Was this the First Automobile Accident on Today's Pelham Bridge?

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For about the last two hundred years, some form of bridge has stood above the waters of Eastchester Bay where the Hutchinson River meets Long Island Sound.  The histories of the several bridges that have stood there over the years are fascinating.  Often referenced as Pelham Bridge and, occasionally, Eastchester Bridge, the current version was built more than a century ago and opened to the public on October 15, 1908.  The Department of Transportation has announced that it plans to replace the current Pelham Bridge entirely with construction scheduled to begin in 2022.

I have written about the histories of the various bridges at that location numerous times.  A number of such articles, with links, are listed at the end of today's Historic Pelham article.

An odd incident in the early history of the current Pelham Bridge occurred only a few weeks after the bridge opened in mid-October, 1908.  The dramatic incident involved a 17-year-old young person named Henry Goodsell.

Though accounts differ, Henry Goodsell lived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  Late in the day on Friday, November 6, 1908, he was in his large touring car on Shore Road after dropping friends off in the region.  He was on his way back to the Upper West Side as he approached Shore Road.

Ahead, in the darkness, the draw of Pelham Bridge was open to let a vessel pass on the waters below.  The bridge tender, a man named Michael Selig (or Seelig, depending on the account) stood on the roadway tending a rope stretched across the roadway with two red signal lanterns hanging from the rope to warn approaching motorists.

As the vessel in the waters below passed, the bridge engineer began lowering the two halves of the draw.  As the two giant halves of the draw closed slowly, young Henry Goodsell came burning down Shore Road at the then incredible speed of thirty miles per hour.  The bridge tender saw the touring car approaching too fast and grabbed one of the two lanterns hanging from the rope.  He began swinging the lantern frantically, to no avail.

Henry Goodsell's touring car blew through the rope, slicing it like a hot knife through butter.  Goodsell realized his circumstance at the last moment and slammed on the brakes.  The car climbed the inclined draw just as the two halves were about to close.

The touring car barely made it through the steel jaws of the closing draw and plunged over the edge.  The bridge tender hear Henry Goodsell's scream as the touring car made a complete "somersault" before plunging into the waters of Eastchester Bay below, sending a "geyser" of water into the night air.

The bridge tender began scrambling down from the bridge to get to a nearby rowboat.  A second bridge tender, Elijah Miller, and the bridge engineer, John Beyer, also witnessed the accident and likewise scrambled down from the bridge to try to save the young man.

Once again, accounts differ, but clearly the car sank immediately.  The young driver was unconscious, but reportedly -- according to one account -- was found floating face up before he was dragged into a rowboat and taken ashore.  The three men called an ambulance and tended to the young man until he was transported to the hospital.

Miraculously, Henry Goodsell survived.  He was badly hurt with broken ribs and was in serious condition when taken to the hospital.  Yet, the three men had saved the young lad's life.

The touring car was left at the bottom of Eastchester Bay, although its location was marked with a float.

"NEW PELHAM PARK BRIDGE OVER EAST CHESTER BAY.

Formally opened yesterday.  Source:  NEW BRIDGE OPENED,
New-York Daily Tribune, Oct. 16, 1908, p. 12, cols. 2-3.  NOTE:
Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"AUTOMOBILE LEAPS THROUGH DRAW INTO BAY
-----
With Driver at Wheel Plunges Into 60 Feet of Water While Going at Full Speed -- Driver, Floating Unconscious, Rescued and Revived.
-----

New York, Nov. 8. -- A big motor car traveling more than thirty miles an hour, driven by Henry Goodsell, 17 years old, of No. 324 West Seventy-second street, its sole occupant, went through the open counter-balance draw on the new Eastchester bridge over Pelham bay last night, and plunged down into sixty feet of water.

Young Goodsell, who said he was the owner of the car, had taken a party of friends to New Rochelle and was returning to his home alone and driving at high speed along the road when he came in sight of the bridge.  The structure was recently opened and is not completed.  Instead of iron gates to protect passengers a heavy rope was used.

Michael Selig, one of the bridge tenders, was standing at the rope barrier as the draw had been opened to permit a vessel to pass through.  He saw the lights of the approaching car and realized that it was travelling at a high rate of speed.  The red lanterns hanging to the rope had evidently failed to warn the driver of the car, and Selig picked up one of them and waved it frantically as a signal for the automobile to stop, shouting a warning at the same time.

Goodsell put on the brakes, but too late, and the car tore through the rope barrier, ran up the platform and with a loud splash disappeared beneath the water.  The car barely missed being caught between the ends of the platform as they came together.

