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November Rhode Island History rubh~hl...t bv The Rhod e hl.10U I hstcrical Volume 48, Number 4 November 1990 Society. 110 lit-o<" 'ol"nl Sin..'!. Providen ce. Rhud e ["l"od 02'lllt>-)152,and prin t..,j b~' a grant trom th., Sldl .. o. Rhod.. Island an d I'nwidenee r"mLol llo n". Contents Ed ward D Dll'n.1e. Covernor. Kathlee n 5 Conn"II, Secretarv 01510110'
Ken n..t h", Washburn. P't'SlJ,'llf \-!aunee A B,,,....rnnet te, l'If' rr''Sl FElLO"""O~ TIlt .,OUEll C . rl Brid..nbaugh S \' d~' \' Jil m.... Ant"'lWth' F D ownmg Metamorphosis of the Providence Waterfront: Richard '" Sh.....·TT1d n A Geographic Perspec tive 97 Gll"Tln W l..lf'anld"ie !'LBLICATl\)"'~ ( ( '\.lM l nl~ GERALD I I KRAUSSE Leonard I. Levin. <'ill/irma'! jodC"h,'n The above article is ba-ed on ,J ta lk delivered at "Harbormg History: The Norman Fi"rln): Providence waterfront." a lecture !ol"ril'S c\»;ponsor..-d by the Rhode Island Robert AlI,'n Gr.~ne I~~ _ Pamela A Ken ned v Historical SOc1t"ly and the Providence Prescrvanon Sooct y in Alan Simp"'>n \...·i1 ham '''''''"TV,t'' \...'oodward ST .'lFF Albert T Klyberj;t.eJII," Life on the Bay: Denise J. B.t ~h,'n . g r0 l'~i(, nf,/,,, Logs of the [arnestovvn and Newport Ferries 113 Hilliard Bell,'r. "JI'lIrdi',,, Carol Holscher. "JI/OTIO/ 0"" ,'0'" STEWART 1'. SCIt~EIDER The Rhlld" 1,I,mJ Historical SO"Il'!y assu mes no res pon -ibihtv for tl", opuuons of co ntributors. Ind ex to Volume-if 125 RHODE ISLA\:D HISTORY I~ published m h ·brua!)·. \!.Iv. AU):usl , and ~ U\ t:'mbt-r b ~' the Rhode 1 ~I,tnJ Hrst oncalSocretv. Second-clavs post.Jg,· i.. f'did.JI Providence, Rhod", 1..land 500''1\' members receive each is..ue av a membervlup ht'nefit lnstitunonal subscnpuons to RHODE I Sl.A~D HISTORY ,1nJ the Socretv'v quarterly newvletn-r are $15 .Jnnually. InJividu,ll Wpll'" "f current ,1nJ back issues ,u.' available from th<' iC 1990by Tlu- Rhode Island Historical Soclety Society for $·tOl), Manu...-ript~ and other ("1,rn>~~""lI\d<>n(t' should be s,'nll" AIPt>rt T. Klyberg. eduor. at the Society. Postmavn-r: Send i1ddr,..,.. r h,ln):.", I" Rhodl' [~I.JnJ RtlODE ISLAND HISTORY USf,N 0035-4619) Histoncal StlCi"ly, 110 Benevolent Street. Providence, Rhode lsla nd 02'l0b-3152. 1 J , • • - -- •. • c ~ ,~ . "...... • • - • . . Metamorphosis of the Provid ence Waterfront: A Geographic Perspective Gerald H. Krausse Rivers have played .m important role in the ur ban settlement ov er time. To cultural geographers. this iza fion (If Providence. both in the past and in the concept has given human behavior a new meaning. pre-ern. A~ ib principallink to the ocean, the)' were for temporal variations in economic activitv or type the economic lifeli ne lor much of the city's early of transportation can plav ,1 profound roll' in the development. In the eighteenth centurv the Provi nature of human occupation of ,10 area . In still dcnce River served .15.1 trans... btpment point from another approach. model-,of urban structure are which local products were exported and foreign used 10 show the way in whrch land is utilized a s .1 ~l'll.lI.,b distributed into the rcgtonal hinterland. cit~ , grows and develops. In thl"'St-' models the During the nineteenth century the ShOTt"S of the ..pane-temporal dimension can form th ... b.tsis for city 's \....atcrv..ays WCTe transformed by intense differennatmg U5o(' activuic- on a waterfront and industrial development. much of it in conjunction in the adjacent areas. All of the-e geographic "F" with the coming (If the railroad. Having 10..1its proache-, may be applie-d 10 put into proper pt.'r.-pl.'C economic usefulness in theearly twe ntieth century. nve the events and acnvittcs that have shaped the the river Marne a n obstacle 10.1 city whose needs changing land -ca pe (I f .111 urban shoreline. had become mort' dependent upon the au tomobile. highways, and suburban industry. Since the historic The location of a ...ctth-mcnt is chiefly determined p rcscrvanon movement o f the 1950", however, the by the att ribu tes of its site and situ ation. These wa ter fron t has once again occu pied cen ter stage. .utrtbutes also a ffect the scnlcment's gro wth a nd now .IS .l kev element in the revitaliza tion efforts of d evelopment.' In an ,lI1cl lysis 01the gt:'ogr,lphic the central city. characteristics of ea rly Pn l\·io l'lll,t.. a di stinction The l'vOIUti1, 1O of the Providenee waterfront may must be mad e between Sitl' and situation : the site be examined within the context of several gt."v ..... ,}~ th e river environment itse lf, where the settle ~r.lrhic concepts and models. One of these is the me nt began; the situation encompassed the activities concep t of sill' and situation, which focuses on sca le and resou rce bast' of the surrounding region. w hich and make, a distinction between man's impact on influenced the economic vitahtv of the waterfront in 11,)(.11 space and his impact on the region that lit'S later vee rs. behind it. This approach abo takes into account the Tilt" sue. The founders of Providence chose the sitl' interdependency between the two a reas, since a site largl'ly because of its favorable physical attributes. responds to changes in the surrounding reg ion. and Thelocation selected had a natural spring nca r the vice versa. Another idea, sequent occupance, at mouth of a river, it was prutl"Ctl>J from thl' open Sl',1, tt.·mrls to e"-plain the changing pa tterns o f living in a ,md it ,..'as wd l sitU.ltl.>J fur the p r..., ·itiling mooes of G.'r,llJ KT.lU~"'" i~" m.'mht'r uf th., D.'p.lrtm..nt oi \i,Hinl' Dt.>an S. Rugg, Sl'alwl l'omrJull,m 01 Urbmu,rI/ (Dupu'1Ut·. AHairs atlhc UniWNily {If Rhnd.,I,I,md IOWJ: William C. Bm wn, 1'172), 10·/l1'l Y7 1 \tI:TAM ORr'1I0SJ5 O~ THE r-aovun vc e WATERFII.ONT transportation. Thelocal topogra phy, dominated by Mou nt Hope, Federal Hill, and College tun. formed a central basin where the downtown area later developed. Tha t basi n was traversed by the Moshassuck and woonasquatucket rivers, which terminated at the Cove East SIde and provided the headwaters for the Central BUSine ss Providence River. As long ,lS the District settlement remained small. no significotnt (-hangl'S in the natural configu ration of Ilu- landscape were required. Farmers crossed the rivers by canoe, o r ,11 ..... admg places, and Providence Indian trails p rovided ,lCCt'SS to the immediate hin terland. The site where the downtown Arcade now stands was a small island in the Provid ence River. The feature most criticalto the development of the colo ny a nd ,1CCl'SS to the river was the two-hund red -foot ridge kno wn !;l y the Indians as the Moshassu ck: tnl' colonis ts renamed it the Neck. O riginal Coastline but today it is more commonly known ,,<; College Ifill. The top of Present Coastline this hill provided ,1 panoramic view over the Cove and mill'Sdown the Landfill- b" y as far as Sassafras Point. Docking D } The onglnallay of till' land. Facilities however, has since bee n sha ped and reshaped. though d n'd ging and filling, into a prod uc t of human enginee ring (see flgu rc 1). The Pro vidence River TIll' situation, The reg ion served by a po ri has ongtnally co ntai ned many shoals. which con stitu ted been given various names . such as Innterlund , ::Ollt' Ilf a hazard to navigation as large r vessels entered the inituence, and service area. The relati onship between a wa terway. As river traffic increased. sections of the port city and its hinterlan d is o ne of econo mic navigable cha nnel were dredged to nine fee t in 1852, interdependence: food an d ra w ma terials come into to twenty-five feet in 1913, to thirty-five feet in 1937, the city, whi le goods a nd services a re p rovided 10 a nd to forty fee t in 1% 5, In the pas t most of the the surrounding reg ion . In Providence, changes in d redge spoil was used Imported gO(ld~ were di spersed to settlements in the (If New England sheep rat..ing. producing both wool hin terland, After the Revolution this pattern began and meat.' Ad\ gn'w well under the envtronrncntal to change: instead of sending English goods to the condition .. of southern New England. and it became hin terland and co llecting products in retu rn, many the rno..t common indu..trial crop of the colonial Providence merchants started business enterprises agriculturallandscape. 250 / '-'-. / \. Agricu~uro l . 200 I Settlement \ 2 Maritime Commerce " .~ / 8 . \. 0 3 Industrialization / . ., 150 c 4 Suburbonization / 0 / ~ 11111 1111 1111111111111 1111 1111 11111 1111 1111 1115 51 5 River Decline i c0 100 ;_. nnenaneunmnunnu 4 0 c, 1111I11llllllllllllllllllllllllllllll1l1llllllllly.11lI1lllllU11t11llllllllllllllllllltlllllllllllllll 3 50 ," 1I11l1111ll1l111mllm11ll11ll1l1ll1mmllllllllll Ul1 11l1111111ll111ll111111l 2 ./. nlllllllllll~l1IlllI lllIIllllllllllllllllllll / I ._.-._..../",,' a ._.