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    Steamboats to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket
    Steamboats to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket
    Steamboats to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket
    Ebook180 pages59 minutes

    Steamboats to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket

    By William H. Ewen Jr. and Tom Dunlop

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    The islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, off the Cape Cod coast of Massachusetts, were first inhabited by members of the Wampanoag tribe. English settlements were established in the mid-1600s. As the populations and commerce grew, so did the need for reliable transportation. The islands were first served by privately owned sailing vessels, but things began to change with the introduction of marine steam power. In 1818, the little steamer Eagle was the first to cross Nantucket Sound. Although she only remained in these waters for three months, she began what was to become a tradition of steamboat travel to the islands that lasted for 170 years. The images in this volume include well-known steamers with familiar names like Nobska, Naushon, Gay Head, and Uncatena, as well as many others.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateMar 23, 2015
    ISBN9781439650530
    Steamboats to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket
    Author

    William H. Ewen Jr.

    William H. Ewen Jr. is a noted maritime historian and artist and also is the author of Images of America: Steamboats on the Hudson River. He has gathered images, many never before published, from museums, private sources, and his personal collection for this project. The foreword is by Tom Dunlop, author of three Vineyard books and a writer for the Vineyard Gazette and Martha's Vineyard Magazine.

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      Book preview

      Steamboats to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket - William H. Ewen Jr.

      collection.

      INTRODUCTION

      The Massachusetts islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are situated off the southern coast of Cape Cod. Nantucket, the smaller of the two, is approximately 30 miles offshore and Martha’s Vineyard about seven miles. The first recorded sightings of both islands were by the English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602. At the time, members of the Wampanoag Indian tribe inhabited the islands.

      The first real English settlement on the Vineyard, as Martha’s Vineyard is commonly called, was established in 1642 and the first on Nantucket in 1659. While Martha’s Vineyard remained mostly agricultural, Nantucket steadily grew as a center for whaling and refining whale oil. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Nantucket whaling ships were traveling to points around the globe on voyages that lasted three to four years. This industry, for a time, made Nantucket one of the wealthiest communities in the country. It was said that whale oil from Nantucket lit the streets of Europe.

      Transportation by water was of course critical for the islands. At first, it consisted mostly of private sailing vessels for hire. As the need for reliable and regular transportation grew, especially on Nantucket, so did the push for ferry service. As early as 1694, an act for licensing and regulating ferry service was enacted. In 1695, the two islands were put in different counties so that they and their ferry services were independent of each other.

      The first tentative service by steamboat came to Nantucket as early as 1818. It was not until 1846 that Martha’s Vineyard got its own direct steam-powered ferry service. Engine-powered vessels did not replace the sailing packets immediately. The steamers were more expensive to build, and at least initially, the sailing vessels were often faster. But this was the beginning. Steamboats served the two islands for about 170 years before the last one departed these waters.

      While certainly not attempting to be an in-depth history of steamboat service to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket or to include every steamer in island service, this volume will be a visual trip back to look at many of the different steamboats and companies that became lifelines to the islands. Ferry service continues today in greater numbers than ever before. However, all of the contemporary vessels are diesel powered. With some exceptions, only steam-powered ships will be included here.

      One

      THE EARLY YEARS

      Initially, Nantucket, with its thriving commerce, had a much greater need for regularly scheduled water transportation than the Vineyard. Logically, the first attempts to establish service by powered vessels were at Nantucket. The first steamboat to cross Nantucket Sound was the Eagle, built in New London, Connecticut, in 1817, just 10 years after Robert Fulton’s North River Steamboat. (That was her official name, not Clermont.) After initially operating on Long Island Sound, the Eagle made her first trip from New Bedford to Nantucket on May 5, 1818. There was public indifference to her service and an attitude that sail would remain more reliable. Without enough patronage to support her, she was sold to the Boston & Hingham Steamboat Company after only three months.

      The steamer La Fayette was built in New Jersey in 1824 and operated there until 1828, when Barney Corey and James Hathaway of New Bedford purchased her. She was smaller and much cruder than the Eagle and was woefully underpowered. She was only able to complete the trip between New Bedford and Nantucket if the tides and wind were favorable. While in service to Nantucket, her name was unofficially changed to Hamilton, and that name was painted on her paddle boxes. In spite of this, she was still registered under her original name, and La Fayette remained on her stern. She lasted on the run about a year.

      The last attempt at individual ownership of a steamboat to Nantucket was the Marco Bozzaris, built in 1826 for Jacob Barker. He was a wealthy man with many business interests and was one of the few who saw the potential for steamboats to help the island and its commerce. While more successful than her predecessors, Marco Bozzaris could only operate seven months of the year and was withdrawn in 1832.

      In 1833, the Nantucket Steamboat Company was incorporated by a number of prominent businessmen on the island, ushering in the age of corporate ownership with sufficient funds to operate steamboat service. These men also realized the income potential of having a steamer available for towing, salvage, and ice-breaking.

      The 92-foot side-wheel steamboat Eagle was the first to cross Nantucket Sound. Her initial trip from New Bedford to Nantucket was on May 5, 1818, with 60 passengers aboard. On June 25, she began regularly scheduled service, the first to either of the islands. However, even her fastest trip of eight hours and seven minutes did not help patronage. She was withdrawn and sold after only three months.

      The second steamer to attempt operating a service to Nantucket was the La Fayette, which is not one word as depicted in this painting by Fred Pansing. She was so underpowered that she had to carry barrels of tar to throw into the boiler for more power in critical situations, such as making landings. The resultant smoke and sparks earned her the nickname the Dragon.

      The Marco Bozzaris was built to operate to Nantucket but was first tried out on a run from Dighton and Fall River to New York. This cut from an 1827 newspaper ad probably does not accurately represent her. It is a generic image and was used by a number of different companies. Her first trip to Nantucket was in 1829, and she only lasted here until 1832.

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