Hide Article Text (OCR)
The New Steamer Kaaterskill. Elegance, Comfort, and Speed Combined.--Her Trist Trip.---She Proves to be ‘+ A Daisy.” Between 600 and 600 persons were on board the new steamboat Kaaterskill of the Catskill- New York line, as she backed out of the grip at Leroy street, New York, on Wednesday after noon, ‘The party was largely made up of the employees of W. A. Fletcher, engine-build ers, who marched to the boat in procession, ‘headed by a band of music and flying banners, one of which bore the following: ‘1854-1892, North River Iron Works, No. 1—No. 100.” The men were out on half-holiday in celebration of the building of the shop’s 100th engine, that of the Kastersiil. After backing out into the stream, the new steamer ran down the river a few blocks, when she was put about and start ed on a run to Yonkers. She had just nicely got around when the Plymouth Rock, by no means a slow-cash, came along. The Kaaters kill’s gauge was indicating 28 pounds of steam, but with this she picked up the Rock and in a few minutes left her astern, the band playing “the girl I left behind me,” and a number of tugs and steamers chorusing with their whis tles. Off 29d street time was taken. The run from there to Yonkers, 17 miles, was made in 44 minutes, 40 lbs. of steam, 23 revolutions to the minute. Running for three or four miles above Yonkers, the steamer was turned and started on the return trip. The average of steam was about 38 pounds, and on this the Keaterskill struck up 2 gait of 21 miles an hour, a Very fine performance for a double-tier, state room boat, new, stiff and uncoppered. She has a noble engine and steams readily, and of her hull, Mr. Burtis said, when he saw her out on his dock, on Saturday, that it was the hand somest steamboat model he had ever seen, and the Mary Powell, Albany, Baldwin and other smart ‘ung had been on his deck ; therefore, after her trial trip performance, the prediction that, when she is once limbered up, she will be able to make from 21 to 23 miles an hour, is not an extravagant one, and the boat that does that can carry the banner for night boats. Engineer Virgil Lasher handled the engine during the trial trip, and Andrew Fletcher, one of the builders, was a close observer of its working. They expressed themselves as well satisfied with the performance. The Keatershill, Custom House measagement, is 279 Feet 8 inches in length over all, 269 ft. 8 in. keel, 38 feet beam, 72 feet width over all, 9 ft. 6 in. depth of hold. The frames, of oak and chestnut, double, are 5x16 inches at the keel, tapering to 6 inches at the top, 26 inches apart, at centers. The main kelson is 20 inches high, by 14 inches ; two tiers of kelsons each side, fore and aft, 12x20 inches; bilge strakes, seven 8x4 inches. ‘There is a watertight bulk head 50 feet from the stem. The planking is of the best quality of Western white oak; ceiling, yellow pine ; deck beams, white pine , stringers, oak, 14x14 inches; deck plank, 214x 4 inches. The gallows frame for the walking beam a very heavy and braced and keyed in every direction ; it is of yellow pine, the main legs 21x18 inches. The engine kelsong are 4 feet high and 18 inches thick, of yellow pine. Six tone of iron bolts were used in the engine kelsons and frame. There are three masts, 65 feet high. The hog-frame is of 16x13-inch timber, and is 35 feet high; the legs 12x13 inches, braces (6 on each side) 10x12 inches ; uprights, 10x12 inches. The timber through out is of the best quality, and it will be seen from these statistics that the hull is very stanch and strong. The joiner work throughout is of the Queen Anne style. On the main deck there is the captain's office on the port side of the grand stairway, the corresponding space on the star board side being taken up with a stateroom. The baggage-room is 12x18 feet, and is situated on the port side, aft of the wheel; the freight office, on the opposite side, is also 12x18. For ward of the wheel, on the port side, are four closets, 8x14 feet each, lamp-room 6x10, chill- ToOM 8x12; on the starboard side, Wash-room and, bait 14x10, donkey boiler-room, etc. The painting on this deck, forward of the engine-room, is in sage greens and drab ; art, in the style of the saloons. There are four gang-ways on each side. On the main deck, there is a space of 50x35 feet between the la dies’ saleon and the engine-room ; on the after guards the space measures 69x12 feet at the gangway, diminishing to a width of 4 feet at the