Early February, 1886, When the Waters Off Pelham Froze Over and Trapped Ships

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The cold that winter more than 130 years ago was so brutal that extreme efforts had to be taken to prevent prisoners held on Hart Island in the Town of Pelham from simply walking away from the prison across the ice of Long Island Sound.  Every day during that brutal cold spell in early February, 1886 the powerful steamboat Fidelity chugged along dutifully and plowed away the thick ice around the entire circumference of the island so Hart Island prisoners could not escape.  Winter was pounding poor Pelham once again.

Pelham, it seems, had grown accustomed to the terrible cold of a merciless winter.  Only four years before during another ferocious winter, the Long Island Sound around City Island and Hart Island off the shores of Pelham froze over and trapped hundreds of craft including schooners and myriad sailing vessels.  Indeed, so many ships were trapped in the ice on that occasion that, according to one account, at night the area "looked like a big town" due to the many lights that could be seen within the many trapped vessels waiting for the ice to thaw and break up.  

Three years before that, in 1879 during another brutal cold spell, much of the Sound and even rivers including portions of the Hudson froze over in a similar fashion.  Steamers were used to break up the ice to try to keep maritime navigation flowing.  Though shipping continued sporadically in the New York City region, the ice-choked waters slowed traffic tremendously for many, many days.

Early February, 1886 was no different.  On February 9, 1886, the New York Herald reported that around City Island and Hart Island "the ice was a complete field."  Pelham Bay "was an unbroken sheet of ice."  Ice on the rivers surrounding New York City was between four and six inches thick.  Schooners, tows, and tugs were stuck in the ice around the islands.  Indeed, on February 8, 1886 there were seven schooners and twenty one canal boats stuck in the ice near City Island and Hart Island.  Additionally, thirteen coal barges that were bound for Bridgeport were stuck in the area.  The New York Herald reported that the ice was solid from the waters around City Island all the way up to Saybrook, Connecticut.

In an effort to keep maritime commerce flowing to and from City Island, a steamship tug was used to cut a channel through the ice leading to the City Island dock one morning.  By the afternoon, however, the tiny little channel was virtually impassable.  It was "choked with broken cakes of ice."  

Sailors on board the trapped vessels made the most of their situation.  For example, Captain Flannery of the M. Vandercook (the vessel towing the thirteen ice-bound coal barges) was accompanied by his wife.  On the evening of Saturday, February 6, Captain Flannery's "buxom, hospitable" wife hosted a grand party for sailors including Captain Fillman, Captain John Walker "Peter" Carlin, and Captain Michael Daly.  Each captain was accompanied by his wife.  One of the crew members provided music with a concertina.  The ladies and gentlemen, according to the New York Herald, enjoyed "an elegant time . . . that evening on the frozen Sound."

It was days before the ice "rotted" from warm weather and ships could travel safely again.  For a time, however, the crews of many ships were ice-bound in a little place called Pelham, New York. . . .   

The Jeannette, Shown Ice-Bound in 1881.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"FROZEN IN ON THE SOUND.

The severity of the weather last week was especially remarkable up the Sound.  Around City Island and Hart Island the ice was a complete field, and from four to six inches in the rivers.  Schooners, tows and tugs were caught in Hart Island Roads and were ice bound for days.  Yesterday morning there were fixed there seven schooners and twenty-one canal boats.  The schooner John Douglass, Captain Jordan, with a crew of five, with coal, bound for Boston, ran in there on Wednesday night, and next day was unable to break through the ice, so heavy had been the frost within a few hours.  The other schooners caught in the same trap were the Helen Thompson, the Speedwell, the Charles W. Simmons, the E. Flower, the Randolph (Captain Ward), for Providence, the Gray Parrot (British, Captain Mulbury), for St. John, N. B., and the James English (Captain Perkins), for Newport.

A HERALD reporter yesterday went up to City Island to ascertain the state of things.  Pelham Bay was an unbroken sheet of ice and the Hart Island Roads were nearly in the same condition.  The powerful steamer Fidelity had ploughed along the shore of Hart Island every day so as to break the ice and thus prevent a possible means of escape for the prisoners confined on the island.  The ice in the roads was already black and showing signs of rottenness.  A channel from the City Island dock to the vicinity of the schooners had been made by a tug in the morning, but in the afternoon a good part of this channel was choked with broken cakes of ice.  The HERALD reporter pulled through the open water, and then he and his man had to drag the boat over the unbroken portion of the ice to get to another lead to reach the schooners.  The operation was watched with languid interest by the crews, who leaned over the bulwarks calmly smoking.

LIFE ON THE ICE-BOUND CRAFT.

When the reporter got alongside the Douglass and began to ask questions without introducing himself, Captain Jordan said:  --  

'I suppose you are a reporter?'

'Just so,' was the answer.

'Be you from the HERALD?'

'Why, of course,' was the response.

The skipper thereupon told his visitor that he would be still more delighted if he (the visitor) had brought along a sou'west wind to break up the ice.  The Douglass had spoken the C. B. Sanford, which reported that the ice was solid all the way up to Saybrook.  The crews of the different schooners had not suffered for anything.  Up to Sunday afternoon they were able to walk over the ice to City Island to get all the drink and (if necessary) all the food they wanted.

On Sunday afternoon, however, an accident occurred to one of the men.  A sailor named Jack Deering was in rear of a party, trudging over the ice to the village, when he got on a tender spot and down he went.  He clung to the edge of the broken ice and shouted.  His chums ran back and one of them extended to him a boat hook, which he grasped, and by this means was dragged to a safer place.

The Captain John, the steamer plying between New Rochelle, City Island and New York, got into City Island before Wednesday.  She came down to New York early yesterday morning.  
The Massachusetts was seen to pass down the channel outside the roads seemingly badly listed to port.  Every one thought she had met with a serious accident.

FESTIVITIES UNDER DIFFICULTIES.

From Wednesday until yesterday morning thirteen coal barges bound for Bridgeport and New Haven lay in the channel at the entrance of Hart Island roads.  They had been towed thus far by the M. Vandercook, but could get no further because of the ice.  The leading boat was bossed by Captain Flannery, whose buxom, hospitable wife determined on Saturday night to give a party.  The skippers who crowded her cabins were Captains Fillman, John Walker 'Peter' Carlin and Michael Daly, and the good ladies their wives accompanied them.  There was no grand piano aboard, but one of the crew had genius and a concertina and furnished the music.  The orchestra was not imbedded [sic] in a bower of roses, as is usual on such occasions, but a hillock of coal hid it from sight, and the proprieties were so far observed.  It was an 'elegant' time those ladies and gentlemen had that evening on the frozen Sound.  Yesterday their palatial floating residences were towed into the roads.

