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Hudson River (USA)
The Hudson River provided an ideal route into the interior of New York State from New York City and from state capital Albany a modest overland journey could be made to Buffalo on Lake Erie for onward ship connections to Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit and, ultimately, Chicago. The river also had significant commuter traffic into New York City and excursion trade with New Yorkers visiting up-state attractions and summer holiday resorts. There was cut-throat competition between numerous early steamship owners, which included prominent names better known for "railway mania" and the lawsuits and financial skulduggery often associated with this business. Cornelius Vanderbilt overcame rival Daniel Drew in the steamboat business and on tranferring his interests to railways, gained control of, amongst many others, the line along the Hudson. Palatial paddle steamers were still built for what became known as the "Day Lines" and the "Night Lines", with overnight journeys to the state capital Albany being popular especially when taken in sumptuous lounges and cabins. Railways eventually provided stiff competition but steamer prices were kept competitive and railways were, at least in the early days, not always comfortable. The railroad from New York to Albany was completed in 1851. Day services outlasted the night services, but the full run to Albany ended in September 1948. Shorter runs were maintained and paddle steamer Alexander Hamilton continued in service until 1971.  Local operators with smaller vessels operated services from the various communities along the Hudson to New York City carrying passengers and freight.

The Hudson can also be regarded as the first river to operate any regular commercial passenger steamer service anywhere in the world. Engineer Robert Fulton's pioneering vessel North River Steamboat, more popularly known as Clermont, made her first run from New York to Albany on August 17th 1807, returning four days later



Above : A replica of Fulton's North River Steamboat was built in 1907 to celebrate the centenary of the world's first commercially successful stemship
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_River_Steamboat

Hudson River Services in 1900
.In 1900, services on the full length of the Hudson between New York City and Albany / Troy were dominated by the Hudson River Line for day services. Overnight services were  popularly known as the "Peoples Line" to Albany and the "Citizens" Line to Troy and together as the "Hudson River Night Lines". Both were brought under one umbrella in 1902 in the Hudson Navigation Company, although the popular names were retained for commercial purposes. There were occasional interlopers on the run, but most other companies ran services to New York City and also elsewhere along the river from their riverside towns. These were vital transportation links for each place's local producers and traders. By 1900 day excursions were very popular especially for New Yorkers visiting attractions along the Hudson River such as Bear Mountain. The Hudson River Line (the Day Line) had much of this trade and especially for those taking longer vacations in the area, but there were numerous competitors in the lucrative market.  

Companies Listed :

Hudson River Line "Day Line"
Smith Brothers of Nyack  - and Captains Woolsey and Nelson (from 1907)

Note : The lower reaches of the Hudson were also served by many New York City based companies with excursion vessels. See the New York section for more details

Peoples Line / Citizens Line "Night Line"  (Hudson Navigation Company from 1902)
New York & Albany Transportation Company (1908-1909)
Central Hudson Steamboat Company (inheritors of the Romer & Tremper business)
Catskill New York Evening Line
Saugerties & New York Steamboat Company
New York, Albany & Western Steamship Company

Passenger paddle steamers operating on the northern edge of New York State on the St Lawrence river between Clayton, the Thousand Island holiday resort and Alexandria Bay
Towboat and former passenger boat "Norwich" of 1836 at Albany. Promoted in 1909 as the oldest steamship in the world.

Passenger Paddle Steamers Registered as at 30th June 1900

Registered at Albany : Name / Build year / Official Number   (Note : Other vessels operating on the Hudson were registered at New York City)
 
Mary Powell 1861 16982
City of Hudson 1863 7972
City of Troy 1876 125522
Saratoga 1877 115539
Ida 1881 100281
Kaaterskill 1882 14408
Saugerties 1882 115843
Ulster 1892 25290
Onteora 1898 155322

New York registered ships sailing on the Hudson River

James W Baldwin                 186113190
M Martin186390072
Dean Richmond18656264
Drew18666249
Albany1880105908
William F Romer188191372
Jacob H Tremper188576574
New York
1887
130373
Adirondack1896107230


