William Jay Bolton's Stained Glass Windows in the Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity in Brooklyn

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William Jay Bolton was a son of the Reverend Robert Bolton, founder of Christ Church and owner of the Priory, built beginning in 1838.  His mother was Ann Jay.  The Priory, in Pelham Manor, has been known as The Priory, Bolton Priory, Pelham Priory, the Priory School for Girls, and Pelham Priory for Girls.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

William Jay Bolton was born in Bath, England.  He attended an evangelical school in Mill Hill near London and then attended Cambridge University.  In 1836, he and his family moved to Eastchester in Westchester County, New York.  In about 1838, the family moved to Pelham and began to build the Priory.  About 1839, famed author Washington Irving (a family friend), introduced William Jay Bolton to Samuel F. B. Morse.  He became a student of Morse at the National Academy of Design as he honed his skills as a talented artist.  According to one account:

"In 1841 Bolton went to Europe where he saw masterpieces of art, mostly in Italy. Here he did many drawings and sketches of these and bought art for the family home. In 1842 Bolton returned to Pelham where he earnestly began his work in stained glass. Here he had a small shop at the rear of a house near the "Pelham Priory," the Gothic Revival family home in Pelham. The equipment he had to work with was sparse. He had a muffle kiln, which was used for firing his work after he painted details on the coloured glass. Bolton's younger brother John (1818–1898) assisted him in making and designing stained glass."

Source:  "William Jay Bolton" in Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclopedia (visited Mar. 19, 2017).

William Jay Bolton was an exceptional artist eventually admitted to the National Academy of Design.  He taught himself the art of stained glass by creating a few small panels for the windows of the Priory.  He later created for Christ Church a monumental stained glass masterwork entitled "Adoration of the Magi."  It was the first figural stained glass window created in America.  (See image later in this article.)  The "Adoration of the Magi" figural stained glass work was completed and in place by the time the church was consecrated on September 15, 1843.  This work preceded his master work, the extensive stained glass windows at the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn, New York.

"Miriam and Jubal," Painted and Stained Glass Window by

William Jay Bolton with Assistance of His Brother, John

Bolton, Installed in Holy Trinity Church, Brooklyn, New York.

Source:  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, William Jay Bolton.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

William Jay Bolton moved to England in about the late 1840s where he opened a stained glass studio in Cambridge.  After the death of his first wife, he ceased his stained glass work and became an ordained minister in an Anglican Church in about 1853.  He was Vicar of Stratford East Church in London from 1866 to 1881.  He also was associated with St. James Church in Bath from 1881 to 1884.  He died in Bath in 1884.  See "William Jay Bolton" in Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclopedia (visited Mar. 19, 2017).

William Jay Bolton's stained glass works in the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn are considered his masterworks.  The church, with its masterful Bolton windows, still stands at Montague and Clinton Streets, Brooklyn.  There are fifty windows in the series.  All were not only designed by William Jay Bolton, but also were personally executed by him.  Some believe he was assisted in the execution by a brother, John Bolton.  The church opened in 1847, although the Bolton stained glass windows reportedly were not complete at the time the church first opened.  According to one account, "neither the exact date of completion nor their original cost is recorded."

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes the text of an extensive article published in 1933 about the Bolton windows.

"WILLIAM JAY BOLTON, A. N. A. 1816-1884"

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"Adoration of the Magi," America's First Figural Stained Glass Window.

Created by William Jay Bolton for Christ Church, Pelham Manor, NY.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Bolton Cottage Used by William Jay Bolton as a Stained Glass

Studio During the Mid-19th Century, Since Razed.  Source: Courtesy

of the Office of the Historian of the Town of Pelham.  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"Art Treasures in Church Windows
Rare Examples of Stained Glass Adorn Windows of Brooklyn Heights Church
By Esther A. Coster

STAINED glass has always made a strong appeal to lovers of beauty, not only for the fascinating play of color but for the romance that still surrounds the art in its most glorious period.  Many of the secrets of the matters of the Middle Ages have been lost, although modern craftsmen have evolved beauties in glass with increasing skill.

One of the stories showing the value placed upon stained glass windows is that of the capture of Francis I at the battle of Pavia and the subsequent demand that part of the ransom should consist of a specified window of the Middle Ages are still treasured and their loss or injury considered a national calamity.
, 
In the Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity at Montague and Clinton Streets, Brooklyn, are some of the finest examples of stained glass windows in this country, and they are considered by art authorities to compare most favorable with the best of European glass.  These are all the work of one man, William Jay Bolton, who not only designed but personally executed the entire series of fifty windows.

His method was one essentially his own, being closely akin to the old Flemish manner with the design painted and fired into ground or colored glass, using the strong simple colors of the great artificers of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth centuries.  His colors are clear, strong and exceedingly brilliant.  His leads are so placed that they enhance rather than interrupt the drawing, and his shadows distributed with full understanding of the effect of light shining through rather than of realistic lines.

These windows are placed along the sides of the church, one set below and one above the gallery, in both sides of the clerestory, and in the choir loft.  The climax of the series is the huge chancel window of many panels, representing the 'Glorification of Christ,' often called 'The Ascension.'

The windows portray history as given in the Bible, the clearstory, giving Old Testament scenes beginning with Adam driven out of Eden.  Above the gallery the series is continued with the life of Christ, the original crayon drawing of the Babe for 'Adoration' being one of the treasured possessions of the church.  Below the gallery the windows deal with the genealogy of Jesus, closing with 'Joseph-Mary-Christ.'  The Tree of Jesse serves as a connecting thought in all.  In the choir are the four writers of the Gospels.