Mr. Furman, a member of the Pelham Yacht Club, said this winter, so far, the ice had not been as great and as unbroken as on some previous winters.  Four years ago there were hundreds of craft frozen in, and at night the roads, from the myriads of lights, looked like a big town.

Just below City Island Dock is Dan Carroll's shipyard, where the yacht Lurline is being repaired.  The Lurline belongs to Mr. James Waterbury, the millionaire.  The yacht is being fitted with a new boiler and a flush deck.  Owing to the cold the work on her has been slow, but it is hoped she will be ready by the 10th of March to go South.

The schooners Minnehaha and Oak Wood, which were disabled in the great storm of three weeks ago, are being repaired at the City Island Dock.  Should the fine weather continue -- indeed, should this morning prove very mild -- the schooners and tow named above will be able to get out by to-morrow morning."

Source:  FROZEN IN ON THE SOUND, N.Y. Herald, Feb. 9, 1886, p. 8, col. 6.  

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Pelham experienced a series of terrible winters during the 1850s, the 1870s, and the 1880s.  I have written before about some of these terrible winters and the major storms they produced. See, e.g.: 

Thu., Aug. 17, 2017:  More on Brutal Winters in Pelham During the 1850s.

Thu., Jul. 27, 2017:  Terrible Storm of 1856 Wrecks Dozens and Dozens of Ships Including Many on Pelham Shores. 

Fri., May 26, 2017:  The Significance of the Wreck of the Steamer Plymouth Rock in Pelham in 1855.

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Seal Hunting in the Town of Pelham???

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An easterly wind blew stiffly across Pelham and the waters off its shores on the bitterly-cold morning of Thursday, February 20, 1879.  Pelham was in the grip of a lengthy and brutal cold spell that had iced portions of Long Island Sound and sent ice floes sailing into Long Island Sound and many of the bays that dotted the mainland shores overlooking the Sound.

That morning, Joseph E. Rogers was tucked warmly inside his Pelham home along today's Shore Road overlooking LeRoy Bay, the stretch of water from today's Shore Park to Pelham Neck.  The map detail immediately below shows where that home once was located, overlooking LeRoy Bay and Hunter's Island.

Detail from 1881 Bromley Map Showing Location of Joseph E. Rogers

Estate Overlooking LeRoy Bay and Hunter's Island. Source: "Town of

Pelham (With) Pelham-Manor From Actual Surveys and Official Records

by G. W. Bromley & Co., Civil Engineers. Published by Geo. W. &

Walter S. Bromley, 1881)" in Atlas of Westchester County, New York,

From Actual Surveys and Official Records by G. W. Bromley & Co., Civil

Engineers, pp. 56-57 (NY, NY: Geo. W. & Walter S. Bromley, 1881).

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

As Rogers looked across LeRoy Bay from his home, he saw an ice floe sailing along the waters of LeRoy Bay, being pushed by the easterly winds.  On the ice was some sort of living being, perched for a brisk ride in the brutal cold.

Rogers ran outside, grabbed a boat and an unidentified friend.  The two men shoved off from shore with a loaded shotgun in pursuit of the floating ice with the strange beast aboard.

Others in the Rogers household peered from the windows of the home to watch as the two men in the boat struggled to approach the ice floe.  Though it took some time, as the men neared the beast they could see that it was either a seal or a sea lion "of large proportions, weighing apparently about two hundred pounds."

As the boat drew near the ice cake, the beast delivered a "loud bark" and plunged into the icy waters of the bay.  For a moment, it disappeared.  Soon, it emerged partially at the water's surface swimming briskly, headlong toward its pursuers.  One of the men raised the shotgun, pointing it directly at the head of the beast. . . .

At that moment, the swimming creature showed "rare sagacity," turned abruptly putting "a wall of water between the weapon and his glossy sides," and plunged underwater passing beneath the boat.

Shortly the beast climbed out of the water onto another ice floe far to the windward of the little boat.  Rogers and his friend turned and began the pursuit anew as the occupants of the Rogers home watched excitedly.    

Rogers and his friend battled the wind, the icy waters, and the cold to pursue the floating beast for nearly an hour.  Once or twice them pair approached closely enough "to observe the creature's form and color" but they could not get close enough to take a shot with their shotgun.  Finally, heavy snow began and obscured the view at a distance.  The men lost sight of the ice cake and its occupant.  

The two men continued their search for another hour in the heavy snow.  Occasionally they came upon ice floes where the creature clearly had been as it moved around LeRoy Bay.  "From an examination of the impressions left in the snow on several cakes of ice, the seal was estimated to be something more than five feet in length."

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, today "only true seals" -- not sea lions or walruses -- "are found in New York."  Harbor seals are the most common and, today, are the most common of the five principal species of seals that frequent Long Island Sound.  Less common are Grey seals, and certain "arctic" species including Harp, Hooded, and Ringed seals.  

We may never know what Rogers and his friend saw that day that they seemed to consider so unusual.  Most likely it was a Harbor seal that, thankfully, showed "rare sagacity" and avoided a gruesome death at the hands of the two curious Pelhamites and their shotgun.

Spotted Seal on an Ice Floe.

Source:  NOAA.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Galapagos Sea Lion Sketched from Life by Blake A. Bell.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"SEAL HUNTING ON THE SOUND.
-----

On looking from his residence at Pelham, on Leroy Bay, last Thursday forenoon, Mr. Joseph E. Rogers discovered a living object perched on the floating ice, some distance from shore, and sailing rapidly along before an east wind.  A boat was quickly procured, and, accompanied by a friend, Mr. Rogers started in pursuit of the strange beast, which proved to be a seal, or sea lion, of large proportions, weighing apparently about two hundred pounds.  A loud bark was followed by a plunge, and for a moment the beast disappeared, but, partially emerging, faced his pursuers and swam toward them.  A shotgun was pointed at his head, and, with rare sagacity, he put a wall of water between the weapon and his glossy sides.  Passing beneath the boat, another cake of ice some distance to windward was reached and mounted at a bound.  An hour was spent in the chase, but though the huntsmen got near enough once or twice to observe the creature's form and color, the distance was too great to warrant the hazarding of a shot.  Finally a flurry of snow concealed the game, and after another hour of search the boat was headed for the shore.  From an examination of the impressions left in the snow on several cakes of ice, the seal was estimated to be something more than five feet in length.  It is supposed that the seal was carried into the Sound by the strong easterly winds which had prevailed for the previous two days.  His pursuit and escape were witnessed by the occupants of Mr. Rogers' house."

Source:  SEAL HUNTING ON THE SOUND, N.Y. Herald, Feb. 23, 1879, p. 11, p. 4.

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More on 19th Century Baseball in the Town of Pelham

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Today's Historic Pelham article provides further research in the Quixotic quest to document nineteenth century baseball in the Town of Pelham.  