Selig shouted for help and called over the rail of the bridge below in a vain attempt to get a response from the driver of the car.  Failing, he climbed down one of the piers and set out in a rowboat to try to find the man.

Engineer John Beyer and Bridge Tender Elijah Miller, stationed on the opposite side of the span, had witnessed the accident and heard Selig's call for aid.  They also set out in a small boat and joined in the search.  After a few minutes they came upon the body of Goodsell.  He was unconscious, but was floating face up on top of the water.

A call was sent to the Fordham hospital, three miles away, and the three men worked over Goodsell while waiting for the ambulance.  They succeeded in resuscitating him and bringing him back to consciousness just as the ambulance arrived.  He gave his name and address.  The surgeon found that several of his ribs had been fractured and removed him to the hospital.  No attempt was made to recover the automobile, but a float was set to mark the place where it had disappeared."

Source:  AUTOMOBILE LEAPS THROUGH DRAW INTO BAY -- With Driver at Wheel Plunges Into 60 Feet of Water While Going at Full Speed -- Driver, Floating Unconscious, Rescued and Revived, The Topeka Daily Capital [Topeka, KS], Nov. 9, 1908, Vol. XXXII, No. 264, p. 1, cols. 4-6 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).  

"AUTOMOBILE AND BOY DROP INTO BAY
-----
Large Touring Car, Driven by Henry Goodsell, Plunges Through Draw of East Chester Bridge.
-----
LAD'S LIFE IS SAVED
-----

Driving a large touring automobile at a high rate of speed, Henry Goodsell, seventeen years old, who lives at No. 234 West Seventy-second street, plunged through the open draw of the East Chester Bridge, over Pelham Bay, yesterday afternoon, and the boy and machine tumbled thirty-five feet into the stream below.  Young Goodsell was rescued just in time to save his life, but the automobile lies at the bottom of the bay.  The boy was taken to the Fordham Hospital, where it was found he was suffering from a fractured rib, possibly internal injuries and submersion.

Alone in the car, Goodsell was on his way home from City Island when he approached the bridge.  The structure has not been finished, and in lieu of a gate which could be closed against vehicles and pedestrians when the draw is open ropes are stretched across the roadway.

It was about half-past five o'clock when Michael Seelig, watchman on the bridge, saw the automobile coming along at a furious pace, and he ran out and waved his arms, at the same time shouting to John Byer, engineer in charge of the construction work, to close the draw.

Before Byer could reach the levers the car had cut through the ropes as if they were threads of silk, and as the boy uttered a scream of fright the machine turned a somersault in the air and, striking the water with a splash that sent up a geyser, sank to the bottom.  Seelig ran to the foot of one of the piers, jumped into a boat and rowed toward the spot where the machine and boy had gone down.  Byer and Elijah Miller, a bridge tender, also put out in another rowboat, but before they could pull far Goodsell had risen and sunk several times.

He had gone under the surface again when both boats reached the spot, and Byer, stripping off only his coat, plunged overboard.  He caught the lad in his arms and just managed to lift him into Seelig's boat.  When the shore was reached Goodsell was taken to Geck's Hotel and a call for an ambulance was sent to Fordham Hospital, three miles away.  Meantime, the three men worked over the unconscious boy, and when Dr. O'Reilly arrived he said that while his condition was serious it was likely that he would recover.

In the hospital Goodsell told the policemen that he as the owner of the automobile, but because of his youth this statement was doubted, and an investigation was begun.  It was promptly learned that the lad had told the truth.  He is the son of a lawyer now dead, and lives with his mother at the address he gave.  When an inquirer called there Mrs. Goodsell was at a front window, watching for her son, and she fainted when she learned of the accident.  When she had been revived sufficiently she started for Fordham Hospital to see the boy."

Source:  AUTOMOBILE AND BOY DROP INTO BAY -- Large Touring Car, Driven by Henry Goodsell, Plunges Through Draw of East Chester Bridge -- LAD'S LIFE IS SAVED, N.Y. Herald, Nov. 7, 1908, p. 1, col. 5.  

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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., Oct. 13, 2016:  The Eastchester Bridge Company Raised Tolls on Pelham Bridge Before It Was Even Built.

Wed., Oct. 12, 2016:  More on the Early History of Pelham Bridge Including Ownership of the Bridge Between 1834 and 1860.

Tue., Oct. 11, 2016:  Is It Possible The First Pelham Bridge Built in About 1815 Was Repaired After Near Destruction by a Storm?