The windows as well as the church building were due to the foresight, devotion and generosity of Edgar John Bartow, one of the wealthy men of his time whose dream was to build and equip a beautiful church which should be free in every sense.  The Gothic design with its flamboyant stone tracery for the windows was the work of Minard Lafever.  His design was more simple than the donor at first desired, but the building, formally opened in 1847, remains today essentially as Lafever left it.  Unfortunately financial reverses prevented the complete fulfillment of Mr. Bartow's dream.

The windows were not completed when the church was opened, and neither the exact date of completion nor their original cost is recorded.  However, some indication of the difficulty in replacing Bolton's work is found in a recent accident to one of the choir loft windows.  Boys casting stones at pigeons pierced one of the windows through both the exterior protecting glass and the precious inner color.  A piece that happened to be the head of one of the Apostles was shattered.  The best expert available was engaged and at a cost of much study, considerable time, and $40 the small piece was restored as closely as possible to its original appearance.

The late Otto Heinigke, one of the leading stained glass workers of his time, said in January, 1906, of these windows:  'There is nothing in this wide country so worthy of our effort at preservation as this valuable work of one of our pioneers, based as it is on the best traditions of a most influential phase of the art, the Flemish style of glass painting.  Let us pray for the quality of courage that this man displayed when he dared to do such work.'

In the vestibule is a window of more modern date and type, but even the veriest amateur must at a glance note unfavorably the contrast in color and craftsmanship with the Bolton glass.

These windows of Holy Trinity belong in a class of which only four outstanding examples exist, and which are described as 'shrines of the glass lover.'  These are in Sainte Chapelle in Paris, Fairford near Oxford, Egmontiers and Sainte Foye at Conches.  Holy Trinity's windows are catalogued by foreign critics
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(Continued on page 17)

Art Treasures in Church Windows
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(Continued from page 7)

among the art treasures worthy of attention by visitors to this country, and are listed as one of the worthwhile 'sights' of New York City.

The artist Bolton was grandson of an Englishman  who settled in Georgia and became a prosperous planter.  His father was a clergyman who lived for some years in England where William was born, in 1816.  The family returned to American in 1843 and erected Bolton Priory at Pelham, Westchester County.  There, anticipating the William Morris movement, they developed art and handicrafts.  William turned his attention to stained glass and executed some of the windows in Bolton Priory.  These and the Holy Trinity windows are the chief examples of his work in America, as he established a glass studio in Cambridge, England, soon after the Trinity windows were completed.  There he restored the windows in King's College Chapel, Cambridge.

Dr. Robert L. Dickinson, one of the enthusiastic admirers of the work of Bolton and Lafever and to whom the church owes the collection of photographs and drawings of the windows, told of a visit he made to England to visit a daughter of Bolton, who though bedridden for many years recovered sufficiently to visit America to see the windows of which her modest father had never spoken.

In her garret home Dr. Dickinson discovered the drawing of the baby for the 'Adoration' window, which had been lost for sixty years, and brought it back to become one of Holy Trinity's historic treasures.  

The Gethsemane window with its three panels is one of the designs that is planned especially to be viewed at a distance.  In this also in one of those 'asides' introduced as a personal link between the artist and the beholder.  Dr. Dickinson speaks of this as 'the dove, the spirit of peace, dropping down out of the dark toward the lonely figure that kneels in the central panel.'

Above the panels of every window is a marvelous rose window effect with each small inset of glass perfect in design and color and allied in significance with the window beneath.  In many of the windows the text in the Bible upon which the design is based is painted in the glass.

The entire interior of the church glows with the rich color that flows through the glass.  One's first impression is of a very limited palette of strong hues, but then the delicate shadings become evident and give an indescribable effect of harmony and peace."

Source:  Coster, Esther A., "Art Treasures in Church Windows -- Rare Examples of Stained Glass Adorn Windows of Brooklyn Heights Church" in The Eagle Magazine, pp. 7 & 17 Section G. of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct. 8, 1933 (Brooklyn, NY).  

Immediately below are black and white images of some of the Bolton windows that were published with the article above, on page 7 of The Eagle Magazine.  

NOTE:  Click on Images to Enlarge.

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I have written before about William Jay Bolton and his stained glass creations.  For a few of many examples, see:

Fri., May 08, 2015:  More About William Jay Bolton of Pelham: Creator of First Figured Stained Glass Windows in America.  

Wed., Sep. 24, 2014:  Where Was the Bolton Family Cottage Where Stained Glass Windows Were Created?

Tue., Oct. 09, 2007:  Biographical Data About William Jay Bolton of Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 19, 2007:  The Harp of Pelham: A Book Published in 1844 by William Jay Bolton of Pelham Manor.

Mon., Apr. 4, 2005:  Art and Poetry of William Jay Bolton of Bolton Priory in Pelham.

Thu., Apr. 7, 2005:  Another Volume of William Jay Bolton's Sketches and Ruminations Located? 

Fri., Apr. 1, 2005:  The Earliest Newspaper in Pelham?

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Only Months After its Founding in 1851, Pelhamville Suffered its First Fatal Railroad Accident

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In September 1851, the New Haven line railroad tracks through Pelham were not quite three years old.  The tiny settlement of Pelhamville, through which New Haven line trains passed, was only a few months old.  The New-York Daily Times, known today as The New York Times, was only a few days old when it reported on a gruesome railroad accident in Pelhamville -- believed to be the first fatal railroad accident in the Town of Pelham.