Games of the Clam Diggers Played in 1878

One of Pelham's most interesting baseball teams during the late 1870s was known as the Clam Diggers.  The team likely was not a baseball club but the baseball team of a broader men's social club known as "The Clam Diggers Club of City Island."  The club appears to have operated at least during the years 1878 and 1879, but likely operated for a longer period.  

Clearly one important event hosted by The Clam Digger Club of City Island was an annual parade followed by a Clam Bake.  In 1879 the parade was scheduled to be held in September.  Members of the Club marched behind a large painted banner that was six feet high and ten feet long.  On it was painted a giant clam beneath which was painted the motto "No gentlemen need apply."  The philosophy of the club reportedly was "Plenty of clams and good markets."  In 1879 the club was scheduled to march with the City Island Cornet Band and, at the conclusion of the parade, gather at Horton's Grove for a "monster clam bake."

According to a brief news account, on July 4, 1878 (the previous year), a City Island baseball team named "Clam Diggers" played another City Island team named "Vails."  The Clam Diggers likely were the team that represented The Clam Diggers Club of City Island, although that has not yet been established with certainty.

It appears that during the week before July 4, the game was highly anticipated.  The news account suggests that the members of the Clam Diggers were engaged in trash talk all week, "telling the Vails at every opportunity how they were going to beat them."  The game, however, did not go as the Clam Diggers planned.  The Vails had an "overwhelming victory," beating the Clam Diggers 23 to 3.  The umpire for the game was George Bell of City Island.  According to a local newspaper, after the game the Clam Diggers declared that "this is the last game with the Vails."

It seems that during 1878, the Vails and Clam Diggers were arch rivals on City Island and played a number of games against each other (about which I have written before).  On May 25, 1878, the Vails beat the Clam Diggers "on the grounds of the Vails."  Interestingly, a man named "A. F. Vail" acted as the umpire "to the entire satisfaction of both clubs."  Thus, it would seem that the Vails were named after a member of the Vail family of City Island.  See City Island, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], May 31, 1878, Vol. IX, No. 454, p. 2, col. 5.

The two teams were scheduled to play the previous week as well, although no record of the result yet has been located.  See City Island, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], May 17, 1878, Vol. IX, No. 452, p. 2, cols. 4-5 (noting "The Vails will play against the Clam Diggers on the grounds of the former, tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon [May 18, 1878].").

Pelhamville Club Split for Practice Game in 1885

According to a brief report, on April 19, 1885, the Pelhamville Base Ball Club split into two teams of nine players and played a practice game.  One team was captained by "M. Lynch" and the other by "T. Patterson."  Although there is no record of the score, the team captained by T. Patterson won the game.

It should come as no surprise, of course, that 19th century teams practiced and there are records of Pelham teams practicing diligently for their season.  This particular intrasquad scrimmage seems unusual and, indeed, illustrates that the Pelhamville Club was fairly large when compared to other local teams in Pelham.  

1886 Game Between Refrigerator Manufacturer Team and City Island Team

On Monday, July 5, 1886, an unidentified baseball team from City Island and a baseball team from the refrigerator manufacturer L. H. Mace of New York City.  The City Island team won by a score of 5 to 2.  

This game, like others about which I have written before, illustrates that club teams, teams from companies and businesses, and even makeshift teams traveled throughout the New York City region during the 1870s and 1880s to play ball.  

Currier and Ives Print of an Early Game of Base Ball.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"CITY ISLAND. . . .

A game of base ball was played on the Fourth of July, between the Vails and Clam Diggers, both of City Island, which resulted in an overwhelming victory for the Vails.  Score, 23 to 3.  The Clam Diggers declare this is the last game with the Vails.  Mr. Editor, we would say nothing about this if it were not for the fact that, for a week before the game came off the diggers were telling the Vails at every opportunity how they were going to beat them.  But we are all liable to mistakes, and such was the case with the Clam Diggers on July 4th.  Umpire, Mr. Geo. Bell. . . ."

Source:  CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 12, 1878, Vol. IX, No. 460, p. 3, col. 1.  

"City Island and Pelham.

The Clam Diggers Club of City Island, will hold their annual parade some time next month.  The club will be escorted by the Cornet Band.  At the conclusion of the parade a monster clam bake will [be] served at Horton's Grove.  A good time may be expected.  The banner of this justly popular club is a marvel of beauty.  It is six by ten feet, more or less in size.  On it has been painted by City Island's most popular artist, a large hard clam, underneath which is the motto 'No gentlemen need apply.'  The watchword of this justly popular club is 'Plenty of clams and good markets.' . . ."  

Source:  City Island and Pelham, The Chronicle, Aug. 1, 1879, Vol. X, No. 515, p. 2, col. 6.

"PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND.

-- A practice game of ball was played between two picked nines of the Pelhamville Club on the 19th inst.  One nine was captained by M. Lynch, and the other by T. Patterson.  The latter nine won the game. . . ."

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, New Rochelle Pioneer, Apr. 25, 1885, p. 3, col. 6. 

"LOCAL INTELLIGENCE. . . .

-- The Country Club, of Pelham, announce a variety of outdoor sports, including polo, trap shooting, baseball and lawn tennis, to take place during May and June. . . ."

Source:  LOCAL INTELLIGENCE, New Rochelle Pioneer, Apr. 25, 1885, p. 3, cols. 1-2.   

"PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND. . . .

A game of baseball was played Monday, between a nine belonging on City Island and a nine from the refrigerator manufactory [sic] of L. H. Mace, New York.  The game resulted in a victory for City Island, by a score of 5 to 2. . . ."

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 9, 1886, Vol. XVII, No. 896, p. 3, col. 2.

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I have written nearly fifty articles regarding the history of baseball in Pelham and early baseball games played in the Town of Pelham.  Below is a listing, with links, of previous postings on the topic of early baseball in Pelham.


Wed., Jul. 12, 2017:  The Nonpareils Base Ball Association of City Island During the 1860s.

Wed., Apr. 19, 2017:  Pelham Manor Club Defeated Gramatan Country Club in Baseball Game in August, 1902.

Mon., Feb. 13, 2017:  Important Information About Early Baseball in Pelham Including a Game Against the Monitors of Brooklyn.

Wed., Jan. 11, 2017:  Baseball Star Paddy Smith of Pelham.

Fri., Sep. 30, 2016:  More on 19th Century Baseball in the Town of Pelham.

Thu., Jul. 21, 2016:  "Base Ball" Match Played at Arcularius Hotel at Pelham Bridge in 1875.

Thu., Feb. 18, 2016:  More on the Storied History of 19th Century Baseball in Pelham.  