- 1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 Census Years that d id not depend on such trade. Eventually the-e Locall y produced fl a x and wooJ provideda independent activ ities too k on a p.lltl'rn that permit foundation for the sta le's te l- till' industry. It is iron ic, ted a \'l'~' co mplex exchange of cargo with both however, that cotton. which was to play such a sides of the Atlantic. prominent roll' in the industnahzation of Provi Several dec ades after permanent settlement, the dence, could not be grown locally.' With the arrival Providence hinterland became a region of agrirul of Samuel Slater. river \,alll'Ys in Rhode Island tural surplus which not only sustamed the increa.. emerged as major centers for cotton textile manufac ing population but a lso provided products for tu ring . The colton, imported from the Sou th and the overseas trade. Grains were the most marketable Britis h wcstlndies, was made into coarse cloth for commod ities : whea t. in particular, brought a high the pla ntation trade. In 1840 there were nin ety-four price, so it W ,lS able to absorb the cost of long cotto n mi lls a nd fifty other enterprises on th e d istance transportation. a nd it was even accepted .1S Blackstone River using waterpower as their major payment of taxes . Rhod e Islan d W,lS also the center energy source.' The rivers of Provid ence we re not 2_Oou " I.." R \ It:~ld m o; , Col,,"w/ ....t"/,<, r"gla"J.-."" H,_/t>t,(lll Center lor the S4:uJy (1/Soc1.11 Cl'Idn~ .., 1"11'>'11. ~ 2 G good sou rces of water po we r. but they did pro vide needed transport fadhnes and .1 co nvenient way to Inclian PerIOd di spose of waste..; and thus the development of s lea m- JXIwen-d machm erv brought about the gro wth of cotton mills and othe r industrial plants along the city' ... waterfront as well . Acce....·• to the waterfront from the Providence hinterland n .... ted UJXlo overland transportati on Indian Tral "he NeCk (lew.'ed) rou tes . The t',H I~ ' tu rnpike... and later the railroads facilitated the movement of the accumulated su rplus a nd raw ma terial.. fro m the villages to the local towns and then to the nogion.ll ca pita ls where thl"'t" goods were ,*)Id a t w hole-ale. From there cornmodi tit.... were shi p ped abroed to set tle foreign account.. W"",""_ EUlOpeon C<.klnv CU'Naled PIol\ and to prod uce nc w ca pital. Not only was the Provid ence ..... atcrfront central to this process, bul it Man\lme Trade also fun ctioned .IS.1 brea k-in- bulk point. and he cause of it.. favo rable sitl' it ha nd led almost tw ice the tonnage of Newport by 1800. It W dS .1IIh.1I time that the Providence riverfront developed into Rhode -, Island's major port. Fronl STreeT 'osl Inom rrooe The co nct'pt (If ~'\l Ut' n t tKCu p.1nc(' has been used by geogra phers sin ce rhc IQ20s h) analvze the hu man occupation of an a rea." This approach ca n not only prov ide insights into the different ways former inhabitants ha ve used a shoreline: it can also exp lain the present by showing the im pact of the past. Derwent Whittlt'M'y " lI ~ge s t s that "stages can be recognize....1during w hich human occupation of a sitt' remains rela tlvclv cons tant in its fundamental rlo lirOOd C or QO Storage aspects, followed by tho on ...et of rapid and prcr 20th found cha nges in the wav of life." For the case at hand, fin>stages of occupation a long the Providence River may he defined on the basts of cconormc acnvitic...., settlement patterns. 1,1Od USt.'S, and modes o f tra nsportation Iscc figu re ) ). TI't' Indian 1"..riod, Prior to 1bOO the Providence and See ko nk drainage basins were an unbroken wilder n~s cove red with oa k, hickory. and pine fo rest s, ma rshes, and gravel beaches . The hills and valleys w ert" OCCUPl\.>d by various Indian tribes (the 5. IJ.lnJ 5(hwt'"t. - " Bar!:" Feeder St·rv ,,"" ior COntdlllt--na-d Cargo In PmnJ..J!«': Part of a R~l()nal System ~ lM.A. tbests. L:m""""ll,' of Rh"d.. l..lanJ. ]Q!l(JI, 1J 100 I \ll:r A\I OR PH (l <;I <; (I f lH~ l'RIl\IOr'lf \\\1~RfRl1'T 'arra~im~'ll ~ , the wampanoags. and the hu i l d i n~:- lxyupying a frontier territorv .. Providence Xipmucks). <1 ~ wa s evident in the network uf trail ... had its bcgmnmg... when Roger williams acquired and cleared Ion.... t in the area Tbc Indian!' drew land from the Narragan-cttlndians in 1636 and their livelihood trom the rich l.... tuarme environment formed <1 comm ittee of proprietor.. to determine the ut the upper bay , which provided them with matcn owocrsbip a nd utilization IIf thatland. The pn-domt als for food , clothing, and shelter. According to nant t'CIIIlOl1\ic ,1l'tivity practiced by the first ...cttlcrs Giova nn i Vcrraz za no. who in 152-1 was the fir ... t W <1 S farming. and the territory remained .1 "planta European to Sol i! into .'Jarr.'gim"'l'lt Bay, the native... lion" until it wa-, officiallv gralltt'lt town statu-, in lived in :-m,111 co a- tal \'iII.l~l"" su rrou nded by ex 16-l'l. The nc w plantation contained land suitable for pan~ of cultivated fidds; their dwelling... were pa stu re. cu luvaucn. and horne....tt,.1ding. Few records wigwam- Idumcd dwellings) made 01sapling t'... isl rl'gMding thl' carlie.... t U ~' (It the land, but il tramc-, co vered with reed mats: Recent arcbaeologi a ppea r<- that thv -culers built th eir shl'ltt'rs parallel cal evid enc e from the Co ve area indicate..... that thl' ttl the ..hon- 01 the Great 5.11t River and planted corn Indians ttn-n-did relanvelv httlc tarmmg and rdil'\.! in field -, aband oned bv the lndian-,. Manv horne lot-, more on fi... h. ... helltish. and ma rsh plants. for their and road -, wen-laid out alon g Indian p.Ithway.. that daily did. Circular tr.\ppin~ dl'Vil'l'S, called weirs. conformed 10 till.' topographv of the \leek. By lh50 Wl'H'co nunonly wt un mudflats wln-n..' the catch ~llnll' fin y-two house, made up till' com p.Kt part ot could be ea ... Ily harvested .11low tide. Sometimes till' tilt' setttcnwnt..Most of these wt'rt·lint,d up "long Indians eng.\gl·d in deep-sea fishing expeditions. Towne Street (\.ltt'r North .md South Main streds) using canoes. built out of In't' trunks, with a capacnv on the waterfront. Six-acre house lots for gardcn-, 0 1 up to fifteen men. and burial grou nds extended to an elevation of two Agriculturalactivities were pursued chiefly by hu ndred Iect, terrmnatmg , 11l Iup of the l\t.'Ck.1I.\ women. t'\,l"t'pt for the growing o t tobacco, which so-called "highway." now Hupc Stree t.' The...... • wa-, carri ed o n exclu -uvelv bv men. The crude adaptation s were ...orne lli the t'arlit.... t examples 01 methods 01 cu ltivation inclu d ed tht:' application of cultural chang e- a-sociatcd with the seaboard fertilizer derived frorn dried menhaden and ...ettlement. "'I:'awt'l-'d.Tribal groups routinl'lv g.,therl'd togt,thl'r Unlike other :\ew England towns, culoni.\1 10 pt.·rfurm tlw lanor-inll'nsivl' .ld ivitil:'S 01 pl ,., O'...... "nl Whl ,tl .._~ -~"IU<'n l O'XUpdn.:<', ..'1. '1'1<11. <'I I"" S john lIul 101 M E T AM O R P H O S I S OF TI lE PROV I DENCE W AT I:: RF RO N l and shallow passage in the river ." This ford an d its storag e and d ocking facilities along TOWill' Stree t as rapids tended to put man and beast at risk and f<1T north ,1S Market Square." This public square, made the crossing to ,1 specific landing point diffi originally known as Town Parade, was created to cult, particul arl y during stormy weather. To allevt pro vide a place for fanners and merchants to ate these cond itions, the town council decided to co ngregate and sell their products. To prepare the designate th e cen tral portion of the waterfront as site for these activities and su bseq uent new build commo n land and initiated steps for the cons tru c ings, the town hMI it graded, filled in, and sup tion of a permanent bridge. ported by a retaining wall. In time many com mercial The first wood en bridge across the river wa s built es tablishments, suc h as the Market I louse, Roger in lObO. The bridge connected the hay market on williams Bank, and the Coffee I lou se, emphasized Towne Street with the Pequot Trail (later weybosset the square's fun ction as the cen ter of town. Ncar the Strce u, which led to the opt'n country of the marketplace a town dock was built which \..'as used Na rraga nse tt and Pequot Indians." The new bridge primarily by lobster and fish vendors who sold their p rovided more reliable access to the agricultural products directly from the vessel s. On the hinterland for the transportation of produce 10 the weybossct sid e sim ilar developments expand ed into marketplace. the riverbed with wharfage that wa s dominated by Clearly the developments of the firs t few decade, coastal ship ping. ind icate that Providence was almost exclus ively a As the development of the riverfront began. the commun ity of planters. In a sense that wa s only town decided to reserv e cer tain of its rights to the natura l, since food and shelter were the most water. ln Ih81 the Gen eral Assembly voted to set important conce rns for survival in this new habitat. aside public lands "three po les wid e" (about fifty During th is time the rive rfront emerged