USA > New York > New York City > The Memorial History of the City of New York: From Its First Settlement to the Year 1892, Volume III > Part 45
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James Pumpelly, Charles Pumpelly, John R. Drake, Jonathan Platt, Luther Gere, Francis A. Bloodgood, Jeremiah S. Beebe, Ebenezer Mack, Ansel St. John, Andrew De Witt Bruyn, Stephen Tuttle, Lyman Covell, Robert Covell, John Arnett. John Magee, William McKay, William S. Hubbell, William Bonham, Arthur H. Erwin, Henry Brother, Philip Church, Samuel King, Walter Bowne, Mor- gan Lewis, William Paulding, Peter Loveland, Isaac Lawrence, Jeromus Johnson, John Steward, Jr .. Henry I. Wyckoff, Richard M. Lawrence, Gideon Lee, John P. Stagg, Nathaniel Weed, Hubert Van Wagenen, David Rodgers, John Hone, John G. Coster, Goold Hoyt, Peter P. Nevius, Robert Bu- loid, Thomas A. Ronalds, John Haggerty, Elisha Riggs, Benjamin L. Swan, Grant B. Baldwin, William Maxwell, and Darius Bentley.
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HISTORY OF NEW-YORK
York Tribune" of Friday, April 25, said on its editorial page, "The iron track from Piermont to Dunkirk is at length completed, and the first train passed over the road on Tuesday. The directors left this city on Monday, stopped for the night at Elmira, and arrived at Dunkirk about six o'clock on Tuesday evening, amid the rejoicings of thousands who had gathered to witness the advent of the first train of cars from the banks of the Hudson. The company remained at Dunkirk Tuesday night, and on Wednesday afternoon started on their return to this city,"-and closed its account with the query, "Should not the completion of this mighty undertaking be commemo- rated by our citizens ?" "Step by step," said a New-York publication of 1855, "mile by mile, over mountains, across valleys, on airy via- ducts, from the river to the great lakes the work was at length ac- complished, and immediately, as if a magic wand had touched the great West, roads connecting with it sprang into existence, leading to every State in the Union north of the Ohio b. S Woodhull and Mississippi, and the wealth of the great Northwest was poured into the lap of New-York. St. Louis formerly bought goods at New Orleans, now it comes to us. Illinois bought at St. Louis, now it purchases on the Atlantic coast. Ohio went bodily to Cincinnati for its supplies. Cincinnati itself now seeks them in the metropolis of the Empire State."
During the year ending September 30, 1854, 1,125,123 passengers were transported, with 743,250 tons of freight. The road then owned 183 locomotives, and 2935 cars. The cost of the road and equipment was $33,439,431.10, and its earnings for that year $5,359,958.68, or nearly one sixth of its total cost. The company fell into evil hands, however, and in 1859 its road and property were placed in the hands of a receiver for non-payment of interest on its funded debt. A re- organization was effected under the name of the Erie Railway Com- pany in June, 1861. In May, 1875, the road and property were again placed in the hands of a receiver in default of payment of interest on its bonds, and its affairs were by him administered until April 24, 1878, when the road, franchise, and property were sold under a fore- closure of the mortgage bonds, and a second reorganization was effected under the title of the New-York, Lake Erie, and Western Railroad Company, the articles of association being filed on the 27th of the same month. Since then the affairs of the great corpo- ration have been in a much more prosperous condition.2
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It is worthy of mention that none of the other great trunk-lines
1 Caleb S. Woodhull was elected mayor by the miles of line. Its total earnings for that year Whigs in 1849, and served one term. It was dur- ing his administration that the Astor Place riot occurred. EDITOR.
2 In 1891 it was operating a total of 1696.59
were $30,090,699.51. It carried 13,756,292 passen- gers, and 24,911,699 tons of freight. It then had 870 locomotives, 703 passenger-cars, and 40,580 freight-cars. Its capital stock is $85,951,100.
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HISTORY OF NEW-YORK
the city, was formed by the consolidation, in June, 1871, of the ori- ginal Pennsylvania Railroad from Philadelphia to Pittsburg (first opened February 15, 1854) with the United Railroads of New Jersey, which had at that date absorbed the various independent railroad companies of New Jersey, and controlled and Achimplan operated a through line to Philadelphia. These independent companies were the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company, the Camden and Amboy, the New Jersey, and the Philadelphia and Trenton railroad companies.