Tue., Dec. 15, 2015:  The 1894 Baseball Season in Pelham, New York.

Tue., Sep. 22, 2015:  Two Newly-Discovered 19th Century Accounts of Baseball Played in Pelham.

Thu., Jun. 18, 2015:  More Early References to 19th Century and Early 20th Century Baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Apr. 06, 2015:  Early Baseball Game Played by Pelham Team in 1866.

Mon., Dec. 22, 2014:  Rare 1889 Photograph of Baseball Players Playing on Pelham Field.

Wed., Nov. 26, 2014:  More Early References to Baseball Played in Pelham. 

Thu., Nov. 13, 2014:  Baseball Crowds in Pelham Got Out Of Hand in 1896. 

Fri., Sep. 12, 2014:  Reference to an 1884 Baseball Game Between the Country Club of Pelham and Calumet. 

Thu., Jul. 31, 2014:  Fascinating Account of Baseball Game Played at Pelham Bridge in 1878.

Mon., Jul. 28, 2014:  Additional 19th Century References to Baseball Being Played in Pelham.  

Tue., Apr. 08, 2014:  More 19th Century References to Baseball in the Town of Pelham.

Fri., Mar. 28, 2014:  Earliest Evidence Yet! Baseball Was Played in Pelham Only Months After the Civil War Ended. 

Thu., Mar. 20, 2014:  19th Century Baseball in Pelham - Newly-Discovered References.

Tue., Feb. 16, 2010:  Photograph of Only Known 19th Century Women's Baseball Team in Pelham, New York.

Thu., Jan. 28, 2010:   News About Pelham Manor and Pelhamville in 1895 - Lighting Districts, Gas for the Village, Baseball and More.

Tue., Dec. 15, 2009:  Baseball Games Played by the City Island Beldenites and the City Island Rivals in 1884.  

Mon., Dec. 14, 2009:  Baseball Games Played by the City Island Shamrocks in 1889.  

Fri., Dec. 11, 2009:  Earliest Reference Yet to Baseball Played in Pelham.  

Thu., Dec. 10, 2009:  More 19th Century Baseball and Firefighting References. 

Wed., Dec. 9, 2009:  City Island Shamrocks Base Ball Club Changed its Name to the Minnefords in 1888.

Wed., Nov. 25, 2009:  Even More Early References to Baseball Played in Pelham.

Tue., Nov. 24, 2009:  Yet Another Reference to Early Baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Nov. 23, 2009:  Additional Brief Accounts of Baseball Played in Pelham in the 19th Century.

Fri., Nov. 20, 2009:  More Accounts of Early Baseball Played in Pelham.

Fri., Nov. 13, 2009:  1894 Account of Developments in Pelham Including a Reference to a Baseball Game Played that Year.

Thu., Nov. 12, 2009:  More Early References to Baseball Played in Pelham.

Wed., Sep. 30, 2009:   Score of June 1, 1887 Baseball Game Between the Country Club and The Knickerbocker Club.

Fri., Mar. 20, 2009:   Another Reference to 19th Century Baseball in Pelham.

Tue., Mar. 4, 2008:   Another Brief Reference to 19th Century Baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Nov. 26, 2007:  Box Score of a Baseball Game Played on Travers Island in Pelham Manor in July 1896.

Wed., Nov. 21, 2007:  Baseball on Travers Island During the Summer of 1897.

Fri., Jul. 20, 2007:  Account of Early Baseball in Pelham: Pelham vs. the New York Athletic Club on Travers Island in 1897.

Fri., Nov. 10, 2006: The Location of Another Early Baseball Field in Pelham.

Mon., Oct. 9, 2006:   Reminiscences of Val Miller Shed Light on Late 19th Century Baseball in Pelham and the Early Development of the Village of North Pelham.

Thu., Mar. 23, 2006:  Baseball Fields Opened on the Grounds of the Westchester Country Club in Pelham on April 4, 1884.  

Tue., Jan. 31, 2006:  Another Account of Baseball Played in Pelham in the 1880s Is Uncovered. 

Thu., Oct. 6, 2005:   Does This Photograph Show Members of the "Pelham Manor Junior Base Ball Team"?

Thu., Sep. 15, 2005:  Newspaper Item Published in 1942 Sheds Light on Baseball in 19th Century Pelham.  

Thu., Feb. 10, 2005:  New Discoveries Regarding Baseball in 19th Century Pelham. 

Bell, Blake A., Baseball in Late 19th Century Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 17, Apr. 23, 2004, p. 8, col. 2.

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Raising Funds in the 1870s to Build a Bigger Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church on City Island

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Today's Trinity United Methodist Church located at 331 City Island Avenue on City Island in the Bronx was founded as Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church in 1852.  It was one of the earliest churches built in the Town of Pelham.  I have written about the history of the church before.  See Tue., Sep. 27, 2016:  Brief History of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church Established in Pelham in 1852.  

"TRINITY M. E. CHURCH, CITY ISLAND, N. Y."

Post Card View of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church

Postmarked Oct. 22, 1904.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

By 1851, a group of City Islanders had raised sufficient funds to begin building a tiny chapel on donated land located near the present location of today's church.  The group completed construction of the tiny chapel in 1852.  First known as the "Union Chapel," the congregation joined the Methodist Episcopal Church and named their church "The Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church."  

By the 1870s, however, the population of Pelham had more than tripled to nearly 1,800 people with most living on City Island.  The congregation had grown as well and needed a larger church building.  

During 1877 and 1878, the congregation began raising funds and acquired the lot on which the church still stands.  By 1878, the church either owned the lot outright, "or the balance due on it [was] otherwise provided for."  The congregation wanted to build a beautiful, larger church building that, completely furnished, would cost about $6,000 (apparently including the cost of the lot).  

By the summer of 1878, the congregation had received pledges totaling more than $2,000 toward the cost of the new building.  They planned to commence work on the building once $5,000 had been raised.

One of the church-sponsored events to raise building funds that summer was held on July 4, 1878.  As part of the Town of Pelham's grand celebration of the Fourth of July that year (which included fireworks at Belden Point and a grand baseball game between the Vails and the Clam Diggers), the women of The Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church hosted a church social, picnic, and clam bake in the Scofield Orchard that once stood near the church parsonage.  

There is a detailed description of the planned event, though there appears to be no local newspaper write-up regarding how the event went.  Nevertheless, the event most assuredly took place as the weather in Pelham that July 4 was lovely.

The women of the church that Fourth of July offered a picnic and clam bake as well as "ice cream and other refreshments."  Indeed, the event was reminiscent of the sorts of events that the Bolton Family hosted in the early 1840s to help fund construction of Christ Church in Pelham Manor.  

