terminal should not be obstructed in their work. This was accomplished, with the result that the structure has been practically completed without blocking the trains that daily carry fully a hundred thousand passengers. "It was on March 25, 1906, that the first actual concrete construction was begun. With the Lackawanna's several experiences with fire, it was early determined that the new building should be fireproof. Now even the racks and desks in the ticket office are of metal. Concrete, copper, steel, wrought iron and stone were employed in the carrying out of the scheme of con-struction. The train sheds are built of concrete, steel and glass and are a departure from the usual great arch scheme. The sheds cover fourteen tracks and are 607 feet in length, but are a succession of sheds, one over each track, and connected with the next forming a continuous roof with the most improved ventilation possible. There is no waste of heat in a great vaulted roof. There is no smoke-clouded space above the locomotives, no drafts to chill passengers, no waste of room. "Much thought was laid upon the forethought displayed in providing an emergency hospital in the station, although it was insisted that it would not often be called in use, if its utility depends upon wrecks. ==== page 113 "The great building, having a frontage of 750 feet on the Hudson, was erected on piling with steel and concrete foundations. The waiting room and ferry concourse are on the main floor, which is on the line of the tracks. The waiting room, 100 feet long and 90 feet in width, is finished in limestone and bronze. On the second floor are a restaurant, an emergency hospital and a barber shop. The restaurant, when completely finished, will be done in old gold and mahogany. It overlooks the river, and an outside dining room on the balcony, facing east, will be used in the summer months. "The ferries are reached by three approaches. Elevators run from the street levels to the ferry concourse, and there are stairways and an inclined plane. The concourse itself is 70 by 600 feet in dimensions. The concourse and the waiting rooms are designed to house 40,000 persons at one time. "The great building will be covered with copper, and topping the structure will be a tower, 225 feet high. By day this will carry a flag, and at night it will be ablaze with electric lights. The six ferry slips are supported by arches, which, in turn, will be upheld by ornamental piers, and at night they will be brilliantly illuminated. It is the intention of the officers of the Lackawanna to make the Hoboken Terminal the most conspicuous place on the Hudson at night. "As a sort of supplement to the great terminal there is a ferry slip connected with a building that will serve for the use of immigrants. As an immigrant station it will have every possible facility for the new ==== page 114 arrivals from the Eastern Hemisphere. The ferry slip will be used by a ferryboat plying between Hoboken and Ellis Island exclusively. "The first train out of the new terminal will leave at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning, on the Morris & Essex Division. The last out of the temporary station will leave tonight at 11:45 o'clock, and immediately thereafter every available employee will be pressed into service to remove the various departments to the new structure." ==== page 115 CHAPTER XXI The Ferries during the Hudson - Fulton Celebration ON January 1, 1909, Captain E. T. Hallock, who was Superintendent of the Lighterage Depart-ment of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad was pensioned off, and on the same date Captain John M. Emery was appointed Manager of the Marine Department of the Railroad. Captain Hal- lock's offices were on the end of Pier 2, Hoboken, and when Captain Emery took charge, he transferred the offices to the terminal building. Mr. J. F. Mc- Davitt, who was Chief Clerk to Captain Hallock, was appointed to hold that position under Captain Emery, with Captain W. F. Cogan in charge of the Lighterage Department as Assistant Manager. During the months of September and October, 1909, the Hudson-Fulton Celebration was held in New York Harbor. During this celebration the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Ferries transported seven thousand eight hundred and eighty-one passengers on account of parades. On September 25 the fatal collision between the ferryboat HOPATCONG and Ward Line Steampship SENECA occurred during a Hudson-Fulton marine parade, resulting in the death of one passenger and the injury of five others on the ferryboat. The following is the report ==== page 116 of the ferryboat Captain, William Bade, to the Local Steamboat Inspectors: "I left Hoboken Lackawanna Terminal at 8:45 