as the focus fccn fro m the streets to the river's edge for the for most econ omic acti vities, and the town layout purpose of maintaining some contro l over building followed the ge neral topography. There wa s little activities." This may well have been Providence's change along the shoreline; the only uses of the first attemp t to preserve public access to a free water's edge were at outcrops and projecting rocks, resource, as well as to set aside land for the penna \v hich provided landings for boats and canoes. nent use and benefit of all the people. Maritime trade. Narragansett Bay and the In the late 1700s the shorelands around Providence River had been used since the early Toc k w otton Hill were developed to serve the China years of the colon y for occa sional transportation of and East Ind ies (Southeast Asia) trade, and the site supplies, bu t their potential for shipping and sea became known as India Point." Ships laden with trade was not at first reali zed . The years after King ca nnons, anchors, bar iron, ginseng, and spirits Ph ilip's War , however, saw the beginning of intense ventured to Asia and returned with tea. silk, ma ritime activities in the upper bay. During the porcelain. and spices . The expansion of Providence's 1675·76 conflict much of Pro vidence was destroyed forei gn trade required new po rt facilities to an -om by the Indians, and as residents began the task of modate larger vessels and increased traffi c. From rebuilding, m 10. Welcome Arnold Greene, Till' P rOl'ldrllU Planla/i (>1!s for Till(! 12. Gree ne. PrOl,idCIl,-" Plan/ali"'I.I, -1 4. Hll "drt'd ,md rifly Y,'ur;; At the end of the Revo lutionary War, Providence quite rega ined it~ form er vitality. Local busmessrnen emerged .l ~ one of the major seaports of the new began selling their vessels and mvesttng their capital nation. The Providence River in the late 1700s was in tc .... tile mills; and with a decline in ocean trade, the described as "a plan' of mort' navigation than any of ind ustrial era wa s under wa v. its size in the Union, and there is a greater number t"Jllstrla/' :JltwII. The closing years of the etgh of \"l"SSl·ls belonging to this port than 10 New teenth centu ry were ma rked by a growing emphasis Yurk.." l' In june l 7Lll the port ,..'as visited by some on industrial ocnvtttcs. and it W.lS industry that 130 \"t.'S~I ~ , including 56 sloops. 35 brigantines, cha racterized the ncvt period of occupation on the 25 schoo ners.•and 1-1 ships. together carrying a total Providence River and its tnbutanes. Some of the of 12,lIB tons of cargo." These vessels represented a earliest efforts in manufacturing were in brick far- flun g trade that linked Providence with ports in making tusmg the clay from wevbosset Hilll and Latin America, Europe, Africa . and the Orient. brass founding. However, the introduction of cotton Like that of other port citil'S in New England, spin ning by Samuel Slater in 1790 and jewelrv P r(J v i d l' n l' e '~ maritime trade was severely affected making by i'.:t'hl·mi.lh Dodge in 17% set the st.lge fur by the W.lT of 1812. A blockade-of European ports what would become the two leading industries in was toll mn'li by an embargo act. passed by Con- the Providence area." Bv the turn of the ccnturv grl , that forb ade the departure of an y American ~onll' th irty coltun mill s had been put into operation n eltu foreign destinations. In 181-1.1 British fleet along the M...... hassuck. woona-quatucket. and appeared in the uprt'r b.1Y and captured several I'awtuvet rivers. The costu me jewelry indust ry g rl'w Provid ence p.Kk.L·ts on their way to New York. The from on ly four shops in HillS to rune tv in 1850. when town immcdintcly prepared for defense by erecting it employed scveral hundred arti ...m-, and craftsmen. breastwork-, between Sassafra... and Field's points During the Civil War the base-metal industries, and a ba ttery of eighteen pound ers at Fox Point . expanded. producing cannons. rifiL'S. steam engines. Fortunately these d efenses , as well as Fort lndepcn and machinery . donee, built .1t Sassafras Point in 1775, remained In responsc to the demand for industriallabor. 17 uruc...ted , and peace was declared in February 1815. the cttv's population gfL'W rapid ly, especially a mong In September of that yl'ar the Pro vid ence im mig ran ts. There was a n Irish set tlemen t in Fox waterfront su ffered the Im pac t of a devastating Po int nL'M till' harbor. a black po pulation along the hu rricane, which destroyed the w eybosset Brid ge nor th shore of till' C(WL', and ,1 Germa n populatio n and wrought havoc among tbv ships on the river. in South l'rovldcncc adjacent to the slaughter A 520-ton tr.ldi ng vl'~.., d was torn loose from her hOUSl'S and blcachcn cs. All these groups lived in ill moorings an d hurled on to the hea d lan ds o f the construc ted. overcruvvde d tene ments. A~ industrial Cove: ot her vessels followed, until the short's of the activities and land val ues increased. the com plevton Moshassuck were filled wit h the wrecks of fifteen of the city changed dramatically. especially along sloops, nine brigs, and seven schooners}" When it the river. where factories. blul'-collar neighbor wa~ owr, virtually ,11l thl' vesSt"ls in the ha rbor had hoods. and railro.lds fL'p lact'd the waterfront's bl'l'n d ri\'l'n fTll m their moorings. an d ma ny warl.... tr.ld itional marit iml' u~~ . h lIU~'" 'lIld thl'i r contl'nts were St'vt'rt'1yd am.lgt'd or As tht' ninetl'l.'nth l't'n tury progre..,St-'li . urban washl'li .n ..·.l\'. dl'wlupml'nt intensifilod on thl' Weylx~st.,t Nnk of The War of 1812 and the Great Ga le of 1815 bot h thl' riwL thl' cumm('ro al importance of :-':orth ,'lnd intlictl'li far·re,lChing ha rdships on Providence South Main strt'l'ls Hhl' old Townt' Street) declint'd. mt'rchanb and the community, Although foreign and Co lIl'gl.· IJill bt>(":.lme the cultural and educa cata~tro rhes . tr.lde resumed after tht'Sl' il nev er tional Cl'ntl'r of the cilv. . l\"l'w land on the Wevlx~~. ·t 15 Ibid , bII. 11'lbld Ill. Ibid I" Ca d\' e n'l< ~,.J A ,dllf «I" '~ / Dr.vi,>,'",...rl.61. 17. C r...·n.-. " r side was being reclai med. a new civic center provide adequate draft for the increased size of the emerged around Exchange Place. and a massive vessels using the river, the U.S. Army Corps of railroad terminal was built there. The shift of Engtnccrs surveyed. and subsequently dredged, the bus ines ses to the we-t side of the river also d rew cha nnel off Fox (Joint fur the first time, The shore banks and Insurance companies to that area and land in this area was expanded by CUlling and filling consolidated the formation of the central business so that f.1Cilitil"!i for bulk cargo storage• •l railroad district ZOo [0".1 ., g <; 21 St.-ptw" 01...." t'l oJ l., All lllf...,.,rl.iY AtI", ,., /' ;ilrril,,,illl>rl/ &,.. { ~oJ r T d~ n...-lI'l:" '~·l'T" I ~' oj Rhod.. 1..l.Jnd C....,lill R""",>u rn~ C..nl.." 1QH.I1, 55 104 • \1ETAMORPHOS[S OF THE J'K O Vl n H" l~ W A T EKIK O~ l dramatized the abandonment o f maritime trade and directly d iscarded into the tv,lIe Tways. As early .lS emphasized the symmetry of the new urban design 17QO the noxious Industries of the sea trade had led then fashionable. to a n outbreak of yellow fever among the working Marine recreation played an integral pa rt of the ctassat Ind i.! Point. On the woonasquetucket a nd land-use dvnamtcs between 1870 and 1920, when tbv \lvsh.lssuck. storm runoff and industrial waste d i city's population Increased from fifty thousand to rcctly en tered till' wa ter from a large number of nearly a qUilrtt.- r m illion . First the city es tablished a manufacturing plants. The discharge of d omes tic number (If waterfront pa rks. includ ing Fort ~·\\'.lgl' into rivers \,'.1S further accelerated in 18i4 Ind epe ndence Park, 10 provide the public with ac by the construction of olO miles of ,*'\'OI.'r lines with Cl~S to tfu- water. More significant. however, was the three thousand private co nnections throughout rapid growth of seaside resorts on Narragansett Bay. the urban area." The-e WNl' rnade accessible to the public by a fleet In 1&)3a plan was proposed for a comprehensive 01 excursion steamers leaving from the docks of system of inlt'rcepting and treating the sewagt' South water Street. Fox Point. and Ind ia Street . Such before its final discharge. A sewage treatment plant. steamships as the &IY Q llt'l."" City 0,- Ncu rpart, Rhode with precipitation tanks and sludge processing. was h/llllll, Mlllml Hop'!'. Pn-cilia. and Neu- Shoreham be completed in 14tH ncar Sassetras Point. By Ihi.. time came Iamihar to thousand.. of p..lssengers as they a total uf 175 mill'S of sewer lines provided service traveled to Crescent Park. Rocky Point Oakland ior almo..1 the entire bu ilt-u p a rea of the city. The Beach. Newport. Na rragansett Pier , and even Block pollution uf the rivers wa.. not abated by these Islan d. At tbesc locanons we re attractions rangi ng effo rt.., however. because textile mills ou tside the from dmmg hall...and flo 22. St.lnl "Tl.t E. Dl.'m.lr<> . ":'\ll\l'1eenth C t' n ru ~' ShoTt' Rewrts on ~,l.rT"~Tl"<.1t a...... - Ptoctl'drn,>r.