Footnotes to Long Island History
LIRR went to Sea in 1899
by
Thomas R. Bayles
Part of
the plan of the officers of the Long Island Rail Road for the development of
Long Island, around the turn of the century was the fitting out of a fleet of
fast steamboats to run between New York city
and eastern ports of Long Island.
The Montauk
steamboat company was incorporated in1899, with William H. Baldwin as president
and Frank E. Haff as Secretary treasurer. Soon after its organization this
company purchased the steamboats Montauk and Shinnecock, and later the Nantasket, Orient and Long Island.
The
Shinnecock, the largest of the fleet was 249 feet long and had 84 staterooms.
She was a new boat with 2,500 horsepower engines and a speed of 17 miles an
hour. The cost of this boat was $200,000. The Montauk, a sister ship to the
Shinnecock, had a length of 184 feet with 1,500 horse power engines making a
speed of 15 miles an hour. This ship cost
$125,000.
The
Shinnecock and Montauk ran between Pier 13, East river, New York, and Orient
Point, Shelter Island, Greenport, Sag Harbor and Block Island. Each boat ran
from New York on Alternate days, providing a daily service.
The
Nantasket was 184 feet long and made 18 miles an hour. She was put on the route
between Roslyn, Sea Cliff, Glen cove, Great Neck and New York city.
The
Orient was 152 feet in length with 900 horse power engines making 15 miles per
hour. She was put on the route between Sag Harbor, Greenport, Orient and New
London.
The
steamboat Nassau was run during the summer season between Pier 13 and Long
Island city, connecting there with the Long Island trains to eastern Long
Island .
It was
the intention of the Long Island Rail Road to build up a water service to
eastern Long Island superior to that ever before serving Long Island.
Captain
David Van Cleaf, the superintendent of the Montauk Steamboat company, was an experienced
sea captain and had followed the sea since he was 17 years old. He had been
engaged mostly in the coasting trade.
Captain
Abram Mitchell, master of the Shinnecock, was a native of Block Island. Captain
J. W. Burns of the Montauk had commanded a fishing steamer. Captain T. Edward
Burns brother of the captain of the Montauk was master of the Orient. Captain
C. M. Bunce, who had charge of the
Nantasket was a native of cold spring harbor and had been engaged during his
early life on a coasting vessel. These men were al native Long Islanders and
typical of the old Long Island salt. A Picturesqua type that has all but passed
from the picture.
The routes followed by
these steamers were among the most attractive along the Atlantic coast,
especially that covered by the Shinnecock and Montauk from New York to Block
island. On a hot summer afternoon the voyage up the east river and over the
broad Long Island sound, through Plum gut and Peconic bay and then over the
Atlantic to Block island was a cool and invigorating trip.