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, by the ex- tension of its lines to Buffalo and to Oswego on Lake Ontario, is en- titled to be considered as one of the trunk-lines and feeders of the metropolis. It was organized December 10, 1853, by the consoli- dation of the Lackawanna and Western, which had been chartered March 14, 1849, and the Delaware and Cobbs Gap Railroad (chartered December 26, 1850). In 1868, by its lease of the Morris and Essex Railroad (chartered 1835), it gained an entrance to Jersey City and New-York, and made connection with the Hudson. On October 2, 1882, it leased the New-York, Delaware and Lackawanna Railroad, running from Binghamton to the International Bridge, New-York, with a branch line to the city of Buffalo, and thus became a trunk- line and a rival of the Erie. The Delaware, Lackawanna and West- ern was originally organized as a coal road, its line extending from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to the Delaware River, and it is now one of the greatest coal-carrying companies entering New-York.2
The West Shore Railroad, although now leased by the New-York Central and Hudson River system, was built for a through line be- tween New-York and the West, in opposition to the last-named com- pany. It extends from Weehawken, New Jersey, opposite New-York city, to Buffalo, New-York, a distance of four hundred and twenty- six miles, with branches to Albany and Schenectady. The company was formed on the 14th of June, 1881, by the consolidation of the North River Railroad Company and the first New-York, West Shore and Buffalo Railroad Company, which had been organized February 18, 1880, to build a trunk-line from New-York to Buffalo. The road was opened to Syracuse on October 1, 1883, and to Buffalo on Janu- ary 1, 1884. The New-York Central and Hudson River Railroad, whose line it paralleled, at once reduced rates on its lines, and the West Shore, being unable to compete, was thrown into the hands of
1291 passenger-cars, and 36,141 freight-cars. It carried, in 1891, 44,810,727 passengers, and moved 66,500,209 tons of freight. Its total earnings were $67,026,666.63. Its capital stock is $126,771,200.
1 The Whigs were again successful in 1851, elect- ing Ambrose C. Kingsland to the office of mayor. EDITOR.
2 The total number of miles of road operated on January 1, 1891, was 788.29. The company then owned 564 locomotives, 386 passenger cars, and 34,065 freight-cars. Its capital stock was $26,200,- 000. It carried 11,475,878 passengers, and moved 11,383,567 tons of freight. Ita total earnings were #22,011,820.90.
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TELEGRAPHS AND RAILROADS, THEIR IMPULSE TO COMMERCE 421
receivers in June, 1884, and sold under foreclosure in November, 1885. A new company was organized December 5, 1885, by whom the road was leased to the New-York Central for four hundred and seventy- five years, dating from January 1, 1886.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the last of the great trunk-lines to enter New-York, reaches the city by means of its Philadelphia division to Philadelphia, and then by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, and Central Railroad of New Jersey, to New-York. This ar- rangement was consummated in December, 1886, and the first through train was run to New-York on December 15 of that year. The Central Railroad of New Jersey is one of the great coal roads centering at Jersey City, with extensive coal docks at Port Johnston and Elizabethport. It was formed by the consolidation, February 22, 1849, of the Elizabeth and Somerville, and Somer- ville and Eastern Railroad companies. It was opened to Phillipsburg in July, 1852, and its line extended to Jersey City in 1864. It was leased in May, 1883, with all its leased and branch lines, to the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, which wished to use it as a through line to New-York; but the lease was declared void by the chancellor of New Jersey, and the road was placed in the hands of receivers on January 1, 1887.
In his annual message to Congress in December, 1848, President Polk announced the discovery of gold in California. A man named Marshall, while digging a mill-race for a Captain Sutter on the Amer- ican Fork of the Sacramento River, had discovered the precious metal in large quantities; other rich deposits were soon discovered by eager adventurers. The news, traveling slowly overland, reached New-York in September, 1848, and stirred the pulses of men to fever-heat. On 'change, in the streets, in the drawing-rooms, little was talked of but the new El Dorado and the fortunes to be washed from its golden sands. Men settled their affairs, sold their property, left their fami- lies, and set out for the land of promise, some by sea around Cape Horn, some overland, some by water to Vera Cruz, and thence across Mexico to Acapulco, or Panama, on the Pacific, where they took ship for California. During the year 1849 it was estimated that twenty-seven thousand emigrants went by water to California, and
1 John Young was born June 12, 1802. He studied law, and went to the legislature in 1832; was elected to Congress in 1836; again in 1840 and in 1844. He received the Whig nomination for governor in
1846, and was elected. In July, 1849, he was ap- pointed assistant treasurer of the United States in New-York city, where he died, April 23, 1852. EDITOR.