-, NrlI.' [ ngl"ru/·SI , Lm.,.rnu V"I1~ ~ ' ''rh/(, city's port facilities in the twentieth century. The 14(Xhby the Anny Corps of Engineers. These industrial and port uses of this reclaimed area improvements were not without dttnculnes. developed in conjunction with Iht' construction of however. because less than 10 percent of the shore Allcns Avenue and several railroad tracks running property was in municipal ownership. Much of the paratlel to the harbor line ." The headlands further harbor front was by this time I ....-cu picd by cNI and south. formerly known as Pomcganwtt Peninsula, g,l~ companies. lumberyards, dry docks, and other were also en larged w ith d redge fill for municipal p rivate enterprises. Provid ence mayor Pat rick J, and transportation uses. Throughout the nineteenth \ k C arthy (1907-1909) called for .1 11 wa terfront century the, area had remainedlargely undeveloped p ropt'rty usa ble for ha rbor and dock P llTPOSl'~ to be because of its rela tive isola tion from the central city, acqui red for the people 01Greater Providence and The first co mprehe nsive plan for Field's Point the future of Rhode Island, but th is action was never was formulated in IH72. TIll' a rea W.lS 10 include an tak en." ln the absence of ca refu l pl.mnmg. the city exten sive harbor infrastructur e. a new harbor line, had grad ually relin quished an y op portu nity to and additional railroad co nnections. The la nd co ntroland d evelop muc h of till' tidelands of the crea ted by filling Sassafras COn' was leased to oil u pper bay . comparucs. w hich used it for oi l stor.l~ l· tanks, an d From the Iq-tOs10 the 14] Os, the sho relands of the Terminal Warehouse Company bu ilt several metropolitan Provid en ce suffered fro m old age. Imposing wa rehouses nearby on Alle ns Avenue , environmental deterioration, changes in transporta Mtlttary activities also brought about land-use tion tcchnolcgv. i~llation from the downtown area, changes at Field's Point during this time, In 1'117the and a decrease in population. Begmnmg with the arm)' took over some of the sitl'S fomwrlv occupied post-world War II period. it became clea r that bv summer resorts and removed the Revolutiona rv Providence's l'C()Oomy W.1S in decline from the Wa r fort built in 1775. Later. durin}; World War II, pro-pcntv of the p receding fl·nlury. Textile mill the Rhcem Shipbuilding Company W,lS given a c1o~ings were on the Increase. and the retu rn ing con tract by the US. Maritime Commission to build servicemen ad ded to a ri ~in ~ une mployment rate in stxtv-four Libe rty ships and combat ca rgo vessels." the city_The widespread u.....•oi the automob ile and Thl'Sl' d efense-related facilit ic-, wert' grad ually the construc tion of highway!' encouraged the aba ndoned after the war. Since that time d evelop mo vement of people to the sub urbs , and between rnent s lin the waterfront ha n ' focus ed on modern ]tJ50 and 1960 the city lost sO lnt' l] pl'Tcent of its shipping and light industrial uses . population to neighboring co mmu nities." Com Ship ping activity in sout her n l'rovl d en ce wa s pounding thi s loss of Industry and people, the city's stimula ted by the coo pe rative action of the city. the historic housing stock on the wa terf ro nt-had d eterto state. a nd the federal government. \I,ljor dredgi ng rated. W.l5 neglected . and beca me empty. operatums were carried out for the firs t lime und er On the wa ter, ma n's acti vnics over the years had the Fl'l"'ll'ral Rivers and HarbtlTS Act Ilf 18QQ, These resulted in the accumulation of vast amounts of rl~u lt l'li in dl't;'pt'n ing the a nchor.lgl' .lTl'a S4.lUt h of flo.lling debris and d erelict picrs .lnd \-esst'is_ This S.l~~ fras Point by twenty-fjw fl'l,t and widening the ma ll'rial was hazardous to navi~,l tion , visually navigalional channel by ~i\. hu ndn'l"'l fl"t'!. Continued un,t1tr,lctive, and d etriml'ntallo Ihe developmt'nt d n'lig,ing wa" undertaken in thl' l'.uly dl-'Ca des of the pt'tl'nlial o f walerfront pwpt'rty,:'I< As a con~ 24 \\'m \ k K..nzi.. Woodw.Hd and Edward Sand..r-;on , C"uncil, 1%4),:2, P"(l/',J"'Ia : A C,t.l(U,wr Su'n v ofIh'I,,..,( R.....,u r(•.,.(Pw\'iJ..nn·: !'I \\'lilidm D. Warner . ~ Tho: I'rt,\'id,"n,'t" Wal,'rtront, It>..'\tt Rh"d., I~l,lnd Il l ~ l "ri,a l Prt."!ot'n:atlon C(lmml~~l .. n, 1'11'01. .1:;, 2w(r' (I'W\'IJ,'nn' FounJdlinn . l"~ <; ) . <'hdr. 2. r :2. 2'; ll>ld., 17. ,,\(1. Cih' Pldn CommissIon, (,,11".':<' 1/111 ..t l\'",,,,rslmlmll "III<1li" , 21> . Ca dy, ( i/'I<' ~'I4 14t17), VIi. 21', Dun,lld D. ROt>.l dul', Prol'l \I ET A\1 0R I'HO SI S O~ TH E I' R O \ I D E \' t ~ \\I\T~R~I/.{l \'T qUl'nce, the Providence River beca me a souret' of area's use for educational. commercial. and rec rc embarrassment. an d p roposals were mad e for ational pu rposes. It was this typl' o f redevelopmen t putting it out 01sight, For exam ple, a 19-J6 plan approach that eventually __ pread to e ther neighbor called tor an e ' p rt~s way that was to run quite hoods, and to the river a-, well. literally ove r the tulllength of the river. with under Since the mid-197(}., many individual p roposals ground culverts directing the flow of water." and plans have been made 10 improve sections of Fortunately th i.. plan d id no t materialize, but with the river and harbor .lfl',lS.11 Ft'W of these develop the construction of Interstate 95 in IY57 the Ind ia men t plans Me being implemen ted. but some an d Fox Point area beca me totally isolated from the progrl'SS has been ma d e in the physical improve East Side, and most dockin~ facilities on the mcn ts o f tht.' port. and the aband oned 0,1\"(11Iactorv waterfront there had to be demolished . Such was the on Point Street has become a retail and office com {.llt' of the river, a., the public and the city ot Provi plex. The most exten..in' Improvements under WdY donee continued to tum their backs on the citv's are those related to the rehabilitation of the Field 's watcrwavs. Point wastewater treat ment planl and IhL' combined In 14& , however, Providence celebrated its 3S0th cew cr-ovcrflnw trea tm ent tactltttcs ~er\'in~ l'rovt annive rsa ry, and ,1.. the city looked bac k on the deuce. Pawtucket. and No rth Providence. These river's history, the re emerged a po pular determine folCi\itie~ arc operated by the :"J,lrr,lg,lnsdt Bav \\'arcr lion to gin' the river a new face. Thi .. interest in Quality \1 .ln.l~l'mt·nt District Commission, which revitalization was not an entirclv new movement: plans to spend nearly $100 million over the ncvt few the revitalization proct"!'os wa.. already under way in years 10 bring the water quality of the uppt.'r bav Providence in IY74, when the College Hill neighbor into compliance with till' ~a tillll.ll Pollution Di.. hood was officially rec ognized in the National charge Elimination Syst em standard ... Another Regis ter of Historic Places . Today that area contains project. the Blackstone River Bikewa y, is parually more than 150 residences and 65 public buildings o f completed and willeventually link up with bicycle the colonialand fede ral eras." Over the past fifteen paths along the See konk and the Eo, ..t Bay." Yt'i1rsseveral hundred buildings there haw been The mo-t co mp rehensive river revitalizanon renovate.....i according to the guidelines established by effort curn-ntlv under wav is in the downtown area the loca l Historic District Commission . \.1ort' when' the ~ Io!'> h a.,suc,," and the woonasquetuckct important, however. isthe fact that College Hill join the Providence River . This project calls tor adopted the guiding principle o f "functional removing several brid ges. relocating the con fluence preservation": that is, the principle of restoring the of the \to!'>ha..suck and w conasq uatucket. construct original appt.'arance of an ,\fea 's hou..ing stoe,," for ing nevv roads along the wa ter, creaung a waterfront thl' use of mudern commercial and fl'Sid enlial p l.arl'r,'n(.. VaileII' C."...: ra1'/I/("al ~l(wl.lI'. 197/:1. ~2 Cl\..rragoln...·!t R.1 Y C"mml~~"lTI , 1'11<12); "C" r1 ,, ~ l.•mdln"" l l{ot>t'rt 32, Somt' "Ilht· mort> si~mll(an ' proJXl"'-ll~ mcludt' " B],ll" "hlllt' f-rt't'man , 1'11'14>; rrpl'id"'k, ·II<1r1~" . A 51"n,11 A"~l M<1,w ,~""ll'ut Plarl I{lwr ,md Can,ll Hl"l'Way" ([),,'p.JTtm..nl of En\'ironmenla] (Co. l~lal R t'~I"Hn's M ,l l l.l ~ t · n ll.' n t Cuunl'il. ]'11'141; "Tht' ['w\,iJt'nct' '1,ln,l~t'mt>nt. ]'174); " Fox ['oml TnOlngl.." IM,ly" r' , Walt'rlr"nl W,lt.-rimn!. ! t>1f,.