Park Department Commissioners Condemned -- But Didn't Close -- the "Dilapidated" City Island Bridge in 1894

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In 1894, as the annexation of City Island and the area known as Pelham Bay Park neared, a battle brewed between New York City and Westchester County over City Island bridge.  The bridge that was completed in 1868 was, by 1894, a decrepit and dilapidated eyesore.  That should come as no surprise.  It originally was built from the timbers of an ancient decommissioned ship known as the North Carolina, cobbled together with a draw that was taken from the old Harlem Bridge when that bridge was replaced.  As one account put it so succinctly, even when newly-built in 1868, the City Island bridge was "nothing but a second hand affair."

On the eve of annexation, New York City and Westchester County battled over which should fund the repair or replacement of the bridge.  The matter seemed to come to a head when Parks Department representatives inspected the bridge, deemed it unsafe, and posted odd warning signs that did not close the bridge but, instead, warned those who crossed it that they were doing so at their own risk and that those who crossed it in vehicles traveling "faster than a walk" were subject to a five dollar fine.  

Alas, the Parks Deparment signs apparently did not have their intended effect.  There was no general outcry to force Westchester to fund repairs or replacement of the decrepit bridge.   The City Island Bridge that currently connects City Island with the mainland and that replaced the one built in 1868 was not built until several years later. It was erected beginning in 1898 and opened to the public July 4, 1901.  It cost $200,000.

"CITY ISLAND BRIDGE"

Source:  RIBS OF A BATTLE-SHIP,

The World [The Evening World, NY, NY],

Aug. 23, 1892, Last Edition, p. 2, cols. 7-8.

"THAT DILAPIDATED BRIDGE.
-----
It Is of Great Importance to City Island, but Not to Westchester or New York.
-----
BUILT OF AN OLD FRIGATE'S TIMBERS.
-----
County Officials Await the Result of Annexation, While Park Commissioners Indulge in Bluff.
-----

Commissioners Tappan and Clausen, of the Park Department, accompanied by two mechanics and an engineer, visited City Island on Friday of last week and made a thorough inspection of the bridge, which is in very dilapidated and unsafe condition.  After the Commissioners had rowed around several of the abutments at mean low water they became convinced that the old structure is totally unfit for public use, and pronounced it unsafe.  They caused a sign to be erected at the entrance to the bridge, which reads as follows: -- 

$5 fine for any person driving over this bridge faster than a walk.

Underneath this warning is another sign, which reads: -- 

Danger!  Bridge unsafe.  persons driving over bridge do so at their own risk.  By order of D.P.P.

If this old bridge is as dangerous to life and limb as the Park Commissioners claim it to be, why do they not stop traffic over it entirely?  That is the question that is being asked on all sides.  The driving public will have timely notice by reading the warning signs, but the horse car passengers who cannot see or heed the advice given them by the park authorities are at the mercy of the car drivers.

This visit and inspection is regarded as a mere bluff on the part of the Commissioners, as it is believed they do not intend to take any action in regard to the bridge.  Their attention has been called repeatedly for the past year to the condition of this bridge, and navigation has been suspended for the past twelve months.  The old draw could not be opened by an army of men, much less by a single bridge tender.  Complaint after complaint has been made to them without any result.  The only answer or satisfaction the boat men could get from the Park Department was, 'Wait, we will soon give you a new and improved bridge this coming fall.'

STILL THE SAME OLD BRIDGE.

That was last winter, and the same old bridge stands there yet, unrepaired, totally unfit for use, dangerous to travellers [sic], and liable at any moment to collapse and cause large loss of lives.  

This bridge has quite a history.  It was built some twenty-five years ago by a syndicate of oystermen and boat builders on shares.  It originally cost about $45,000, and paid handsome dividends to the shareholders up to about fifteen years ago.  When it was first build it was constructed under the personal supervision of Mr. David Carll, who was one of the largest ship builders in the United States.  It was through his influence and keen business experience that the stockholders secured the old war frigate North Carolina and stripped her of all the planking and beams and built City Island bridge out of her old timbers, so that at its best this old structure even twenty-five years ago was nothing but a second hand affair.  

When by an act of the legislature the city of New York became the part owner of the bridge it went to rack and ruin completely.  True, the Park Commissioners replanked it and sent several schooner loads of stone to be dumped along side of the cribs in order that the bridge might not be found floating out in the Sound after a heavy northeaster, but they did nothing more.