New-build vessels for Hudson River Service after 1900
CW Morse (1904)
Hendrick Hudson (1906)
Rensselaer (1909)
Robert Fulton (1909)
Trojan (1909)
Clermont (1911)
Berkshire (1913)
Washington Irving (1913)
Alexander Hamilton (1924)

Hudson River Line   :   the "Hudson River Day Line"
Passenger services began in earnest in 1855 with Alfred van Sandvoort's vessel Alida. The "Day Line" was established in 1863 by van Sandvoort, John Davidson and Chauncey Vibbard. Steamers Daniel Drew and Arminia were bought for the service. Whilst the company had a record of buying up vessels from other operators, including the speedy and popular Mary Powell, four major paddle steamers were built between 1906 and 1924. 

The basic schedule was was for a vessel to leave New York at around 8:30 am calling at various piers in the city and then run limited stop to Albany arriving around 6 pm. Another vessel would do the run in reverse.  There would also be an early morning deprature from Kingston to New York with numerous calls en route, arriving late morning and returning early afternoon. In the high summer season there would be a daily return trip from New York to Poughkeepsie with intermediate calls, a five hour run each way.

Unlike the vessels of the Hudson River Night Lines, the ships did not have overnight accommodation although a limited number of private cabins were available. The ships were not designed to carry cargo or packets. The company retained an almost exclusive committment to paddle steamers but did finally operate two large screw steamers. DeWitt Clinton was the former night boat Manhattan of 1913 which was purchased in 1920 and refitted as a day steamer, operating until 1932 and again briefly in 1939. Peter Stuyvesant was ordered new for the 1927 season and sailed until 1962. 

After a brief upsurge in business during World War II, decline set in. The last scheduled Day Line service to Albany was made by  Robert Fulton on 13 Sept 1948 but the same day return service to Poughkeepsie was retained and excursion traffic such as to the Bear Mountain State Park remained healthy.
The company name was sold to a company operating tours in New York, but poor business prospects signalled the end for paddle steamer Hendrick Hudson, leaving the 1924-built Alexander Hamilton and the 1927-built major screw steamer Peter Stuyvesant. The latter was withdrawn in 1963, soon after the business was purchased by the Circle Line. "Day Line" scheduled services ended completely in 1971 with the withdrawal of Alexander Hamilton. The Circle Line continues to run sightseeing cruises around Manhattan to this day.

Alida (1855)
City of Albany (1863-1863)
Daniel Drew (1863-1886)
Arminia (1863-1879)
Chauncey Vibbard (1864-1890, Operational until 1899 on the Delaware River, she was laid up in 1900 and scrapped in 1902)

Paddle Steamers active in the twentieth century on the Day Line:

Albany (1880-1930)
105908
Built by Harlan & Hollingsworth, Wilmington DE. Engine by W&A  Fletcher of Hoboken    Three funnels abreast
Iron 314  x 40 ft   1415 GT
Significantly rebuilt in 1882. Lengthened by 30 feet, second deck extended to the bow. Smaller wheels fitted with feathering mechanism, with "old syle" paddle boxes removed
Sold and later renamed Potomac, sailing for private owner Benjamin Wills on the Potomac River in Maryland until 1948
Engines and paddle wheel preserved at the Mariners Museum, Newport News VA :  


Above : By 1880, day steamers were increasing in size and taking on a more modern appearance. Albany is seen leaving New York City in 1884 when just four years old. In the background is one of the "Night" boats with stateroom accommodation. The three funnels located athwartships was a more traditional arrangement indicating three boilers lying side by side.  

New York (1887-1908)
130373   KDTH
Built in 1887 at Wilmington DE
Steel  301 (335 after 1897) x 40.4 ft.. 1552 GT (1974 after 1897).  Beam engine by Fletcher of Hoboken 75 x 144 in, unusually placed forward of the crankshaft.
Her paddle wheels were feathering, but she had traditional large round paddleboxes
Severely damaged in a collision in New York in October 1908.  Sank after fire broke out overnight at the Newburgh repair yard and the ship sunk with four dead from her crew of 74
Engine salvaged an used in the new-build Robert Fulton



