Travel by Boat and Train

[Editor's Note: For the past decade, Syracuse author Richard Palmer has provided over 40 articles for Thousand Islands Life. This summer Richard found a number of unique newspaper clippings - providing reference material that few of us can easily find. This article is a fine example of his ability to dig deeper and deeper. Thanks Richard!]

Travel by Boat and Train

It’s the old newspapers that capture the color and romance of steamboat days on the St. Lawrence River, such as this article that appeared in the St. Lawrence Republican, Ogdensburgh, N.Y.,July 10, 1856. (Note: The letter “h” at the end of Ogdensburg was dropped in 1890.)

The steamer New York was built at the Merrick shipyard in Clayton by John Oades in 1851 (Official No. 18324) and was owned by the Ontario & St. Lawrence Steamboat Co. of Ogdenburgh. She had a vertical (walking) beam engine, was 234’ 9” long, 32’4” beam, 14’6” depth and registered at 99 tons and was steam powered. For a time it was the largest steamboat on Lake Ontario. During the Civil War she was chartered to the U. S. Government. After the Civil War the New York was used on the East coast, finally running on Delaware Bay excursions. The ship burned on May 20, 1894.

St. Lawrence Republican, Ogdensburgh, N.Y., July 10, 1856.

The steamer New York, Capt. R. B. Chapman, surprised our citizens and the Steamboat men at the depot, on Thursday morning last, by arriving from Hamilton in time to connect with the 10 o’clock train for Rouse’s Point. This, by a long ways, the best trip that has been made from Hamilton to this port. She left Hamilton at 6:50 o’clock, Wednesday, P.M., and arrived at Cape Vincent at 5:56 o’clock Thursday morning.

She made her regular stops, leaving a large number of passengers at Brockville, and had her lines on the spiles at the Railroad wharf at 9:56 - making the trip from Hamilton to this port in 15 hours and 8 minutes. This is at least one hour quicker than the trip has been made this season, and is two hours better than has been expected of the boats on this line, as the 12 o’clock Express is the regular train for the Hamilton boats to connect with, instead of the 11 o’clock.

This is quite a victory for the “fine little boat,” as the Hamiltonians call the New York. We think after this they will add “fast.” also among their other prefixes. The New York may not be as large as her other companions on this line, but for speed and comfort she is their equal. She is the best boat of the Ontario and St. Lawrence Steamboat Co.’s line, and is officered by as fine a set of men as ever floated.

Her Captain, R. B. Chapman, is “an old-hand” at navigation, both in sail and steam vessels, and is noted for his strict attention to his steamer, and his courteousness and gentlemanly bearing with his passengers. Capt. Warner, the 1st Mate, is a host in himself, and while he is about, everything goes right.

Her Engineer, Wm. Gardner, is good to the core, and can make the New York walk the water like a thing of life. What he don’t know about an engine, as the boy said, “is not worth knowing.” It is to him that the credit of making such excellent time is due, and while he is Engineer, the New York “can’t be beat.”

Everybody knows Charley Barton, the popular Clerk of the New York, always at his post - always pleasant, agreeable and gentlemanly - never neglecting any duty, and his little body contains as large a heart as beats in the bosom of any of the human family.

George Rice, who keeps the Saloon, is “SOUND,” and a general favorite among all who have made his acquaintance. There is no better caterer on the lakes than Mr. Hunt, the Steward, and the passengers always express themselves as being well pleased with the bountiful supply which he places upon the table.

In a word, the New York'is a fine boat, well-officered, and long may she sail upon our lake and river to uphold the honor of the American line - the American flag and the achievements of American mechanics.

Ogdensburgh Railroad

The present arrangement of trains on this road offer the traveler a better means of reaching New York and Boston, from Ogdensburgh, than any other route.

Passengers who desire to go through can take the 12 M. train and arrive in Rouse’s Point in season for the Vermont Central run or the Lake Champlain steamers.

Passengers to New York will take these steamers, and after having a good night’s rest, reach Whitehall at breakfast, and then take the rail again, arriving in New York in the afternoon. The fare is as cheap by this route as any, and the accommodation for passengers cannot be surpassed.

The 10 o’clock train, from this place, stops at all the stations, and persons who desire to transact business on the route can take this train, do their business, and be ready when the express train comes along to go on. We think this arrangement, the present season, is better than the previous ones, and we trust will be liberally patronized by the traveling public.

The passengers from the West, by the steamers from Hamilton, are carried east in the 12 o’clock run. G. V. Hoyle, Esq., the indefatigable Superintendent of the Ogdensburgh Road, is entitled to great credit for his efforts to conduce to the convenience and wants of the traveling public. His arrangements are carried out to the letter by the excellent employees of the road, and with Engineers like Brown, Scarier and —, and Conductors like Marney, Grinnell, George and Barry, the timetables are followed to a dot - the connections are always made and the wants of the public always attended to. We trust the time is soon coming when this road will be relieved from its embarrassments caused by its enormous original cost.
It is quite often the case that the management of a road which thus suffers do not receive the credit which is eminently their due, and which is lavished upon that of a prosperous road, who are far less entitled to it. To the Ogdensburgh Road the farmers and land owners of this section of the State are indebted for the market of their produce and lands, and for the prices which they received, and it is but fair that the should do what they can to aid that which has enriched them.

Carrying passengers was just a small part of the bsiness of the Ogdensburgh & Lake Champlain (later the Rutland) Railroad. Most of its business was freight, including a huge grain business. This facility was in Ogdensburgh.

Although the steamships and the railroads are long gone; luckily for us as I said at the start of this article, we can always step back in time read about them in old newspapers, diaries and journals.

by Richard Palmer

Richard Palmer is a retired newspaper editor and reporter, and he was well known for his weekly historical columns for the “Oswego Palladium-Times,” called "On the Waterfront." His first article for TI Life was written in January 2015, and since then, he has dozens of articles and more. He is a voracious researcher, and TI Life readers certainly benefit from his interests.

Editor's Note:  11 Articles published before June 2019, and 29 articles printed in the new format.