Passenger Service between
New York and Rondout Creek
1829 through 1863
By Donald C. Ringwald
First Edition 1981
Published by ISBN 0913423009 |
In the great days of steamboating on the Hudson River, the village of Rondout (later absorbed into the City of Kingston) was the major port between New York and Albany. Located on Rondout Creek, it came into being as a result of the building of the Delaware & Hudson Canal, a waterway over 100 miles long that was constructed with private capital as a means of marketing the coal from the rich anthracite mines of northeastern Pennsylvania.
The canal was a notable success, the coal came down it in enormous quantities, and this was shipped from Rondout to New York City or to other destinations by water. The village grew accordingly, as did the steamboat lines that connected it with New York.
The first vessel to be employed on this passenger route was the sidewheeler Congress, used originally on the Delaware River and put into service out of Rondout Creek in 1829. As the years passed, the vessels increased in size and speed until by the close of 1863 there were in operation three of the finest steamboats then on the Hudson: the night boats James W. Baldwin and Thomas Cornell, and the famous day boat Mary Powell.
The book details the development of the service over those years and is larded with tales of the river. It includes, in appendices, the operational schedules of all of the passenger steamers known to have been employed on the Rondout-New York route from 1829 through 1863, as well as measurements and engine data for these vessels.
This book has been published as part of the expanded publications program of the Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc.
Acknowledgments
As always, Roger W. Mabie of Port Ewen, New York, Captain William 0. Benson of Sleightsburgh and Herman F. Boyle of Kingston generously shared with me their comprehensive collections of pictures and other material pertaining to Hudson River steamboats. In addition, Mr. Mabie, president of the Steamship Historical Society of America, Incorporated, read the manuscript and made helpful suggestions.Again as always, Kenneth R. Hall at the National Archives in Washington rendered his indispensable aid both in assembling material for my visits to the Archives and in responding to later queries.
I am also deeply indebted to Ardie L. Kelly, librarian, and Paul B. Hensley, archivist, at the Mariners Museum in Newport News, Virginia, for their wholehearted cooperation during my research there, and both before and after.
This applies similarly to James J. Foster, reference librarian, and Laura F. Brown at the Steamship Historical Society Collection in the University of Baltimore Library, Baltimore, Maryland.
Other organizations at which I did research and to the staffs of which I extend my sincere thanks are the Albany Institute of History and Art, and in particular to Norman S. Rice, director, and Roderic H. Blackburn, assistant director; the New York State Library in Albany and to James S. Corsaro for assistance with maps and Lee W. Stanton for assistance with newspaper files; the Senate House State Historic Site in Kingston and to Manager Leigh R. Jones, Chair A. Du Mond and Ann W. Coffman; the Kingston, Poughkeepsie and Newburgh libraries; in New York City, the New-York Historical Society library and to Wendy Shadwell, curator of prints, and Roger N. Mohovich, newspapers; the New York Public Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division, Annex Section on West 43rd Street.
William H. Ewen and William H. Ewen, Junior, both Hudson River steamboat historians, gave me their usual liberal aid, and in addition the latter did the jacket design and the drawing of the steamboat Thomas Cornell.
Amongst the many others who helped were Yeatman Anderson III, Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Cincinnati, Ohio; Raymond J. Armater, president, Ulster County Historical Society, and Raymond J. Armater, Junior; Raymond Beecher of the Greene County Historical Society; Joyce M. Botelho, formerly with the Senate House State Historic Site; Frank 0. Braynard, famed as the father of Operation Sail; Kathy Burton, fellow reader of the old Rondout Courier; Edward 0. Clark, authority on Delaware River steamboats; Harry Cotterell, Junior, authority on ferryboats; Herbert H. Cutler, former president, Ulster County Historical Society; Edwin L. Dunbaugh, authority on Long Island Sound steamboats; Robert A. Harman of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; Douglas L. Haverly, Education Department, State of New York; Captain Collin A. Key of the Hudson River; John L. Lochhead, retired librarian of the Mariners Museum; Anthony J. Peluso, Junior, biographer of James and John Bard; Cedric Ridgely-Nevitt, authority on all aspects of steam navigation; Captain C. W. Stoll of the Ohio River; W. du Barry Thomas, chairman of the Publications Committee of the Steamship Historical Society; Alice S. Wilson, librarian of the Steamship Historical Society, and James Wilson, researchist for the organization; H. Graham Wood, authority on Chesapeake Bay steamboats.
Finally, I extend my deep gratitude to C. Bradford Mitchell, who was chairman of the Publications Committee during the preparation of this book, who rendered beneficial advice and sagacious editing, and who helped beyond the bond of duty.
DONALD C. RINGWALD
Albany, New York
March 1981
 Donald C. Ringwald 1917-1987 |
About the Author
Donald C. Ringwald has ties going back to the period covered by this book. Frank Stenglein, a paternal granduncle of the author, was for many years an engineer on that venerable vessel; a brother-in-law of Mr. Stenglein was another link to the past, for in 1898 he was captain of the last canalboat to sail down the length of the Delaware & Hudson canal with a load of coal.Other close relatives of Mr. Ringwald were steamboatmen on the Hudson. This, together with the fact that he was born and brought up along the river in the once great steamboat center of Kingston, created within him a lively interest in the history of steam navigation from his earliest days.
He is the author of two books on the subject, Hudson River Day Line and The Mary Powell, as well as many magazine and newspaper articles. Always active in the Steamship Historical Society, he has served that organization as president, editor of Steamboat Bill, director, and in other capacities.
Jacket drawing and design by William H. Ewen, Junior
Donald C. Ringwald died on June 19, 1987.