The New York herald., 1867-03-15
THE HUD S o n .

Openina of the Rivor-rnitin. Trip oil the
season-Organixarion of Its Business fo'
lSO1-'The North River ami East hiVer
Fleets.
The opening os the Hudso4 an even. anticipated
,,h no little pleasure ~pa TACT with reyeries Of
trims In excursion and ehts or the palisades by al New
WORKERS save thoso whg view il in specially business
sspec, and connect he breaking up o ice with the az
s,omeration Of gree1backs For some days boats nave
noan nyinr between this city and various points not
,o,,her north than sing sing-though the majority OF
r r,vor ralaoos teen sleeping quietly in the mar
scr or al their waiting for the grand fleets OF ice
oees which yearly hrong the Hudson any time between
,ho lst Of February and the 18th OF April This year
The opens at medium and nearly equated time,
bssng the equation upon observations from 1880 70
1866 and in few days the ice having cleared away,
our large river steamers win norhward from their
won;ed piers, while mutudes OF smaller crait whi
cover tho Hadson with wing-lke sails, or disturb
fts solitude with paddewheels and the aoored
putting OF steam breath Trade viii have re-
sumed currents and livelinoss and &C
tvity will prevail along the doeks which, during the
winter have lain comparatively deserted and desolate
For weeks Of preparation have been sounded Of
fces have been repaired, business cards have been
printed and companies--passenger and freight--have
been organized for the coming summer
Generally speaking, those who were thoroughly ac-
aaained with the business OF the Hudson last season
are well informed TO its main features for the
Of ls67-few boats having been built few new lines
or travel or projected and few alterations having
been made in times of running In localities The pro-
pretors the Peoples line have caused boat TO be
bull FOR business OF the Of 1867, viz the
Drew which is claimed TO be the finest steamer ever
built the river services OF praise which is the
rooac6 from the fact that river in the world
have steamboats, more merited the epithe OF floating
palaces than those Of the Hudson
TIL. SEASON
Tho propeller Nuhpa Captain W. b. Carroll, left this
city, pier 81 North river at six p NJ Wednesday eve
ming and landed It's passengers, after foandering for
leagues ice at Hudson City quarter past one
yesterday making the initial trip OF the to
that point Since Tuesday last the has been tol
eraby clear far Tivo vast heds of floating though
somewhat solid ice lying between tnat point and Cats
XIII famous tor being frgid that peninsula which
treenlanders quzzicaly term tho land or Apollo and
propretors OF our HUDSON steaes have been growing
impatient at the delay of Eeaeds in making way
for their newly coppered kees On "Wednesday 1t was
resolved TO risk the Ruhigon with trip Of recon.
noissance and hence the zip Of tat evening amid foes
und fields of ice which began far down the
Pouchkeepse and endsd with the passing OF Catskill,
the Hudson being open from point norshward high
higher than Hudson City.
q bakers dozen IN addition 10 the hands employed on
board mprebending the list and two-thirds OF these
were captains OF river craft or excaptans obviously on
tour OF observation. Two ladies parrot made up
the remapder and served to give slight tnge OF
variety 20 what might otherwise have been rather
monotsnous ni6ldnge OF humanity.
Leaving the dock at which the steamer had been tied
for some hours flying the scarlet pennon and steam
With heavy ting of breath northwaTd Just long
lights began TO spring forth, marking the ensemble OF
dnsky streets and avenues craft and speedily
drowsily along like huge leva,ban with single red
oye in its forehead.
spoken on its way down. and from that time until morn
ing sound disturbed the sumoerng passengers
nosy along beneath the eastern bank of the Hudson.
At fifteen minutes past two A. ~, yesterday, the wind
euddeny veered round into the northwest the mist
fog gradually sunk away, and the skies only OBJ
scured by dull scudding. irregular masses of cond
A. Poughkcepsie and thence upward for some thirty
miles huge boulders, composed OF layers heaped one
upon another like Peiion upon Ossa, and floating islands
further progress scapng raspingy against
the copper sheathng and gathering in huge irregular
For some leagues slow progress made-a progress
which seemed TO progress very equivocallyuntil.
been reached and league below Maan Sad bsen
gained, and here mtervened couple OF miles OF
bank 70 bank Tbs field was composea Of heavy foes
heaped TO the thickness Of from two 10 three feet and
wind which had blown since two O'Clock. This field Of
Ice has been the only serious objection TO navigation from
passabIe for miles above and below only barred az
shis point with an icebar OF two miles or in
.nsa o' 70 ya
soilers OF the consumed in pougbing
sa ns % .ea m ana a. length % m at SIX
were securely fastened 10 the dock. Some slight dam
age had been done-a few square feet OF the copper
sheathing having been abradcd from bow and the
elevis Of the ruddcr having been parted by the
knocking Of blocks OF ice against it, couple OF hours
81 delay, consumed In hammering, and in what Mr.
Dickens terms, win Gaicsm. sare-iag, and the
pletion OF the trip was attempted.
Above Maiden and between that point and Ca,skiIl
ferry-a distance OF twelve miles thcreabous
bars OF less width than that bolos blocked the pas
sage. Each of these bars about half mile in
breadth, though ct point more than foot in thick
mass, and, hence, proving ess Formidable tran that
witch had Just been passed. aud resulting no very
lelgtLeued
thIough and Catsll gained further obstacles inter-
vened and Hudson ci was made al fifteen minutes past
one r. N
The river being open above Hudson city and now
open 10 that point, there Is why the Albany
boats should not make their initial trip early
morrow or sonday and with that even, tradic aud
travel by The river may be sad to have been fairly
begun. OF course ce heaps, heaped they TO the
height Of SIX or eight feet will lie and rot and waste
along the shaded banks OF the stream until the middle
May and small foes wasting slowly win drift seward
until April in, depending the question whethor
the early sprnp days moist and warm aud
gusty; hut we may nevertheless Daigrs lingering foes
and wasting bouldcrs date the opcn Of the Hudson
from the 18TH Of the month current, couple Of days
break into floating islands the icebars above mentioned
or u these alone be not enough the poughng bows oil
passing steamers will vestigc OF winter
mantle which has wrapp d for months in steep
tdc OF thai stream hight the Nuhpa by the Indians from
The opening the river this spring occurring at the
average time, may be Of erest variat IONS
IN time OF breaking up from the earliest date Of which
record has been kept The following table exhibits the
dates far back 1880 and ginning with that
$780,. Msr.h l5 1ss9.......... March rs
1901 Marcn 10 1880. March 10
1892. ............ March rs Feb IS
1855 haicl II 1892. March rs
1884 Feb. ~ le53............. March 23
1850 Mafch 70 ls9s.... March I
iS56. .......... April ls5S............ March ~
1881 March zs 1906 April 10
165S March ~ 1897 March Is
1850. March Y ls6s March iG
1870. Feb 70 1sa9. ............ March .
ls4l. March ~ 1860. March @
Eob -