Early Sailing
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Shattemuc Yacht Club History Early Sailing at Ossining 1 was a master builder, constructing and The boats were all sailed by their sailing many vessels, commanding respective owners, and the prizes were Published Articles several at different times. Capt. Henry awarded by Henry L Butler and John Harris was also a prominent merchant Haff, the appointed judges, as follows: of and sloop captain as well, and for nearly Early Sailing fifty years lived in Sing Sing, Latterly a Hester Ann, first prize …………..$22.50 popular Justice of the Peace. The sloops Nameless, second prize……….. …16.00 at Bolivar, Favorite, Paris, Providence, Eliza, third prize………………….. .9.00 Return, and others, would each have Swallow, fourth prize…………….. .8.50 Quaker, fifth prize …………………8.00 Ossining, NY. their place at the dock, and on Tuesdays Imp, sixth prize……………….……7.50 and Saturdays, the scene was a busy ~ ----------o---------- one. Throngs of farmers with their teams would crowd all about, and the 09.16.1858 1836 funny old lumbering market wagons, Postponement. The Regatta of the Sing with their long white canvas tops Sing Yacht Club, which was to have The Republican puckered round over the front, would taken place today, has been postponed 08.10.1886 rattle through Main street down the until Saturday next, in consequence of by Roscoe Edgett steep hill to the wharf to deposit their the severe storm. The names of the Sing Sing Fifty Years Ago. Means of load of butter, cheese and the like. One boats to be entered for the race are the transportation were simple, few and of these marketmen, Mr. Bangs, is well Hester Ann, Louisa, Hattie, Swallow, slow, a half century since. Private remembered for his obliging ways, Imp, Eliza, Quaker and Eagle. They conveyances were commonly used, the doing little errands at the village for the leave the Dock from this place, proceed traveling public taking sloops or women along this route, purchasing tea, to Tarrytown Point, cross to Nyack, and steamboats in summer and stages in spices, indigo, drygoods of various then back to their starting place. A rich winter. Of the steamboats the Gen. sorts, in small quantities or large, and time is anticipated and as usual, the Jackson seems to have been the earliest, executing an amazing number of these different boats have their friends, and beginning to run in 1828 or 1829, and commissions at each trip. The produce bets are made as to the winning boat. having carriages arranged to take of the region was brought very regularly ----------o---------- passengers from their landing to inland to the sloops… towns. The “Danbury Stage” also ----------o---------- connected with her. This was but little 1859 more than twenty years after Fitch made 1858 his first trial trip with his steamboat on Ossining Chronicle the waters of the Hudson. Soon, other Sept. 1859 Democratic Register lines were established, and we had By George Jackson Fisher, MD. 07.30.1895 successively, or sometimes in Sing Sing Yachting in ’58 It may not competition with each other, the John Shipping Village Felt Ugly Scar of be uninteresting to our readers to give a Jay, Union, Water Witch, Columbus, River Tragedy in Faulty Boat. glance back occasionally to time long Telegraph, etc. These stopped at all the (Fortieth in a series on the origin and ago. On the first day of September, river villages, making gradual changes early history of Ossining). 1858, thirty–seven years ago, the first in the business and habits of the people. annual regatta of the Sing Sing Yacht A ferry was also in operation for some River Transportation- The first vessel Club1 took place. The route was from years between Sing Sing and (Slauter’s) which was sailed from Sing Sing was a the lower dock around the flat boat, 3 or Van Palin’s Land, opposite. Its fare small two masted periauger , owned by stationed between Teller’s Point and looks a little exorbitant now, viz: Captain Hagstaff. Sneeden’s and thence opposite the residence of Col. Webb, and thence to Foot Passage………………….. 18 cents He was a resident of this place and the starting point. The boats entered for Wagon – 2 horses……………… 75 “ 2 landed his boat in the Kill Brook, as we Wagon – 1 horse………………. 50 “ the prizes were the Hester Ann , owned are told, about as far up as the present Cart or Sled – 2 horses………… 75 “ by Nicholas Nearhof of the Point; location of the gas works. He is said to Cart and horse…………………. 