It is election time now and Tammany Hall and the Park Board are eager for votes and bounteous with promises.  'You poor, suffering seafaring men must have your wants attended to at once.  We will build a new bridge for you people if it takes every cent of the $75,000 already appropriated by the last legislature for that purpose, no matter what Westchester county may do in the matter.'  This is the burden of the campaign song in this locality.

Well, time will tell.  This is an old story retold by the Park Commissioiners, and I am afraid these promises are like pie crust -- easily broken.  So much for the city side of it.  

WESTCHESTER'S HALF.

The bridge measures 999 feet long, by about 25 feet wide.  One half of it is owned by New York city, while the other half is owned by Westchester county.  New York's side has the draw which overhangs the channel, and it is here the danger lies.  This old draw was for years in operation on the Harlem bridge before the builders of City Island bridge bought it.  A set of resolutions was presented to the Board of Supervisors of Westchester county by Supervisor William A. McAllister, of this town, early in the spring, begging of them to take some action in regard to this bridge, as it was in a very dangerous condition, and demanded instant attention.  The Board appointed a committee of three -- Messrs. Lent, Johnson and McAllister.  They made an inspection of the bridge, the crib work and the draw, and reported to the Supervisors that the bridge was unsafe and not fit to be opened to public traffic.

Then Supervisor McAllister asked that the county appropriate an amount ($75,000) equal to that appropriated by the last Legislature for the New York city side of the Bridge, and that both the communities join hands in building a good substantial iron structure that would stand forever.  But this motion of Supervisor McAllister was cried down by the other members of the Board, who claimed that they had done enough for City Island Bridge.  They had already spent $6,500 for repairing this eyesore to Westchester county, and as City Island was about to be annexed to New York city this coming fall they thought it would be more convenient to let New York build it, and they would under no circumstances spend another cent of the taxpayers' money of Westchester county on the bridge.

Now it remains to be seen what the New York city Park Commissioners will do.  If they build a new bridge as far as the $75,000 will go, what will the Westchester folks do?  One-half of the bridge will be new and the other half old and rotten.  This is the question that is troubling our citizens a far sight more than annexation."

Source:  THAT DILAPIDATED BRIDGE -- It Is of Great Importance to City Island, but Not to Westchester or New York, New York Herald, Oct. 28, 1894, North End Supplement, Sixth Section, p. 3, cols. 4-5.  

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To learn more about the City Island Bridge, early efforts to develop a bridge from the mainland to City Island and about Benjamin Palmer, Samuel Rodman, and others involved in efforts to build such a bridge, see the following.   

Tue., Oct. 07, 2014:  Legislative History of the 1775 Statute Authorizing Construction of City Island Bridge.

Tue., Jul. 22, 2014:  Stories of City Island Bridge Published in 1892.

Wed., May 28, 2014:  Description of City Island in the Town of Pelham Published in 1868.

Wed., Mar. 10, 2010:  1899 Article About City Island's New Bridge Describes History of Area and Includes Wonderful Images.

Wed., Dec. 05, 2007:  Photograph of the Old Wooden City Island Bridge.

Tue., Dec. 26, 2006:  1775 Statute Authorizing Samuel Rodman and Benjamin Palmer to Build City Island Drawbridge.  

Tue., May 02, 2006:  Benjamin Palmer's Advertisement in 1756 To Raise Subscriptions To Fund a Free Bridge From Manhattan.

Wed., May 17, 2006:  More About Benjamin Palmer's Involvement With Raising Funds for a Free Bridge from Manhattan. 

Fri., May 05, 2006:  1763 Announcement That City Island in the Manor of Pelham Has Been Laid Out in Lots for Sale.

Mon., May 15, 2006:  Resales of Lots in the 1760s on the Island Known Today as City Island.

Thu., Apr. 19, 2007:  An Account of How Soldiers Were "Recruited" in Pelham in 1758 for the French and Indian War.  

Mon., Jan. 29, 2007:  Palmer Family Offers One Thirtieth of City Island for Sale in 1785.

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Stories of City Island Bridge Published in 1892

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Efforts have been underway for a number of years to design a replacement for the City Island Bridge opened in 1901 that currently connects City Island with the mainland.  The current City Island Bridge was erected in 1898 at a cost of $200,000 and opened to the public July 4, 1901.