- :!OOCJ" (]'w\'iJt'nn' Found.lti"n, I bustne-s district (CBD); then follows a transition zone and .1 series of PfOv,dence Genera Land U Mod<' re....idential rings differentiated by Concentnc Zone sector Model population density and sociceco Mode< nomic status. A casual inspection of central Providence reveals nu merous specialized areas reflecting change.... in land use. accessibility. and history of growth. In the eighteenth century tht' emerging commercial district provided a va riety of CBO Resdent.o uses Cornmet'COCI uses suppo rt cervices for the maritime I o Middle Income trade: todav diversified commercial o Low s-cor-e []I Waterfront uses • lndustnol Gfowm Mtivilit~ and financial e-tabhsh- So,,"""'" o TrOflSJt!Of'l lone o Il'lStrTutlOOOl uses • ~ ers Monvfoctunng ments occupy this downtown area. Age Rings o Res;oennoi/lnsrltu'onal lJ$ElS The zone of tra nsition in part encircle.... the CBD and is character- izcd by mivcd land use, including wholesale facilities, low-income and related ind us tm...., to p romote a diversity o f land ho us ing, and river -oriented ind ustries . In South U~'S , and to reduce the impact of po llution on the Provid ence this zone is fully occupied by port uppt.'r bay. If the-e go.lls can be mel in the not-too industries. oil term inals, the mu n icipa l wharf, and a d istant futu re. the l .... thctic. social. and econo mic major wastewater treatment facility. The tra nsition effects on the waterfro nt cou ld be subs tantial an d zone in tu rn is surrounded by residential areas and far-reaching. n-latcd USl'S . For Instance, the Provid en ce side of the Seekon k River consists of o pe n spact', middle- an d Gl'ographt'rs ha w developed several spatial upper-Income neigh borhoods, hospital grou nds, and models in an attempt to explain the morphological recreation al art',l". Other urban rin gs arc made u p of and struc tura l cha ractcnsttcs of cities. Some of thesl' residences di stinguished by variations in social, concepts nMy be applied to Providence for the economic, and demographic attributes. These rings. purpose of idl'ntifying the impact the ur ban shore however. arc not always clea rly d d im{t becau se of line has had (In thelayou t and land- usc pattern of the distortions C,l USl'l1 by rive rs and the topogra ph y. the entire city bl'l' figuro 4). These struc tu ra l models The St'eft" modl·/. An alternative model W.1S are cru d e and unrefined, but they p rov ide a basis for p roposed ill 1914 by Horner lI oyt.'" This model not em pirically tcs n ng the internal organization of the only postulates a wedgelike expansio n of land use urban env ironm en t. bUI also recognizes the importance of transportation The concentric :ilIlt' model, Th is mod el. formulated in the g rowth of cities. Hoyt assumed that once a in the early 1920s. theorizes a land-use pallern that co ntrast in land use has occurred in the central city, consists of several conce ntric rings, eac h d ominated the ditfcn-ncr-, are then perpetuated along major by one particular acnvitv." The idea is based on the bustnc...." arte nc.... as the city expands. p remise tha t a city ~rows around a single nucleus, In Provid ence all fou r rivers-e-the Seekonk. the an d that successive zo nes develop concentrically as Mos hassuck, the w oo nasquatu cket. an d the Provi the population grows. At the co re is the central dcnce-c-have con tributed to the separation of Sl'tiOTS 35. \ I,lUl'lU" y ..at.... \lF T A", ORPIlOSI S OF TIlE r'R O VI O E' tt v.. AT E RF Ro,r radiating from the CBD. The East Side. Smith Hill. roads as Smith Street. Atwell- Avenue. Broadway. and the downtown area have become dominated by Cranston Street , dod Allons Avenue. These dod residential. institutional, and commercial uses 0Ih\'1 well -traveled commercial strip" radiate like res pectively . Moreover, the expansion of sectors is spokes of a wheel from the center of the city to the further perpetuated by the layout ut suc h major periphery (!'t'l.' figu re 5), Since tbcso arte ries have • '6'" ,,'" Indonlra - I \ ''''' • M FT AM ORI'H O SI S OF THF I'R O VIrHN (f we t r xt eov t historica lly extended into the subur bs, la nd use then- ha-, also followed a definite sectoria l path. reinforced by the introduction of municipal transpcr tenon. Tilt' Proridcncc IIIIItit'!. There is an emergi ng consensus tod ay that in cities COD like Providence. .1 .. pccts of both models may N' pre-em. For exa mple. the city'.. res idential areas reflec t va riation in socioeco nomic ...tat u.. mo re bv secto rs. wh ile the agt' of the housing stoc k is more hkelv to show d con centric arran gement. A Cll\·, i..tence of the two mudds is further ilIu..tratcd by the fact that age ring.. apply more d irectly to premdu-,trial Providen ....e. when land Centers 01 ActIVity use zone, developed mort' fn -c·ly in all \ Shill In ActiVity directions.The .1..Jvent of the railroad. and later the automobile, im posed -egreganon of land uses . principally by sectors. Such 12'.lf!y roads as Xorth and • C'IIIC Center So uth Main ..trcvt.. and w eybossct o Manufacturing Street. a nd later rhc railroad tracks • Commerce I Trade along the river.., providex[ strung rn Warehouses I Storage barriers to concen tric .10m·s. Sec tor.., on Ii!! Mixed Uses the other hand, cnvm....[ .1 .. trong impetus for till' location of commercial an d manufacturing acfivif...·s along the waterfron t. Howeve r, the USl'S Of.1 sector usuall y were never completely similar at .my one moment in time. The older, more centralized waterfront facilities were characteristic of the carl V davs of deep enough to accommodate full-sin' s.a iling maritime trade; ,l~ industrialization of the shoreline vessels. Since then small Inlets suc h as Sassafras proceeded southward, port-related uses of a more CO\'l' and Mill' End Cove we re g rad ually filled and recent period concen trated alo ng AII1.'ns Avenue and now have totally disappeared from the map. The Field's Point several mill'S awa.v. Clearlv. the natural Providence River has been mu ch reduced in size, configuratio n of the Providence River and its and the only topographic landmark still rccogruz tributaries had a strong influence on the pattern of able today is College IIiIL These ph ysical changes land U~ from the per..pecnve of both models. have been coupled with profound modifications in the use of wa terfront prtlpt'rty. During its first 150 The physical and economic conditions of the vca rs. the settlement spread along the shore first as a Providence waterfront have changed a great deal farm ing com munity .101.1 then as a small seaport. since the town's frontier days. The downtown area Factories , coal sht-ds. and railroad tracks occupied ..... as then a marshy peninsula. and the Cove was the waterfront for another century. Today the urban 110 Mf T A'A OR P HOSI S O F Til t r IHl\I IHS;CE \\,\!l!\t!\llS;1 shoreline has lost its former marine-related function operations to the mouth 01 the Seekonk River. The and is dominated Dy a proliferation of non-water waterfront from Fox Point to India Point developed d ependent uses . into d center of steam-hip transportation and Throughout its history the size and complexity of shipbuilding when dredging improved navigat ion the urban waterfront increased d ramaticallv as in the Mea . Bv this time the Cove Basin had been economic activities progressively moved southward filled to accommodate Iht., railroad. and thus the (....-e figu re 6) , Initiall y the head of navigation was at oldl"!'.t portion (If the waterfront had d isappeared. By the northern end of the Con', where a grist mill , 14I)(l several po rt imp rovement plan... were sug tavern. and boat landing formed the town's firs t gcsted to create a modern port complex ,1 S far south nucleu.., A~ farmers began to st'l tle the weybosset as Field 's Point. whe-re till' railroad, facilit ies tor oil pcninsu1.1 .KroSS the river, thl' center of the st' ttll' storage, u tilities, a nd lung Hnger pier-, could .111 he mont shifted to Ma rket Squa re. The first w eybossct easily accommodated. TIll' use ful ness of the upper Bridge, a movable sp-in. promoted a stead ier flow of river was further reduced whe n it was lit-eked with gOlll.is to the hay market the re while also allov... in ~ several brid ges to meet the growing popularity of ships co ntinued access to the Cove. At the height o f the au tomobile; a nd w hen the t4:\R hurricane the port's maritime trad e. w ha rves, ga ngways, a nd washed away its remai ni ng water-rela ted f.Kililil"!'., slu r.1gt' buildings OCCUPIl'll both sides of the river. Providence's inner harbor became obsolete. Wharfing out into deeper \....ater allowed larger Today there Is much Interest in the abandoned vessels to unload, but it reduced the width of the portion of the Providence waterfront and in opening navigational channel and thus foreclosed the possi the river system once again .1S an u rban amenity fur bilit y that the upper river might later have been .111 residents to enjoy. If history does Indeed fl>pt-'at developed in to a modern port, itself, then the focus h.1S come full circle as the As merchants ou tgrew the available space along tradition of using the river as an economic and South Main Street. they expanded their ma ritime recreational resource continues. 