P.M. and proceeded up the river westward of the warships in line with the other steamers of the parade, under one bell, stopping and backing when necessary. When off 110th Street, New York City, I saw a steamship, which afterwards proved to be the SENECA of the Ward Line, off my port bow showing a dim red light. I blew him one whistle and put my wheel to port. There was no answer from the SENECA. I then blew one whistle the second time and the SENECA answered with two whistles. I stopped and immediately blew the alarm whistle and backed full speed, also blowing three whistles to indicate that I was backing. The Steamship SENECA struck the HOPATCONG forward of midship on the port side, cutting through the guards to the hull, but did not go through the hull. One passenger, Miss Frances Stevens, was so badly injured she died on the way back to Hoboken. Five other passengers were slightly injured. The extent of the damage to the HOPATCONG is unknown at this time. The tide was ebb, the wind N. N. W. and the weather clear." Captain Bade was exonerated by the Local Inspectors of all blame for this collision, and the Ward Line paid the damage to the ferryboat, which amounted to $11,807.79. The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company had three ferryboats in the Hudson-Fulton Celebration parades: the ITHACA, with Captain Housman ==== page 117 in command; the LACKAWANNA, with Captain Bird in charge; and the HOPATCONG, with Captain Bade. The ITHACA made two trips in the parades. On the first trip she carried 937 passengers, and on the evening trip she carried 862 passengers, making a total of 1,799 passengers. The LACKAWANNA made two trips. The first trip, she carried 560 passengers, and on the evening trip she carried 1,003 passengers, making a total of 1,563 passengers. The HOPATCONG made two trips. On the first trip she carried 600 passengers, and on the evening trip she carried 1,003 passengers, making a total of 1,603 passengers. On October 1, 1909, the ferryboat LACKAWANNA, with Captain Relyea in command, left Hoboken Terminal at 8:40 A. M., with 600 passengers, to participate in the naval parade at Cornwall-on-the- Hudson, returning to the Hoboken Terminal at 6:50 P. M. On the same day the ferryboat ITHACA, with Captain Bird in command, left Hoboken at 8:40 A. M., with 750 passengers, to participate in the naval parade at Cornwall-on-the-Hudson, returning to the Hoboken Terminal at 6:45 P. M. On Sunday, October 26, 1909, the ferryboat LACKAWANNA, under command of Captain Bird, left Hoboken Terminal at 3:35 P. M., with 400 passengers encircled the fleet of warships lying at anchor ==== page 118 in the Hudson, and returned to Hoboken Terminal at 5:40 P. M. On the same date the ferryboat ITHACA,, under command of Captain Housman, left Hoboken Terminal at 8:45 A. M. with 492 passengers, encircled the fleet of warships lying in the Hudson, and returned to Hoboken at 1:15 P.M. The ITHACA left the terminal again at 3:20 P.M. with 674 passengers, circled the fleet, and returned to Hoboken at 5:40 P. M. ==== page 119 CHAPTER XXII Opening of the Hudson Tubes and the Retirement of Captain Hallock Opening of the Hudson Tubes AUTOMOBILES were fast coming into use about this time, so that orders were issued early in 1908 that only four cars could be carried on a ferryboat on one trip, two in the front part of the boat and two in the rear. This was done as a safeguard against fire hazard, for in case a car caught fire, the gates would be opened and the car pushed overboard. To this day the order has not been rescinded, although as many as forty automobiles have been carried on one LACK-AWANNA ferryboat at one time. On February 25, 1908, the Hudson Tubes were opened, connecting New Jersey with New York. The first train was started for Hoboken from New York City by a button pressed by President Roosevelt, seated in the White House in Washington, D. C. At an interview after the opening, Captain Emery said that from a money standpoint the railroad ferries had been affected only slightly by the tunnel to Hoboken. He admitted, however, that the number of passengers carried to and from Hoboken was smaller than the week before. "Forty per cent of our business," he said, "is carrying commuters, who pay us to take them from their ==== page 120 homes in New Jersey to Manhattan. If they do not choose to cross the Hudson in our ferries, it does not mean any monetary loss to us. Then, too, the tunnel cannot carry automobiles, and a large part of our business consists of transportation of trucks and automobiles. We get twenty-five cents each for automobiles, and for trucks from twenty-five to fifty cents. On the first day the tunnel opened, our fares dropped off two thousand. But the next day the