Until annexation by New York City in the mid-1890's, City Island and today's Pelham Bay Park on the mainland were part of the Town of Pelham.  The New York State Legislature in 1804 authorized construction of a bridge to connect City Island to the mainland.  Although a subscription drive to fund construction began, the initiative failed.  The planned bridge was not constructed.  It was not until December 1, 1873 that a toll bridge erected by a stock company opened to the public.  It was one thousand feet long with a draw of one hundred and twenty feet.  The turntable draw was salvaged from the Harlem Bridge at Third Avenue (also known at the time as Coles Bridge) and was used on the new City Island Bridge. It had to be cranked by hand to open and close.  In addition, a large part of the materials used in construction of the bridge came from the old United States frigate North Carolina, which had been decommissioned and subsequently sold at auction in 1860.  According to one account:

"When the old United States line of battle ship North Carolina was sold at public auction in 1860, Mr. Carll purchased her, and from the live oak timbers in the old bulk he laid the foundation of the large fortune which he afterward amassed.  From these timbers he built the schooner yacht Resolute for Mr. A. S. Hatch and the Atlanta for Mr. William Astor.  In addition to these vessels he also found timber enough to build the bridge from City Island to Pelham on the main land."

Source:  Recent Deaths, The New Town Register [New Town, NY], Jan. 3, 1889, p.?, col. 4 (page number not printed on newspaper page).

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes an interesting series of stories published in 1892 about the old City Island Bridge that the current bridge replaced.  More importantly, reproduced below is a series of sketches of various views of the old City Island Bridge that appeared with the published account in 1892. 

"CITY ISLAND BRIDGE"

Source:  RIBS OF A BATTLE-SHIP,

The World [The Evening World, NY, NY],

Aug. 23, 1892, Last Edition, p. 2, cols. 7-8.



"RIBS OF A BATTLE-SHIP
-----
Now the Bridge Between City Island and the Mainland.
-----
How One of Uncle Sam's Old Cruisers Met an Inglorious End.
-----
Story of a Tar Who Lives at City Island to Be Near His Old Love.
-----

Walking along Pelham Park, from Bartow towards the Long Island Sound, you suddenly come upon a long, homely, old-fashioned bridge, built somewhat after the pattern of Julius Caesar's bridge across the Rhine.  It is the connecting link between the mainland and City Island where so many of America's fastest yachts are constructed.

There is nothing on the bridge to excite either the wonder or admiration of a beholder until he is made acquainted with its history.

Often things of no intrinsic value gain great importance from their connection with 'auld lang syne,' and rocking chairs and kettles which, from a modern practical point of view would at once be relegated to the department of useless junk, are cherished and admired for that something which is above and beyond them -- their history.  

And so also fares this bridge.

Who would heed or bestow a second glance upon its stout and seemingly commonplace planks, or its twenty-four invasive but rude stanchions -- twelve on each side -- unless he knew that these planks at one time constituted the deck and these stanchions the ribs of the erstwhile majestic but long since dismantled battle-ship of the line North Carolina?

And though the wood -- hard, seasoned oak -- has been battered by many a year of rain and hail and tempest, it is to this day as hard and firm as if it had grown in some Titanic forest where each tree was destined for eternity.

The North Carolina in her day was one of the greatest and most formidable ships of Uncle Sam's spunky little navy, but she has become such a vague tradition even with old-time tars that they remember only that she was a sister-ship of the New Hampshire, the Vermont and the Delaware, carrying seventy-four guts and having a speed that put the best of England's cruisers to the blush.  This, of course, was way back in the twenties.

An enterprising Yankee contractor of City Island was the lucky bidder to whom this great hulk of wood and iron was 'knocked down' at auction for the merest song in 1865.

At that time a clamor was raised for a bridge across the narrow channel between the Westchester coast and City Island, and the purchaser of the North Carolina bid much lower for the contract than any of his competitors.

By 1868 the bridge was completed and had a draw made from the metal of the old Harlem Bridge -- another piece of historic junk that this contractor bought [sic] in for almost nothing.

The draw is turned by hand, and the men who attend to this duty are indifferent to or ignorant of the traditions which cling to each plank of the turning-table.  

Mitchel Miller, once a 'tar' on the old ship, but now a waiter in a clambake establishment on the City Island side of the bridge, has determined to spend his life beside his old love, and he is one of the few persons in that locality to whom the bridge is something more than a bridge.  

'I shipped before the mast on the old North Carolina,' said he to an EVENING WORLD reporter, 'and served on her for a long time.  And whenever I look out over the bridge it seems to me as if I stood by the grave of a dear old friend.'

The 'tar' then spun many a yarn of mingled pathos and humor, but how much of these tales was reliable could not be measured after he said that he had one day while fishing from the bridge caught several sea-dogs and a shark.