On the evening of Monday, September 22, 1851, the engineer of a New-Haven Line passenger train looked ahead on the tracks as he approached the tiny settlement of Pelhamville.  As the steam locomotive with its massive cow-catcher clickety-clacked down the tracks pulling several passenger cars, the engineer saw a man standing on the tracks ahead of the train.  

The engineer pulled the cord and sounded the blaring steam whistle of the locomotive.  The man on the tracks ahead, however, seemed to pay no attention to the whistle.  The engineer tried to throw the engine into reverse but it was too late.  The massive iron cow-catcher struck the man in the legs and killed him.

The body of the unidentified man was carried to the New-York Hospital, once located on the west side of Broadway between what are presently Worth Street and Duane Street.  The following morning New York City Coroner, Seth Geer, M.D., held an inquest in the matter.  The engineer of the locomotive at the time of the accident was sworn and deposed.  The engineer testified that:

"on the night in question he was in charge of the engine attached to a passenger train of cars on the New-Haven Railroad, and while approaching the village of Pelhamvile, he saw a man standing on the track, and instantly sounded the whistle, to which he paid no attention.  Witness then endeavored to reverse the locomotive, but could not accomplish it until the cow-catcher had struck deceased in the legs."

At the conclusion of the inquest, the Coroner's Jury immediately returned a verdict of accidental death, finding "That the deceased came to his death by accidentally coming in contact with a locomotive engine on the New-Haven Railroad, when near Pelhamville, Westchester county."

The deceased was about 45 years old and "could not be identified by any person."  The name of the first person to die of a railroad accident in Pelham is now lost to history.

Engraving Depicting Steam Locomotive and Cars Near the

Tunnel at New Hamburg on the Hudson Line.  The Train Likely is

Nearly Identical to the One that Killed a Man Along the Tracks in

Pelhamville on September 22, 1851.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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The newspaper article that forms the basis for today's Historic Pelham article appears immediately below.  It is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"THE NEW-HAVEN RAILROAD ACCIDENT. -- Coroner Geer proceeded to the New-York Hospital yesterday morning, and held an inquest upon the body of the unknown man who was killed on the New-Haven railway on Monday night, and noticed in yesterday's Times.  The engineer of the locomotive was sworn, and deposed, that on the night in question he was in charge of the engine attached to a passenger train of cars on the New-Haven Railroad, and while approaching the village of Pelhamvile, he saw a man standing on the track, and instantly sounded the whistle, to which he paid no attention.  Witness then endeavored to reverse the locomotive, but could not accomplish it until the cow-catcher had struck deceased in the legs.  The deceased was about 45 years of age, and could not be identified by any person; and the jury returned the annexed verdict -- 'That the deceased came to his death by accidentally coming in contact with a locomotive engine on the New-Haven Railroad, when near Pelhamville, Westchester county.'"

Source:  THE NEW-HAVEN RAILROAD ACCIDENT, New-York Daily Times, Sep. 25, 1851, Vol. I, No. 7, p. 1, col. 3 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).  

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Important Description of the Oyster Industry in Pelham in 1853

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One of the earliest successful non-agricultural industries in the Town of Pelham was the oystering business conducted principally from City Island.  In 1853, The New York Herald published an extensive account of the entire oyster industry from Virginia to New York.  The account sheds fascinating light on the extent, nature, and importance of the industry for the Town of Pelham.  It further provides interesting insights on the history of the industry on City Island.

City Island may have been part of the Town of Pelham in 1853, but it was its own, insular, little world.  There was no bridge that connected it to the mainland.  There were barely 500 residents according to the 1850 U.S. Census, likely reflecting about one hundred families.  Virtually every family was involved, in some fashion, in oystering at that time.  

According to the report, as of about the early 1820s there was no meaningful oyster trade in the New York City region.  To the limited extent that oysters were sold in New York City, they typically were taken from natural beds since the practice of the creation of artificial beds through oyster cultivation, the modern practice of which was pioneered by City Island oystermen, had not yet become widespread.  See Fri., Apr. 13, 2007:  Oystermen of City Island (When It Was Part of the Town of Pelham) Pioneered Oyster Cultivation.


By about the 1830s, however, oystermen in the New York region were engaged in extensive oyster cultivation in addition to harvesting oysters from natural beds in a host of locations around New York City including the waters of Long Island Sound near and even distant from City Island.  As the oyster became a more common food item in the city, its popularity grew as an inexpensive source of tasty nutrition that could be prepared in a host of ways including raw, stewed, fried, baked, and countless other ways.  Demand soared and wealthier men with capital began to rush into the industry not unlike a mini gold rush.

At about the same time, oystermen discovered that by removing oysters from natural beds and transplanting them to artificial beds in the proper sorts of locations, they could increase the size of the oysters and improve their taste and quality.  They also discovered that they could manipulate the period within which the oysters spawned, a period during which they were unfit for consumption, so that the season during which the delicacy was available could be lengthened.  As the quality and size improved, demand increased concomitantly.  

By 1853, the oyster industry was massive.  Wholesale and retail sales exceeded five million dollars annually (nearly $200,000,000 in today's dollars).  More than fifty thousand people were employed in the industry on the oyster beds, in conveying oysters to market, and in the wholesale, and retail establishments that distributed the delicacies to the public.  More than five million dollars was invested at the time in boats of all sizes to carry on the oystering.  

Each year about $500,000 worth of so-called "East River" oysters supplied from artificial and natural beds off of City Island, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Greenwich, Stamford, Darien and other locations along the mainland shore of the Sound and from Northport, Oyster Bay, Lloyd's Harbor, Huntingdon, Cold Spring, and Cow Bay on the Long Island Shore were sold in New York City.  According to The New York Herald, at that time "The largest proportion comes from City Island, where there are extensive artificial and natural beds, which furnish some of the best oysters obtained in the East river."