shortage was only eight hundred, and it has continued to grow less each day since. "I do not believe the tunnel will cut into us very much, even after the entire system is in full operation. Anyway, the number of commuters in New Jersey is constantly growing, so there will be enough business for all of us." The Retirement of Captain Hallock On February 1, 1909, Captain Hallock was honored by all hands of the Lackawanna Ferries. The following article appeared in the Observer, on that day: "Engineers, firemen, deckhands and oilers of the Lackawanna fleet of tugs have expressed their appreciation of Captain Hallock, who is now acting in an advisory position to Captain John M. Emery, General Manager of the Marine Department of the Lackawanna Railroad, by presenting him with a handsome Morris chair, a strong traveling trunk and a fine cellarette for his den at home, in which to keep soda water and cigars. ==== page 121 "The presentation of the articles occurred in the directors' room of the Lackawanna Terminal at Hoboken, where not very long ago Captain Hallock was presented with a handsome loving cup. All of the engineers, firemen, deckhands and oilers of the fleet were present, and, at the conclusion of the speeches that were made, congratulated Captain Hallock on his retirement from active duty, and also themselves on the fact that he had not severed his connection with the company entirely. "Benjamin Schoppe acted as Master of Ceremonies, and introduced H. W. Heiler, who made the speech of presentation. Captain Hallock was too much overcome to make any extended speech in reply, and simply thanked the men for their kindness in remembering him. "When Captain W. F. Cogan was called upon for a speech, he stated that he would not make a speech, but would tell a story, and his story was an interesting one. It was of the first trip on a tugboat that he and Captain Hallock had ever taken, and Captain Cogan gave a vivid recital of the happenings of the trip, which proved to be an exciting one. Speeches were made by Captain Emery, William Linn, and William Gilligan, Chief Engineer of the Cornell Steamboat Company, who has been a friend of Captain Hallock for many years. "The committee which arranged the event was composed of Benjamin Schoppe, H. W. Heiler, J. Banks, and J. B. Riley." ==== [page 122] blank ==== page 123 CHAPTER XXIII The Race between the Ferryboats Lackawanna and Ithaca AFTER the ferryboat LACKAWANNA came into the service in 1907, there appeared a great deal of rivalry between the Captains of the LACKAWANNA and ITHACA as to which boat was the faster. The Captain of the ITHACA claimed that his boat could outdistance the LACKAWANNA and the Captain of the LACKAWANNA was as strong in his opinion that he could out- race the ITHACA. TO settle the dispute a race was arranged between the two boats on October 1, 1909, between Hoboken, New Jersey, and Newburgh, New York, and return. In this race the LACKAWANNA was a badly beaten boat. Following is an article written in the Observer on October 5, 1909: "Railroad and steamboat men in and about New York harbor would like to have repeated, at an early date, the famous race between the ferryboats ITHACA and LACKAWANNA of the D. L. & W. R. R. between Hoboken and Newburgh. "The ITHACA, with picked coal and her engines keyed up to the highest notch of safety in the matter of speed, ran neck and neck with the LACKAWANNA a good part of the way up the river and towards the end of the journey ran ahead of her rival with the ==== page 124 ease and grace of a salmon jumping from an inexperienced spearsman. "The LACKAWANNA, like the rival that beat her decisively, also had picked coal and everything in readiness for the race. "Newburgh is estimated, river measurement, at something like sixty to sixty-five miles from Hoboken. The run was made by the ITHACA in three hours and thirty minutes. The time of the LACKAWANNA from Hoboken to Newburgh was three hours and forty- eight minutes. "On the return trip the ITHACA ran faster if anything, although with the conflicting currents that lurk in the many bays, Tappaan Zee, for instance, it would be a pretty difficult matter to pass expert judgment on this point. "The time of the ITHACA from Newburgh to Hoboken was three hours and thirty-five minutes. The time of the LACKAWANNA over the same course was three hours and fifty-five minutes. "Thousands who travel daily on the two boats that figured in the speed contest little realize that they are capable of moving faster than the average battleship. "Captain Arthur Bird was at the wheel of the ITHACA when she made the speed test trip. Her Chief Engineer was John Barr. Orren Relyea was skipper of the LACKAWANNA and John Heidkamp was Chief Engineer. "The test has