The New York herald., 1877-01-14
Interesting Personal RecOIlections of
the Old BOatman.
HIS TRIALS AND SUCCESSES.
Hotel Keeping and Steamboat.
ing Combined.
STERN METHOD OF REARING CHILDREN.
ELlzAserarowx. n. j., Jan. 10. 1871


son, Old stage contractor who was ruined by tho
Commodore selling out end of stage line without
taxing him into his confidence At Newark reside the
Wright family. whose head went into East River steam
boating with Vanderbilt in opposition to the regular
Providence line. HE was too much tor me-" old Mr.
Wright used 10 say; 'he nearly turned my hair white.
We losing money hand over hand la the Lexng
ton until said For Gods sake, Vanderbilt stopl
we are both ruined alroaLy keep steady, answered
Vanderbilt i tell you I'll fetch 'em directly. He
did fetch em settlement, but hc never got Wright
into any such desperate business any more"
HIS PIRsr wiPR MOTHER
Phoebe Hand. his mother, from whom he derived his
force Of character, was native OF Scotch Plans j.
where General Hand, Of tho Revolutionary war; and
others lived. Sho probably OF Scotch Covcnan,er
blood as that region settled after Claverhouse's
massacre OF the Camcronians. She remembered tho
Revolutionary War; which ragged hcrccst in this part or
Jersey and stopped 10 great degree both production
ana education. Sho was, therefore, very poor and
worked as a housemnd from place place on Staten
Island until she attracted vanderbts father Port
Richmond. She had hapds like her son. and that
natural dropping Of tho under lip which added to The
intense scorniulness yanderbils face could express
II Phoebe Hand Scotch then Vanderbilt Of tho
blended races Dutch and Scotch, whence the sons of
Livingston and Hamilton drew their patience and
enterprise.
His wife. Sophia Johnson, was Of Port Richmond
family, there being several sisters They were poor
but partially educated, and old people at Port Rich
mond say that Sophia Vanderbilt. when a girl, went
out to seek housework. Like his mother, his wife
kept sort of watermen's and oystcrmen's tavern.
They both frugal and laborous take advantage
OF the slender opp0i tuntieS.
vANDERBILr's FIRST PEKiAUGER.
Captain Abel Hatfield who inhabils the Oldest house
in New Jersey where his family have had an uninter-
ptaIf frpan Of frnru
b0yhood, and has kept intimate relations with him
they were watermen In the Kills. He said to
your correspondent, sitting IN his old farm house on
Vanderbilt nrst vessel was built at Bcleville, on
the Passac aud was called by him the Swiitsurc
He took his wife, while they were engaged TO this
sloop. rowing anu sailing her all the way from Port
Richmond staten Island.
"He next built the Dread You can get an idea from
these names Of his sei-imputed type OF character.
His rsl vessel was the Swttsure, then tho Drcad and
his first the Bellona--to beat to iLtin
date 10 make war.
..ac lost the Dread of whitehall" continued Cap
tain Hatfield. ..Nolhing before since ever mortified
him like that. She sank from being spared.
He took her over TO Brooklyn and amended her and
continued to use her TIL he took to sleamboalng.
He myde in the Dread the only ocean run
! ever heard Of coasting captain; tor, you
know, he was no seaman at all. He was waterman, a
rail- Dads, and nothing more. The trip speak OF he
made to tho coast OF North Carolina, 10 Currtuck, to
load up with melons and produce. Jake Van DuZcr
went along with another vessel, and they got aground
BY kable cxertons Wander blt hoated hs s0op
the othcrs suffered a total loss in their venture.
'He most determined man IN those days" +"
said Captain Hatfield, "but not very popular. .He
stern and cut people of snapplshly Ii he
did not want TO answer question he never minded
ones feelings We never expected that he would DO
u millionaire. but We aiways admitted his go
ahoad force Ho carried scar 10 his grave
made on his breast by pole which into
tho flesh lie was polling to beat Jake Van Duzer ivr
passengers up through Buttermik Channel, to reach
Whitehall Rivalry aroused all his powers, and that is
why hc made such terrible starter OF opposition lines
HI ftnr fho fI.nft Ilrif
sh vessels hud arrived inside Sandy Hook. AT that
time mis- brothcrin-Iaw, Dc Forrest, owned half his
vessel Vanderbilt got some barrels OF CIDER cooked
fresh provisions, fru beer &c, and started TO trade
The Brush sailors. He ahead of all competi
tors and disposed Of his suppcs but he fa!gued Do
Forrest much that ho latter said, when they got
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., want TO sell my halt IN
this soop right away; and want tho cash, too This
incensed Vanderbilt, ana no turned right about ana
sailed to Staten Island, where his mother lived. She
raked about and gave HIM $3.50; from the Johnsons
Next morning he appeared before Dc Forrest There,
be sald take the $500 Tor your half The boats mine.