In 1853, there were about one hundred large East River oyster boats that harvested and then transported oysters to Oliver Slip on the New York City docks.  Of those one hundred boats, twenty-five were from City Island.  About one hundred City Island men were engaged in the oystering business on City Island.  According to the report:

"Some of the best oysters are those sent from City Island, which is situated on the East river, at a distance of eighteen miles from the Battery.  The island is a little more than three miles in circuit, and is inhabited principally, if not solely, by oystermen.  Of the hundred boats employed in conveying East river oysters to Oliver slip, twenty-five are from this place.  The number of men engaged in the fisheries about the island is about one hundred, all of whom live there with their families.  These men make a comfortable living at their occupation.  They own nearly all the boats, and are a hardy, industrious, and independent race of men.  The whole amount of property invested in the oyster trade with this island, including the boats of the oystermen and of the dealers, the value of the beds, &c., is estimated at one million of dollars.  And this is not more than one-third of the whole amount invested in the entire trade of the East river."

In addition to the twenty-five large boats or sloops owned by the oystermen of City Island, they also had "between seventy and eighty smaller ones."  The twenty-five larger sloops and the seventy-to-eighty smaller oystering vessels worked the waters of the Sound seasonally.  According to the same report:

"They generally commence their work in September, and continue till June; but during that month and the two succeeding ones their business is partially suspended.  During these three months they employ their time in overhauling their boats or cultivating their ground, for some have small tracts of land upon which they raise different kinds of vegetables.  There was formerly communication between the island and the main land by steamboats, but those have long since stopped running, and their place at present is supplied by the boats belonging to the oystermen themselves.  City Island is a little world by itself, and its inhabitants have very little connection with the great and busy world outside of it. It has a population of about four hundred, including women and children, and such is its present prosperous condition that its inhabitants are able to maintain an excellent school.  A few years ago a small, but handsome, church was erected near the centre of the island, and its bells may be heard of a Sunday, on either side of the river, summoning the people to worship."

The City Island oystermen would use tongs, rakes, and dredges to harvest oysters from their artificial beds and from natural beds in Long Island Sound.  The so-called "Eastern Oysters" typically fell into four categories of size referenced in the industry, in ascending sizes, as:  Bushes, Cullins, Boxes, and Extras.  Bushes were the smallest, typically about 4-1/2 inches long in 1853.  Oystermen could sell a bushel of Bushes for about fifty cents.  

The largest oysters, called Extras, averaged about nine inches but could range up to eighteen inches.  These sold for up to $20 per thousand oysters.  The Cullins and Boxes were the sizes in between.  Cullins, the second smallest, sold for up to $4 per thousand oysters.  Boxes sold for up to $10 per thousand oysters.

City Island oystermen typically sailed their sloops and boats loaded with these oysters to Oliver Slip in New York City.  Oliver Slip was a dock area at the foot of Oliver Street.  Oliver Street still exists, but no longer ends at the waterfront  due to landfill extending the area outward into the East River.  In 1853, the Oliver Slip area was tiny and over-crowded.  There were nine "oyster scows" wedged into the dock with no room for other vessels.  The oyster scows were barges that were about thirty feet long and twelve feet wide, each covered with a roof and with an office at one end.  The scows, owned by oyster wholesalers, remained permanently docked at the location.  The hold of each was compartmentalized to receive different varieties of oysters in various classes of size.  See Chiarappa, Michael J., New York City's Oyster Barges:  Architecture's Threshold Role Along the Urban Waterfront, Buildings & Landscapes:  Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum, Vol. 14, pp. 84-108 (Fall, 2007).  

City Island oystermen would arrive at Oliver slip with their sloops laden with bushels of oysters, ready to haggle.  There was no place to dock, so they would have to tie up somewhere along the waterfront and then use carts to haul their oysters to the wholesalers at Oliver Slip.  Retailers including representatives of saloons, restaurants, and the like from throughout the City converged on Oliver Slip and other nearby oyster docks like the one opposite Washington Market and another called Coenties Slip to purchase oysters for sale to their customers.

By 1853, City Island oystermen were prospering in the oyster trade and building a lovely and comparatively affluent little New England "fishing" village in the Town of Pelham.

Oystermen Dredging in Long Island Sound in 1883.

Source:  Harpers Weekly, Aug. 18, 1883.

NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

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Below is the majority of the text from The New York Herald article.  It is followed by a citation and link to its source.  

"THE OYSTER TRADE OF NEW YORK.
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Where do all the Hard Shells Come From?
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Extent of the Business in the Metropolis.
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Five Million Dollars Worth Sold Yearly, &c., &c., &c.
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This is a business in which almost every person holds an interest, for there are very few who are not dependent upon it for one of the most important articles of human food.  Oysters were at one time regarded as a luxury, but they have now become almost as indispensible [sic] as tea or coffee, with which our remote ancestors were but little acquainted.  It is only within the last thirty years that the oyster trade was established in this city.  Before that time, it is true, oysters were sold here; but the business transacted was exceedingly limited, and there was little or no inducement for persons to engage in it.  Nearly all that were brought to market were procured from the natural beds, for the benefits to be obtained from planting were but imperfectly understood by a few of the dealers, or entirely unknown to them.  In the course of a few years, however, the business grew into importance, and men of capital and enterprise engaged in it.  The planting of beds -- a very essential part of the trade -- was commenced; the few oyster boats, of diminutive size, engaged in supplying New York, became an immense fleet; an extensive trade bean with Virginia; the East river became a mine of wealth to those who worked its beds; the coasts of our bays and the shores of our rivers were explored and given over to the tongs, the scrapers, and the dredges of the oystermen.  It was found that by removing the oyster from its natural bed to an artificial one, it could not only be increased in size, but improved in quality, and rendered fit for use at any period of the year.  This was a very important matter to understand, for there are certain months when the oyster is unfit for use in consequence of its being full of spawn.  While they remained in the natural bed they were always subject to this objection; but if not permitted to lie too long in the artificial one they could be preserved free from spawn.  Although they increased in size, they seldom or never became more numerous by transplanting.  Hundreds of vessels are constantly employed, during certain months, in transplanting in the East river, in Prince's Bay, and other parts of the waters of this State.