caused much elation among the members of the ITHACA'S running crew, as it accords them ==== page 125 the honor of 'carrying a broom at her masthead' as queen of the fastest fleet of ferryboats afloat. "As long as ferryboats have been crossing the Hudson, there seems to be no record of there ever having been a race arranged between the crack boats of the different fleets. For some time the LACKAWANNA has been boasting of its unusually fast boats. River men claim the Phoebe Snow adherents have a right to make this boast when the road has boats in her fleet that can travel between eighteen and nineteen miles an hour. "A run to Newburgh and back would make a race between the fastest ferryboats in New York harbor, pilots and engineers say, that would give the next two generations something to read and talk about." ==== [page 126] blank ==== page 127 CHAPTER XXIV Pensions and Wages of the Ferry Men Pensions ON October 25, 1915, Mr. Benjamin Schoppe, Chief Engineer of the Marine Department, died, and Mr. Charles Emery, Assistant Chief Engineer was appointed in his place. On the same day, through the efforts of Captain John M. Emery, he secured for the men on the ferry a pension. Although these men had been working for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad only since 1896, the Railroad nevertheless gave them a pension. The following pilots were pensioned: Captain Thomas Smith of ferryboat NETHERLANDS, Barclay Street route. Captain John Groules of ferryboat MUSCONETCONG, Fourteenth Street route. Captain Buckhout of ferryboat PAUNPECK, Fourteenth Street route. This man was fifty years on the ferry. Captain George Hoagland of ferryboat NETHERLANDS, Christopher Street route. Captain Thomas Jones of the ferryboat SCANDINAVIA, Barclay Street route. This man went blind and through Captain Emery's efforts he not only secured a pension, but he received over $400 back pay. Captain Ludlow of the ferryboat PAUNPECK, Fourteenth Street route. ==== page 128 The following engineers were pensioned: G. Rouse, Chief, on Christopher Street ferry. E. Clark, Chief, on Christopher Street ferry. John Barr, Chief, on Barclay Street ferry. Isaac Smith, Chief, on Fourteenth Street ferry. D. Blanched, Chief, on Fourteenth Street ferry. D. Haggarty, Chief, on Christopher Street ferry. The following quartermasters were pensioned: William B. Lane, Quartermaster, on Christopher Street route. Louis Gilman, Quartermaster, on Fourteenth Street route. Steve Harris, Quartermaster, on Fourteenth Street route. This man was over eighty-five years of age. Wages of the Pilots From November, 1863, to June, 1926, the ferry pilots received the following monthly wages: November, 1863 $ 65.00 November, 1865 75.00 April, 1867 80.00 January, 1871 100.00 January, 1880 105.00 November, 1895 115.00 January, 1897 120.00 April, 1901 125.00 October, 1902 135.00 December, 1906 145.00 April, 1910 153.70 May, 1917 165.00 November, 1917 170.00 ==== page 129 January, 1918 177.65 March, 1919 190.00 May, 1920 220.00 July, 1921 200.00 June, 1926 210.00 ==== [page 130] blank ==== page 131 CHAPTER XXV The World War and Labor Strikes ON April 6, 1917, the United States entered the World War on the side of the Allies against Germany and her Allies, but it was not until November, 1918, that the railroads and ferries were taken over by the Government. Commencing on May 15, 1918, the ferries transported for embarkation purposes 242,330 officers and men, and beginning on December 2, 1918, they transported for debarkation purposes 127,432 officers and men, a total of 369,762 officers and men. The ferryboat SCANDINAVIA was used exclusively for this purpose, although other boats were used when the SCANDINAVIA could not accommodate the number transported. The largest number transported in one day was on August 8, 1919, when 9,803 soldiers were taken to New York City to participate in the Victory Parade. The ferries remained under control of the Government until March 1, 1920, when they were returned to private ownership. From November 7, 1918, to April 1, 1920, there were five labor strikes on the ferry. Four of these strikes occurred when the ferry and railroad were under Government control. From 1910 to 1920, ex- ==== page 132 cept when the ferries were under Government control, there had been only two strikes. On April 1, 1909, Captain L. B. Dow, who was at the head of the Harbor Union No. 1, called a strike of the tugboats. This did not include the ferryboats. When the strike was called, Captain Dow led the men to believe that there was $35,000 in the Harbor Union treasury, but when the strike had been on only a few days, the men found out that instead of $35,000 in the Union there was only $300.00. This did not make the men feel very friendly