Reillllants ofWorlGng Sail on the Hudson Recording the Remains of Two 19th-Century Schooners by Mark Peckham
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In 1908, William E. Verplank and Moses W . Collyer published a small book entitled The Sloops of the Hudson River describing the famous Hudson River sloops and schooners of the previous century and their use as market boats, packets and bulk freighters. Pushed to extinction as the 20th century opened, most of these sloops and schooners had already been abandoned or converted to barges or lighters at the time of publication. After reading the book, John Bigelow, a descendant of an old sloop family, was
moved to write to Verplank. In his letter, Bigelow recalled the beauty and serenity symbolized by these sloops and schooners and spoke bitterly of the industrial ization which had so changed the river: "I have known that river in its glory, when its water was the best I have ever drunk; when it abounded with fish enough nearly to feed the entire population for 10 miles from both its banks, and when the white sails of the sloops painted a new picture every hour of the day on its waters for me while sitting on the piazza of my
father's house. Now its water is so polluted with drainage that not only can one not safely drink of it, but even the fish that used to abound in it shun it! The picturesque sailing vessels of those days too are replaced by two smoky and noisy railroads and by steamers running and always disturbing our rest day and night. "Somebody I suppose is making more money than was ever made in those days, but at what cost?'" Half a century later, in 1966, this unassuming and matter-of-fact book was Above, the unidentified schooner seen from the bow. Note the turn of the bilge at right, the flat floors and longitudinal stiffening members. At left, the crew from Grossman and Associates sets up the 15-foot tripod. Although appearing in worse shape than the A.S. Parker in photographs taken in 1914 18, more remains of this heavily built hull today. Photo by the author.
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I William E. Yerplank and Moses W. Collyer, The Sloops of the Hudson River (Port Washington NY, 1968; reprint of 1908 edition), p. 50
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