The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-04-22

Flushing were during the cholera sea- son in New York in the early thirties. It was probably the most terrible chol- era visitation in the history of New York. The quarantine officers would not let us off the docks, but even from Peck slip, where we made our daily landings, we saw enough to make our blood run cold. There were three or four hundred deaths per day, and you must remember that New York was comparatively small city in those days, without it's present large foreign population. Many of my friends left me, safe and sound, and never re- turned; two well-known steamboat captains, Corliss and Douglas, were among it's victims. During the sum- mer of the first visitation, in 1892, my boat the Flushing, was the only one that continued on it's regular trips, from New York to New Rochelle, Glen Cove and Oyster Bay. All the New Haven, Hartford and Providence boats were laid up. The trade was, of course, light, but the steamers were kept at the docks mainly from the fear of the plague. Our boat not only sailed regularly during that frightful year, but we added several boats to our list-the New Haven, the Superior and the Splendid.
 "The boats were nearly all of the same class. I can remember them all, and have always been deeply interest," ed in their subsequent history. There is something about a steamboat that is pathetic, especially during its final ;e, .1el, matter how fine an animal he has been in his day nor how dignified his | career may have been, is almost cer- tain to have a miserable and melan- choly end. And, in the same way, ev- l cry one seems to like to give @ steam CT a parting kick After our vessels | became unfit for our use we usually | put them up at auction. Sometimes | we would save the decks and the en- | zines and put in a new hull, but it was usually cheaper to dispose of the ves- | sel otherwise and build anew. The boats had 8 period of high popularity, and then began to decline until they | were utilized as tugs, coal barges or | in other miserable capacities, finally | becoming kindling wood and old iron. The finest of them succumbed. sup pose you vhae never heard of the l Hudson, the American Eagle, the Belle, the Connecticut, the Hero, the Globe, the Granite State and many others? They played an important | part in Sound traffic, however, thirty and forty and fifty years ago. I built a great many of them and command ed still more. The American Eagle was my second boat, and she created a great stir when launched. New York and Connecticut people thought there had never been anything so grand, and, as matter of fact. she was a 1 great improvement on her predeces- sors. I commanded her until 1887, when I took charge of the Belle. ran l her on the Hudson river for a time, then to Providence.
 ''I used to take great many famous people on my steamboat, for it was the only easy way to get to New Ha- ven and New England. remember in particular that James K. Polk, after 1 he became President, took several voyages with me. Polk, after the fashion of the Presidents in those days, used to make periodical trips | through the country and he came once or twice to New Haven and Con- necticut under my care. He was a quiet man of simple habits very retir- l ing in his manners and difficult to be- come acquainted with. I never knew him real well, as I did several others. Andrew Jackson once made trip, but he was not a regular passenger. Hor- ace Greeley, a plain, old-fashioned fel- | low, as I remember him, used to come frequently up to New Haven, and an- | other newspaper man whom I knew very well was James Watson Webb editor of the Courier and Enquirer He had fine place at Whitestone and used to make constant trips between that place and New York. met him a few years before his death. and though it was nearly forty years since he had seen me last he knew me at a glance. The passenger whom I most delight to recall, however, is Daniel Webster. knew the great statesman very well; we became great friends. always used to give him my cabin for he was not fond of mixing with the passengers. He lived in Massachu- setts and used to come and go to and from Washington on the Hero or some other of the boats have commanded He was one man among million; we have none such these days! He was a fine looking man with a broad fore head, deep, sunken, expressive eyes firm lips and erect carriage. I knew him throughout his whole political life his triumphs, his dlsappointments and his failures. We used to chat for hours on the stretch on every conceiv- able topic except politics. He never mentioned to me his political ambi- tions. I belonged to his party until Henry Clay became prominent, when became democrat, and have re- | mained so ever since.
 q built great many steamboats for the New Haven Steamboat compa- ny, with which l became connected ir 1841 There was he old Traveller which went to the bone heap several years ago, the Elm City, the Continen- tai and the c. H. Northam. The Elm City was launched in 1855. She was 8 splendid vessel and did excellent ser vice for nearly forty years. She rar between New York and New Haver and enjoyed great popularity as ar excursion steamer. She came ir mighty handy during the war. She was chartered by the government ant carried provisions from New York te