The New York herald., 1871-08-11
A FUNKING FERRY CONPAN
How Mr.. Dow, of Weehawken,
Out Of q Bad Scrape.
The Weehawken Ferry Franchise Sold a
Midland Railroad Resolutions of Legis 4
tive Committee = Startling Revela-
tions-Patched Boilers and Rot.
ten Steam Chsst-Beware Of
the Ferry Boat Lydia.

the Ferry Boat Lydia.
About the last measure Of seeming homes
to which the members Of the Legislature OF
lent their vociferous ayes was a revolution prop
by an Itinerant statesman named Plunkett, di
Ing the Committee on Commerce and Navigatic n
inspect and report on the condition of the Wee MA
ken ferry. 1t was asserted in the House-and re
licans groaned as the charges were read-that
ferry was in o beastly condition, and that the
pany that held the charter ought to be prOsec T1
to the fullest extent In due time Lawrenc w
Herman chairman and several honorables Of
very honorable Legislature OF that year assem- N
at the gas works adjoining the ferry, examined
NUMBER OF INDIGNANT CITIzBNs,
cracked Jokes and bottles OF champagne, smt
Partagas (nrsD and in many other ways displa
their ability as representatives OF the mobocrac
New York. They swore dreadfully IN the privac
their wine-smelling committee room that they We
burst the company Mr. Dow, the principal,
naturally alarmed, and was lavish In his hospital
The committee had a shorthand writer and
retary, and Mr.. Kiernan conducted the examinatl
w0eful amount OF adverse testimony was accd
ingly piled up against Dow ana his vlrtuous feI
company. The stenographer and the secret "a
were paid, of course but who paid for the ardu,
| labors of the commltteef Mr. Lawrence D. X.
| nan, Clerk OF the Department OF Education, ha 4
defective memory, but he could answer that gu /
| tiOn II he tried. III
MOST DAMAGING FACTS WERE ELECTED
In the examination and were fully reported In 4
| HERALD next morning; but, singular to say,
| report was made to the Legislature. or II rep'l
was made it was sat on, anu so the matter endt
| The members OF the committee who were spok \
| to after the adjournment seemed perfectly satisil
| with the result of their labors- Mr.. Dow. the pl
| prietor OF the Weehawken terry, nad most pt
| suaslve way OF stating case.
But Dow seemed to understand that one visit OF
| legislative committee was enough IN lifetime
prosperity, and like wise man, prepared to 'star
from under" He hurriedly entered into negotiation
with the Midland Railroad company, and finally sol
his right to the valuable franchise held by him
| the name OF this corporation, OF which he was Il
acknowledged head to the officers Of the prosperity
Midland thoroughlare. The amount OF the pecuniar
consideration is matter Of small Importance and
the business OF the parties concerned. What til
| public want TO know Is
| WHAT ABOUT THE FERRY9
And certainly after Mr.. Herman aud his disgust
| lngly intrusive committeeman sat on Mr.. DOW an
MS comrades IN misery Interested people, at least
| should nave some statement about the Weehawke
| Ferry Company ana their dOings. Popular griev
ances will not float out OF windows ike cigar smoke
wel-grounded Complaints are more lasting than tn
| reports OF champagne corks. -i-,
tieaIly remembering the visit OF the COMMITTEES
! of Commerce and Navigation OF the New York Legis
| lature to the WeenawKen Terry. and their tremen
dous EFFORTS to "1x tnings'' on that occasion, an
mindful OF the fact that the public look to the pres
for accurate and fearless CRITICISMS OF tne doings
| dire responsibility OF life and death, the HERAL
| reporter who smiled on the rusty Roscrucian o
| Astoria the day before, dropped on the Dewildere
| hdOuues OF Fortv-second street ferry yesterday an
Tnere is not much in or about the ferry at the foo
| of
| Most OF the nusances OF which the Inhabitants 0
the neighDorhood formerly complained nave ceased
TO exist, decent platform runs out from the ferr
| house, the boats thump against the shaky piles n
more than totterng crafts OF uncertain ways ougn
TO- and there ID manifest impr0ve ment III the con
| dition Of the flooring OF the slip.
| BUT THE BOATS OH, THE BOATsi
are extraordinarily beautiful specimens OF nava
| architecture, and OF course, are the admiration O
| Alderman Plunkitt Qate Assemblyman) the Com
| mittee OF Commerce and Navigation OF the las
Legislature and Of everv citizen OF the neghbor
hood who has never dared the dangers OF tn
treacher0us waters over the trembling boilers Q
the boats. They run every lorty mlnutes-tha
| Is, they crawl to WeeKawken ana back With
that time. Ii the engineer got mad wit
the engine and tempted fate by trying a create
| have few passengers $3.50 worth day said tn
ticket taker; the reliance Is on 500 worth OF stones
Lord, suppose the boiler fell out with the enginee
and pelted the $50 with the $d0P
''And is 1t quite certain" asked the reporter OF
person on the Roselyn, just leaving ior Weehawken
AS SAFE AS 1T OUGHT TO BEp'
"Well now, look hereY you Ken go down el yo
like, am et the bier Dust, young man, suppose y
ken come up DE ye know ltY"
The reporter nodded In reply to this argumen
and lnterrogatory and went on board the boat.
young man showed the way 10 the engine room an
son the boiler is good enough ~ he said, IN repl
to question; 'dt Is only nine years old, and |
| patched nowhere but III the bottom. It's tnln bu
good, reckon n
'Tnspected, Of courseS"
! 'lnspectedg Think 1t was Feller KUN here az
|
right 'spose-you bet It's all right her, for tnoug
thin this ere boiler Is good 1t ls But look hea slI
this.n his "'''' " ''f'V'' ' 's e. ~ w
The reporters chaperone put his hand on tn
steam chest aud ran his nails into several cracks,
! THE STEAM CHEST WAS HoNEYCoMBED
with rust. The condenser and bedplate were in th
same condition.
"Now. suppose the steam chest should explode,
asked the reporter as he dangied his feet over
| spare bar or iron and eyed askance the cracke
chest "suppose 1t should burstN
"God o. mercy ~ exclaimed the man. jumping {
| the engine in obedience TO warning bell, al gues
we would be blown out OF the side OF the boat.n
| '.And this horrible engine OF destruction nigh
explode now as we sit examining III"
"Yes, sir we might pc scaided to death in tn
| twipking OF bedpostl"
Good evening, sir,n said the reporter; "muc
obliged for your attenuation"
Going on shore at Weehawken the HERALD rel
resentdtlve discovered that the ROseyn was dis
carded Williamsburg boat and that ner engine wa
twenty years old.
OF native, examined last year by the Commute
on Commerce and Navigation.
"Pnat stneamer Is thatS Be COB, she's tub; she
rotten; smell drop III the wather II let alone she
the divll, an
IT'S sunk SHE OUGHT TO BE.
FOine stheamer indeed EhY Me sowl, she's
beautyp p'
Fortified by these honest expressions OF natiy
admiration. the reporter inspected the Lydia, 18th
other boat'' on which the company relies. A hears
III the water, colin on wheels or anything es
equally Incongru and absurd would scarcely COZ
vey u sufficiently ridiculous idea 0f lis appearance
| m Nc
this anuIualed craft. me raanfA. ..,,-',,,'g q,
anined % tne boiler lD Ih's thing aud went ava
aas1 s1nse and sna' Slos Of the lnSompeenoe, nsgl
NOT numbered Dy the thousand instead OF by til
hundred
Tue boiler was honeycombed and bore as man
patches on tts surface there were sores OR Iazs
rus. Until the lydia has q new boiler let none VIII
| value life venture to travel on her.