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nearly as many more by land. A little later the favorite route was by the fine steamships of the Pacific Mail Company to Aspinwall, on the Isthmus of Panama, thence by rail across the isthmus to Panama, where the company's steamers were taken for San Francisco. In three years California became a State with a population of 250,000 souls. Commodities of all kinds for its people were supplied largely by New-York and Boston. A short time before, the tea ports of China had been thrown open to American commerce, and our merchants now sent their ships full-laden to San Francisco, and then despatched them in ballast to Canton for tea, thus obtaining profitable return cargoes for at least half the distance.
The demands of this China and California trade for despatch (tea deteriorating greatly in flavor if long at sea) ushered in the era of the clipper ship, by far the most honorable and satisfactory period in the history JAY ARMS. of American shipping. The clippers superseded the packets, which were first built in 1816 to meet the demands of the rapidly increasing trade with Europe, as well as to give European travelers swifter service and better and more luxurious accommoda- tions. The clippers, according to Frederick C. Sanford of Nantucket, an authority on American ships and shipping, originated in Baltimore about 1840, but the building and sailing of them were quickly trans- ferred to New-York. A clipper was constructed primarily for speed, at whatever sacrifice of her carrying capacity. Her lines were sharper and she was longer and narrower than were her predecessors-the packets and cargo-carriers. The first clippers (1843 to 1850) were com- paratively small craft of from 750 to 940 tons. The Rainbow, the first clipper, built in 1843 by Smith and Dimon for William H. Aspinwall, was of the first-named figure, and the Samuel Russell, built by Brown and Bell for A. A. Low and Brother, one of the most famous of her class for speed and beauty, was of the latter tonnage (940 tons). But it was soon found that these were too small to be profitable; besides, they were liable to be so strained in rough weather that the cost of repairs became a serious item. The California trade also required larger ships. Accordingly, in 1851, William H. Webb, one of the noted ship-builders of that day, designed four vessels of this class, with special reference to the demands of the merchants for speed, strength, and capacity. They were the Challenge, of about 2000 tons; the Invincible, of 2150 tons; the Comet, of 1209 tons; and the Sword- Fish, of 1150 tons - perhaps the swiftest, most beautiful and graceful sailing craft ever produced, or that ever will be produced. These, with others like them, carried the American flag and the fame of the American genius to the remotest ports. They were epistles that the
TELEGRAPHS AND RAILROADS, THEIR IMPULSE TO COMMERCE 423
most illiterate could read. New-York was proud of them. One may have ocular proof of it in the head-lines of the newspapers of that day. "The Contest of the Clippers," "Race Round the World," "' Quickest Trip on Record," "Shortest Passage to San Francisco," "A Clipper as is a Clipper," "Extraordinary Dispatch," "The Quickest Voyage to China," were some of the more striking. The swiftness of some of these sea-birds was almost incredible. The Comet, for in- stance, sailed to San Francisco, around the Horn,-16,308 miles,-and returned in seven months and nine days, her homeward voyage hav- ing been performed in seventy-six days, the shortest time on record.
THE CLIPPER SHIP DREADNAUGHT.1
The Sword-Fish made the voyage from Shanghai to San Francisco in thirty-one days, at the average rate of 240 miles a day -a record which, if we mistake not, has never been broken. The Surprise, built in East Boston and owned by A. A. Low and Brother of New-York, once sailed to San Francisco in ninety-six days, carrying 1800 tons of cargo of an estimated value of $200,000. Her greatest run in a day of twenty-four hours was 284 miles; she made the entire distance of 16,308 miles without once furling her topsails. From San Fran- cisco she sailed to Canton, took on board a cargo of tea, and pro- ceeded to London, her freight-money earned since leaving New-York
1 The Dreadnaught was a famous clipper of which it was said nothing ever overtook her with a fair wind. She was built in 1853 for Edwin D. Morgan, Captain Samuels, and others, and was named after the famous vessel in Nelson's squad-
ron. On her first return trip from Liverpool in February, 1854, she beat the steamer Canada, reaching Sandy Hook before the Cunarder arrived at Boston, although the latter left Liverpool one day earlier. EDITOR.
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having paid her cost and running expenses, and cleared her owners net profit of $50,000. The Surprise was paid two and three pound_ sterling more a ton for freights at Canton than were the clumsier English vessels, because of her superior sailing qualities. In 185= - 2 there entered at the port of San Francisco 157 vessels, of which 7 -0 were clippers. The impetus thus given to commerce is shown by the me fact that in 1853 the value of the e tea imported into New-York ex- ceeded eight millions of dollars. .