37 “ Nameless, by Stephen T Kipp; Eliza by have carried on his business as far back DeWitt C Beardsley; Swallow, by Wm. as the Revolutionary period and The sloops, however, formed an Sniffin; Quaker by Joseph J Leggett; probably even earlier. important factor in the business of the Imp, Willie Brandreth; Louisa by Wm. village, among whose residents quite a Lyon; and Hattie, by James L Wheeler. little fleet of them was owned and managed. Capt. Isaac Smith, a man still 1An ante-bellum boat club that preceded 3 A term applied on the North River to remembered not less for his sterling the Sing Sing Yacht Club, which was vessels with two masts but without integrity and business ability than for founded thirty years later. bowsprit or headsail. They were his stalwart frame and genial bearing, 2Raced Comet 1861. generally small. Shattemuc Yacht Club History Early Sailing at Ossining 2 It may seem strange to most persons at From 1812 to 1832 a considerable Bedford and even portions of Putnam this time that Captain Hagstaff could number of steamboats ran from New County, a distance of thirty miles, was have landed his vessel so far up the York to Sing Sing and places above. shipped to New York City from this brook, but it does not to the writer and Among these were the “Mountain port, and the supplies of groceries and many older residents, who have Mouse”, the “Ariel”, the “General merchandise received through the same observed the gradual filling up of our Jackson”, the “Cinderella”, the “Water channels. river boarders within quite recent times. Witch” and the “Westchester”. The lower dock was known in the early Captain Haff, of Scarborough, built and The numerous railroads which days of Sing Sing as the Farmers’ Dock. ran a horse ferry-boat from Sing Sing to traversed our county, and the increase of Then the river border came up to the Rockland and Haverstraw over sixty population and growth of villages which present line of Water Street, and in years ago. have furnished a home market for farm some places still farther inland. products, has resulted in an almost Between these lines and the present Market Sloops. A succession of entire destruction of river transportation. river margin the ground had been made market sloops have done the traffic of by filling in, and by the accumulation of this vicinity since 1839, at which time Seven Killed in Explosion. The fluvial deposits. the “General Washington” was run by saddest of all the incidents connected Captain Isaac Woolsey, and the with our river navigation was the Ran “Passenger Packet”. Captain “Amelia” by Captain Solomon Acker. explosion of the passenger steamboat Hagstaff has had many successors. One About the same time Captain William “Magenta”, which occurred March 23, of the earliest was Captain Stephen Buckhout ran the “Volunteer” four 1878. This ill-fated vessel had just left Lyon, who ran a “passenger packet” years. the dock at Sing Sing, and had scarcely between Sing Sing and New York as far reached the prison when an explosion back as 1812. He landed at his own Captain Isaac C Smith sailed the took place that resulted in the death of “Lyons Dock”, now the “Middle Dock”. “Volunteer” for twenty-three years. seven persons. James Delaney, in 1817, was sailing the Captain J W Jenks began his packet “Victory”. In 1819 he was transportation business in 1837 or 1838, The coroner’s inquest brought out the succeeded in command by Captain with the market sloop “Fannie”. He disgraceful fact that the steam boilers Richard T. Mattocks. In 1836 or ’37 afterwards ran the sloop “Sea Gull” and were so far worn out that their thickness Captain Peter B Lynch ran a sloop, the the propeller “Ora”. He died in 1862, at the point of bursting was only one- “Charles Lynch” named after his son. and was succeeded by his three sons, sixteenth of an inch (!), and yet she About the year 1845 he bought the who have kept up a propeller line to the carried a recent certificate of a steamboat “Croton”, which he ran in present time, having owned the government boiler examiner, to assure place of his sloop. This was a sluggish “Eureka” and the “Leader”, until her passengers that she was safe and craft and soon ended its career. succeeded by the “Sara Jenks”. sound. From all such officials as this examiner may the good Lord deliver us. The transportation business was about equally divided between Sparta and Among those largely interested in the Sing Sing near the year 1820, at which dock and river front business of Sing time Captain Stephen Order and Captain Sing is Mr. S Ferris Washburn, who was John Leggett sailed sloops from Sparta. born in the town of Newcastle, Westchester County, to which place his Changed Sailing Place. Through some grandfather, John Washburn, is said to difference in the rental of docks, have removed from Jamaica, Long Captain Leggett changed his sailing Island, just before the Revolution. place to Sing Sing, and this little circumstance turned the tide of business Opened Grocery Store.