Mary Powell (1902-1917)
016982
Built in 1861 by Allison Shipyard, Jersey City NJ.
Wood   288 x 34 ft  983 GT
Operated from Rondout to New York
Bought from Captain AE Anderson.
Mary Powell had an excellent reputation for speed and reliability and was often referred to as "Queen of the Hudson"
In Day Line ownership, the promenade deck was extended to the bow
She operated under the "Mary Powell Steamboat Company" brand
Withdrawn and laid up after the 1917 season and scrapped in 1919


Above : Mary Powell. As well as the enormous paddle wheels, she had what was a common funnel arrangement for her day, having been built in 1861. Stacks abreast on the sponsons behind the wheels. This was because it was usual for the boilers to be located here rather than in the hull of the ship itself. This was possibly for stability reasons but more probably as a safety measure. In early years, boilers were prone to explosions, so this location would ensure that, on such occasion, the damage to the ship would be minimised


Hendrick Hudson (1906-1948)
203424
Built by TS Marvel at Newburgh NY.
Steel  379.1 x 45.1 ft  2847 GT. Compound diagonal engine, 45 and 70 in x 84 in.
Withdrawn from service in 1948 but held in reserve by the Day Line's new owners. Scrapped in Philadelphia in 1951
http://www.newburghhistoricalsociety.com/history/proudly-launching-a-newburgh-giant/


Above : Hendrick Hudson brought a new dimension to Hudson River services when introduced in 1906 and was the first of four major paddle steamers built for the "Day Line" as traffic built up to what became a peak in 1925. She considerably exceeded the century's first major modern passenger steamer, Tashmoo, which sailed out of Detroit on the Great Lakes.


Robert Fulton (1909-1954)
206288
Built at Camden NJ.
Steel  337 x 42 ft  2168 GT. Walking beam engine ex-New York 75 x 144 in (which was the last Fletcher beam engine to operate a vessel).
Use of New York's engine allowed the new ship to be ready quickly to celebrate the centenary of Robert Fulton and the start of steamship operations worldwide.
Withdrawn at the end of the 1954 season. In 1956 she was towed to Jacksonville Florida and rebuilt with the intention of becoming a luxury floating residential complex in the Bahamas
Her actual use was as accommodation by a lumber company at Snake Cay, Bahamas. When local logging operations ceased in 1967, she was dismantled 



Above : Rather surprisingly, the Day Line's next vessel, the Robert Fulton in 1909, had a beam engine, just as White Star Line's next tonnage after Tashmoo. In a remarkable coincidence with White Star, their next vessel also used a second-hand beam engine and the otherwise modern ship was characterised by the swinging machinery poking through the upper deck. They could be excused perhaps because the engine was salvaged from thir sunken PS New York and was only twenty years old.


Washington Irving (1913-1926)
211170
Built at Camden NJ
Steel  400.5 x 47 ft 3104 GT
Licenced for 6000 passengers - the largest of any passenger vessel at the time
Her three funnels were arranged traditionally, but the forward stack was a dummy. Unusually, she had a cruiser stern.
Sank following a collision shortly after leaving her pier in New York City on 1st June 1926, with loss of 3 lives
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS_Washington_Irving



Alexander Hamilton (1924-71)
223775
Built by Bethlehem at Sparrow's Point.
Steel  338.6  x 77 ft   2367 GT  Triple Expansion engine. First oil fired vessel in the fleet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS_Alexander_Hamilton


Above : The last classic paddle steamer Alexander Hamilton at the pier for the popular Bear Mountain outing
Courtesy : Hudson River Maritime Museum  http://www.hrmm.org/

Smith Brothers of Nyack / Captains Woolsey & Nelson
Smith Brothers owned and operated her on a service to New York City out of Nyack, an approximate 25 mile run.