stern; between engine-room and steam chimneys, each side, 63x12 feet; forward of chimneys, 52x66 ; forward of bulkhead, 45x42. Thus, it will be seen, that the Kaaterskill has ample deck-room for any drafts that may be made on her by freighters. Fruit-shippers, in particular, will appreciate the accommodations afforded by her roomy guards and the open deck forward of the bulkhead. The Kaaters kill has one-third more deck-room than the City of Catskill, even. The ladies saloon coutsing 24 bertha ,and 2 staterooms, with toilet-room on the stern. The joinery is finished in black walnut. The dining room, which is reached by a double stairway of turned black walnut, is 72x25 feet. Around its sides are 62 berths, constructed on an im proved plan designed by Capt. Stead, allowing a continuous circulation of sir. The dining room is painted in white. Forward of the dining room, on the port side, is the kitchen, 19x19 seat, lined with galvanized iron, and pro vided with the latest-improved cooking conven iences, including a 7-foot range and a steam table; adjoining the kitchen is a pantry, 12x12. On the starboard side are the mess-room for the crew and the steward’s store-room. For ward of the boilers,is a cabin containing 30 berths and 8 staterooms, finished in black wal nut, for the boat's people. Forward of this cabin are the water-tight compartment and the forecastle. The stanchions on the main deck And the salt Bad Hinds throughout the boat are of cherry- A curved bulkhead of ground glass and deco rated woodwork is passed through to the grand stairway, an elaborate piece of work, composed of mahogany, rozewood, holly and French wal nut, beautifully wrought and highly polished. The newel posts are surmounted by bronze and ‘Longwy lamps, of rich pattern. The foot plates are of brass, and on the landing the boat’s name appears in polished brass. The main saloon is truly palatial. It is 20x60 feet aft and 18x75 feet forward of the engine bulkhead. Above are the balconies to the second tier of staterooms, three feet in width, surrounded by 2 black walnut and mahogany rail. The staterooms are unusually large and airy, averaging 6 ft. 3 in. by 6 ft. 8 in., and each one bag double and single berths, provided with Baratogs springs and the best of hair mattresses. The berth fronts and washstands are of black, walnut and cherry. There are 52 connecting rooms—10 sets of which may be thrown into suits of as many as five rooms each—the lergent number on any river steamer. This feature on the City of Catskill has proven very popular with family parties. On either guard is a bridel chamber 12x9 feet, which may be still further enlarged by connecting it with the adjoining stateroom. These bridal chambers will have full-sized beds and be elegantly fur nished, the beds canopied and curtained with raw silk. There are 123 staterooms, all told, and 120 berths, greater passenger accommoda tions than are afforded by any other boat on the Hudson, except those of the People's line. There are two wide stairways leading to the balcony, one aft and the other forward of the engine section. They are of root ash, French walnut, mahogany and black-walnut, carved and polished. The steam chimneys, thanks to the good judgment and taste of Capt. Stead, instead of being bulkheaded, are separately cased and paneled, and decorated in the pre- railing tints. Four 12-light bronze chandeliers of elegant pittern, and brackets on the mast, light the main saloon; there is another 12-light in the ladies’ saloon, and eight 4-light bronze and Kiots chandeliers in the dining-room. The furniture for the saloons is from the house of ©, F, Vogel, and is of newer style, a combination of Queen Anne and renaissance. The upholstering is in gold and crimson spun silt and plush. The carpets throughout are of velvet. The boat will be heated by steam. The decorating was designed by Mr. Breas ted of Dunhary Breasted of this village, and still in entire harmony with the Queen Anne Joiner work. The paneling in the main saloon and in the ladies' saloon is in percock blue and pink, the mouldings in white, stile buff, pilas ters sage green relieved with gold, cove a deep pink, frets in mahogany, ornaments in panel over pilasters in gold, pilasters proper (com posed of seven members) in mahogany. At each end of engine section is a panel bearing an old English initial “*K” in gold in a floriated gold scroll. The high and graceful paneled dome is decorated in the tints employed upon the stateroom fronts. The