The regatta of the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes, England, im An 1851, attracted extraordinary at _t- tention, owing to the fact that if it was the year of the first grea .= at exhibition, or World's Fair, ano ad an unusual number of yachts- ts were expected to be present for Gor the races. Early in the year the Che famous ship-builders James R.S.R. and George Steers, of New-York,k, launched a fine schooner yachtEt of 170 tons, which was named ad the America. She was designed by George Steers, and built by his firm from a model made by him. Her owners were Commo- dore . John C. Stevens (founder of the New-York Yacht Club in 1844), Edwin A. Stevens, Hamilton Wilkes, J. Beekman Finlay, and George L. Schuyler, and their object in building her was to make a match in English waters, and, if pos- sible, defeat any boat that could be brought against her. The America proceeded to Havre, France, with Commodore Stevens and his party and the designer on board. Here she underwent some tri- fling alterations, and was put into proper racing condition. Leav- ing Havre, she soon met a boat which proved to be the cutter Laverock, sent out to try the speed of the stranger, and after some manœuvering, to quote Commodore Stevens, "the America worked quickly and surely ahead and to windward of her wake. As a con- sequence, not many hours after anchoring at Cowes, it was well un- derstood, from the known capacity of the Laverock, that certainly no schooner, and probably no cutter, of the Royal Yacht Squadron could beat the America in sailing to windward in a moderate breeze." · Upon arriving in Cowes, Commodore Stevens posted a challenge offering to race any English yacht, for any sum from one to ten
1 8 12
TELEGRAPHS AND RAILROADS, THEIR IMPULSE TO COMMERCE 425
thousand guineas, the only stipulation being that there should be not less than a six-knot breeze. This challenge was not accepted, and it was determined to return to New-York, but, yielding to pres- sure from friends who desired to see the America's racing qualities, the commodore decided to enter in the regatta of the Royal Yacht Squadron, which was open to all nations. The day set for the event was August 22, and the conditions were as follows: "No allow- ance of time for tonnage; yachts to start at 10 A. M. from Cowes, and sail around the Isle of Wight; no time prescribed for accomplishing the distance, so that the Cup might be won in a tempest or a drift -
YACHT AMERICA, WINNER OF THE QUEEN'S CUP.
with entries ranging from 392 to 47 tons."1 An immense fleet of steamers, tugs, and sailing boats of every description was congre- gated in the harbor to see the race.
There were fifteen starters, comprising seven schooners (includ- ing the three-master Brilliant of 392 tons) and eight cutters. The America, though slow in getting off upon the firing of the starting- gun, passed her competitors rapidly in the light breeze prevailing; and, as the wind freshened, left them all astern, finishing the course and winning the cup by about eight miles. In passing the royal steam- yacht Victoria and Albert, upon which were the queen and prince consort, near the finish-line, Commodore Stevens, although still ra-
1 " The America's Cup : how it was won by the yacht America in 1851, and has been since defended," by Captain Roland F. Coffin. New-York, 1885.
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cing, instantly lowered his ensign, while he and his crew remained with uncovered heads for some minutes. The next day the America sailed from Cowes to Osborne, upon invitation of the queen, who desired to inspect the wonderful yacht. She was received by Com- modore Stevens and his friends, and spent half an hour on board, express- ing great admiration for the general arrangements of the famous schooner.'
THE AMERICA'S CUP.2
The demands of the packet and clipper service created in New-York as large and able a body of ship- builders as the annals of any port can show. The years 1840-60 were the golden days of the craft. "Nev- York," said a newspaper of 1852, << is one of the great shipyards of the world. Our clippers astonish dista _nt nations with their neat and beautiful appearance, and our steamers ha ve successfully competed with the swift- est-going mail packets of Great Brit- ain. In the farthest corners of tl The earth the stars and stripes wave ov- er New-York built vessels." The corner of Scammel and Water streets, ner the present site of the Grand strees et ferry-houses, was a center of the ir- dustry. Christian Bergh, father of Henry Bergh, had his office on the 0 d
northeast corner of Scammel anc - Water streets. "Below him," says -1- recent writer,' "at the foot of Mont-
gomery street, was the shipyard of Thorn and Williams, and lower still, near the foot of Clinton street, the shipyard of Carpenter and Bishop. Ficket and Thoms's yard
1 Mr. Schuyler, the last survivor of the yacht party, who died on board the Electra in the sum- mer of 1891, was fond of relating the incident of Her Majesty appearing on the deck of the Victoria and Albert when it was announced that the leader of the race was in sight, and saying to the captain, "Which of our yachts is that?" To which he re- plied, "Madam, that is the America." "Which is second ?" "Your Majesty, there is no second," answered the English captain. EDITOR.