Chrystenah (1866-1911)
004879  HDSB
Built in 1866 by Wm Dickey at Nyack
Wood 196.6 x 30.2 ft. 571 GT.  Original engine 46 x 120 in ex-Arrow, ex-Broadway dating from 1837. Rebuilt to 50 x 132 in
Smith Brothers owned and operated her on a service to New York City out of Nyack, an approximate 25 mile run.
Sold to captains Woolsey and Nelson in 1907 for excursion and charter work out of Newburgh and in 1911 made runs down to the beaches and fun fairs at Coney Island.
In 1912 she was moved down to Keansburg NJ for local services to New York City for one season
Remained in the New York area
Sold in 1920 for a planned service to Oyster Bay, Long Island, but laid up at New Rochelle and subsequently damaged in a storm.
Sold off by the local city authorities, she was takenunder tow to Oyster Bay but rather than being used, was scrapped and the hull run aground


. 
New Jersey Steamboat Co (People's Line)   :  Citizens Line Steamboat Co
Jointly known as the Hudson River Night Line
Merged to form the Hudson Navigation Company (1902-1935)
Vessels taken over by the Trojan Steamship Corporation (1936-1937)
The Hudson Navigation Company was established by businessman C W Morse (1856-1933) though the takeover of the New Jersey Steamboat Company, which traded as the People's Line between New York and Albany and the Troy-based Citizens Line, which had been in operation since 1872. The two identities remained separate within the new organisation

The People's Line had been established by prominent steamship owner Daniel Drew who had built up a strong presence on the river since 1831 which was strengthened further in 1845 with the takeover of the North River Steamboat Association. The Association had started as a genuine organisation for cooperation between individual owners but in later years had become, by fair means or foul, the domain of a certain Cornelius Vanderbilt who was to become one of the richest men in the world when he moved on from his roots in the New York steamship trade to become the US' main railway magnate.

Morse aquired numerous other steamship lines in the eastern USA as part of a business empire which included banking. A share price manipulation scandal in 1907 led to Morse's conviction in court and receivership for many of his companies. Escaping a long jauil sentence, he retained control of the Hudson Navigation Company as he rebuilt his empire, but the company went bankrupt in 1921 amid further scandal and court appearances. Reconstituted as the Hudson River Navigation Corporation, the business continued, but the giant steamer CW Morse was symbolically renamed Fort Orange and only lasted in service until 1927. The three other large paddlers built after the CW Morse continued in operation on the Night Line until 1937, latterly under the ownership of New York businessman Samuel Rosoff's Trojan Steamship Corporation. Rosoff had made his fortune in construction projects building the city's subway

Paddle Steamers operating in the twentieth century :

Dean Richmond (1865-1909)
006264
Wood  348 x 46 ft   2525 GT   
Built at new York NY  Engine ex- Francis Skiddy of 1852.
Sank after a collision with C.Vanderbilt on 20 Sept 1867 at Rhinecliff. Raised.
Engine connecting rod broke on 14 June 1877 causing major damage.
Laid up and in reserve from 1904. Reactivated after the loss of City of Troy in 1907. Scrapped at Boston in 1909.


Above : Dean Richmond exhibits the typical characteristics of a Night Line steamer from the mid-19th century, including large paddle wheels and funnel position dictated by the location of the boilers. Whilst her contemporary, Drew, was withdrawn as the new company was established, Dean Richmond had a short and unexpected swansong.


Drew (1866-1902)
Built by John Englis, New York.
390 x 47 ft.  Beam engine by Valaire, 81 x 168 in. Boilers, which were new in 1885, salvaged ex- St John)
Destroyed by fire on July 4th 1902 while in the charge of scrappers at Perth Amboy

City of Troy (1876-1907)
125522
Built at Brooklyn NY
Wood  280 x 38 ft   1527 GT  
Citizens' Line. Lost to fire 5 April 1907 at Dobbs Ferry

Saratoga (1877-1906)
115539
Built in 1877 at Brooklyn NY
Wood  282 x 36 ft   1438 GT
Sunk in 1906 in a collision with Adirondack but raised and repaired
Later sailed for a short time in opposition to the Night Line with the New York & Albany Transportation Company



Adirondack (1896-1917)
107230
Built by John Englis, Brooklyn NY
Wood  386.2 x 50 ft. 3644 GT   Beam engine by Fletcher of Hoboken 81 x 144 in
People's Line
Damaged in a collision near Tivoli in 1906 in which the steamship Saratoga sank with one life lost on each vessel
Used by the army as a floating barracks from 1917 to 1919
Laid up at Athens after war service and sank through ice pressure on December 29th 1925. Scrapped shortly afterwards