The congregation's fund-raising and the work of the women of the church were successful.  Later in the year (1878), construction of the new church building began.  The new church, in which the congregation continues to worship to this day, opened the following year. 

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"City Island.

On Thursday, July 4th, the ladies of the M. E. Church of City Island propose holding a citizens' picnic and clam-bake, in the Scofield Orchard, near the church parsonage.  Proceeds for the benefit of the new church in contemplation.  Dinner, ice cream and other refreshments can be procured on the grounds.  If the day should prove stormy, the picnic will be held the next fair day.  It is to be hoped that the ladies will reap a large sum from this enterprise, thereby helping to forward the new church movement.  The old church is entirely too small for the congregations that meet in it from time to time.  The people of City Island have done nobly.  Thus far over $2,000 have been pledged, and it only remains for a few of the wealthy men on and near City Island to swell the amount so that the work can go on.  The lot is clear, or the balance due on it otherwise provided for, and when $5,000 has been pledged work will be begun and pushed forward to a rapid completion.  The congregation want to build a church that will cost, furnished comple[te], about $6,000.  The plans have been prepared and from the description given us, the building will be not only sufficiently commodious, but an ornament to the island. . . ."

Source:  City Island, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jun. 28, 1878, Vol. IX, No. 458, p. 2, col. 5. 

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Famed Pelham Yacht and Boat Builder George Washington Byles and His City Island Shipyard

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George Washington Byles was a successful yacht and boat builder who established and operated a successful Pelham boatyard on City Island during the 19th century.  Byles was a son of William Henry Byles and Anne Eliza Barker Byles.  He was born in the seventeenth ward of the Borough of Brooklyn on September 16, 1848.  His father, a Brooklyn shipbuilder who worked with famed shipyard owner George Steers, was a native of England.  His mother, Anne Eliza Barker, was a native of the Town of Eastchester, adjacent to Pelham.  

George W. Byles was raised and educated in Brooklyn and learned the yacht and boat building trade.  According to one biography, he moved to City Island in the Town of Pelham on June 1, 1869 where he became involved in the shipbuilding trade there.  A report published in 1875 shows him involved in the construction of a small skiff for C. W. Lawrence.  Byles seems to have specialized in small boats and yachts for the remainder of his long career.  

On August 17, 1872, Byles married Mary A. Pease (born July 1848), a daughter of Elias Pease and Mary H. Fowler Pease.  Less than four years later, George's father, William Henry Byles, died on May 4, 1876.  It seems that, upon his father's death, George W. Byles and Mary A. Pease Byles welcomed his mother, Anne Eliza Barker Byles, into their City Island home.  The 1880 U.S. Census reflects George and Mary Byles living with George's mother in the household.  His mother died a few years later in May, 1885.  George and Mary do not appear to have had children (if they did, it does not appear that any survived childhood).   

Constant newspaper references throughout the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s suggest that George Byles was consistently busy at his yacht and boatyard on City Island.  Though it is not possible to assemble a complete list of the yachts and boats he built (or on which he worked), below is an incomplete list of some of his work.  

1875 - Small skiff for C. W. Lawrence.  

1879 - Eighteen-foot copper-fastened oyster skiff, for an unidentified City Island oysterman.

1879 - Order to build a 17-foot shell boat for Mr. Aaron Vail.

1880 - The alteration and lengthening of the yacht Mary B to bring her to 14 feet, 11 inches long (lengthened nine inches, and the position of her center-board changed).  

June 18, 1882 - George W. Byles launched Surf, a cutter he built in his boatyard.  

May 2, 1884 - A "large amount" of "small boat building" reportedly was underway in the boatyard of Georg W. Byles.

June 20, 1884 - Mr. George W. Byles "has several sailboats under way" at his boatyard.

February 13, 1885 - "Mr. George W. Byles, has several new boats about ready to launch, and prospects of three more to build."

February 27, 1885 - "Mr. George W. Byles has just contracted for the building of several boats."

December 12, 1885 - Steam launch Frolic built for company formed by New Rochelle residents.  The dimensions of the boat were:  length, 50 feet over all; keel, 43 feet; beam, 11 feet; depth, 6 1-2 feet; tonnage, 20 tons.  According to a report, though launched on December 12, 1885, "In the spring work will be resumed on the boat.  The cabin and births [sic] will be elaborately fitted up, and she will be supplied with a 20 horse compound engine, and a 36 inch screw.  When finished she will be capable of accommodating about 60 persons."

May 10, 1894 - Cutter yacht Mopsa, built for J. W. Harrison, was launched from the yard of George W. Byles.

June 15, 1895 - The yawl Pilgrim, owned by Charles Crawford of Brooklyn, was hauled out at the boatyard of George W. Byles for a complete "overhaul."

July 18, 1896 - E. D. Morgan Waterman’s new yawl-rigged yacht Pawnee was launched from the yard of George W. Byles.  Her dimensions were 53 feet over all, 35 feet 7 inches water line, and 13 feet 7 inches beam.  She was designed by H. G. Gielow.

June 16, 1898 - Launch of the catboat Dot built for Rear Commodore C. T. Pierce, of the Riverside Yacht Club and designed by H. J. Gielow with the following dimensions:  length over all, 37 feet 3 inches; length on load waterline, 23 feet; beam, 12 feet; draught, 26 inches.  According to one report:  "She has good freeboard, and her cabin is roomy and well lighted, being 15 feet long, with 5 feet 7 inches clear head room under carlines.  The cockpit is 9 feet long, and is self-bailing."  [See image of Dot below.]

May 1900 - The launch of the knockabout Why Not took place at Byles’s yards, City Island.  She was built for owner Arthur F. Mills of the New-Rochelle Yacht Club. 

May 30, 1900 - F. E. Wright’s sloop yacht Nellie was relaunched after being overhauled and fitted with a new iron keel at the Byles boatyard.  

June 26, 1900 - Edward Jaeger’s keel yawl Reco was sold to Oppenheimer & Meyer of New York, and was overhauled at the Byles boatyard.

August 10, 1900 - William Simonson’s fin keel yawl Aura was hauled out at the Byles boatyard "to have her bottom smoothed and repainted."

February 1901 - Centreboard sloop was scheduled to be built at the Byles boatyard for Dr. Sayre with dimensions of 40 feet over all, 25 feet water line, and 11 feet 6 inches beam.

April 14, 1901 - E. Eberspacher’s centreboard sloop Wacondah was reportedly "undergoing a number of changes at the yard of G. W. Byles, including a gasoline engine, converting the yacht into an auxiliary.”