Wed., Oct. 1, 2014:  Bridge Keepers of the Pelham Bridge from 1870 to 1872.

Mon., Jul. 21, 2014:  Image of the Second Pelham Bridge Built in 1834 From a Sketch Created in 1865.

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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Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
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Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

More on Installation of "Silent Cop" Traffic Lights and Traffic Semaphores in Pelham in the 1920s

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Pelham has had automobile traffic issues for as long as, well, as long as there have been automobiles.  Indeed, from the earliest years of the twentieth century until today, Pelham lies in the path of tens of thousands of motorists traveling to and from New York City.  In fact, in the years before completion of the Hutchinson River Parkway, I-95, and other major thoroughfares in the region, motorists used roadways such as Boston Post Road and Shore Road to travel along the eastern coastline northeast of New York City.  That meant traffic issues for little Pelham.

As I have noted before, by about the time of World War I, traffic was becoming so heavy on Boston Post Road and accidents were becoming so frequent that a traffic cop was assigned to direct traffic at Red Church Corner, known today as Four Corners (the intersection of Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue).  Pelham Manor posted John McCormack to handle the duties.  He became known as "Mack," the "Smiling Cop," who became famous and even played himself in a movie.  See Mon., Feb. 24, 2014:  Mack, the Movie Star Traffic Cop of Pelham Manor, 1916-1928.  

During the Roaring Twenties, however, traffic in Pelham exploded.  Two things quickly became clear.  First, traffic was an issue around the clock -- not just during the workday.  Second, intersections throughout all three villages were experiencing a rise in traffic and, in numerous instances, increases in the number of intersection accidents.  It was time to harness the power of "Silent Cops" as early traffic signals were known.

I have written before about installations of so-called "Silent Cops" in Pelham as early as 1922.  See Wed., Nov. 29, 2017:  Pelham Grows Up: Installation of "Silent Cop" Traffic Lights and Traffic Semaphores in the 1920s.  Such Silent Cops at the time took the form of simple traffic lights or simple traffic semaphores, examples of which are pictured below.

1925 Horni Signal Manufacturing Company Traffic Light. 

Early Traffic Semaphore.

By 1927, the use of early traffic lights and traffic semaphores was proving itself effective in Pelham.  Consequently, the community began expanding the use of such signals as traffic continued to grow.  These, however, were not modern, timed, and automated traffic lights.  Rather, they were lights and semaphore lights that were mechanically controlled by a Police Officer who managed traffic on particularly congested thoroughfares like Boston Post Road.

Thus, for example, during the summer of 1927, Pelham Manor Police Chief Philip Gargan oversaw installation of three traffic semaphore lights at two problematic Boston Post Road intersections:  Fowler Avenue and Esplanade.

By 1927, in fact, both intersections were problematic.  The Fowler Avenue intersection was particularly bad because, at the time, there was a slight jog in the roadway just to the east of the intersection that created a blind curve along Boston Post Road immediately before the intersection.  There were many accidents at the intersection caused by cars pulling out from Fowler onto Boston Post Road just as vehicles rounded the blind curve and struck them in the intersection.  Indeed, the local newspaper, The Pelham Sun, described the intersection as "a dangerous intersection, with a blind curve just east of it, [that] has been the scene of many accidents."

Esplanade was another problematic intersection.  Vehicles traveling north and south on that busy road would try to scoot across the heavily-congested Boston Post Road causing accidents as well.  In July, 1927, Police Chief Philip Gargan oversaw installation of two traffic semaphore lights at that intersection to control northbound and southbound traffic on Esplanade.  At the same time Chief Gargan oversaw installation of another traffic semaphore light at the Fowler Avenue intersection.

The effect of the three new traffic signals was immediate.  Indeed, the local newspaper seemed almost surprised that there were no accidents at the Fowler Avenue intersection during heavy weekend traffic the weekend of July 23-24 that year.  The newspaper reported:  "The heavy week end traffic was more easily managed with the assistance of the lights which are situated at Fowler avenue and the Esplanade.  There were no reports of accidents at these points which ordinarily present a hazard during heavy traffic hours."

Of course, not all motorists complied with the new signals.  Indeed, even with a police officer operating the signals, some motorists simply blew through red lights and, of course, were ticketed.  Again, as The Pelham Sun reported, "there were those who failed to comply with the code set down by the red and green lights.  Tonight in Pelham Manor police court.  Judge Anthony M. Menkel will impose penalty on several motorists who were served with summonses when they passed traffic signals set against them."