111 - - • • Life on the Bay: Logs of the Jamestown and Newport Ferries Stewa rt P. Schneider The [amestown and Newport Ferry Company. h.'fry' route clews.;; the Wt'! fa'" r,.,'Y. /amC',tC'/I'I1. (I 'Cd 1890, Carrws... mid l.mSVIIS u~·rt' "-"'". ;0111.'11 al,,-,u ,J the 'CTr I'"by 1l111,m"''',lo:s "".1 Imcks_Ct1Ilrl•."y ", th.' ',,,,,r,... r.'f/'t1 III ~ t " T/rsl l s..'f1rly t -_ ) St.-wart Schnl'ld" r I ~ an a-,...>O record. fro m the unannounced visit-,of steamboat inspectors to unruly behavior among the pa-e-eu- gcrs. Bcgtnntng in 19l-l the log entries assumed a stand ard format. which included weather and wind co ndi i nons and the barometer reading at the bcgmrung and the end ot each watch. .1S wellas any significant .0>- change- in the weather during the cou rse of the watch. Passenger cou nts. and eventually the number of vehicle.... carried. were also recorded.' The name.... and titles oi crew members Weft' added to the lug entries shortly after the United 1" tl/l~ 18911';ro', th('stt'on/a Conanicut 'iQ il~ po1st tlu' naral t rl1ining sh;,.Constella II . ~ non, nllll, r,,1to h..r ldt Nt,t Imlll Ih,'"/lildi"X vi thl' M,',mt H"p., Brldx,·f1919,. tilt' State.... entered World war Il1ml'St,m'" ElridX" f194VJ,11 /1,i thl' ,\"11'P'.rt BridX"f1969J U'Il, U'tltabtlTl/" trtmsf,,"ta Accounts of nonroutine events li"'l /Irt·tU~'l'" 1I A'1l1idtr.'ck olili C'Jl/l1 l1j'· ' III~ ll1lld~ ,mol Ihl' mainland C')"'I,/.,tdy rl'l'l'lCI'd I>y worthy of reco rd were Interspersed ''''''<'~tmj" '' H I ~ h" ica l /I,,'ilIllvm""tlr. C,'/lr"",.(Of lit.. Sod.'ty. among these standard items oi information. operated the line, which it purchased in 1956, until The jeff)' wmp.my W,lS t ....tabhshcd to provide the opening of the Newport Bridge on 29 June 1961J. reliable and cconornical transportanon for passen The ferry cllmp-my owned eleven vessels during gers and frl'ight between jamestown and Newport. its lifetime, four of which (!1II11t'SfIJWIl , 1873; Although ca rriage, and wagons were carried. the Conanicut, 1885; Rtm't'r Tait, HN6; an d Coremor Carr, transportation (If vehicles was not the primary 1Y27l were built for tht' company.' An au thentic function of the ferry lim' d u ring its earlier years. picture of \\'h .11 it was like to work .1I1 d travel aboard Th is situation gradually (hanged as the increestng the ferric.... in the firs t half of the twentiet h cent ury use of the au tomo bile and the ship me nt of freig ht by ca n be found in the logs of these vessels. These logs tru ck turned the co mpany's two ferry rout es into include till' ca ptains' day-by-day records of the Integral links in the state's hig hway system. operation of the ferr ies. heightened by reptlfts of When tilt' fl'rrips first began 10ca rry automobiles, episodes that occasionally enlivened the daily the directors of the company decided "that 2 sealed routine, sometimes in dramatic ways.' automobile-s be classed as double teams and those The earlh....1surviving log, tha t of the Bearer Tail with one Sl',11 .1S single teams and charged accord for 11 April 1900 through 9 September IlJ12. is little ingly."n In 1912 the wheelbase (If the au to replaced mort' than a record of the dates and times o f the the number of scats as the basis for classification: mandatory ftre and lifeboat drills. Eventually. autos with whl'db.l~'Sunder one hundred mche.... however. the lugs carne to include every occurrence wert' dasSt.'lt .1S single teams, while those with that the captains considered important enough to wheelbase.... of greater length were classed as double 2_ 1llt' ...... two vl...... 4!> I""pot"',) l.- b!.-twt'l'n la meseown and compenv w .-. ~ It-.-. ....-d by Ihi' ~ Idt.,l. .ll" n): ,th m tormatlon fo u nd :'\.'wp<,rt Wl'n' bo.lU~hl ~. lhl' ..!.ltl' dlkr il rurch.lwd 1m-ft"ITY In Ihl' mmut....of th., ho,ud 01directors m 1 m ):~ from ~ Apr. 1H'l'l comp.any_ thrt>u ~ h lJo:oct·mht.... 1'151 ThL~ 1Tl.l1t'Tld1. wl lh otht-r sU "' 1\" In~ 3_ Tht> l o l lowHl ~ tea ms.' Eventually the cu mp..1nY adopted a un iform i ~ representative o f similar reports oi da ma ge caused ra te for passenger cars un rela ted to the tariff for bv trucks. "2:30 1'..\1. Hams truck loaded with teams, and references to teams are se ldom found in lumber went through planking :--': l'\vport apron. log entrie.... a fter the 192~. "Vehicles" replaced Dcla ved two hour s a nd fifteen minutes." "T ea ms and Autos" in the logs' daily vehicle cou nt, lame.....to wn resident- who worked in Xewport which was later broken d own into separate figures commu ted to their jobs o n the ferry, and reduced ior au tos an d trucks. fares for co mmu ter.. were in..titu ted at an ea rlv date. The increa sin g size and weight o f trucks caused For many yl'cl f'> the fl'rry r nad ea special sltlp at the problems for the cump,lnY. Not only did trucks Naval Torpedo Station on C;0,1I Island to IKcu py a di sproportionate "mount of space on the accommodate Jamestow n resident s who were n-mes. but outsized or overloaded trucks often employed there. caused damage to I cmd in~ facllitics and vessels. An Since jamestown d id not have its own high entry in the Cm't'rlmr Carr's lo~ for 7 November 1940 school, students traveled Ill' the ferr y to artr-nd high schoo l in Newport. As noted in the account of thl' Goivrnor Carr's en counter with the 1438 hurricane (see below). the ferry barely managed to get seventy Tl u'st' "t'h'ltl/ Jlld clImlllllla high school students back to lame-town before the I l( ktl lItlt'ts ,lrt' 1m J i~p l".1/ III 1I'I' /am,'SII'IJ'/I Hi ~I I"i ca l full force of the storm struck. In Dece mber 1944 the Stx l,· t y·~ Ft'TTY R.,1t >m . company' s ge neral ma nager reported thai "an G)II rll'S.1I 1'1 tlU' /um~ I lr..t '/I .lp p.lrent uncont rolla ble cond itio n l'"ists on school Ih,t April 13 I mu..t dpologi/t' for no l writin~ .....jon..r 10 thank vou f(.r the tim e an d troubl... ,>pt'nt in the evtra trip: the ~ D,III\' report-, on th.. number " I p,l'....·n);..r-, ea rned In'n' 'i. Th.· n~mt"S t\ j cr..'" mcmtx-r-, t"r each "' ~t eh we re lir-.l IOdud.-d in th,· B<'lI 1 ~'T Tilll's It!);t't);IOmn); 14 Oct. 1 41~ , Rep" rt, "j mdud,-d in th,' Gt'lw ",'r Carr'..h,); un III0..'(". 1'141 lht, numt't' r 01 \'t'h".-I,-. c~rrit"lj J" nu t ,IPP"'" r~u l ~ rl y untilth., 1> . Mm utt"S oj th" t't ...rd " I J m ...- tur, nwt>llll~ . J \-l ~ y 1 littll;' Ki d born that ni~ht h,H. kl'pt me prettv buw ever Knowh-, related whitt took pla ce J uring the remain ..inn '. It w.1'o wonderfulto be met with such prompt der of the afternoon: "",rvin' in t hd tl'mt· r~ t'nl·Y , · Came' .IN",uJ SIr Cov. Ca rr J.30 P.M. G UdrJ~ over and On om' occasion one (If the captai ns took the fcrrv nding and ptlundin~un p ili n~ . Thi.. brin~ in~ a treme n ~t.'w port to d urin g the ntght to fetch a doc tor for a dou....train on hull and danger of rihn~ ~oin~ throu gh member of his family. Afler some deliberation the bottom. Atter p.lrtin~ nearlv a hund red fatho m 01 hawser director- of the comrany voted "that the account and piling givin~ wdy ....onnnuallv. This ton-ed us to leave aga in~ 1 Ca pt . MM [)o nald for trip of the Ferry boat to for Xewport. At about '>.55 r . \ t.~ With JeaN. and 12 get physician for hi-, f,lm il)' be discharged ."! The Pil...... ngers on board. Wht'n hillfWiI\' to Ro-c leland Engineer informed Pilor directors also authorized the general manager "to hou.....• En~int· wa..dr-abl•..J With .... lml"hln~ in propellorv. ma ll' such theatre trip" .1 .. may to him -eem nl"Ct'S we prepared the anchor and a..the ..trong S.E. Gille was sal')' for the convenience (If the pubhc."" for(in~ u..on the beach we immloJiately put the anchor Hay grown on lame.... town "', (j lrltt'T fn'm ,"Ian an Whtpr1t' ,btt-d -I Jun.· 14-16, in' 116 l , • 11 ' ~l d i , rg tr,III' iamcstmen 10 rog often red uced visib ility on the bay and Then- wa-, ,1 hoI,' in her b...II11m on till' starboard side increased till' d,mgl'r (If running, aground Dr of we-ll forward. colliding with other \'l'SSl'1S, Onthe evenmg of Wt' wen- ,lbk to kl'q.> her tTl't' of w ,ll," until the main h Decem be r 14121hl' Ikm'tT Tai! ran aground on "k ,Hn p ir l' ).\.1\'1- \\',1)'.11 htc'in).\ low ""'1 It>r ilt the time not mu ch water r.m w in Thev got the l~l,'r in commission in Rose Island while feeling her way toward thl't',ul)' morning ,l nd with the help "i the tug Solicitor jamestown In the fog: soon fnx...llwr l,j wawr. An attempt wa -, made to haul her offSarurdav n i ~hl , Ldl ;" 10 \hn ul \,,> oflht· t'o;Jd N oi dlrt'ClOrs m...:tmg. 2 Jan_1 Fog W.1 'O also a factor in <1 collision between the Harbor, off Newport Light." Apparently the sco w I GtIt't'nwr Carr ,1 nJ" de-trover on 28 June 1950: wa~ being somewhat careless about where it aimed its cha rges. Left ">.: l'\'·J:>I.lrl 4 40 ('\1. Rllu nJ m~ GUil t e-land north light Fortunately tht' fem es were more likely to collide hl'dnn~ h~ i~n.d m~' 440 the .. on ..ta rboard OOw. runnin g with the arm.. and bridges of the ferry slips tha n under ..101\" bell my IU(,I.