Above : A print of Adirondack, a popular way of advertising a new vessel throughout the 19th century. The enormous size of vessels such as this put great stresses on the wooden hulls. Tensioning beams (hog trusses) had to be used to strengthen the structure as can be seen arching over the superstructure  

Onteora (1898-1917)
155322
Built in 1898 at Newburgh NY
Steel  236.7 x  35.2 ft  1213 GT  Beam engine
Sold to McAllister Navigation Company of New York and became an excursion ship on the Hudson.
Destroyed by fire at Bear Mountain in 1936

New build in the 20th Century :

C.W. Morse (1904-1921)
200894
Built in 1904 by Harlan & Hollingsworthh at Wilmington
Steel  411.1 x 50.8 ft.   4307 GT. Beam engine 81 x 144 in by Fletcher of Hoboken NJ 
Peopl's Line
Renamed Fort Orange by the receivers of Morse's collapsed business empire in 1921.
Continued in service until 1927. Laid-up until scrapped in 1935.
The hull was taken to Bridgeport as a harbour breakwater
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_C._W._Morse_(ID-1966)


Above : CW Morse, aptly named after the tycoon who had acquired control over the "Night Lines" was the first addition to the palatial steamer fleet in the 20th century. At 430 feet long And 4307 GRT she was a giant and a match for her new-build contemporaries on Lake Erie. 


Greenport  (1910-1912)
022152  HQNM
Built in 1866 at New York NY
Wood  244.2 x 35.2 ft   1413 GT
1870-1901 Kennebec Steamboat Company on the Maine coastal service as  Star of the East and later Sagahadoc
1902-1906 Montauk Steamship Company on Long Island Sound as Greenport
1907-9 Richard Halley at Newark NJ
1910 Hudson Navigation Company




Frank Jones (1914-1915)
120903  KLHQ
Built in 1892 at Bath ME
Wood  253.2 x 36.3 ft   1634 GT
Served on Maine coastal services for the Boston & Maine Railroad and later the Maine Central Railroad and Portland, Mount Desert & Machiasport Steamboat Co out of Portland. 
Bought by the newly-formed Enterprise Line in 1905 to link New York City with Fall River and Providence
In 1908 the ship was bought out of receivership to sail on the Hudson River.
1908-1909 New York & Albany Transportation Company (the New Hudson Line)
1910 Manhattan Navigation Company
1911-1913 New York, Albany & Troy Transportation Line
1914-1915 Hudson Navigation Company
After the 1915 season she was laid up and renamed Fenmore
Requisitioned by the US Army in 1918 but on 22nd of June that year she caught fire whilst carrying ammunition and exploded on the York River, Virginia



Trojan (1909-1935)
206129
Built in 1909 by TS Marvel at Newburgh NY
Steel  317.2 x 42.5 ft. 2571 GT. Beam engine by Fletcher, Hoboken 72 x 144 in
Citizens Line
Sold after the 1935 season to Mr S Rosoff who operated her in 1936 and 1937 and she was laid up at Marlboro
Reactivated in 1939 and renamed New Yorker to carry crowds for the Worlds Fair Compant to the Fair grounds and laid up once more.
Destroyed by fire on March 1st, 1940



Rensselaer (1909-1935)
206501
Built in 1909 by TS Marvel at Newburgh NY
Steel  317.3 x 42.5 ft.  2690 GT    Beam engine by Fletcher, Hoboken 72 x 144 in
Entered service in July 1909 on Citizens Line to Troy
Sold after the 1935 season to Mr S Rosoff who operated her in 1936 and 1937 and she was laid up at Marlboro
Bought by the US Government and towed to Providence RI. Found unsuitable for the US Government and with no buyers, she was sold for scrap and demolished in 1943

Berkshire (1913-1935)
211149
Built in 1913 at Hoboken NJ
Steel  422.4 x 50.6 ft  4300 GT
People's Line
Sold after the 1935 season to Mr S Rosoff who operated her in 1936 and 1937 and she was laid up at Marlboro


.
New York & Albany Transportation Company (the New Hudson Line)
Operated a short-lived service on the Hudson in 1908 and 1909 using old tonnage from the main Night Line operation