As always, it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same, even in the little Town of Pelham. . . . 

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"Boston Road Traffic Lights Prove Successful
-----
No Accidents Reported At Dangerous Intersections After Installation of Light Semaphore
-----

The three new traffic lights recently installed on the Boston road have not been without their effect.  The heavy week end traffic was more easily managed with the assistance of the lights which are situated at Fowler avenue and the Esplanade.  There were no reports of accidents at these points which ordinarily present a hazard during heavy traffic hours.

Although motorists in general observed the signals there were those who failed to comply with the code set down by the red and green lights.  Tonight in Pelham Manor police court.  Judge Anthony M. Menkel will impose penalty on several motorists who were served with summonses when they passed traffic signals set against them.

On the whole Chief of Police Philip Gargan, under whose direction the traffic lights were installed, is highly pleased with the new system.  Fowler avenue, a dangerous intersection, with a blind curve just east of it, has been the scene of many accidents.

It has been necessary to erect two lights at the Esplanade to accommodate traffic on both north and south-bound thoroughfares."

Source:  Boston Road Traffic Lights Prove Successful -- No Accidents Reported At Dangerous Intersections After Installation of Light Semaphore, The Pelham Sun, Jul. 29, 1927, Vol. 18, No. 23, p. 10, col. 2.  

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The Fate of the First Three-Masted Schooner Ever Built in a Pelham Shipyard

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On February 29, 1884, a local newspaper made a brief reference to the "first three masted schooner ever built on City Island" in the Town of Pelham.  Although the reference indicates that the schooner, christened the John K. Shaw, was built at Carll's shipyard in about 1869, it actually was built at the shipyard and delivered to its initial owner, A. S. Hatch, in 1872.  

I have written extensively about David Carll and Carll's Shipyard before.  See, e.g., Mon., Nov. 16, 2015:  David Carll's Shipyard in the Town of Pelham on City Island; Fri., Jun. 16, 2017:  Origins of Ship Repair and Shipbuilding on City Island in the Town of Pelham; Thu., Dec. 31, 2009:  Obituary of David Carll, Master Shipbuilder on City Island in the Town of Pelham.

Schooners are a class of sailing vessels that have fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts. The most common type has two masts, the foremast being shorter than the main.  Although other schooners had been built at Carll's Shipyard prior to construction of the John K. Shaw in 1872, it would appear that the earlier ones were the more common two-masted version of the vessel, if the brief newspaper reference published in 1884 is to be believed.  

The newspaper reference is fascinating because it revealed the fate of the three-masted schooner John K. Shaw.  It stated:

"About fifteen years ago, the first three masted schooner ever built on City Island, the John K. Shaw, was built at Carll's shipyard. During these fifteen years, the vessel never met with any serious mishaps until Friday last, when she was wrecked off Woodlands on the New Jersey Coast."

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Feb. 29, 1884, Vol. XV, No. 754, p. 3, col. 4.  

The tragic wreck of the John K. Shaw off the Woodlands on the New Jersey coast with the loss of its entire crew of Manasquan, New Jersey men on about Friday, February 22, 1884 captured national attention.  Many believe the schooner was involved in a rare instance of a maritime "hit and run" and was sunk by a vessel that fled the scene after a terrible collision. 

The 158-foot, 379 ton schooner John K. Shaw left Newport News between 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 21.  The vessel carried nearly nineteen tons of iron ingots on its deck as well as Captain Lucien Osborn and his crew of six men from the borough of Manasquan in Monmouth County, New Jersey.  Three days later on the afternoon of February 24, observers near Deal Beach, New Jersey spotted the spars of a wreck in the waters off the beach.  The pilot of a local tugboat named the Maggie Moran traveled out to the wreck.  He found the afterpart of the deck afloat, and took off a bell having the name "John K. Shaw" on it.  For a time thereafter, other parts of the wreck washed ashore (or were brought ashore) and were identified as belonging to the John K. Shaw.  

There was no certain proof as to how the schooner was lost.  However, the appearance of the remnants of the wreck suggested that a terrible collision had occurred.  The broken planks on one side of the deck suggested that a collision sank the vessel.  No other vessel (or remnants of any vessel) were on the scene.

Within a short time, the owners of the John K. Shaw began an investigation.  Soon they learned that a steamship named the Newport was bound from New York to Havana on the evening of Saturday, February 23, 1884 and that, while off Deal Beach, had a collision with an unidentified three-masted schooner.  The owners of the John K. Shaw filed a maritime action in libel against the owners of the Newport in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.   The libelants (i.e., plaintiffs) alleged that the steamship Newport collided with and sank their vessel and sought $21,062 in damages (about $735,000 in today's dollars).