2 This prize, which is erroneously designated as the "Queen's Cup," should properly be called the "America's Cup," as it became the property of her
owners after winning it in the regatta of the Royal
Yacht Squadron. As this event was open to all nations, the famous cup fairly represents the yachting supremacy of the world. Seven un- successful attempts have been made since by British yacht-owners to recover the coveted prize, the last race for the cup in 1889 being between the Volunteer and the Scotch cutter Thistle, and prov-
ing an easy victory for the American boat. An- other contest for the cup is expected to take place in the summer of 1893. EDITOR
3 Mr. George W. Sheldon, in " Harper's Maga- zine."
TELEGRAPHS AND RAILROADS, THEIR IMPULSE TO COMMERCE 427
(afterward at the foot of Houston street) adjoined it, and, farther south, James Morgan and Son had built a bark at the foot of Rut- gers street, and Joseph Martin the brig Mary Jane at the foot of Jefferson street, and the ship General Page at the foot of Pike street. Above Mr. Bergh was a series of yards extending along the East River as high up as Thirteenth street: Sneden and Lawrence's yard, near the foot of Corlears street ; Samuel Harnard's yard, near the foot of Grand street; Brown and Bell's yard, from Stanton to
THE AMERICAN YOUTH AND MASTER JOHNNY.1
Houston streets, which was formerly occupied partly by Henry Eck- ford, and partly by Adam and Noah Brown; Smith and Dimon's yard, from Fourth to Fifth streets; Webb and Allen's yard (after- ward William H. Webb's), from Fifth to Seventh streets; Bishop and Simonson's yard (afterward Westervelt and Mackay's), from Seventh to Eighth streets; James R. and George Steers' yard, William H. Brown's yard, and Thomas Collyer's yard, higher still. Many other builders or repairers of ships occupied the same interesting shore of the East River at about the same time or later: Mr. George Thor- burn, a well-known spar-maker, who now uses a part of the old yard of Sneden and Lawrence, counted, the other day, not less than thirty- three of them, whose yards resounded with the axes and hammers of
1 The above cartoon appeared in London " Punch" Youth - I guess, Master Johnny, if you don't look sharp, I'll show you how to make a seventy-four next ! ! " EDITOR.
for September, 1851, with the legend "Look out for
Squalls !" followed by the sentence: "American
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busy American ship-carpenters, calkers, blacksmiths, and joiners. . . Morning, noon, and evening Lewis street was almost filled with the multitude of mechanics going to work in the shipyards or returning thence; the sidewalks were not wide enough to hold them.
"The stranger sailing down the East River and viewing the busy yards that lined the New-York shore, the noble vessels on the stocks, the thousands of busy work- - men, and the huge collections of timber - white oak, hack- matack, and lo- cust for the ribs of the ships, yellow pine for the keelsons and ceiling timbers, SUNNYSIDE, IRVING'S RESIDENCE. white pine for the floors, live-oak for the 'aprons'- might have been pardoned for supposing that Manhattan Island was the headquarters of the ship- building of the world; for such indeed it was."
Meantime events of great local interest, if not so far-reaching in character, had been happening which require notice at our hands.
Early in the year 1847, the Century, one of the oldest and best- known of the many clubs of the city, was organized.1 It was founded along the lines of the Artists' Sketch Club, which had been reorgan- ized in 1844 by the leading artists and literary men of the city. At a meeting of this club late in 1846, John G. Chapman, a well-known artist of the city, proposed the forming of a society of artists and authors, the membership of which should be restricted to one hun- dred. The proposal met with marked favor, and a circular letter, bearing the signatures of John G. Chapman, Asher B. Durand, Charles C. Ingham, Abram M. Cozzens, Francis W. Edmonds, and Henry T. Tuckerman, was sent to about one hundred gentlemen resi- dent in the city, and who were either artists, authors, or interested in the fine arts, inviting them to meet on January 13, 1847, in the ro- tunda in the New-York Gallery of Fine Arts, in the City Hall Park.
1 The New-York Sketch Club originated in 1827, and was often known as "The XXI.," being originally limited to that number, and including Verplanck, Bryant, Morse, Hillhouse, Ingham, Halleck, and Cole. It was at a meeting of this club, held at Charles M. Leupp's in Amity street, that the "Century" was organized, the list of names being headed by that of Gulian C. Ver- planck. Among the latest survivors of the Sketch
Club were Miss Sands, the sister of Robert C. Sands, in whose house in Hoboken they often met, and the only lady member; and the artists Asher B. Durand, Professor Robert W. Weir, and John G. Chapman. The last meeting of its mem- bers was held at Bryant's residence, No. 24 West Sixteenth street, in 1869, to meet his friend and former pastor, Dr. Orville Dewey, then residing at Sheffield, Mass. EDITOR.
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