Elwood Walter, No. 7
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
| |
| Name: | Elwood Walter, No. 7 |
| Namesake: | E. W. |
| Owner: | Joseph Henderson, William J. Murphy, Augustus H. Murphy, Charles W. Hawthorne, Thomas Orr |
| Operator: | Joseph Henderson |
| Route: | New York Harbor |
| Builder: | Edward T. Williams |
| Launched: | 1853 |
| Acquired: | about 1853 |
| In service: | about 1853 |
| Out of service: | after 1863 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 90 tons |
| Length: | 71' 6" |
| Beam: | 19' 10" |
| Draught: | depth of hold 7' 6" |
| Propulsion: | schooner sail |
| Sail plan: | Schooner-rigged |
| Speed: | 10 knots |
| Complement: | not known |
Elwood Walter, No. 7 (1853) was a Sandy Hook Pilot boat belonging to the New York Merchants' Pilot Association. The Elwood Walter was used to pilot vessels to and from the Port of New York and New Jersey during the 19th century.
In the book, From Sandy Hook to 62°, Charles Edward Russell, said: "In 1860 there were twenty-one New York pilot boats." The Elwood Walter, No. 7 was listed as one of these early pilot boats.[1]
Construction and service[edit]
The Elwood Walter was built by Mr. Edward F. Williams of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York. The schooner was named after Ellwood Walter, the President of the Mercantile Mutual Insurance Company. Walter had extensive experience and knowledge as an insurance underwriter.[2] [3]
The Elwood Walter was 90 tons in weight, 71' 6" length on deck, 2' length of keel, 19' 10" breadth of beam, and 7' 6" depth of hold. It was owned by the following pilots: Joseph Henderson, William J. Murphy, Augustus H. Murphy, Charles W. Hawthorne, and Thomas Orr.[4]
Several Sandy Hook pilots received their pilot license sailing on the Elwood Walter. Captain Joseph Henderson received his license as a Branch Pilot on the Elwood Walter on September 13, 1853, from the Board of Commissioners of Pilots. He was a commander of the Elwood Walter throughout his training.[5]
Important events[edit]
Several important events about the Elwood Walter pilot boat were reported in many of the New York newspapers and journals. Note, sometimes Elwood Walter is spelled as "Ellwood Walter".
Excursion down the bay[edit]
On May 16, 1853, a feature article appeared in the New York Morning Courier reporting that "The Pilot Boat Elwood Walter, No. 7, belonging to the Merchants' Pilot Associations, went down the bay on Friday afternoon, with a large party of guests on board, and after proceeding out as far as the floating light, returned to the city in the evening, after an unusually pleasant excursion." The article also talks about the history of the Elwood Walter and who were the pilots and owners.[6]
Bad weather conditions[edit]
Bad weather conditions plagued the pilot boats in the winter. On January 14, 1856, The New York Herald announced that due to recent severe winter weather, pilot boats and their pilots were suffering. The Elwood Walter, No. 7 was among the pilot boats that arrived safely from outside the New York Harbor.[7]
On January 21, 1857, the Elwood Walter, No. 7 was reported "AT STATEN ISLAND IN THE ICE." The report describes the bad weather conditions a day after a major storm. It lists the owners of the Elwood Walter, and says "this boat is also hard and fast at Staten Island."
Boarding vessels at sea[edit]
Boarding ships at sea to help them navigate coming into the New York harbor was the main business of the pilot boats. On August 3, 1855, the pilot boat Elwood Walter, No. 7, reported on July 31, 1855, that a pilot boarded the ship J. Jones, from Cardiff, Wales and was headed for New York.[8]
On May 20, 1858, the ship Samaritan was boarded by a pilot from Pilot Boat Elwood Walter, No. 7. The Samaritan had sailed 31 days from Liverpool before reaching the New York harbor.
On March 15, 1860, the Elwood Walter, No. 7, helped take the officers and crew off the ship Wabamo, in the New York harbor, when it caught fire while going down the bay outside Sandy Hook. The New York Daily Tribune ran a story that read: "BURNING OF THE SHIP WABAMO IN NEW YORK HARBOR - In New York, this day, the ship Wabamo, Captain Doty bound from New York for Antwerp caught fire about noon, while going down the bay, and burned to the water's edge. The flumes spread with such rapidity as to defy every effort to subdue them. The officers and crew were taken off by the pilot boat Elwood Walter, saving little more than the clothing on their backs. The ship was owned by Messrs. Hurlbut Latin & Co., and was valued at $32,000. Her loss is covered by insurance. She had an assorted cargo of merchandise valued at $70,000 which was insured for $54,457."[9] [10][11]
References[edit]
- ↑ Charles Edward Russell, From Sandy Hook to 62°, 1929, page 159
- ↑ The New York Times, May 16, 1853, pg. 3.
- ↑ Shipbuilding and the Nascent Community of Greenpoint, New York, 1850-1855, Henry Silka
- ↑ Sail Enrollment No. 391, 14 June 1853 (Ellwood Walter)
- ↑ From minutes of the meeting of the Board of Pilot Commissioners, September 13, 1853
- ↑ New York Morning Courier, 1853
- ↑ Sufferings of the Pilots by the Recent Severe Weather, The New York Herald, January 14, 1856
- ↑ The New York Times Memorandum, August 3, 1855
- ↑ "Vincent's semi-annual United States register". Retrieved 2019-10-12.
- ↑ New York Daily Tribune, March 15, 1860, Page 8
- ↑ "Burning of the ship Wabamo". Frank Leslie's Illustrated. 1860. Retrieved Nov 24, 2019.
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