March 1903 - George W. Byles reportedly is building a new auxiliary yawl named the Yabwoc for owner William P. Trench of the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club.  The yawl was designed by Charles D. Mower with the following dimensions:  32 feet over all, 24 feet on the water line, 9 feet 6 inches beam, 3 feet 2 inches draught, increased to 7 feet, with centerboard down.  According to one report:  "The boat will carry 640 square feet of canvas and have 2,400 pounds of outside ballast.  The lines of the Yabwoc show a very able craft, with plenty of freeboard and moderate overhangs.  The cabin has head room of 5 feet, with comfortable accommodations. The boat will in every way fit the owner’s requirements, which called for a dry, well balanced, powerful little cruiser, with no useless ends.  The power will be furnished by a 5 horse power Lozier engine.”

As such an incomplete record of boat building activity suggests, the Byles boatyard seems to have been fairly busy throughout its many years of operation.  Indeed, by 1882, George W. Byles was sufficiently successful to afford a new home that he had builder Charles Baxter construct for him on Schofield Avenue on City Island.  The home was 35 feet by 26 feet in size.  

In addition to building yachts and small boats and overhauling vessels at his yard, George Byles seems to have been either a boat broker or a hustler (in the positive sense) who bought, repaired and resold small boats and yachts.  There are countless "For Sale" advertisements too numerous to quote below demonstrating that Byles offered boats for sale that could be viewed at his yard on City Island.  

After more than fifty years of service as a yacht and boat builder on City Island, on November 30, 1922, George Washington Byles died in his home at 101 Center Street, City Island.  He was buried in Kensico Cemetery.  

View of Portion of City Island in About 1900 Seen from Offshore Looking

Toward the Northwest from City Island Harbor With George W. Byles

Boatyard on Left, then the Archibald Robertson Shipyard and the Hawkins

Shipyard with the America's Cup Yacht Columbia Hauled Out and in

Storage.  Image Courtesy of, and Used with Permission of, the City

Island Nautical Museum.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Image of George W. Byles Boatyard, on the Right, Adjacent to the

Yacht Yards of Henry B. Nevins on City Island in About 1910.  Image

Courtesy of, and Used with Permission of, the City Island Nautical

Museum.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Detail from Map Published in 1893 Showing Location of G. W. Byles

Boatyard (To Left of the Large "A").  Source:  "Towns of Westchester

and Pelham" in Bien, Joseph Rudolf, Atlas of Westchester County,

New York Prepared Under the Direction of Joseph R. Bien, p. 3 (NY,

NY:  Julius Bien & Co., 1893).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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1901 Advertisement for George W. Byles Yacht and Boat Builder.

Source:  "GEORGE W. BYLES [Advertisement]" in Day, Thomas

Fleming, ed., The Rudder, Vol. XII, No. 6, p. xxii (Jun. 1901).NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.  

"THE NEW CATBOAT DOT." Built by George W. Byles in 1898.

Source:  THE NEW CATBOAT DOT -- New Under Construction

at City Island for Rear Commodore C. T. Pierce, of the Riversides,

N. Y. Herald, May 15, 1898, p. 4, col. 2.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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Below is the text of a large number of items regarding George Washington Byles and his City Island boatyard.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.  

“GEORGE W. BYLES.

George W. Byles, a successful and enterprising yacht and boat builder of City Island, borough of the Bronx, where he has been engaged in ship building for a number of years, was born in the seventeenth ward, borough of Brooklyn, September 16, 1848, son of William H. and Eliza (Barker) Byles.  His father, William H. Byles, was a native of England, and his mother was a native of Eastchester, Westchester county, New York.  William H. Byles was for many years engaged at the trade of ship carpenter in Brooklyn, where he was employed with the celebrated ship builder, George Steers, who designed and built the yacht ‘America,’ that won the English cup, a trophy much prized by American yachtsmen.

Mr. Byles [William H. Byles] died May 4, 1876, and the faithful wife and mother of his children died in May, 1885.  They had by their union in marriage a family of seven children, of whom George W. and William H., of New York city, are the only surviving ones.

George W. Byles was reared and educated in his native city, and upon attaining to manhood years learned the yacht and boat building trade.  On June 1, 1869, Mr. Byles came to City Island, where he became engaged in the ship building trade, which line of enterprise he has successfully followed up to the present period.  Among his patrons are many well known New York families.  By his skill and enterprise Mr. Byles has done much to improve and design various classes of pleasure craft and has become recognized as one of the leading yacht and boat builders of City Island.  Mr. Byles is a member of City Island Council, Royal Areanum.  He was married at City Island, August 17, 1872, to Mary A. Pease, born July, 1848, daughter of Elias and Mary H. (Fowler) Pease.”

Source:  “GEORGE W. BYLES” in Pelletreau, William S., Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Family History of New York, Vol. IV, p. 281 (NY and Chicago:  The Lewis Publishing Company, 1907).

“CITY ISLAND.

Capt. James Hyatt’s sloop, Romans, is being overhauled; a much-needed piece of work.

Mr. Geo. W. Byles has just completed an 18-foot copper-fastened oyster skiff, for one of the City Island oystermen.  Mr. B. has an order to build a 17-foot shell boat for Mr. Aaron Vail. . . .”

Source:  City Island, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jul. 18, 1879, Vol. X, No. 513, p. 2, col. 4. 

"CITY ISLAND AND PELHAM. . . .

Mr. Geo. W. Byles has just finished the alteration and lengthening of the yacht Mary B.  She has been lengthened nine inches, and the position of her centre-board changed.  The prime object of the addition in the length was to make her sharper at the bow.  She is to be fitted with a new suit of sails, for which Mr. A. H. Burrill, of the firm of Phillips & Burrill, corner of East and Delancy streets, New York, took the measure on Wednesday last.  The Mary B. is 14 feet 11 inches long."

Source:  CITY ISLAND AND PELHAM, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Mar. 5, 1880, Vol. XI, No. 546, p. 2, col. 5.  

"CITY ISLAND NOTES. . . .

CHARLES BAXTER is building a two story house, 35 x 26, on Schofield avenue for George W. Byles.  He is also building a two story house for Mr. J. Abraham, on Main street, 24 x 36. . . ."

Source:  CITY ISLAND NOTES, New Rochelle Pioneer, Jun. 3, 1882, p. 2, col. 5.  

"CITY ISLAND. . . . 

The Surf, a cutter recently built by Mr. George W. Byles, was launched on Monday last. . . ."

Source:  CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jun. 22, 1883, p. 3, col. 4.  

"PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND . . . 

Messrs. A. B. Wood and son have on hand a large amount of work in small boat building, as has also Mr. George W. Byles. . . ."

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], May 2, 1884, p. 3, col. 4.  

“CITY ISLAND. . . .

There is unusual quiet just now, at the ship yards, nothing more extensive than repairing being done.  Messrs. Carll, Hawkins and Robinson & Co., each getting their share of small boats, quite a number are building.  Mr. Geo. W. Byles has several sailboats under way, and Messrs. Wood & Son are kept busy. . . .”