The owners of the Newport admitted that their steamship collided with an unknown three-masted schooner off the coast of Deal Beach.  They alleged, however, that the schooner was not the John K. Shaw and the collision was a "slight one, her starboard bow grazing the schooner's starboard quarter without injury to either vessel."  

The Court dismissed the action, holding that the libelants had failed to establish that the steamship Newport had collided with the John K. Shaw.  That did not, however, end the matter.  The owners appealed, but were unsuccessful.  See The Newport, 36 F. 910 (2d Cir. 1888).  Instead, the owners of the John K. Shaw and the insurer of the ship's cargo subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Master of the steamship Newport at the time of the collision.  That case made it to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit where the Court ruled that because the owners of the Newport were parties to the first lawsuit, they could not re-litigate the question of whether the Master of the steamship Newport was responsible.  The insurer that was not a party to the earlier lawsuit, however, was permitted to proceed.  See Bailey v. Sundberg, 1 F. 101 (2nd Cir. 1892).  

The location of the remnants of the John K. Shaw is well known.  Indeed, the vessel seems to have been run down and virtually split in half with the two halves settling near each other in two adjacent locations off the New Jersey shore.  The two locations of the wreckage of the vessel have become popular with recreational divers in the last few years.    

Though proceedings continued in the related litigations involving the owners and the insurer of the John K. Shaw for years, the mystery remained.  Indeed, the mystery of what happened to the John K. Shaw more than 134 years ago remains unsolved to this day.  The mystery of who sank the first three-masted schooner ever built in the little Town of Pelham likely will never be solved.

"View of City Island" by Frederick Rondel, 1872. Oil on Canvas

Painting, 20.25 inches x 30 inches. This Painting Depicts the Marine

Railway at David Carll's Shipyard in 1872, the Year the John K.

Shaw was Built at the Shipyard.  NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

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"PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND. 

Mr. George O. Hawes is erecting a neat cottage at Bartow, for a gentleman of New York City. 

A pound party was held at Grace Church parsonage on Monday evening last. It was a very social and pleasant affair. 

Mr. Dudley R. Horton will occupy the handsome dwelling adjoining the M. E. Church, owned by Mr. Horton Sr., this spring. 

The pigeon match at Secord's Bartow, on Washingtons Birthday, between Will. Pell and Ben. May, for $25 a side, was won by Pell killing eight straight birds. 

Mr. Hawes the carpenter and builder, is at work rebuilding the summer residence of Mr. Wm. Belden. We understand the alterations are to be very extensive. 

Through the persistancy [sic] of the Board of Town Officers, City Island bridge has been temporarily repaired, so that it is at least safe. Cannot something be done to put the road between City Island and Bartow in a passable condition? 

The talk about that scheme to build a horse railroad from City Island to Bartow is all gas. Such an enterprise would doubtless be a grand thing for City Island but a good macadamized road between the two points would be quite as advantageous as a horse railroad. 

Mr. J. F. Horton, representing the Hell Gate pilots, before the Committee on Commerce and Navigation of the Assembly, on Tuesday of last week, made such forcible arguments against the bill to further reduce the fees of pilots, that the committee reported unanimously adverse to the bill. 

About fifteen years ago, the first three masted schooner ever built on City Island, the John K. Shaw, was built at Carll's shipyard. During these fifteen years, the vessel never met with any serious mishaps until Friday last, when she was wrecked off Woodlands on the New Jersey Coast. 

On Wednesday morning last, about seven o'clock, Andrew Anderson, a sailor on board the schooner J. H. Leeds, fell from the masthead to the deck when the vessel was nearing [illegible] and was instantly killed. The schooner put in at City Island and Coroner Tice held an inquest, when a verdict of accidental death was rendered. Anderson was a Swede, about 32 years old, and was unmarried. 

On Saturday last, John Cochran and Hugh Ryan went out in the bay to get some drift wood. After they had gotten their wood and towed it where they wanted it, they rowed around the Island to the cove, and just before landing, their skiff was capsized. Cochran swam ashore, but before Ryan could be rescued he came very near drowning. He was carried to his home in an insensible condition and it was nearly an hour before he was recusitated [sic]. 