'Sharks,' said he, 'abound in these parts, and I was not very much surprised when I landed one.  But I never dreamed of meeting sea-dogs here, although I often heard them bark at night.  They never show themselves by day.'

'How is it you caught one then?' he was asked.  

Jack Tar was puzzled but for a moment, and then replied:  'You see I fishing at night.'

There was another war vessel taken apart in City Island many years ago.  It was the Morning Star which served for a long time as a school-ship.  A cabin of this ship is still shown in one of the houses near the bridge, and serves as a dining-room."  

Source:  RIBS OF A BATTLE-SHIP, The World [The Evening World, NY, NY], Aug. 23, 1892, Last Edition, p. 2, cols. 7-8.

"ON THE BRIDGE LOOKING TOWARDS PELHAM PARK."

Source: RIBS OF A BATTLE-SHIP,

The World [The Evening World, NY, NY],

Aug. 23, 1892, Last Edition, p. 2, cols. 7-8.

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Image of the Second Pelham Bridge Built in 1834 From a Sketch Created in 1865

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For much of the last two hundred years, there has been a bridge over the Hutchinson River where it empties into Eastchester Bay.  The various bridges that have been built there have played a critical role in the development, and thus the history, of the Town of Pelham.
On March 6, 1812, the New York State Legislature enacted a statute incorporating the "Eastchester Bridge Company" to build a bridge over the Hutchinson River where it empties into Eastchester Bay.  The bridge was built shortly afterward and is believed to have been completed by about 1815.  In 1817, the Westchester and Pelham Turnpike Company was incorporated to construct a turnpike from the causeway at Westchester to the bridge.  That bridge came to be known as "Pelham Bridge"  -- the name it bears today.

Even in its first iteration, Pelham Bridge included a draw to permit ships to pass.  Within its first few years, the first Pelham Bridge was destroyed by a storm.  On April 12, 1816, the company was authorized by the Legislature to sell its property and toll franchise for a period of forty-five years. The second bridge was built in 1834 by George Rapelje, with the right to charge tolls for a period of thirty years, but the supervisors of Westchester County purchased the bridge in 1860 and made it free.

The bridge was replaced with an iron bridge constructed in 1869-1870.  That bridge, in turn, was replaced by the present larger bridge, opened by the New York City Department of Bridges on October 15, 1908.

This author is unaware of any image of the original Pelham Bridge built in about 1815 and destroyed by a storm shortly after it opened.  There is, however, a wonderful sketch of the second Pelham Bridge built in 1834.  The sketch was created by W. J. Wilson in 1865, only four years before construction began on the third generation Pelham Bridge that was built in 1869-1870.  An image of the sketch appears immediately below, followed by a citation to its source as well as transcription of brief text that accompanied the sketch in the same source.

In the image, the multiple stone footings of the causeway are visible as are horse-drawn carriages traveling in both directions on the bridge.  The turntable draw on a stone masonry foundation is visible in the center of the bridge.  

"Pelham Bridge in 1865

From a sketch by W. J. Wilson"

Source:  Jenkins, Stephen, The Story of the Bronx

From the Purchase Made by the Dutch from the Indians

in 1639 to the Present Day, Opposite p. 318

(NY and London:  G.P. Putnam's Sons

The Knickerbocker Press, 1912).

"In March, 1812, the Legislature incorporated the Eastchester Bridge Company, and the bridge over the Hutchinson River near its mouth was built soon after.  In 1817, the Westchester and Pelham Turnpike Company was incorporated for the purpose of building a turnpike from the causeway at Westchester to the above mentioned bridge, following probably the lane of Sauthier's map.  The first bridge was destroyed by a storm, and the company was authorized by the Legislature of 1816 to sell its property and franchises for a period of forty-five years.  The second bridge was built in 1834 by George Rapelje, with the right to charge tolls for a period of thirty years; but the supervisors of Westchester County purchased the bridge in 1860 and made it free.  The former iron bridge was constructed in 1869-70; but it proved insufficient for the traffic after the automobile arrived, and it was replaced by the present larger bridge, opened by the Department of Bridges on October 15, 1908, at a cost of $517,000.