Source:  CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Jun. 20, 1884, Vol. XV, No. 770, p. 3, cols. 3-4. 

“PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND. . .

Mr. George W. Byles, has several new boats about ready to launch, and prospects of three more to build. . . .”

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Feb. 13, 1885, Vol. XVI, No. 804, p. 3, col. 3.  

“PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND.

Mr. John O. Fordham has been engaged recently in small boat building.  He completed the ninth one on Wednesday last.

A special musical exercise for Easter Day services, in the Church of the Redeemer, is in preparation by Mrs. I. C. Hill.

Mr. George W. Byles has just contracted for the building of several boats.  Messrs. Wood & Son are also quite busy building small boats.  The shipyards are dull places this winter. . . .”

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Feb. 27, 1885, Vol. XVI, No. 806, p. 3, col. 3. 

“New Rochelle Steam Launch.

Last summer several residents of our village conceived the idea that a Steam Launch, that could be used as a pleasure boat or for other purposes, was what was wanted in New Rochelle.  The idea was promulgated among our citizens and was favorably received.  Last September a company was formed, and incorporated under the laws of the State of New York for the purpose of towing vessels, and carrying passengers and freight.  The company is composed of the following gentlemen:  John S. Nicholas, President; James Ross, Vice President; Wm. E. Johnson, Treasurer; C. H. Morgan, Secretary.

An order was given to Mr. George W. Byles, shipbuilder, of City Island, who has a wide reputation for being a first-class boat builder, to build a first class boat.  It was expected that the hull of the boat would have been finished by the first of November, but through pressure of business that gentleman was unable to complete it by that time.  Last week the company received word that the boat would be ready to launch on Saturday morning at about eleven o’clock.  Saturday morning the exceedingly wet weather somewhat ‘dampened’ the spirits of many of the company, who had expected to be present at the launch, but after some little ‘drumming up’ a sufficient number was got together to comfortably fill one of Coe & Morgan’s stages.  Arriving at City Island they found thy were too late to see the boat slide down the greased ways.  The boat had not floated, however, and they had the satisfaction of seeing the launch of the boat completed, and were enabled to render some assistance in so doing.  The boat had already had a bottle of wine broken over the bow, but the delegates of the company had supplied themselves with a bottle of wine for that purpose, and securing the services of little Miss Bertie Barstow, proposed that when the boat floated she should break the bottle on the bow and name it the ‘Frolic.’  After some few preliminaries all hands put a good strong ‘shoulder to the wheel,’ and the ‘Frolic’ glided into the Sound, where she floated as buoyantly and gracefully as a swan.  The bottle was broken, the boat named, and exclamations of delight were expressed by those present, and Mr. Byles felt happy.  Captain DeVeau, of the propeller ‘Captain Joh’ towed the boat to New Rochelle in the afternoon, and on Tuesday it was drawn on ways on Mr. Stephenson’s property, and safely housed for the winter.  The dimensions of the boat are:  length, 50 feet over all; keel, 43 feet; beam, 11 feet; depth, 6 1-2 feet; tonnage, 20 tons.  In the spring work will be resumed on the boat.  The cabin and births [sic] will be elaborately fitted up, and she will be supplied with a 20 horse compound engine, and a 36 inch screw.  When finished she will be capable of accommodating about 60 persons.  The capital stock of the company is $1,750, nearly all of which has been paid in.  They are sanguine of success in their new enterprise.”

Source:  New Rochelle Steam Launch, The New Rochelle Pioneer, Dec. 19, 1885, p. 2, col. 3.

“City Island. . . .

Judge George W. Byles sold his place to a New York party for $8,000.  The spot is to be used for manufacturing purposes. . . .”

Source:  City Island, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Feb. 20, 1891, p. 1, col. 6.

“Yachts Reported at City Island.

CITY ISLAND, N. Y., May 9. – The following yachts passed here to-day:  Bound West – Steam yacht Trophy, Edwin H. Bennett.

Passed East – Steam yacht Evelyn, J. K. Hegeman, and yawl yacht Lettie, C. A. Harraman.

Cutter yacht Mopsa, J. W. Harrison, was launched to-day from the yard of George W. Byles and is nearly ready to go into commission. 

Sloop yacht Sasqua, Henry Andruss, from New-Rochelle, arrived here this afternoon to haul out at the yard of William McAllister to clean and paint.”

Source:  Yachts Reported at City Island, N.Y. Times, May 10, 1894, p. 3, col. 4 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link). 

“YACHTS REPORTED. . . .

Yawl Pilgrim, Charles Crawford, from Brooklyn, arrived here and was hauled out at George W. Byles’s yard to overhaul. . . .”

Source:  YACHTS REPORTED, N.Y. Times, Jun. 15, 1895, p. 3, col. 4 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

“June 11, 1896 CHAP. 426. – An Act For the relief of William H. Scofield, Jacob Brady, James Ketcham, Annie Booth, as administratrix of the goods, chattels, and credits of George W. Booth, deceased; Wilson P. Billar, Ezra L. Waterhouse, Moses C. Bell, George W. Byles, and George A. Scofield.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That William H. Scofield, Jacob Brady, James Ketcham, Annie Booth, as administratrix of the goods, chattels, and credits of George W. Booth, deceased; Wilson P. Billar, Ezra L. Waterhouse, Moses C. Bell, George W. Byles, and George A. Scofield be, and they are hereby released from any liability as sureties on the bond of Neil Hepburn, by reason of the defalcation of Neil Hepburn, as late postmaster at City Island, New York. And the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized and directed to discontinue as against said William H. Scofield, Jacob Brady, James Ketcham, Annie Booth, as administratrix of the goods, chattels, and credits of George W. Booth, deceased; Wilson P. Billar, Ezra L. Waterhouse, Moses C. Bell, George W. Byles, and George A. Scofield any action that may have been instituted against them to enforce such liability, and to cause to be satisfied of record any judgment that may have been entered against said sureties in any such action:  Provided, however, That the provisions hereof shall apply only to the bond covering amounts accrued subsequent to September thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-three.

Approved, June 11, 1896.”

Source:  “June 11, 1896 CHAP. 426” in Public Laws of the United States of America, Passed at the First Session of the Fifty-Fourth Congress, 1895-1896, p. 50 (Washington, D.C.:  Government Printing Office, 1896).

“The Yawl Pawnee Launched.

CITY ISLAND, July 18. – E. D. Morgan Waterman’s new yawl-rigged yacht Pawnee was launched this afternoon from the yard of George W. Byles.  Her dimensions are 53 feet over all, 35 feet 7 inches water line, and 13 feet 7 inches beam.  She was designed by H. G. Gielow.”