('u I reporting to the pilot house a wi th other n 'SSl,>1'> . Such accident.. were usuallv th e distroyer. l looked and only could '>l"l'd whi te numbe r and hi'< bOI\". he blo w ed I urne and I did the same. I see that he result of the engi ne's failure to reverse as the ferry Wdo;. under wa~' cumin~ ..t r ai ~ h ll or me 1rung in and fu ll entered the ..lip. when the & 'lIl't" Ta il hit the slip at astern and blowed ~ bla..t on m ~' whistle and he keep West jamestown on 27 June IQ31, Captain Champlin coming 011 fit' mv in!'im o-:- full a..tern w hite water well reported, "Engine unable to hack and boat hit with ahead of mv bow and 1 1\",1" g('mg astern. 1ordered all considerable force, inju ring tw o p.1 ~ .....-nge rs. 5lightly pd~"t'n~t'r.. to ~o't oft the b,IW. All did. It .....as 448 P.M, d amaging two au tomobiles. A ..uryey o f the boat when the dt ..trover ..truck. Arter the drs trover ..truck she droped anchon- and blow her ..iren. I then -toped backing showed that no d amage O f injury has been done tu gt'ltinl'ithe numbe ui tho' d, ..trover and a..ked if my plates it, neuh...r 10 the d ock." were O.K. I then ordered m~' deck hand to check rorpeak The nccessuv o f ru nning .1 1 red uced speed often tor ddffidgt>and water that wa .. o.k. then I go t underwav C,lU .....-d d elays during foggy weather, but ice could lor Jdmt>Stuw n I repor ted d affiagt' to the c(lm pim y. and scmenmcs til' up the boat...altogether tor extended also 10 the in..pt...·to~ U 5,CC. periods. Cond itio ns were especially severe durin g the wi nters of 1914, IQ1H, and l Q34. On -I February Fog w, .. not involved, however, wh en on b April 1Q18 th e Rt~U'f." Tail was "unable ttl land in Newport 1922 the Rt"a!wTail "carne ncar being struck by a on account of icc, rctumc...l to jamestown and later Torpedo from the Torpedo Scow in New port made-trip tu IFort] Ad.1m 'O for mail." The log l'nlry 1('T the follo wing day notes that Tht'crcu: 0/ 11", &'.lH'r Tail (ll'ith CUl'tl/ll1 Bnl Gardl1t'r. ,,",'ult'd) ill 191./-l Tilt'Beaver there were no tr ips in the after Tai l ran [rom ~V6 t [""II. 1"I/I.·.. ,,'w.I./{. Swmdast01cII. P/w1., 'mill tilt· /<'/111_11 Cl,,,k,' COIII'<'II" 'I. ( 14 r[-oIJ. -I \ l.u. I"'l.l Son'ln' on tt....\\....1 !' ",.-n.' "-.'1"not hdw "''''1' ,It'o.',lTJ Ih~· \'...... ·1 wh.'1l ..ht· bumt'ti...... umt'ti unllllhal Jal",. 11'0. OunnK tho' ..ummo·r "".'1 ....1' 11lt'I'ZO pm Inp lrom 15. C"'liInK~t 1.'10:-- 27 \1 .'1 \'. 31 \1 .'1 1' 1"'15. TheC"rwm'"llf.. logs l.lm....l,w." mad.,. "'lip .'II L....n!: Wharf In :\_'f'"rt 10 I..an' i"r Iho' ...... n.. r..·h'rt' tho' ilr....f 1-1 St-pt 191-1 ar .. ml"..m~ and ma, 118 L I Ff ON T Hf B A ~ During the nig ht of 20 September 1914 the Tilt' crews of the ferries also ca me to the aid of Conanicut caught fire in Jamestow n's East Ferry slip. disabled craft and rescued boaters in d istress. As The hull and engine were saved by intentionally darkness fell on a December eve nin g in 1914, thl' sinking the vessel in the comparatively shallow Be/wt"r Tail picked up a catboat with a disabled water, but her superstructure was destroyed. She rudder and "took her in tow to Newport.':" On wa s rebuilt the following spring and returned to another occasion she "p icked up three men & a girl service on 31 May 1915. ' ~ Another fire aboard the irom the water . .. irom an overturned canoe."!" and Conanicut on 8 September of that year was extin the CorcrnorCarr once rescued "two boys and a skift guished before it caused ser ious damage ("At 7 20 off Rose Island.'?" On its last trip to Newport on the IP.M.I had a slite fire under ash pa n burnt one of the night of 17 June 19-17, the Carr responded to a call (or timbers about half in too"). On 30 December 1944 help from sailors whose boat had overtu rn ed in the CO.'t'nwr Carr's stack caught fire ("8 00 Trip out Newport harbor: of Jamestown stack caught a fire sparks was falling on deck IMd to use Fire hose to put them out"), as 11 .15 pm Lowered NMt East of Ft. Adams dock ot ter hearing call for help and sighting capsized sail- boat. Life did her mop on 19 january 1947 ("one of our passen boa t in charge of Ccorge Cad outte, Quartermaster, picked gers discovered smoke in the men's Toilet. And up Jean Coogan, jea n Harrison . & Hoyle Hodgson_11.41 Cabin. \Ve discovered it W ,lS a mop burning. No Prt' proceeded to Newport. Dryed out passengers in fire damage but plenty of Smoke. We used extinguisher room. Docked New port at 12.00 Midnight. On e of men on to put out fire in mop"). s ail-boat swam to Fort Adams so that all wert' s aved The crews of the Jamestown and Newport ferries were called on to help extinguish fires on other Working aboard the fcrric-, cou ld be hazardous, vessels more frequently than they were required to especially during seven' weather. On 20 January deal with fires on their own boats. On 22 September 1922 George Brown fell into the water from the 1917 the Conanicut responded to a call for assistance platform of the Bearer Tail's A-frame as the boat wa s from the steamer Thetis. tying up in jamestown: presumably he survived his icy ba th , although the captain omits mention of th is On the 8.20 P.M. trip from Jamestown the 55. Thetis of detail in the log . Captain Reuben Garlick had to be the I'rov . & Phila. Line stgnated us for Asst. when within carried off the Covem(lr Carr after he fell on an icy hailing distance the Capt. of the Thetis asked us to stand deck and injured his left leg." Captains reported by as he had a small fire aboard their own injuries as well as those sustained by We passed him a line of hose and pumped water to him ten minutes. members of their crews. Thus Cap tain Knowles By this time the tug Narragansen was alongside and recorded in the Goiemor Carre ltg for 20 December another large towboat sta nd ing by. 1948,"Jam med my finger 5.34 P.M. In pilot house I asked the Captain of the Thetis if he required our door." assistance any longer? He replied, "We are all right now , Captains usually took care of minor injuries, but Captain, Much Obliged!" crew members with more serious injuries were sent We left him and arrived at Long Wharf barely in lime to land our New York passengers." to a doctor. When Alfred Lopes received "a sligh t cu t on h is hand," the captain "gave him iod ine On one occasion the Govemor Carr went to the aid of which he put on it," but when Lopes mashed a a vessel that appeared to be on fire, only to di scover fingertip in the gate on the main deck, the captain that the smoke was coming from a submarine's sent him to the d octor after applying first aid ." exhaust." The risk of getting burned or of being inju red by machinery was always present in the engine rooms ril.';sengers who were en route 10 ~ e w Yor" VM the Fa ll Ri ver 19 lbid., 2 Aug_1927. Lioe. 20 Gpw rnor Carr lng, I'> M of the vessels. and thelogs record numerous in 1940 a "Standard Oil truck carne off POol! so fast stance, of such accidents. An oiler on the Bell,"'r Tail bridge in jamestown could nol be lowered fa..t died of injuril'!' received when he was crushed enough. Manuel Viera tried 10 stop truck, but driver between the conncctmg-rod bearing h!.l' and the rod would not SlOp. Viall I/ild to ill"''' and run to aio id thai tied the A·framl~ of the engme together." bdllg iniured" when thl' GlIt,,'n/llr Carr blew a boiler tube on 4 Dogs couId be a menace 10both pa...... n~ers and Augu..t lQ50, "William Broadhurst Jr. Fireman, crew. Frank jordan of the GtJI'r.'n wr Carr' s crew wa.. reported mjurv to his toes in hot water from boiler, "bitten by loll dog in lanl Automobile. :'-:0. of Car at 6..15 am when the tube let go in the port Boiler," 6\\'12A2l':.Y. Chnslcr. Frank Jordan went to Dr, When Io-eph R. Brazil caught hi.. foot in the crank of Lyman and had it dressed." A young passenger rhe Gt""'nh1r Carr'.. engme. the captain "ord ered him aboard the Carr also required medical attention after to the doctor at once. But he mststcd on finishing the shl' was bitten bv ,1 leashed dog." day.. work. . Ill' ....lid his injury con..i..ted mainly Not all inluril... to crew members were sustained nit I ~icl the 10 of .1 toe nail and has promised to see in tbehne of duty. "Dec].. hand 0 J Watson [r. Bmkl' thl' doctor a oon ,1.. he gl'ts through work.'?' his leg Fooling with one {If the passengers in the vehicles. pt."Ci.llly trucks. sometimes posed a men's cabin," reported the captain of the Bearer Tail danger to member.. (If the crew. On 23 December Aul.,.. utlltmg 10 ft 16 rd at W~t ft'ny,lmnl"'tml'lI, T1tt' I\bt Pa~;.clg" rull tttlln !arll~t tJij '" tll Sdlm,k r~ t 2.1 wiltred E, W')fT<;'n, ""'M \· ~ .'C oroJ . - in TIlt fil.....,lown 2." rt-iJ , 17 Au~ I~ J , 2h \ld\ 14"1 Frnvftc~/< J/l7.l·I%Q IJ')ffi l"'o ltlwn, R.I , !'fihl, n r 2tl. It'otJ , 21 lu ne 1'l41. 24 G<'l'<'l'rn'r (IlrT ~, 17 Stl'l 1'141-1. 27,1t>.J., 12 Jul\ 1<047 120 "qud ling a disturbance dmong passengers."> On 30 April 1447 '. "some of the hi~h Sl.."h(IOI Girl s had .l Fight in the Lady toilet [of the Gcll't'nltJr C,lrr!