The importance of the oyster trade may be judged from the fact that the wholesale and retail sales exceed five million of dollars annually, and more than fifty thousand persons are employed in it.  We include in this estimate those who are engaged on the beds, and in conveying them to market by boats, and the retail and wholesale dealers.  The amount of capital invested in boats of all sizes is estimated at about five millions of dollars, and if we add to this the value of the beds themselves, the depots, &c., the amount would exceed twelve millions.  We consider it necessary to state these few general facts, before going into the particulars of the trade, which we have arranged under appropriate heads. . . . 

EAST AND NORTH RIVER OYSTERS.

Of East river oysters alone, about five hundred thousand dollars worth is sold during the year in Oliver slip.  The supply comes from Bridgeport, Norwalk, Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, Sawpits, City Island, and a few other places along the western shore; and from Northport, Oyster Bay, Lloyd's Harbor, Huntingdon, Cold Spring, and Cow Bay, on the southern side.  The largest proportion comes from City Island, where there are extensive artificial and natural beds, which furnish some of the best oysters obtained in the East river.

The artificial beds cover a larger surface than the natural ones, which is owing to the fact that immense quantities of the North river oysters are also planted there.  In fact, about one-third of the whole number planted is made up entirely of those obtained from different parts of the North river -- the beds of which extend at intervals from Piermont to Sing Sing.  The oysters from these beds are not fit for use till they are transplanted twice.  They are, indeed, a very inferior article; and, to use the language of one of the dealers, 'they are considered behind the age.'  Above Sing Sing the water becomes so fresh that oysters cannot live in it, and sometimes, when there is a freshet in the river, large numbers of them, it is said, are killed.  It is not considered judicious, therefore, to remove them from the natural bed for the purpose of transplanting, as the sudden change from the fresh to salt water generally proves fatal to them.  When they are first taken up, they are of a very diminutive size, some being not much larger than a shilling piece, and the largest do not exceed three inches in diameter.  When young, the shell is quite soft, and if planted in Prince's Bay, in that state they would inevitably fall a prey to the large fish which inhabit its waters.  They are, therefore, first planted in the East river beds, where they are allowed to remain for two years; and, when sufficiently large to defy their scaly foes, they are transferred to Prince's Bay, or to other beds in the East river.

The North river is remarkably productive in this shellfish, and in some places so rapid is the increase that they grow upon the top of each other.  In this manner layer after layer is formed, till a perfect rock of oyster shells has been constructed, from four to seven feet thick, and so hard that it is impossible to fasten an anchor in it.  Each layer of oysters kills those immediately beneath it, for this fish always remains in one spot.  During the months of July and August there are very few brought to market, as they are generally full of spawn about this period of the year.  This, it is almost needless to say, renders them unfit for eating, as it gives the meat a milky appearance, and some think an unpleasant flavor.  We should state, however, that this is only the case with those obtained from the natural bed, or those artificial beds in which they are allowed to remain, as the planted oysters are generally fit for use if not allowed to remain too long.  When the oyster is in spawn it has a bloated look, and if cut with a knife a thick liquid, somewhat resembling milk, exudes from it.  There was formerly a law, we understand, in this State, prohibiting the oystermen from taking them up during three months, but that has either been annulled or become obsolete.  About twenty years ago the oysters from the East river were almost unknown in this city, except to a few lovers of the fish.  Indeed, the oyster business of New York at that time was very limited, and, like many other trades, it has increased with the growth of the city.  No person with large capital could be induced to enter upon it, and to cultivate artificial beds in our own waters, except a few, and even those were men of very small means.  Eight or ten years ago, one dealer, who has since become exceedingly rich in the business, invested his capital in it, determined to prove that New York could furnish as good oysters as any other State in the Union, not excepting Virginia, which had always maintained the first rank.  Before this time the East river oysters had a very poor reputation, and, in fact, the demand for them was so limited that the person who entered upon the experiment did so at considerable risk.  As soon, however, as people became acquainted with their superior quality there was an immediate demand for them.  If the beds were as extensive as those in Virginia, the quantity obtained from that State was considerably reduced.  According to the present condition of the trade, and the constantly increasing demand, there is no reason to suppose that it will ever be diminished, or that New York waters alone can supply the New York markets.  Besides, as we have already state in another place, immense quantities are sent, not only throughout this State, but to California, and even to England, where they are considered by some superior to the oysters of that country.  They are certainly more healthy and nutritious.  The English oyster has a sharp, coppery taste, imparted to it by the peculiar saltness [sic] of the water in which it grows, and the nature of the soil.  The water along our coasts is not so brackish or so dense, owing to the large body of fresh water constantly flowing into it from our great rivers, and to this fact is partly attributed the difference in the character of the two oysters.

