The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-10-06
THE PLYMOUTH ROCK SOLD.
Merry Lie on The Old Beat During Jim FIsks
Time

I: llne.
The famous old steamboat Plymouth
Rock, redolent with memories Of Colonel
Jim Fisk in his palmiest hours, of the
great reign of shoddy at Long Branch
in 1871, Of the famous coaching rivalry
Of Fisk and Helmbold, of Jay Gould and
Black Friday, champagne and oysters,
Jarrett and Palmer, and mysterious
petits soupers in gilt-edged state rooms,
has been sentenced to death. She was
sold at auction on September % to But
ler, Clancy and Co., of Boston, for the
sum of s., 100. They sent Captain Riley,
crack steamboat skipper, and their
junior partner, Mr.. H. Fitzgerald, here
with crew to take charge of her. This
morning at s o'clock, in tow of the big
tug Cyclops, she Will move out to the
eastward through He'll Gate, and bid
farewell to the Bay of New York forever;
for when she reaches Boston she will be
broken up and sold for old junk.
She ran fifteen years on the Sound be-
fore Colonel James Fisk, Jr., saw her
and fell in love with her. 1t was at the
time when Fisk was in his glory as a
railroad and steamboat manager and the
proprietor Of the Grand Opera House.
He was also Colonel of the Ninth Regi-
ment at the time he formed the idea Of
becoming commodore, and he engaged
the regimental band to play on board
the steamer. He himself used to ap-
pear in her saloon wearing a yachting
cap heavily trimmed with gold bullion,
blue reeting jacket with black buttons,
and white trousers. Just before reach
ing the city or Sandy Hook he would
disappear into his stateroom and pres
emily emerge clad in his street costume.
On the same boat travelled DR.. Helm
bold, then full of wealth and ambition
for display.
On arriving at the Branch the Doctor
was always met by his coach, drawn BY
six bay horses, and whirled to his splen-
did mansion in Chelsea avenue. Fisk
had three cottages on Ocean avenue,
near Bath avenue. He occupied one
himself, while the other two were ten
anted by several beautiful young women
who appeared to be very well acquainted
with Fisk. These enchanting creatures
used to meet the gallant Colonel at the
train, whittier they went in handsome
landau with gold trimmings, drawn by
bay horses with gold mounted harness.
Fisk himself used to ride in an enormous
dray drawn by crossed team of six
blacks and grays. He had a coachman
and tiger on the box and two footmen
on the rumble behind.
All the wealth and fashion of the
Branch, from John Hoey and Charles j.
Osborn to old jeremiah Curtis, the faith
er Of Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup,
and Russell Sage, the grandfather Of
puts, calls and straddles, used to travel
on the Plymouth Rock IN those days;
and with the music and the champagne,
and the gilt-edged staterooms with spring
locks, every trip was picnic, a mensge-
RE and sideshow thrown in.
After checkered career stories got
afoat that the vessel was unseaworthy,
and Scofeld, who then owned her, lost
money on her as an excursion boat.
Then he built great platform on top
Of her, put an awning over it, called her
a floating skating rink, and ran her up
the Hudson But she failed to draw,
and on November 10, last year, she was
put up at auction. Scofeld bought her
in for 1915, and owned her until she
was sold last week. Her career has
ended, but no boat ever had merrier
life of it.-N. Y. Star, Sept. 20.