The last will of Samuel P. Billar, an oysterman of this place, was a short time ago, admitted to probate by the Surrogate without opposition. It provided that his estate, about $30,000, should be enjoyed by his two children and widow as long as she remained single. In case of her re-marriage, the estate should be divided into thirds and each given their share. Application was recently made to the Surrogat to decide whether she was entitled to the personal estate, the executor having some doubts on the legal construction of the will. The Surrogate has decided that she is so entitled."

Source:  PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Feb. 29, 1884, Vol. XV, No. 754, p. 3, col. 4.  

"NO TIDINGS OF THE CREW.

The tug Maggie Moran, the schooner C. Hawsahan, and the revenue steamer Grant, all reported yesterday having passed a wreck off Woodlands, N. J.  The wreck provides to have been the three-masted schooner John K. Shaw, which left Newport News for New-Haven on Feb. 20.  Two of her spars and a portion of her stern were sticking above water.  The Moran's crew wrenched off a small brass bell, which bore the name of the schooner, and which established her identity.  Nothing whatever has been heard of her crew.  they were six men, under the command of Capt. Lucien Osborn.  The vessel was valued at about $12,000, and is said to have been uninsured.

A. S. Hatch & Co., of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, were part owners of the lost vessel, and Capt. Osborn owned a share of her.  Mr. H. P. Havens, of No. 107 South-street, the agent of the vessel, received a letter on Saturday from the wife of Capt. Osborn asking if he had yet arrived in port.  She resides at Manasquan, N.J.  It is feared that the whole crew have perished, for if they had been rescued so near this port some tidings of the fact would have reached the agent.  The cargo consisted of about 350 tons of coal and 150 tons of pig-iron.  The vessel was built at City Island in 1872 and measured 379 tons.  Her agent thinks that perhaps she was run down by some steamer."

Source:  NO TIDINGS OF THE CREW, N.Y. Times, Feb. 26, 1884.  

"Wreckage on the Jersey Coast.

LONG BRANCH, March 3. -- The search continues for the bodies of the crew of the schooner John K. Shaw, which was sunk off Woodsland several days ago.  The sunken vessel now lies bottom up, and is supposed to be intact.  Parts of another vessel were washed ashore yesterday at Asbury Park.  The body which washed ashore near Bear island yesterday was buried to-day alongside of the other victims of the British bark Elmina.  The life saving crews will keep up the watch for bodies of the Shaw's crew.  The wife of Captain Osborn has offered a reward for the recovery of her husband's body."

Source:  Wreckage on the Jersey Coast, The Evening Bulletin [Maysville, KY], Mar. 3, 1884, p. 4, col. 1 (Note:  Subscription required to access via this link).

"The Newport.1 
[Footnote 1 reads:  "1 Reported by Edward G. Benedict, Esq., of the New York bar."]

Hatch and others v. The Newport. 

(District Court, S. D. New York. September 17, 1886.) 

Collision — Steamer And Schooner — Identity Of Colliding Vessel — Circumstantial Evidence—Witnesses Discredited—Costs Not Given. Libelants' three-masted schooner the S., which sailed on the twenty-first of February, 1884, from Newport News for New Haven, was sunk off the New Jersey coast, and all on board perished. The appearance of the wreck, discovered on the 24th, indicated collision as the cause of the loss. The steamer Newport, on the evening of the 23d, was in collision in the same neighborhood with a three-masted schooner. Libelants, claiming that the vessel struck by the Newport was the schooner S., and that she was sunk by the steamer's fault, brought this suit against the steam-ship for their loss. Held, on the evidence, some of the libelants' witnesses being discredited, that libelants had not established the identity of the Newport with the vessel that had sunk the S., and that the libel should be dismissed; but, considering the libelants' misfortune and probable case, without costs. 

In Admiralty. 
L. E. Chittenden and Geo. A. Black, for libelants. 
Goodrich, Deady & Goodrich, and R. D. Benedict, for claimants. 

Brown, J. In February, 1884, the libelants' three-masted schooner John K. Shaw, while on a voyage from Newport News to New Haven, and when some four or five miles off the Jersey coast, and about opposite Deal beach, was sunk, and all on board perished. She left Newport News between 12 and 1 o'clock P.M. of Thursday the 21st. In the afternoon of the 24th the spars of a wreck were seen projecting above water off Deal beach. The pilot of the tug-boat Maggie Moran, upon going near, found the afterpart of the deck afloat, and [Page 658 / Page 659] took off a bell having the name John K. Shaw upon it. Other parts of the wreck which came ashore, or were brought ashore afterwards, were identified as belonging to the John K. Shaw. 