Some of the best oysters are those sent from City Island, which is situated on the East river, at a distance of eighteen miles from the Battery.  The island is a little more than three miles in circuit, and is inhabited principally, if not solely, by oystermen.  Of the hundred boats employed in conveying East river oysters to Oliver slip, twenty-five are from this place.  The number of men engaged in the fisheries about the island is about one hundred, all of whom live there with their families.  These men make a comfortable living at their occupation.  They own nearly all the boats, and are a hardy, industrious, and independent race of men.  The whole amount of property invested in the oyster trade with this island, including the boats of the oystermen and of the dealers, the value of the beds, &c., is estimated at one million of dollars.  And this is not more than one-third of the whole amount invested in the entire trade of the East river.

Those engaged in planting artificial beds in these waters have their profits considerably diminished by two kinds of fish that prey almost wholly upon oysters.  The first and most rapacious of these is the drum fish, which grows from four to twelve feet long.  It is very voracious; and the luckless oyster that happens to be within its reach, to use the language of the celebrated Hannibal Chollops, gets 'most catawampously chawed up.'  The drum fish literally cuts the shell in two with its teeth, and then extracts the oyster.  It devours immense numbers in this manner, and did it frequent those waters during the whole year it would soon depopulate the beds.  It only makes its appearance, however, about the month of August, so that the damage done is soon repaired by the remarkably prolific powers of the oyster itself.

Besides the drum fish, there is the borer, which grows to the length of half an inch.  It is remarkably hard, and at one end has a sharp point, by means of which it is enabled to pierce the shell of the oyster.  There are some other fish that prey upon oysters, but these are the only kind whose extensive ravages entitle them to particular notice.

In addition to the twenty-five large boats or sloops owned by the oystermen of City Island, they have between seventy and eighty smaller ones.  They generally commence their work in September, and continue till June; but during that month and the two succeeding ones their business is partially suspended.  During these three months they employ their time in overhauling their boats or cultivating their ground, for some have small tracts of land upon which they raise different kinds of vegetables.  There was formerly communication between the island and the main land by steamboats, but those have long since stopped running, and their place at present is supplied by the boats belonging to the oystermen themselves.  City Island is a little world by itself, and its inhabitants have very little connection with the great and busy world outside of it.

It has a population of about four hundred, including women and children, and such is its present prosperous condition that its inhabitants are able to maintain an excellent school.  A few years ago a small, but handsome, church was erected near the centre of the island, and its bells may be heard of a Sunday, on either side of the river, summoning the people to worship.

Some idea may be formed of the extensive business transacted by the East river dealers from the fact that the sales of one, during the last year exceeded one hundred thousand dollars, and this year the demand has increased to such an extent that he is unable to supply it.  Great exertions are at present making to increase the plantations, and large outlays are made for that purpose.  Independent of the oysters sent by sloops, a considerable amount are transplanted over the New Haven road from Stamford, Bridgeport, Southport, and several other places, and some by steamboat from Cold Spring and Oyster Bay, L. I.  Many private families living along the banks of the East river plant beds for their own use; but plantations of this description are not very extensive.  A considerable business in these oysters is transacted in Boston, Hartford, and two or three other eastern cities, but they are said to be of an inferior quality.  They bring in a good price, however, in those places, and that is a sufficient inducement to the dealers to take them so far out of the way. . . . .

BUSHELS, CULLINS, BOXES, AND EXTRAS.

These are the names given to the four sizes according to which oysters are assorted after their removal from the bed.  The bushels are the smallest, and of an inferior quality, while the extras are the largest, and sell for a higher price.  The cullins and boxes are the intermediate sizes, the latter being next to the extras.  The following table gives the relative value of each:  --

Bushes, per bushel..............................50c.
Cullins, per thousand...........................$3.50 to $4
Boxes, per thousand............................ 7.00 to 10
Extras, per thousand............................12.50 to 20

The extras sometimes grow to the enormous size of twelve inches, and they have been known to attain eighteen inches in diameter.  Their average, however, is not more than nine inches.  Bushel oysters are about one half the size of an extra, and the others vary in proportion between these two.  Extras have been sold for eighteen and twenty dollars a thousand, and when scarce they have realized a higher price.  There are some beds on which the growth of oysters is so diminutive that they do not furnish extras, no matter how long they may be allowed to remain undisturbed.  They are generally oysters of four years' growth, for this is about the period an oyster takes to attain its full size.  After that time they commence growing less, until they finally die out.  It is a most singular fact that their death is caused by the increasing thickness of the shell.

From the time they have attained their maturity till their death, the shell becomes thicker upon the inside as well as on the exterior.  In this way it encroaches upon the space of the oyster, gradually reducing it in size, till it dwindles down to a fourth of its former dimensions.

The box oysters are a two years' growth, and there are more of them sold than of any other size.  It may be remarked, however, that as a general, thing the size of the oyster depends as much upon the quality of the sand or mud upon which it grows as on the length of time.

THE WHOLESALE AND RETAIL OYSTER DEALERS.

Under this head may be classed those who sell oysters from the boats and scows at Oliver and Coenties slip, and the docks in front of Washington market, and also the dealers in the various markets throughout the city, the keepers of oyster saloons and restaurants.  Of the wholesale dealers, a considerable number own boats and plant their own beds.  All the oysters in Prince's Bay, and a large proportion of those in the East river, Newark Bay, and in other parts of the waters of this State, are planted by the dealers doing business in New York.  Many of these have grown wealthy in the business, and own splendid country houses and extensive estates on Staten Island.  In fact, the prosperity and rapid increase of the population of that island is owing, in a considerable degree, to the oyster trade of this city.  Before Prince's Bay was laid out in oyster plantations there were very few persons living on it, and it was almost wholly uncultivated.  As soon, however, as the planting commenced, the population received an accession from the oystermen, who took up their habitation on the coast, within view of the plantations upon which they worked.  A few years after the first beds were planted an extent of coast from five to ten miles was covered with oysters, taken from the 'rocks' of Virginia.  The number of men employed upon them, who live upon the island, with their families, is computed at three thousand.