The bridge has always been famous for the good fishing to be obtained from it and the author remembers having made several trips to it when a very small boy, walking from Mt. Vernon and back with his companions by way of Eastchester and the Split Rock Road.  Bolton gives records of a striped bass weighing sixty-three pounds, being caught on June 3, 1844, of another of fifty pounds, caught by E. Des Brosses Hunter, and of others of twenty and forty-three pounds at various times.  'There were giants in those days!'  Flounders, tom-cod, eels, and fish of all kinds, including an occasional sheepshead, are also mentioned by the same author.  The best time for fishing is in the months of September and October.  The stream was formerly clear, but for many years it has been polluted by the sewage of Mt. Vernon and the outpourings of the gas-works at Eastchester, and the fish are not so plentiful as formerly."

Source:  Jenkins, Stephen, The Story of the Bronx From the Purchase Made by the Dutch from the Indians in 1639 to the Present Day, pp. 317-18 (NY and London:  G.P. Putnam's SonsThe Knickerbocker Press, 1912).

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Below are examples of previous postings that address the histories of the various Pelham Bridges that have spanned Eastchester Bay for the last two centuries.

Thu., Jul. 17, 2014:  Sabotage Brought Down the 70-Ton Draw Span of Pelham Bridge in 1908 and Delayed its Opening. 

Tue., Jun. 10, 2014: Construction of the Concrete Arch Pelham Bridge.

Mon., May 12, 2014: The March 6, 1812 New York Statute Authorizing Construction of the Pelham Bridge.

Tue., Sep. 22, 2009: Names of Early "Keepers of Pelham Bridge" Appointed by Westchester County.

Thu., Jan. 08, 2009: Another Brief History of The Pelham Bridge.

Thu., Jan. 1, 2009: A Brief History of Pelham Bridge.

Wed., Jan. 2, 2008: New York State Senate Report on Petition by Inhabitants of Westchester to Allow Construction of Toll Bridge Across Eastchester Creek in 1834.

Tue., Aug. 28, 2007: The Laying Out of Pelham Avenue From Fordham to Pelham Bridge in 1869.

Wed., Jul. 4, 2007: 1857 Real Estate Advertisement for Sale of the Pelham Bridge.

Fri., Jul. 22, 2007: 1857 Real Estate Advertisement for Sale of "Country Seat" at Pelham Bridge.

Fri., May 18, 2007: Celebration at Pelham Bridge in 1872.

Wed., May 16, 2007: Board of Supervisors of Westchester County Vote to Build New Iron Bridge to Replace Pelham Bridge in 1869.

Tue., May 15, 2007: The Owner of the Pelham Bridge Hotel Sold it for the Princely Sum of $22,000 in 1869.

Mon., May 14, 2007: Plans to Widen Shore Road in the Town of Pelham in 1869.

Fri., May 11, 2007: A Sad Attempted Suicide at Pelham Bridge in 1869.

Thu., Dec. 08, 2005: The First Stone Bridge Built Across Eastchester Creek in Pelham, 1814-1815.

Thu., Aug. 18, 2005: The Opening of the New Iron "Pelham Bridge" in 1871.

Tue., Aug. 9, 2005: Cock Fighting at Pelham Bridge in the 19th Century.

Thu., Jul. 21, 2005: Today's Remnants of the Bartow Station on the Branch Line Near City Island.

Tue., Jun. 28, 2005: The Hotel and Bar Room at Pelham Bridge.

Thu., Mar. 24, 2005: The Bartow Area of Pelham in the 19th Century: Where Was It?

Wed., Mar. 23, 2005: Prize Fighting at Pelham Bridge in 1884.

For more about the Pelham Bridge and its history, see Pelham Bridge, Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia, available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelham_Bridge (visited May 6, 2014).

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The Towns of Pelham and Eastchester Decide to Build a Drawbridge Across the Hutchinson River in 1873

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Just beyond the new Pelham Manor Shopping Plaza on the Pelham Parkway is a drawbridge.  The first effort to build a drawbridge on that site began in 1873 when the Towns of Pelham and Eastchester approved the expenditure of funds to build such a drawbridge.  A brief article concerning the matter appeared in The New York Times.  An excerpt of the article appears below, followed by a citation to its source.

"WESTCHESTER . . . .

The town authorities of East Chester and Pelham have jointly decided to construct a drawbridge over East Chester Creek, (which forms the boundary line of the two towns, and familiarly known as Lockwood's Dock Bridge,) at an expense of $6,000, one-half of which is to be paid by each of the towns named.  No vessels pass about the bridge at the present time, but in case of rendering the creek navigable to a point some distance above, as proposed, the draw-bridge will be ready for use. . . . "

Source:  Westchester, N.Y. Times, Dec. 28, 1873, p. 8.

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