The sun., 1895-05-26
BIG HUDSON RIVER TOWS.
A MILLIoN rows or FREIGHT SENT
TO NEW YORK DkILr NJ WITER.
The Great Tonnage Transported by tho
Tug MISUNDERSTANDING Up tho Tows
mt New York-proHts OF the Busincss.

The Great Tonnage Transported by tho
Tug uderbiit-B breaking Up tho Tows
ut New York Prohts OF the Business.
ALBANY, May 1s.-It would require 1000
freight cars carrying twenty-five tons each. or
thirty.two freight trains OF fifty cars each. to
take to New York the tonnage that one towboat
on tho Hudson has transported in a single tow
Of barges and canal boats. In other words. one
towbont on the water has shown itself equal to
thirty-two powerful locomotives on the rail.
That is beyond tho average size of Hudson
River tows. for it was the task Of an extraord-
narily powerful steamer. the huge side wheeler
Vanderbilt, and the tow consisted of 120 grain
barges carrying oi0 tons each, yet two good
towboats will andle just as large u following
of boats and barges with case. These are called
bunch tows. and consist of miscellaneous small
tows punched together. SO that within a dis
lance Of three or four miles on the river there
may be seen several hundred bargcs and canal
boats ailont. carrying In their holds hundreds OF
thousands of dollars worth OF merchandise,
produce. lumber, grain. and COAL and other
products OF this and other States. II 10 by no
means an uncommon thing for tow Of this kind
to consist of 100 single boats and bargcs, and as
in tho case OF the Vanderbilts big tow, even a
larger number They are arranged sometimes
eight abreast, and quarter of mile Is not IN ex
traordinary space for them to occupy in length.
Thus at q safe estimate, there Is frequently
afioat on tho Hudson Mt one tme not less than
1000. 900 tons Of freight bound for New York.
Very few persons who journey up and down
the Hudson River. either by rail or steamboat,
have even slight idea of the vast amount of
wealth that is daily fonted to New York at the
height Of the season on tho canal boats and river
barges. These tows consist of boats that have
come through the Erie Canal from Buffalo and
the lakes; of the boats the Northern Canal
brings from the Lake Champlain region. as far
north as Rouse's Point, and of the boats that
connect the Pennsylvania anthracite coal mincs
with the Hudson bv the Delaware and Hudson
Canal. The tows leave their different starting
points twice day-early in the morning and in
the evening. Their moving power are big sido-
wheel steamers. and noisy fussy little scrow pro-
peller tugs.
Railroad trains or steamboats, on their trips
between New York and Albany in the busy sea-
son pass frequently as many as fifty OF these
tows in transit. A tow that gets from Albany
90 New York in thirty-six hours has made good
time. Forty hours is the average. Ale. grain.
produce and lumber. are made up at West Troy
and Albany. AT Kingston, or Rondout. as this
Ss 0 ceS M
coal that the canal boats carry from Honesdale.
Pa. the head OF the the, Delaware e., and Hudson
or User teunss sH' the Blue s'%s% %"s:
the entire limo OF the canal. and the
lumber region of northern Pennsylvania and
SSxan es osns @
From Kingston harbor u great deal OF ice. hay.
brick. and country produce are sent to New
York by tows. and to that port craft como to
take on cargoes that are not seen ut any other
point along the river above New York: These
their main business being the carrying of coai.
Kingston harbor is by all odds the liveliest and
piSses se Hs rule the Delaware s and Hndson
Canal boats are not sent on to New York with
the coal they have brought from Honesdale. but
dout and the coal reloaded IN river barges.
A trip down the river on tow should be the
never lazy in his life before would be azier than
a COON hunting Hoosier II he rode from Albany
sway It Sas its s ream on
Hudson River tow But when tow approaches
tion takes place. There are towing lines in New
York harbor whose tugs are constantly on the
watch for tows coming down. because they have
boats or barges to take them to designated docks.
Slips slips or warehouse: The boats boats and an s 6Srges ina ina
srs to ON resehnS New YorR
Dor. AS soon as the harbor tug masters sight
up the uss
reach the tow the boats and barGes they arc
after are cut loose and cast of, to be picked up
and taken in charge by the tugs. The breaking
up of the tow is rapid. and during its progress
all the sleepy, quiet, and indolent influences
that prevailed during the trip are dissipated.
In q short time a bunch of 100 boats will have
been separated, and they will be OH their way in
many different directions.
Tho ALBANY boats and barees carving -four
and grain are towed to East River piers. to the
Erie and Atlantic basins. and to the various big
stores on the Brook lyn side Of the river. The
Rondout boats, with their lime. cement, and
stone. find their way to the many yards along
the North River. The ice barEes go down the
river in small tows by themselves. as that
branch OF river transportation is not controlled
by either Of the great towing companies that
monopolze other freight. The coal barRes un-
load at Weehawken and Pc All Amboy. An AL
bany towing company has virtually n monopoly
on the river of all the Erie Canal and Lake
Champlan freight, and the coal towage OF the
Pennsylvania Coal Company from Newburgh.
a Kingston company controls the Delaware and
Hudson Canal Company's business on the river.
AS these monopolies have been III existence
for more than a generation. and the profits OF
the towage traffic are very large. great fortunes
have been made by all connected with the cor
porations. The Hudson River transportation
business gives employment to an army of men
for seven months or more out Of the year. and
employs u large fleet Of steamboats, and tugs.
some OF which have done duty for forty years.