Of the wholesale dealers, many have worked upon the beds in Prince's Bay as dredgers; yet, by perseverance, economy, and industry, they have in some instances amassed immense fortunes.  They are an enterprising and intelligent class of men, and the histories of some of them are full of interest.  Some people imagine that there is very little in this business either interesting or instructive, and eat their oysters without ever bestowing a thought upon those by whose labor they have been provided with them.  There is no occupation that is wholly barren of interest, and this fact is particularly applicable to the oyster dealers.  We were informed of one who commenced in business, while a boy of eighteen, with a skiff which he had purchased on credit.  The boat was worth about forty dollars, and the man himself is now worth forty thousand!  Sixteen years ago, in this little skiff, he was employed in conveying his oysters to the market at Oliver slip; now he owns several sloops, which are engaged in bringing oysters from Virginia or in planting them in Prince's Bay.

There are several of the oyster dealers who do not own scows, and are consequently obliged to sell from their boats.  About two-thirds of the oysters brought to Oliver slip are disposed of in this manner.  This is owing, in a great measure, to the wretched accommodations with which they are provided by the city government.  The owner of each scow is obliged to pay seventy-five dollars a year for dock room; yet he is made to submit to numerous inconveniences which might be removed at a little expense, if the proper city authorities would only bestow a little of their attention on this subject.  There are nine scows in the dock at Oliver slip, the value of which is estimated at four thousand dollars.  They might not improperly be called oyster depots, for they are used almost exclusively for the storage of oysters as they arrive by the boats.  Their length is about thirty feet, and breadth about twelve, and they are capable of holding from one thousand to fifteen hundred bushels.  Some of these are owned by companies of two or three persons, the majority of whom plant their own oysters.  The amount of oysters sold every year by these dealers is estimated at about five hundred thousand dollars.  This is exclusive of the amount bought from the boats, and which is estimated by the dealers themselves at one million dollars.  This estimate is obtained from a calculation of the number of boats arriving during each year and their capacity.  

The scows are all roofed over, and contain and office at one end.  The hold where the oysters are placed is divided into a number of compartments for the reception of the different varieties and sizes.  They are all sold in the shell, while those sold by the retail dealers are opened.  During the fall there is, perhaps, a larger amount of oysters consumed than at any other season of the year, while in the summer there is a great falling off in the sales.

The oyster trade of Oliver slip is not so extensive as that of the dealers doing business in the dock opposite to Washington market.  There are twelve scows in this dock, the value of which is about fifteen thousand dollars.  They are very handsomely fitted up, and strongly built.  This is very necessary, as they are subject to much damage on account of their exposed situation.  There is no pier to break the strength of the waves; and when there is a heavy swell in the river they are knocked against each other with sufficient force to stove in the side of an ordinary boat.  A few weeks ago, a scow was sunk in this place, and several hundred dollars worth of oysters lost, besides the damage done to the scow itself.  The dealers make grevious [sic] complaints of the manner in which their interests are neglected.   They are put to an expense of over six thousand dollars a year, they say, by the want of proper accommodations for the boats, being compelled to land their oysters at a considerable distance from the scows, to which they have to be brought in carts.

There is one dealer here who sells his oysters open, and who sends immense quantities to the western part of this State and to some of the principal cities of the West.  The shipments of another amounted to four thousand five hundred barrels.  These, however, were in the shell, and were obtained from York Bay.  Each barrel contains from five to six hundred oysters, and the price varies from four to five dollars.  It is only within the last five or six years that the dealers commenced shipping them in the shell, and at present a most extensive trade is carried on with Cincinnati, St. Louis, and several other Western cities.  Before this they were sent in kegs, hermetically sealed, to preserve them from the air.  There is considerable skill and experience required in this department of the business, for great risk is incurred by careless packing.  During the first year considerable loss was sustained by the dealers in consequence of their inexperience in the art of preserving them.  They have now, however, attained to such perfection that they can be sent as far as California without receiving any material damage.

There are only two dealers who are engaged in extensive shipments of York Bay oysters, and the amount shipped by these during the fall and spring, is computed at twelve thousand dollars.  The barrels used for this purpose are of the same kind as those employed in stowing flour.  They are sent by railroad and canal; but more are perhaps sent by the latter, as it is a much cheaper mode of transportation.

The sales in and about the slop at Washington market is estimated at three millions of dollars.  This includes the total value of all the oysters sold in the twelve scows and off the boats to the retail dealers in the market and throughout the city.

The persons engaged in the retail oyster business -- by which we mean the keepers of saloons and restaurants in which oysters are sold -- may be estimated at five thousand, and this we think is rather under than over the number.  Those realize a profit of from twenty-five to fifty per cent, so that the amount paid by the consumers in this city alone is about five millions of dollars.  Some of the retail dealers may vie with the wholesale dealers in the extent of their business.  One who keeps from fifteen to twenty men constantly employed in opening oysters, sells about forty thousand oysters a day.  He, however, sends immense quantities to the western part of this State, and to several of the large inland cities throughout the country.  One saloon in Broadway sells over ten thousand daily, in the forms of stews, fries, &c.  There are some dealers who sell them 'in the raw' to private families, by the quart or gallon; and others whose whole business consists in pickling them for home and foreign consumption.  The pickled oysters are sent to every part of the United States by our dealers, and immense quantities are bought for shipment by vessels.  It would be a tedious task to enumerate the various ways in which they are prepared for eating, and as that is a matter which more properly belongs to the cuisine, we must leave it to be treated by those who are experienced in such matters.

