Historic Pelham

Presenting the rich history of Pelham, NY in Westchester County: current historical research, descriptions of how to research Pelham history online and genealogy discussions of Pelham families.

Thursday, December 04, 2014

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


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.  
*          *          *          *          *

 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.







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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Stories of City Island Bridge Published in 1892



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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Friday, January 26, 2007

A History of the Early Years of City Island When it Was Part of the Town of Pelham, Published in 1927

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Regular readers of the Historic Pelham Blog likely realize (as the banner at the top of the site suggests) that many posts are my research notes regarding issues of interest regarding the history of Pelham and surrounding areas. Today's post is another example of such an instance.

Below is text that I have transcribed from portions of a book published in 1927 entitled "The Bronx and Its People: A History, 1609-1927". The excerpt deals with issues relating to the history of portions of Pelham annexed by New York City in the mid-1890s. A full citation to the source appears beneath the excerpt.

"In Pelham -- Nearly all of the part of the township of Pelham that was taken within the city of New York is included within Pelham Bay Park. There is a small section in the vicinity of the Boston Road not included in the park, and also City Island; the first part is negligible. There are now many different ways of reaching City Island. Until 1912 a one-horse, bob-tailed car, a relic of former days, used to connect with the railroad station, and for a fare of five cents, the passenger was taken to Marshall's Corners at the end of Rodman's Neck; for an additional fare, he was carried to the end of the island. In 1910 a monorail electric train was inaugurated; but the first day of business was an unfortunate one, for the car met with an accident and several people were killed. City Island was originally called Minnewits, or Great [Page 346 / Page 347] Minnefords, Island. The origin of the name is doubtful, it being ascribed to Peter Minuit, the Dutch Governor and purchaser of the island of Manhattan, and also to Minnefords, Minifers, or Minnewies, the original Indian proprietors. It was within Thomas Pell's purchase of 1654, and also within his manor-grant of Pelham. It received its name of City Island from a scheme of the inhabitants of 1761-62 to establish upon the island a city that was to outrival New York. General Heath uses the name 'New City Island' in his 'Memoirs,' so that the name must have been well established in Revolutionary days. On May 10, 1763, a ferry was established 'acrosst from Mr. Samuel Rodman's Neck to said Island.' The same year a ferry was established from the north end of the island and leased to Mrs. Deborah Kicks, 'the best and fairest bidder.' On May 13, 1766, a ferry was established between the south end of the island across the Sound to Long Island; it was leased to John Barnes for five years. The first purchaser from Thomas Pell, the manor-lord, was John Smith, of the town of Bruckland (Brooklyn). The island on June 19, 176, came into possession of Benjamin Palmer, the builder of the free bridge at Spuyten Duyvil, for £2,730. He appears to have suffered considerable loss during the war; for, in 1788, he sent a petition to 'His Excellency, George Clinton, Esq., Governor in and over the State of New York, and Vice-Admiral of the navy of the same,' for relief. This failing he again petitioned for redress of grievances in 1789, this time to 'His Excellency, George Washington, President of the United States.' His distress was mitigated by a subscription.

The Revolution prevented the accomplishment of the plan of building a city upon the island, though it was revived in 1790. The island was cut up into 4,500 lots, each twenty feet front and one hundred feet in depth, besides two squares, of thirty lots each, reserved for churches, meeting-houses, schools and the like. Ten pounds was the stated price of the lots, and many were bought and sold at that price. In 1818 Nicholas Haight and Joshua Husted owned nearly all of the island as well as Rodman's Neck and what later became the Marshall estate. In the year following, forty-two acres passed into the possession of George W. [Horton]. In 1804 the State Legislature passed an act allowing the construction of a bridge between the island and the mainland, and subscriptions were started for its erection; but the attempt failed for want of support. On December 1, 1873, a toll bridge, erected by a stock company, was thrown open to the public. It occupied the site of the bridge laid down on the map of 1761. It was one thousand feet long with a draw of one hundred and twenty feet; the draw being that of the original Coles, or Harlem Bridge, at Third Avenue. A large part of the materials used in its construction came from the old United [Page 347 / Page 348] States frigate 'North Carolina,' which had been condemned and sold by the National Government. This bridge was made a free bridge in 1895, at the time of annexation, and was replaced by the present fine steel structure, constructed at a cost of $200,000, not including approaches, which was opened for public use on July 4, 1901. Work had been begun upon it in December, 1898.

In spite of the ferry and the bridge, City Island had been more or less isolated before the opening of Pelham Bay Park in 1888, and the advent of the bicycle. The inhabitants were engaged chiefly in fishing, piloting, and oyster culture. The fishing was formerly very fine, and upon a Sunday or other holiday the old bridge was lined with ardent anglers. The demolition of the old wooden bridge drove many of the anglers to the wharf at the south end of the island, at the end of the island's one long thoroughfare. In 1762, the owners of the island petitioned for four hundred feet under water, and the land was granted to them by Lieutenant-Governor Cadwallader Colden, on May 27, 1763. When the new wharf at the lower end of the island was built in 1901, we find Mrs. De Lancey asserting her claims to the land under water as an inheritrix of the ancient grant, but the case was decided against her. There are several yacht clubs located here and the activities connected with the water constitute the principal business of the island. Several shipyards build and repair pleasure vessels, and in the winter season many of the crack yachts are laid up and housed there. Upon several occasions the defenders of America's Cup have been so laid up. The yachting industry is principally with sailing vessels; in stormy weather, many sailing vessels from the Sound find safe anchorage near the island until the weather moderates. There are numerous bathing pavilions, and the bathing is considered helpful, as the island extends far into the Sound. Rowboats, sail-boats, and small launches are plentiful, and there are many places where they can be hired for sailing and fishing, while several of the hotels and restaurants have more than a local fame. The population was self-contained and isolated, and it took the people a little time to get accustomed to interference from Manhattan, after annexation. Probably the greatest object of interest on the island is the 'Macedonian Hotel.' It bears the following legend: captured on Sunday, October 25th, 1812, by the United States Frigate 'United States,' commanded by Capt. Stephen Decatur, U. S. N. The action was fought in Lat. 24° N., Long. 29° 30' W., that is about 600 miles N. W. of the Cape De Verde Islands off the W. coast of Africa and towed to Cowbay in 1874.' However, it would appear that while the house is the remains of a ship 'Macedonian,' it was not the one captured in Decatur's gallant action. The original British 'Macedonian' [Page 348 / Page 349] was a new ship at the time of her capture, and was afterwards repaired and taken into the United States Navy. She was blockaded in the Thames River, Connecticut, until the close of the War of 1812, and then served as a cruiser until 1828, after which she did nothing. In 1835 she was broken up at the Norfolk, Virginia, navy yard. In the meantime Congress appropriated funds to build a new ship of the same name, which was begun in 1832 and launched at Gosport, Virginia, in 1836. She was rebuilt at Brooklyn in 1852, and broken up in 1874 at Cow Bay, Long Island. For a time this second, American-built 'Macedonian' was used as a practice ship at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, where the figurehead of the original British frigate is still preserved as a relic of the heroic days of our infant navy."

Source: Wells, James L., Haffen, Louis F., and Briggs, Josiah A., eds., The Bronx and Its People: A History 1609 - 1927, Vol. I, pp. 346-49 (NY, NY: The Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Inc., 1927) (Historian Benedict Fitzpatrick).

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