Saratoga (1908-1909)
115539
Built in 1877 at Brooklyn NY
Wood  282 x 36 ft   1438 GT



Frank Jones (1908-09)
120903  KLHQ
Built in 1892 at Bath ME
Wood  253.2 x 36.3 ft   1634 GT
Served on Maine coastal services for the Boston & Maine Railroad and later the Maine Central Railroad and Portland, Mount Desert & Machiasport Steamboat Co out of Portland. 
Bought by the newly-formed Enterprise Line in 1905 to link New York City with Fall River and Providence
In 1908 the ship was bought out of receivership to sail on the Hudson River.
1908-1909 New York & Albany Transportation Company (the New Hudson Line)
1910 Manhattan Navigation Company
1911-1913 New York, Albany & Troy Transportation Line
1914-1915 Hudson Navigation Company
After the 1915 season she was laid up and renamed Fenmore
Requisitioned by the US Army in 1918 but on 22nd of June that year she caught fire whilst carrying ammunition and exploded on the York River, Virginia



.
Central Hudson Steamboat Company  (1899-1929)
The Central Hudson Steamboat Co was a new name on the River Hudson at the turn of the century. In 1899 the long-time owners of a leading paddle steamer operator Romer & Tremper whose joint business came to dominate services based on the central part of the Hudson sold their business. It was based at Newburgh where the firm was registered and sailed out of Rondout Creek at Kingston, with overnight services to Albany as well as a substantial cargo transportation business. William F Romer had started out in the steamship business in 1848 in partnership with Captain Anderson who became owner of the famous Mary Powell. Captain Tremper had started in the 1830s with Fanny and later acquired Emerald and North America, sailing out of Roundout Creek
The company filed for bankruptcy in 1929. Jacob H Tremper, their only remaining paddle steamer was scrapped. Two screw steamers (Newburgh and Homer T Ramsdell) went to Nantasket as they tried to rebuild their fleet after a devastating fire. Steel steamer Benjamin B Odell, dating only from 1911. saw further service at New York for the Hudson River Steamboat Company and in 1935 and 1936 on the Hudson for Samuel Rosoff's failed Hudson enterprise. She burned out in lay-up in February 1937.

Paddle Steamers operating in the twentieth century :  Aquisition dates are as for the original Romer and Tremper company

James W Baldwin  (1861-1911, from 1903 as Central-Hudson)
013190
Built in 1861  by Allison of Jersey City.
Wood  Lengthened to 273.5 x 34 ft  1002 GT   Beam engine by Fletcher, Harrison  60 x 132 in
Built for Captain Tremper as James W Baldwin
Rebuilt and reboilered in 1903 and renamed Central-Hudson
Displaced in 1911 by the new Benjamin B Odell and then chartered to the Manhattan line for a New York - Albany service but had two quick grounding incidents
Sold for scrap in late 1911


Above : As James W Baldwin  -  Below : As Central-Hudson



M Martin (1863-1919)
090072
Built in 1863 at Jersey City NJ
Wood  191 x 29.3 ft  570 GT   Engines by Fletcher & Harrison  44 x 108 in
Served as general Grant's dispatch boat on Chesapeake Bay during the Civil War and hosted President Lincoln
Post war she ran between Bangor ME and Portland ME
Joined the Romer & Tremper fleet and ran between Newburgh and Albany on the Hudson River
Sold for scrapping in 1920



Jacob H Tremper (1885-1929)
076574
Built in 1885 by Herbert Lawrence at Greenpoint NY.
Wood 180 x 30 ft  571 GT   Engine by W Fletcher of Hoboken
Beached 21 July 1913 at Staatsburg after hitting rocks. Raised and returned to service in 1916.
Laid up in 1929 and scrapped at Newburgh in 1929.