RECAPITULATION.
OYSTER BOATS.

There are every variety of oyster boats, from the open skiff of ten tons to the schooner of two or three hundred.  The largest craft are employed in conveying oysters from Virginia and from the most distant beds in the East river, while the smaller kind do not go further thane twenty or thirty miles from New York.  The open boats are principally owned by the men working in the beds, and form the largest proportion of the whole number.  The following table exhibits the number employed in bringing oysters to New York, or in transplanting them from the 'rocks' to the artificial beds.  Of course we do not include in this estimate the row-boats and skiffs engaged in the Virginia fisheries, and which never make their appearance in our waters:  -- 

Number of boats, of all sizes, from fifty to two hundred and fifty tons, employed in the trade in Virginia oysters......................................................1,000
In the East and North river trade...............................   200
In the Shrewsbury trade............................................     20
In the Blue Point and Sound trade............................   100
In the York Bay trade................................................    200
Whole number of boats............................................ 1,520

TABLE EXHIBITING THE YEARLY AMOUNT OF SALES OF ALL KINDS OF OYSTERS, BY THE WHOLESALE DEALERS OF NEW YORK.

Sales of Virginia oysters, including those planted in
     Prince's Bay........................................................$3,000,000
Sales of East and North river oysters......................  1,500,000
     Of Shrewsbury oysters.......................................     200,000
     Of Blue Point and Sound oysters.......................     200,000
     Of York Bay oysters............................................     300,000
Total sales...............................................................$5,200,000"

Source:  THE OYSTER TRADE OF NEW YORK -- Where do all the Hard Shells Come From? -- Extent of the Business in the Metropolis -- Five Million Dollars Worth Sold Yearly, &c., &c., &c., The New York Herald, Mar. 12, 1853, p. 7, cols. 1-5.

*          *          *          *          *

The oystering industry was, for decades, a critically-important economic activity in the Town of Pelham.  Many residents of City Island made their living from the industry or ran businesses that catered to the oystermen.  Accordingly, I have written about Pelham oystering on many, many occasions.  See, e.g.:

Thu., Feb. 11, 2016:  Was a City Island Hotel Keeper Among the First to Learn of the Great Oyster Bed Discovered in 1859?

Wed., Jun. 24, 2015:  The 1895 Oyster War Involving City Island Oystermen - Part I.

Thu., Jun. 25, 2015:  The 1895 Oyster War Involving City Island Oystermen - Part II.

Mon., Dec. 01, 2014:  Jury Finds City Island Oystermen Guilty of Stealing Oysters from Planted Bed in 1878.

Tue., Nov. 11, 2014:  Efforts by Herman Le Roy, Jr. of Pelham to Build an Oyster Pond in the 1830's.

Thu., Aug. 07, 2014:  Oysterman Joshua Leviness of City Island Accused of Stealing Oysters Near High Island in 1883.

Tue., Feb. 04, 2014:  Pelham: Once Oyster Capital of the World.

Thu., Mar. 25, 2010:  Discovery of "The Great Oyster Bed" in Long Island Sound in 1859.

Wed., Mar. 24, 2010:  The Oyster War of 1884 Between Glen Cove and City Island Intensifies.

Tue., Mar. 23, 2010:  Yet Another "Oyster War" in 1884; Glen Cove Officials Feud with City Island and Connecticut Oystermen.

Mon., Mar. 22, 2010:  77-Year Old City Island Oysterman Joshua Leviness Reminisces in Testimony Provided in 1884.

Fri., Mar. 19, 2010:  The New York Legislature Stepped Into the Oyster War on Long Island Sound in 1895.

Thu., Mar. 18, 2010:  1859 Town of Huntington Record Reflecting Dispute with City Island Oystermen.

Wed., Mar. 17, 2010:  Report of September 13, 1884 Tour of Oyster Beds by Captain Joshua Leviness of City Island.

Tue., March 16, 2010:  More on 19th Century Oystering in Pelham - Descriptions of Oyster Beds Off Hart Island, City Island and in Pelham Bay Published in 1887.

Mon., Mar. 15, 2010:  More on 19th Century City Island Oyster Industry - City Island Oystermen Complaint of Pollution.

Fri., Mar. 12, 2010:  Early History of Oystering in the Waters Off City Island in the Town of Pelham.

Thu., Mar. 11, 2010:  The "Great Oyster War" Between City Island and Tarrytown in 1877 and 1878.

Thu., Dec. 3, 2009:  Pelham News on May 30, 1884 Including Allegations of Oyster Larceny and Meeting of the Pelhamville Improvement Association.

Mon., July 30, 2007:  1885 Report Notes Decline of Oyster Industry Near City Island in the Town of Pelham.

Fri., Jul. 27, 2007:  Possible Origins of the Oyster Feud Between City Islanders and Huntington, Long Island.

Thu., Jul. 26, 2007:  Pelham's City Island Oystermen Feud with Long Islanders in 1869.

Fri., Apr. 13, 2007:  Oystermen of City Island (When It Was Part of the Town of Pelham) Pioneered Oyster Cultivation.

Fri., Jan. 26, 2007:  A History of the Early Years of City Island When it Was Part of the Town of Pelham, Published in 1927.

Mon., Sep. 18, 2006:  A Brief Description of Oystering in Eastchester Bay and at Pelham Published in 1881.

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