I'll have no more partners ~
HIS FAMILY FROM LONG ISLAND.
Mr.. J: j. Ciute, aged seventy, Is the historian Of
Staten Island and lives at Casteton He is the justice
sip the fallen statesans maine to deposition for
a pension. He says that tho VanderbiIts were not
original Staten Island people, but Long Islanders.
fnd the following curious confirmation OF tha. fact
IN Henry Onderaonk's Revolutionary Incidents Of
when General Howe landed from Staten Island on
Long Island August %, with 1000 troops he first
struck the American rifle regiment under Colonel
Hand Tho next day Cornwallis pante battery near
Fla:bush church, ''somewhat west OF Jeremiah Van
dcrbilts," and Hands rlcmen picked on the gunners
HsndJ The Hon. John vanderbilt, OF Fla,bush, pre-.
sented "a ine bell imported from Holland" 10 the Re-
formed Dutch church at that place in 1896 Cornelius
Vanderbilt was born about that time, when Brooklyn
had only eighty reehoders, and NO steam ferry boat
TO cross the East River Tor yet eighteen years
Captain John Vandcrblt, VINO ran opposition to
G,bbous on the Rarilan and to Stevens tito North
River, Is said to have been no relative OF Cornelius
not a brother, AS others allege.
RELATION OF GIBBONS TO VANDERBILT.
vanderbil's steam navigation LIE centres around
Elizabeth City as starting point Jerry, originally
kept by Frcnchmah had existed from Elizabeth Poiut
10 New York since the colonization of New Jersey by
Philip Carterc The ferry property aud good Will be-
longcd Thomas Gibbons. wealthy planter OF Savan-
nah Ga at the time steam navigation was introduced,
but had leased the right to run II for term OF years
to Colonel Aaron Ogden, the classmatc aud bosom
ircno Of Aaran Burr. Fulton X Co. having conveyed
the right TO run steamboats, from New York 10 New
Brunswick through the Kills to John Il. and h J. Liv-
ingston these bult the steamer aran l3O by 20 fcot
and put her the ne paying Ogden Ior touching at
the PC int the ne would have received from pas
senlers. But Ogden wanted to make more money by
the lease, now nearly expiring, and gibbons wanted
recover Inc lease or force partnership with Og-
den. Gibbons was repucd TO lie worth ST. 900; he
was lawyer ana Princeton graduate, whose wc
had refused to accompany him TO the North. With
overbearing temper, nre-eatiug propensites. and
an appetite that exceeded any thing known among
the Quaker Purians Of Elizabcthown, Gibbons looked
with envy upon ogden, who had refused longer 10
commute With the Livingstons ana had built steam
perlauger at North BelIcvlc N. J. (arovo Ncwark),
called the Sea Horse. The engines were built by
Daniel Dod OF Elizabeth; the hull by Cornelius
Jeroluman At Bclcvilic, Also Vanderbilt had ordered
his sloop, the Swsurc, some years before. Afraid
TO run his boat to New York, wherc snc was liable
to seizure for infringement OF monopoly, Ogden
ran her from Elizabeth Point to Jersey City, OK.
changing his New York passengers al Bcdloc's Island
to team horse called the Substitution. Being
now Governor OF New Jersey ogden influenced the
passage OF an act 10 SHUT the Lvingstons out OF New
Jersey waters, and making liable to seizure and cons-
cation their boat the Raritan which had cost SIG 600
A trial ensued before the whole Legislature. Ogden,
Samuel L. Southard and Hopkinson argued the
formers against Thomas Adds Emmitt for the
| I.ivingstons, and Ogden was beaten on his own SOIL
He had, meantime, been posted by the iurious GID
bons Ior rcfusing TO enter into partnership on such
terms as the latter demanded They were townsmen,
| aud the cxctcmen: ran high. To intensity II Ogden
bought Tor ten years exclusive rights from the Living
stons steam vessels between the Point ani New
| York. lie began by fighting monopoly and ended .
! monopost
Ii was this stage OF the battle of cross purposes