towards Captain Dow. After the strike had been on three weeks, it was lost, and the men claimed that Captain Dow had sold them out to the railroads. The next strike that was called was on November 7, 1918, by a man named James Maher, who had succeeded Captain Dow as the head of Harbor Union No. 1. This strike included the ferries. Some of the men went off the ferries, but the boats were not tied up and continued in operation. The strike lasted four days and the men lost out. The next strike called was on January 1, 1919. This one included the ferries. Some of the men went off duty, but the ferries kept running and after three days the strike was broken. The men again lost out. On March 4, 1919, another strike of tugs and ferries was called. The ferries kept running, although the strike lasted eight days. The men lost out, and some of them came back. The next strike was on October 11, 1919. This strike was for deckhands, bridgemen, and gatemen. ==== page 133 There were few of the D. L. & W. R. R. men who went out. After the strike was on for five days, it was called off, the men again losing out. The last strike was on April 1, 1920. In the year 1920 all the railroads went back to private ownership. The Erie Railroad turned their tugs over to the Phoenix Transit Company, which was to operate them. By doing this, they could work the men ten hours a day instead of eight. Mr. Maher called a strike on April 1st. This included all ferries, as well as tugboats. Mr. W. H. Truesdale, President of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company, issued a notice to the men that his railroad had no intention of turning their tugs over to private owner-ship, and as the Railroad Labor Board had given them eight hours a day, his road was going to live up to this agreement. In spite of this, when the strike was called there were some of the men and pilots of the ferry who went out. The men lost out. Throughout all the strikes Captain Emery kept the ferries running, and most of the men who went out did not receive their jobs back. ==== [page 134] blank ==== page 135 CHAPTER XXVI From 1918 to 1931 EARLY in the year 1918, owing to the clamor of patrons against the German names of BREMEN and HAMBURG, some minor changes were made on these ferryboats and the names were changed to MAPLEWOOD and CHATHAM. On July 16, 1919, while the ferryboat CHATHAM was tied up on the north side of Fourteenth Street, Hoboken, fire was discovered on the upper deck by the night watchman at 11:05 P. M. Before any effective streams of water could be applied, or in less than three minutes, the upper deck of the CHATHAM was ablaze. The ferryboat PAUNPECK lay in an adjacent slip, and she was towed out into the stream along with the ferryboat CHATHAM by the tugs and fireboats which responded to the alarm. Although every effort was made to save the boats, the CHA-THAM'S upper structure was badly damaged and the PAUNPECK was slightly scorched. This fire necessitated an entire new upper structure on the ferryboat CHATHAM. In September, 1921, Captain A. L. Hickman died, and Captain George B. Snyder succeeded him on October 1st of the same year. The last two boats to be added to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad fleet were the HOBOKEN and BUFFALO in 1922. ==== page 136 The ferryboat HOBOKEN was built by the John W. Sullivan Company at Elizabethport, New Jersey. This boat was 221 feet long, 62 feet wide, draft 10 feet, 1292 gross tons, 879 net tons, single deck, steel hull, two compound engines, two Scotch boilers, 180 pounds of steam, 1900 horse power, and cost $355,- 399.00. The keel was laid on March 16, 1922, and the boat was launched on October 10 of the same year. Her trial trip was on December 20 and she was placed in service on the Fourteenth Street route on December 28. Captains William Bade and Arthur Compton were placed in command of her. The ferryboat BUFFALO was built by The John W. Sullivan Company at Elizabethport. She is 221 feet long, 62 feet wide, draft 10 feet, single deck, steel hull, 1900 horse power, two compound engines, two Scotch boilers, 180 pounds of steam, 1292 gross tons, 879 net tons, and cost $355,399.00. The keel was laid on March 16, 1922, and the boat was launched November 20, 1922. Her trial trip was on February 5, 1923; and she was placed in commission on the Fourteenth Street route on February 6, 1923. Captains George T. Runton and Ralph R. Stray were placed in command. These two ferryboats are capable of carrying forty- five automobiles each and are used for vehicle and passenger traffic. In February, 1924, Mr. Henry R. Newkirk, Assistant Manager in the Ferry Department, passed away at Moses Taylor Hospital, Scranton, Pa. He ==== [inser... [truncated due to length]