three masts in the main saloon have each four mahogany pilas ters, and are decorated in peacock blue, bail, white and pink. The ground glass in the dome and alateroom doors is decorated with scroll and leaf, inclosing the steamer's initial. The interior of the staterooms is in white.The doorknobs, scutcheons and number plates are in silver. The pilot-house is finished in alternate strips of black walnut and spruce, mahogany trimmings, pes green ceiling. The pilots’ staterooms are underneath the house, on the deck below. The wheel is double, 7 ft. 6 in. in diameter, and is composed of mahogany, holly and locust. The pilot-house is sur mounted by a golden eagle, spreading 6ft. 6 in. over the boat's name-board, the name “Kaat erakill” standing out boldly in Roman letters in gold on a black ground. The pilot-house is connected with a chime of three steam-whistles. ‘The boat's musical combination also includes 2 bell as large as that of a church, “The wheels are 31 feet in diameter, 10 feet face,, The wheel-house front is handsomely painted, and an antlered deer’s head in gold ornaments the center of the circle. The let tering is in old English text, the initial in In dian red, the other letters in black, all shaded with gold and sage green. The boat is driven by a vertical beam engine, 68-inch cylinder, 12 feet stroke. She has two boilers, 9 -seat Linch diameter, 34 feet length, carried in the hold. These are from the well known shop of W. A. Fletcher, and the en gine is the 100th of their make. The Messrs. Fletcher have built the engines for such smart steamers as the Albany, Mary Powell, C. Wib bard, Daniel Drew, Jesse Hoyt, and City of Hudson, and that for the Kaaterskill already gives promise of being equal to any of them. The Kaaterskil’s engine was set up by the Messrs. Mercher's foreman, George Proyn, native of Catskill, and he predicts great things of her. Among the many steamboatmen and others present we noticed John Roach of the Chester (Pa.) shipyard, Capt. Bonrne of the Old Do minion Steamship Co., Mr. Foulkes of Law rence, Foulkes Co., Capt. H. O. Nichols of Athens, Chief Engineer Platt Spencer of the Eliza Hancox, Capt. Lewis Pavvier, Mr. Cheney, Purser Tallmadge of the Troy line, Mr. Van Loan of Van Loan Magee, Athens, Henry Myers of the Hoboken ferry, Editor Bradley of The Maritime Reporter, the Rev. P. F. Jones, formerly of Catskill, President Snyder, Vice- President Rickerson, Superintendent Donahue, Secretary Hughes, Capt. Stead, Capt. Wolfe and others of the N. Y., C. A. Steamboat Co. The Building Committee of the company consisted of Wm. Donahue, chairmen, Lewis Wolfe, James Stead, Virgil Lasher and G. M. Snyder. Each and all have contributed valua ble aid to the grand result—a steamboat which challenges comparison with any on the Hudson. The enterprise of the company in building the five first-class steamers City of Catakill and Kanters Hull, at an aggregate cost of nearly $300,000, deserves acknowledgment. With the completion of the Catskill Mountain Railroad and the co-operation of the people of this section, the N. Y., C. A. Stmbt. Co. will aid materially in developing the greatest possibili ties of Summer travel and local freight traffic in this direction. The Kaaterskill will be an important addition to the route, and we con gratulate the company on owning and Capit. Stead on commanding such a splendid steamer. The Kaaterskill will make her first trip on Saturday afternoon, leaving New York at 1 O'clock, Hop Bitters. Astpuneant, Mast., Jan. 14, 1880. I have been sick over two years. They all gave me up as past cure. I tried the most skill ful physicians, but they did not reach the worst part. The lungs and heart would fill up every night and distress me, and my throat was very bad. I told my children I never should die in peace until I had tried Hop Bitters. I have taken two bottles. They have helped me very much indeed. I am now well. There were a lot of sick folks here who have seen how they helped me, and they used them and are cured, and feel 28 thankful as I do that there is so valuable a medicine made. Mra. Jun G. CusHine. A Clear Complexion Can be had by every lady who will use Par ker's Ginger Tonic. Regulating the internal or gans and purifying the blood, it quickly re moves pimples and gives 2 healthy bloom to the cheek. Read about it in another column. *
Newspaper Details
Catskill Recorder
Catskill, New York, US
Fri, Jul 28, 1882
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Valerie H.
