The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-08-11
RECLINING THE OLD TIMES.
An Ascd Eliot who has Seen NIL tho Changes
ON the North River for seventy Years.

An Aged Pilot who has Seen NIL tho Changes
ON the North River for seventy Years.
just north of the little village Of Now
town. Long Island on tho Astoria road nearly
opposite the weather beaten Lutheran church.
there stands we'll shaded cottage. whore for
twenty years has lived Capt. stephen RofI. an
old North river pilot. whose river experiences
date buck over seventy years. IIc Is cighty-nyc
years old, but his stop is firm, his blue eyes ap-
parently undmmcd. and his mind rs active as
ever. He sat on ;hc little porch in front Of his
cottage Yesterday.
" / was born" he said lin Peckslin. in 1898
My father was luboring man. My parents
died when I was young. and the seven boys Of
us that wcro left had to look out for ourselves.
We all took 10 the water and became sloop
hands. In those days there WINS a great busi-
ness done on the North river with sloops. |
was eight years old when shipped on hoarda
sloop that ran between Albany and New York MS
cook. / got twelve shillings a month and had
TO cook for three men besides myself. II kept
me pretty busy. You wouldn't expect boy
eight or ten years old to mako much Of cook
nowadays The soops then used to carry pas
scngors and among them we carried Gov
Iompkius and his wife, and cooked for hem.
] rem, mbcr him we'll He wore knee brooches,
and his hair was tied up in Il. cue. H. used
on Staten Island then"
" | Wa cook for soyen years." continued Capt
Roff. "rhcy call that an angels apprentice
shin. don't thew Then WIS promoted To
hand, and got $40 a mouth. II was about this
time that Tulton'- first steamboat the Ccrmunt.
! begun running on the river She wis queer
| looking concern. with no coverings To her
| wheels. Sho made about i've miles an hour.
| Well. WIS deck hand until was twenty-five
| yenrs old and then became sailing master Of
| slQop. Sloops still PLAYED an important part
on the river. Inc steamboats, had not begun 20
| tow then. ana the sloops carried most oi the
merchandise. | have seen IA many ~ fifty
soops going down the riyrtogcther. Sometimes
! Il WAS tedious work. | remember that once
! II took IA fourteen DAYS g. run from New York
| g. Albany. That was IN the spring Of the year.
| The water WINS high and running down tho
river very swiftly. But sometimes we made
| lnlck time. AMI have gone up to Albany In
" In 1928 went to s,eamhoating waa pilot
! oftho Henry Erktord. She was "A small steam
| boat. only about 1876 fee, long. She was built by
James i. Alnirr in 1929 and was the first steam
/ boat on the North river that had high and low
pressure engines COMPOUND engines. YOU
lived in Pike street in New York. iG he" Henry Tr
Ickforl was the first steamboat that lowed. and
| was her pilot when she took tho first boats out
oi the canal and towed them TO New YORK. The
canal bouts in those days carried only 80 or 40
| tons. We used to take n tow down in about SO
hours. and return in 80 hours. That's about
three times ~ long rs it takes the STEAMBOATS,
/ hut burned about iortv cords ~ wood in n
/ trip. The first big steamboat that was built
/ was the Chancellor Livingston. hut didn't run
/ on her After while went on the Commerce.
/ pilot ON the Illinois. She WAS owned 10y Isaac
/ Newton, and towcd with tho exception Of two
/ years when she ran opposition to The Peoples
/ mo AM cnrriei passengers from Albany TO
/ Now prk for shilling apiece. goi 5000 u
4 year on. NE Illinois rs pilot; had boon
Tn years / wa. made Cai,,Sn - her and
ms SALARY WIS si2oo In ls52 len the llll-
+ NOUS aud won't rs pilot on the Oregon. which
/ was owned hy George Law. You see. | had
/ In s59 whuont one Of ne NSw York docks
hlii NU- ffulIl