There is no certain proof how the schooner was lost. She was deeply loaded, and had 19 tons of iron on deck. The wind on the night of the 23d was high from N.W., blowing about 50 miles per hour, with a considerable lumpy sea; and the weather during the afternoon previous was snowy. But the schooner is proved to have been staunch and sound, and her captain an experienced and capable officer, well acquainted with the coast; and the appearance of the wreck, from the breaking of the planks on the sides of the deck, indicated collision as the cause of the loss. 

The steamer Newport, bound from New York to Havana, when about opposite Deal beach, and at about 7 P.M. on the evening of the 23d, had a collision with a three-masted schooner. The libel charged that this schooner was the John K. Shaw, and that she was sunk by the steamer's fault, and claims $21,062 damages. The answer avers that the schooner with which the steamer collided was not the John K. Shaw, but some other schooner unknown to the claimants; and that the steamer's collision was a slight one, her starboard bow grazing the schooner's starboard quarter without injury to either vessel. 

Assuming that the John K. Shaw was sunk by a collision, the principal question in the case is whether the identity of these collisions has been satisfactorily established; in other words, whether, during the 24 hours preceding the afternoon of the 24th, when the wreck of the Shaw was first discovered, there were two collisions in that vicinity, or but one. 

As there is no direct proof identifying the John K. Shaw as the schooner with which the steamer collided, the evidence on the libelants' part is necessarily circumstantial only. The chief circumstances relied on to show that the schooners were one and the same are the following: (1) Both were three-masted schooners bound up the coast; (2) the John K. Shaw, from the time she left Newport News, might easily have been off Deal beach at the time of the Newport's collision, since only an average speed of four and one-half miles would have been requisite to bring her there at 7 P.M. of the 23d; (3) the site of the wreck when discovered in the afternoon of the 24th, was not far—certainly not over two or three miles—from the admitted place of the Newport's collision, and the latter place is but approximately fixed by estimates only; (4) one witness, the mess-boy of the Newport, testifies that he saw the schooner list and sink a few minutes after the collision, and when from a quarter to a half mile distant; and two others of her seamen, who watched the schooner from the steamer's port side, though they do not swear to seeing the schooner sink or capsize, think she must have sunk, because she vanished or disappeared suddenly when a half mile or thereabouts distant; (5) [Page 660 / Page 661] there was no other known wreck of a schooner at that time and place; (6) if the two schooners were not the same, then there were two collisions at about the same time and place, and hence two other colliding vessels to be accounted for; but there is no evidence of any other collision,—no other was reported, and no other vessel colliding with the Newport is proved. The Newport has not shown what other vessel it was, if any other, that collided with her or with the John K. Shaw. 

These circumstances present a pretty strong prima facie presumption and probability that it was the John K. Shaw with which the Newport collided. But the most important circumstance of all, if true, is that the schooner that collided with the Newport sank shortly after. If that could be deemed proved, it would have great weight in discrediting the opposing testimony; for, if another three-masted schooner had been sunk and lost there on the 23d, that fact would in all probability have become known and reported; although this, even, would not be certain, since it might be a schooner returning from a long voyage, and her wreck might have wholly disappeared. But one of the weakest parts of the libelants' testimony is the alleged sinking of the schooner with which the Newport collided. If, on the other hand, that schooner did not sink at the time, or is not known to have sunk; and, still more, if the direction and the kind of the colliding blow were not such as were likely to cause a schooner to sink; and if the schooner, after passing the steamer, showed no signs of sinking, and gave no signal for assistance, though means of doing so were at hand,—then the other circumstances relied on by the libelants are obviously wholly inconclusive. 

Careful consideration of the particulars, as regards each of the circumstances relied on by the libelants, has satisfied me not only that they are insufficient to establish their case by a preponderance of proof; but that, notwithstanding my first impressions to the contrary, the probabilities, upon the facts and circumstances proved by the claimants, are that, however the John K. Shaw may have been sunk, it was not through the Newport, but that the schooner colliding with the latter was another vessel. I shall state some of the chief reasons only for this conclusion, without going into all the details of the testimony. 