Source:  The Yawl Pawnee Launched, N.Y. Times, Jul. 19, 1896, p. 6, col. 3 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link). 

“THE NEW CATBOAT DOT.

-----

New Under Construction at City Island for Rear Commodore C. T. Pierce, of the Riversides.

-----

George W. Byles, the City Island yacht builder, has on the stocks in an advanced stage a saucy looking catboat for Rear Commodore C. T. Pierce, of the Riverside Yacht Club.  She is being built after designs by H. J. Gielow, and is of the following dimensions: --

Length over all, 37 feet 3 inches; length on load waterline, 23 feet; beam, 12 feet; draught, 26 inches.  She has good freeboard, and her cabin is roomy and well lighted, being 15 feet long, with 5 feet 7 inches clear head room under carlines.  The cockpit is 9 feet long, and is self-bailing; in fact, the boat is designed as a thoroughly comfortable cruiser, with all the home comforts permissible on a craft of her dimensions.  Her construction has been worked out very carefully and is thoroughly strong and substantial, more than one-half the fastening being driven through and clinched on the inside.  She will have a moderated rig, with hollow spars, and her sail will be from Wilson & Silsby’s loft.  No expense will be spared to make her a comfortable boat.  She has a graceful sheer, unusually handsome stern and fair, easy lines.

Commodore Pierce has named her Dot, and expects to have her ready for Decoration Day.  She will be enrolled in the Riverside and the Atlantic Yacht clubs.”

Source:  THE NEW CATBOAT DOT -- New Under Construction at City Island for Rear Commodore C. T. Pierce, of the Riversides, N. Y. Herald, May 15, 1898, p. 4, col. 2.

“YACHTING NOTES.

------

The launching on Thursday at City island of the cabin cat built by George W. Byles for Rear Commodore C. T. Pierce, of the Riverside Yacht Club, was very successful.  The yacht was covered with bunting, and as she went into the water Miss Alice C. Rogers, of Boston, stood at the bow and scattered flowers on the deck and said, ‘I name thee Dot.’  There were quite a number present, and the yacht presented a fine appearance. . . .”

Source:  YACHTING NOTES, N.Y. Herald, Jun. 19, 1898, First Section, p. 11, col. 6. 

“YACHTING. . . .

The launch of the knockabout Why Not took place recently at Byles’s yards, City Island, and the owner, Arthur F. Mills, of the New-Rochelle Yacht Club, has taken her to her moorings off the club. . . .”

Source:  YACHTING, N.Y. Tribune, May 7, 1900, p. 5, col. 4 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

“Accident Attends Cygnet’s Launching. . . .

F. E. Wright’s sloop yacht Nellie, which was overhauled and fitted with a new iron keel at the Byles yard, this place, was launched to-day.  She will go into commission next week, and will fly the burgee of the New Rochelle Yacht Club this season. . . .”

Source:  Accident Attends Cygnet’s Launching, N.Y. Times, May 30, 1900, p. 5, col. 2 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link). 

“City Island Yacht News. . . .

Edward Jaeger’s keel yawl Reco, which was equipped and used last season for a practical demonstration of a patent recording compass, has been sold to Oppenheimer & Meyer of New York, and is being overhauled and prepared for commission at the Byles yard. . . .”

Source:  City Island Yacht News, N.Y. Times, Jun. 26, 1900, Jun. 26, 1900, p. 8, col. 4 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

“City Island Yacht News. . . .

William Simonson’s fin keel yawl Aura has been hauled out at the Byles yards, to have her bottom smoothed and repainted. . . .”

Source:  City Island Yacht News, N.Y. Times, Aug. 10, 1900, p. 5, col. 2 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

“Yacht News of City Island. . . .

A new centreboard sloop for Dr. Sayre will soon be started at the yard of G. W. Byles.  Her dimensions are 40 feet over all, 25 feet water line, and 11 feet 6 inches beam. . . .”

Source:  Yacht News of City Island, N.Y. Times, Feb. 3, 1901, p. 6, col. 3 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

“City Island Yacht News. . . .

E. Eberspacher’s centreboard sloop Wacondah is undergoing a number of changes at the yard of G. W. Byles, including a gasoline engine, converting the yacht into an auxiliary.”

Source:  City Island Yacht News, N.Y. Times, Apr. 14, 1901, p. 6, col. 5 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

“City Island Yacht News.

Special to The New York Times.

CITY ISLAND, N. Y., June 29. – George W. Byles has sold the twenty-foot knock-about Ask Me to a Lake George yachtsman. . . .”

Source:  City Island Yacht News, N.Y. Times, Jun. 30, 1901, p. 20, col. 2 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

“NEW AUXILIARY YAWL FOR WM. P. TRENCH.

-----

William P. Trench of the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club is to have a new auxiliary yawl from the designs of Charles D. Mower.  The boat is to be built by Byles of City Island and will be named Yabwoc.

She is 32 feet over all, 24 feet on the water line, 9 feet 6 inches beam, 3 feet 2 inches draught, increased to 7 feet, with centerboard down.  The boat will carry 640 square feet of canvas and have 2,400 pounds of outside ballast.

The lines of the Yabwoc show a very able craft, with plenty of freeboard and moderate overhangs.  The cabin has head room of 5 feet, with comfortable accommodations.

The boat will in every way fit the owner’s requirements, which called for a dry, well balanced, powerful little cruiser, with no useless ends.  The power will be furnished by a 5 horse power Lozier engine.”

Source:  NEW AUXILIARY YAWL FOR WM. P. TRENCH, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar. 19, 1903, p. 13, col. 2 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

“City Island Yacht News. . . .

William Simonson’s yawl Aura has been overhauled and prepared for commission at the Byles Yard, and will be launched as soon as weather permits. . . .”

Source:  City Island Yacht News, N.Y. Times, Jun. 25, 1903, p. 8, col. 5 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link). 

“FOR sale – 35 ft. glass cabin launch, 5 cylinder, 4 ¼ x 5 7/8 inch, cycle motor.  GEORGE BYLES’ yard, City Island.”

Source:  FOR sale [Advertisement], The Evening Telegraph [NY, NY], Mar. 4, 1911, p. 10, col. 6. 

“George Washington Byles

George Washington Byles, aged 74 years, one of the best known ship builders in this state, and who has been engaged in that work for the last 54 years at City Island, died yesterday at his home, 101 Center street, City Island.  He was well known to scores of Mount Vernonites, particularly those who spent any time at City Island and who had been interested in boats.  He had done considerable work for local residents also.  Funeral services will be conducted tomorrow evening at 2 o’clock at his late home.  The interment will be in Kensico cemetery and will be private.”

Source:  George Washington Byles, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Dec. 1, 1922, p. 2, col. 4. 

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