-----(and one of them ...... lS hurt)." Sometimes the police were called on for ,hsi.,ta nCl'. One night two sailor...... tolea handbag from a naval officer in civilia n clothes : "Whl'll boat d ocked in Newport, :'\l'wport police & Shore patrol took ..... ilor.. off.'?" Drivers occa..ionallv became abusive if their cars wvre damaged. ,lS this entry from the Gtli~' n/(l r G lrr' s log indicates: - "Car collided with lug on jamestown Bridge Little Pa_""":':" r~ .~" t1la a/""g Ih,' rlill, '" "I//OII a .;ecl/ic crill"" , I~ me Governor C.1Tr ...' l~ ~tIIl 1M ,.mw _lml'>! trom LlII.~ \l\7,,/r l III Neu-por t (ir(a 19JO. RIIis C"f{,...f"m /Ri ll X.J o.J111 i. damage til running board ot car. OWnl'T used prolain language to on 3 July 11/20...St·lll for Dr. Sweet w ho removed Crew...... Another cntrv notl'" that ,1 woman drove him to his horne... her new Pu nUM into tht.' ..ide of tht.' boat." Most injuries to passengt'rs resulted from falls . De...pill' thv boa rd (If directors' rul ing that "the On 12 October 1422 the Beaucr Tail's "after u pper Ca pt.un-,of the boat -, of this company be and art' d eck rail g :'il ltoIJ .• 1; Juh' \ while their ferry wa .. layin~ over in Newport. At a w hich had been ad opted for the first time earlie r special mee tin g held to mve-ngate the causes of thai year as a wa rti me l'nl'rgy conserva tion measure. accidents thai had badl y damaged the land ing The C(l{'t'fl/or Carr's log ior 10 December 1941 bridge... at both [arm...town and Newport. the shows the ferry com pa ny's reaction to the events of directors ruled Ih.11 "all cmplovccs of the jamestown the prec eding few da ys: "8 00 Am . All p.lssen );t'rs and Newport Ferry Company be and arc hereby and (88) hig h school Child ren were ins tructed by p rohibited fro m en tering any saloon or ba r room Capt. A. C . Knowles and my crew in where 10 find while on d Uly under pt.·n" lt~' o f immediate dis Life Preservers . An d how to p ut Life-Preservers On . cha rge."?' The problem pe rsis ted . ho wever, and a And to Obey Orders from Captain & Crew. in Case few year!' later ,1 mo re ..trongly word ed d irec tive of emergency." Fort u nately the company's passen W.l" i....ued. declaring that gcrs were never req uired 10 aba ndon ship. The w or ki n~ d.,y for com pany employees was d O~' ~'mrlllyt'" til the jam estown & Newport Ferry Co . leng then ed 10 ten ho urs starting on 28 April 1942, ... ~lI m); com i n~ ...... 0 m. 10, or Irom ,I b.1IT-rOOm or has the and women'.. names bega n to appe.H on crew lis ts ..mell of 1 0 1\ l\.lC.1 t m ~ liquors on him ..hall be discharged as replacements for pu rse rs an d ticke t se llers who ,10..1 it J.li n 'o (t'ufiKt'r,lt "hdll t>o.' reported to the Board oi had entered military service. Blackouts were held In..pec tion tlf Ihl" Dhtrid. pe riodically in «M..ta l arcos. as noted in the GtJl't'rrwr After con ..ulnng with .1 rncm bor of the Newport Carr's log for 31 july 1442: "9.53 Pm. Black -Ou t in clergv. jhe directors p assed a still-later mol ion jarm-stown, R L Sir. Covcmor Ca rr lights we re all statmg "tha t lilt' ft'rry Co .'s a tto rney be Instruc ted ttl oul 17 min uets Hf l while in lemes tow n Slip." a ppt',u in p rotc...t bcfor hscence comm issioner!' In 1444 a P.1"!'l'l1gl'r who had done her patriotic egatns t gr.lllting .my IiSI,:l'n Cl'S on Market 5'1." \1 duty by con tribu ting 10 the blood bank faint ed on There is no indicati on .1S to whether or not thl' the W.1Yhor ne from Newport: "Reported to pilot prolt'St was effec tive. houseat 4.20 Mrs. Finl ey on e o f the paSst'ngers had The ferry n mlpany provided service to Fort fainted . I sen t I. M. Sherman 10 her assistance at once C reblc on Dut ch Island while thai installation wa s with first aid kit. Mrs. Hunt took cha rge of Mrs. active. an d ttalso transported military personnel 10 Finley . lt wa s said Mr s. Finley had g iven a pint of other Installations around the bay. On occasion the blood to blood b,lllk .''1\ Iranspt.lrtat i(m of military pt'rsonnd t(lok priority Noteworthy events in the jamestown-Newport O\'t'r tht' cumpallY's sl'rvicl' to thl' public; Oil 10 May aTt',l we rt' sonll'timcs nll'll tionl'd in the lugs. 0 11 31 1927, f(lr installCt·, till' RI 'I/l't'r Tllil's Ill};1ll.les tha i thc July 1937 the Cllt'l.'nl or Olrr's " ' pl" in obst'rved, rcgul 31 n'ld , i Jul\' I.....n It> Ibid. :!l l ulll' I~'" :I:! IbId. 4 J,lll 1'110 37. IbId. 12 ...... pt N \.4 ll. lbld . :! .\:<1\' 1~1t>. 3II.lbld. 2 A u~ I ~ ) . :4 G.wr"",-,' Om l,~ Z!l Ar T I~:! :w fbid . 10 Au~. IQ4i Vi Ibld . :!1 Ft'b 1'44 41l. R.'tll.... rold l , ~ Z.' Fd >. 1'124 -:1 Iuh' I ~:!t>, 41 IbId, I " rr I~"·.'I {),1. 1'(14 122 until 10 30 1'.1\.1. Ches ter Creen in Critical Cundr Humor l l4.'c" ..ionallv found it.. way into the log.., non." A noll' appended 10 tbc entries in the Carr'< sornctinws in the form of drawing- or CMIll4.m... One Il\};for 21 MMCh I'M:; states, "Geo rge C. Carr of the Bt'il lW Til;/''' logs conclu des with the observe Director ot the jamestown & Newport Fcrrv CO, tion "T1IUS EJ\;OS A TALE OF WO£," ... • and an Dil-J ." other begin .. with a drawing of ,1 turkey clutching an Whl'n the First Lady rode the-ferry. the captain of o ar." A finger in the margin of the Bearer TIJ if's log the Cc'1't'n/tlr Gl rr noted. "Mrs. Franklin D. Roosl.'\·l'!t for t> june 192.1 pointe accusingly 10an entry which was a pa s."l'n~t.·r o n our Ferris I."id on the 5 00 P.\I. reads. "Smith (d eckha nd ) did not turn to until RA \1 Trip to Xcwport."" Her so n's trip on the CMr was J. woodmansee worked one hour." A similar device vimilarlv. rec orded a Il'w .venr- later: "Franklin highlights an entrv sW ing that Captain Arnold Delano Rll4.N,.'WIt Jr. pas-ed over fcrrv ROO A.\I. worked seven and one-half hours overtime on 27 Trir." '" The ~lJ \'l' rn tJ r o f Rhode Island also rated ,10 Jurn-of that year. entry. ,I.. did former world heavyweight boeing when there was nothing else of significance to champion Ccnc Tunney." record. the ca ptains sometimes commented o n the Sometime.... the P!."" tSea rned unusual ca rgo. The weather. Observations such as "cold. bleak weather" Carr:s lo~ for 2n M,ly 1435 relates . "-100 P.\t. Trip or "vicrou.. rain and squalls" cOll\'ey a much more Carried one Elephant to Xcwport." A note in the graph ic picture than the routine weather data rnargm explain.., "Gorma n Broc. Cirru.. -;- 5 Ton reco rded at the bcgtnrung and end of each watch. Elephant." Thus the captain of the B l'l1l 't'r Tllil characterized ,1 TJ II ~ l'/h' II,..~rlll'h lm~ I"~t'" ".1111 l O!l ~ ""' lI s ,' r ,11\ . l rd I h e l 'lIl/t ~II 'lI ' lI- fl , - N, ·u ,/ Jt Ir I ,err.lIll1121i /1011'1969. It,;. 1/ 1~t ,I'ly01 ","''''Ill'. Oil Ihl' 1t'r'Y .I,lf,1111 J'l m,-.; llI1l'" o llrt'r~ ,IT,' Illkil/8 I'/wl ,>; of till/I historic ,1'1.11 oJ" 1I ~' 1/, G 'lIrlt"".1I III/Ill' J ,lm t ~ l (1u: " f l i,,/,'ri.-,II S..Kit'ty. I2J warm July day in 1925 a ~ "overcast. hot, and sticky." but the engtnc...-r, whl""l' quarters were much warmer than those of the captain. call ...-d the weather on ~ and 5 June 1'125 HHO TTER THA:'\1 HELL...·: On the Id.;1 day of summer in I'I~I the captai n of the Ctll't'nWTGIrT made note of the season's passing with a paradoxical remark:"End of a perfect sum mer, but have ceen better.'?" CIl,'/am llerflt'rl Pimcntel ot thr hdm. (llI/rll'SY"f II,,' !llrlll"tt'U''1 H/ ~ / (l T i("a l Soc/.'tll -4 2 &8lYT Tall ee grne room l ,~ -4 ,and 5]ull+.· IQ25 n Co>lYT"'lf C,," Iof.:,. 215tt't. 1'14 1 124 Volume 48 Index Aldmh.l'.....·... :;1'\ C ''''~dn . [can. 1\'1 Lrban h,rm, ~ tt::; ·1'6; "'Th.. Gr."'1 G.II.· '\ 11 ):,-11, ( h,n"..., '!. i C.",l.e. Bcuom. :;4 ,,111'1 ::; , Artlld,'lual Evid.·nc.,"I Rh"J.. .""" t< n ., ~ , l..h,pl. _~.l \lelnl..",h . Havel. 17 PW['IJe,r.-e !ollrfllli Creat Gale of HH5. 1,,11 ru"d... "Commercial Progres s versus \lack..v.Cbartes C 11.15 53. 58. rn... id..nee Cove r...:l..m.lIi"n. Local Rljo\hls Turnpike Building in \bnton. Dam..!. :!:t> 71-72. 79 Xorthw....tern Rhode b1..nd in Ih" "ilntlm'·'·nkrpn...... Sn> Hilrbormg Provrd..nee waterfront Sn> lI ar bo,lTlng l1'ltl!o." 21·32 Historv Hrstort.. Tr"n~purl"ll''" . s.... Ferryboats: Harbor- \tartm. J(>'>t'rh. lit> Public he..lth. NFilhng the Providence lilt:: .lislor~ \lub,ht\· ~ tj ,lIt>(,tinjo\ Hi~lor\ ; Cove: Im..ge m th.. En,luhon ,.1 Urba n Tunbridge, [ohn. 8" Tump,k.,... Furm.- I>'>-S5 Tunn..v. Cene. 12) .\ I'>Iml 1/",,,, \~ h' pl. 10<; Tumprkc.... "Cornmerctal I'r"gr....~ '· e r ~ u ~ \Iumnpdl autoeomv ··C"mm,·n·!.tl Raslroad.., ~ F i l h n g the I'rn\"ldenn' Cove Local RIght.. Turnp,h' BUilding III Pr~n'50~ ' .. r ~ u " Local R,ghts: Image in the Evolutmn of Lrban '''rlllw....tern Rhode 1..land in the TUrnplkl' Bu'ldmK ,n '\orlhw,..." ..rn Form." 65-85 17'IO...N 2k\:!: Rhod .. I..land m Ih.. 1i"K).;." :!:1 -.3:!: Rakat..ms k~· . Benjarrun. 10, 15 R..ub. p..lncia. ~ A n( " h " r 1'.1I1..m ,'I UrNn r..newel. ··Filh ng the Pruvidenee ':11""'" ( ~ h ' rl, -II Lrban Linng \Iulh lam il\' H"u~mg m e"...· Imdge rn Ih" F""IUhon "I Lrban ' ..,...·11. Trmothv . , -I PW ' ·ldenC'e ,I~ 126