William F Romer (1890-1916)
091372
Built in 1881 at Baltimore MD
Wood  221.7 x 59.2 ft  880 GT
Originally Mason L Weems of the Weems Line, used on Chesapeake Bay services.
Sold in 1920 but abandoned at Eavesport



Other Passenger Paddle Steamers in the 20th Century
Numerous small shipping companies operated services from their towns particularly to link them with New York City, ferrying supplies and cargoes in either direction as well as passengers for whom accommodation was provided on night-time services. A number retained their river paddle steamers. There remained other paddle steamers, particularly smaller tug boats

New York, Catskill and Athens Steamboat Company - Catskill New York Evening Line
The company was established in 1863. It continued as a freight transport company, but without paddle steamers after Clermont was sold in 1919 when the business went into liquidation


Kaaterskill (1882-1914)
014408
Built in 1882 in Athens NY
Wood 270 x 38 ft.  1361  GT  Beam engine by Fletcher & Harrison  63 x 144 in.
Dismantled at Newburgh in 1914


City of Hudson, ex-Catskill, (1883-1910)
007972
Built in 1863 at Mysto Bridge CT
Wood  226.2 x 28.6 ft   675  GT
Operated by the Catskill New York Evening Line
Built at Mystic Bridge CT in 1863 for Connecticut River and Long Island Sound as Escort
1883 Purchased by the Catskill New York Evening Line. Rebuilt and re-named Catskill
1879 sunk in collision in New York with loss of one child's life
Rebuilt and lengthened to 226.2 ft and 816 GT  624 NT. Renamed City of Hudson
Withdrawn at the end of the 1910 season and scrapped shortly afterwards



Clermont (1911-1918)
Built in 1911 at Newburgh NY
Iron  271.5 x 39.2 ft  1864 GT  Beam engine
Sold in 1919 to the Commissioners of Palisades Park after the liquidation of the company
Converted into a day steamer
Owned by the McAllister Navigation Company of New York and ran excursions to Bear Mountain

Saugerties and New York Steamboat Company (1889) : Saugerties and New York Evening Line
Established in 1889 to compete with the New York and Saugerties Transportation Company which had established in 1865 and operated the Ansonia. The new company purchased the Shenandoah of  1882 and renamed her Saugerties. Two years later they bought out the older company and its paddle steamer Ansonia, rebuilding her and re-naming her Ulster.

Saugerties (1889-1903)
115843
Built in 1882 at Brooklyn NY
200 x 33 ft.   848 GT  
Ex- Shenadoah  
Burnt out through a fire when berthed at her wharf. She was raised and the remains beached

Ulster (1892-1931, as  Robert A Snyder from 1921)
025290
Built in 1892 at Brooklyn NY
205 x 30.5 ft  780 GT
Although now classed as a new vessel, she was a rebuild of Ansonia, originally built in 1848 an on the Hudson since 1860
Rebuilt and reappeared  for the 1921 season as Robert A Snyder
Laid up after the 1931 season and destroyed by ice in winter of 1935/6

Ida (1904-1931)
100281
Built in 1881 at Wilmington DE
Iron  190 x 54.6 ft   765 GT
Built for service on Chesapeake Bay by the Baltimore, Chesapeake & Atlantic Railway
Rebuilt after extensive fire damage in 1894
Bought in 1904 to replace Saugerties
Withdrawn in 1931 and scrapped in 1937




New York, Albany & Western Steamship Company

Lancaster (1924-1928)
141217
Built in 1892 at Sparrow's Point MD
Steel  205.4 x 50.1 ft  919 GT
Built for the Weems Line for Chesapeake Bay Service
The Weems Line became part of the Delaware, Maryland & Virginia Railroad in 1904 
Sold to the New York, Albany & Western Steamship Company. Abandoned 1928

Paddle Towboat Norwich
Operating out of Albany as a towboat until 1923, the former passenger ship was billed as the oldest steamboat in the world when it took part in the centenary celebrations of the world's first commercial steamboat in 1909. Norwich was built to link Norwich CT and New York City

Norwich (1836-1923)
018578
Built in 1836 at New York NY
Wood   160 x 25 ft  255 GT  Cross-head engine 40 x 228 in
Built for the New York City to Norwich CT service
Briefly served on Chesapeake Bay
Came to the Hudson River in 1843, running between Rondout and  New York until 1848
Converted to a tow boat and gained a reputation as a fine ice breaker
Sank in Rondout Creek in the winter of 1906 but raised and repaired
Sank in lay-up at Port Ewen in 1923 and scrapped



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