(1) There is no satisfactory proof that the schooner that collided with the Newport was substantially injured. The weight of direct proof, and the probabilities of the case, are to the contrary. The mess-boy is not supported by Murphy, who stood by him watching the schooner. The latter says she sailed away into the darkness, as usual, apparently uninjured. The testimony of the other two seamen for the libelants, that they thought she sank, is based upon her disappearing suddenly some five or ten minutes after the collision, and a half mile or so distant, whereas they thought she should have been seen longer; but their credibility and good judgment are cer- [Page 660 / 661] tainly not sustained by their further testimony that a schooner on that night could be seen, as the one says, seven miles, the other twenty miles, off. Four other witnesses who were watching the schooner from a better post of observation say that she gradually disappeared, sailing away, as usual, into the darkness, without apparent injury. The night was dark, being still clouded and thick to the south and east from the previous snow, but clearing to the westward. 

(2) Most of the witnesses say that the schooner, before the collision, was sailing close-hauled, and therefore heading about N. by E.; that her sails at the collision were shaking from an apparent luff to avoid the Newport; and all say that after raking past the steamer she sailed away, or filled away, upon her previous course, until she disappeared from sight. This would not be natural or probable if she had been seriously injured as to sink within 10 or 15 minutes after the collision. 

(3) The schooner gave no call for help, nor signal of any kind indicating disaster or need of assistance. As she passed the steamer, several of the witnesses heard something said from the quarter deck. Two witnesses say it was in substance, 'Where in h—l are you going;' an exclamation certainly not indicative of serious injury or impending disaster. After she had passed, a light like that of a lantern was seen on board; but it was not swung, nor was any other signal for help displayed. It is scarcely credible that the vessel should have filled away on her course, and exhibited no signal for help, if so damaged as to sink shortly after. 

(4) The libel alleges that the colliding blow was given on the schooner's starboard bow, forward of the foremast,—the lookout of the steamer so testifies; and, if this had been true, doubtless the schooner would have been cut in two or capsized. But all of the other witnesses of the collision disprove the lookout's account in this respect. The blow was clearly a glancing blow upon the schooner's starboard quarter, given when the schooner, having luffed somewhat, was heading either N. or a little W. of N., while the steamer was heading about S. 1-2 W.; and the schooner's quarter raked along the steamer's side, as shown by the mark on the latter, for some 50 or 60 feet, beginning about 25 feet from the steamer's stem. Such a blow was not one that would necessarily do much damage to either vessel. It did none to the steamer, and the subsequent conduct of the schooner would indicate that none was done to her. If so, that furnishes all the explanation called for to account for the absence of proof of the name of the schooner collided with. The collision, in this view, was not one that required reporting, and accordingly was not reported; and hence the schooner was unknown. The steamer, for the same reason, made no official report of her collision, as she would have done had it been accompanied by damage. 

(5) There is no certain proof that the Shaw was sunk by collision. [Page 661 / Page 662] The breaking of the sides of her deck might have occurred in foundering, and from the great weight of iron on deck. So far as the appearances indicate a collision, however, they would indicate a different kind of collision from that with the Newport, viz., a collision on the port side, instead of one on the starboard side; and in the waist, cutting her in two, instead of a glancing blow along the starboard quarter. The wreck of the Shaw showed the taffrail mainly in place, and the rail and stanchions for a considerable distance still standing on the starboard quarter much further than along the port quarter. A sideling blow from the Newport on the schooner's starboard quarter could only have caused her to sink from crushing in that part of her; and it is hardly conceivable that a blow sufficient to crush in her quarter could have left her rail and stanchions standing; and the Shaw's wreck indicated a blow, if any, upon the opposite side. 

(6) A moment or two before the collision, the steamer's wheel was hard a-starboard, and her engines were stopped for five minutes. Her previous speed, aided by the wind, was about 15 knots. Under her starboard wheel she swung to port till she headed due north, when she went ahead under one bell at 'half speed,' being about nine knots. In swinging round to due north she would have gone due east from the meridian of the collision at least a third of a mile. She continued going north about 10 or 15 minutes, without seeing any signs of the schooner, and then swung around again to the southward, and continued on her course. As the schooner was probably going at the rate of six to seven knots, if she continued on her course without injury she would not have been overtaken by the steamer, on this return of about two miles to the northward, after the five-minutes stop of her engines. But, if the schooner had been seriously damaged, she would not have been likely to continue under full sail to the northward; and she would probably have been seen, or at least some boats or signals for help would probably have come into view, since there was clearly ample time, while the schooner was in sight, and before the steamer had got headed to the northward, to have launched her small boats. 

(7) The weight of testimony leaves no doubt that on board the Newport there was not, at the time, any belief or thought that the schooner had been sunk or materially injured; and such is the entry in her log. All the circumstances point to this belief on their part; and the testimony of one or two of the discharged seamen to the contrary is not sustained. Every probability is otherwise. 

(8) It is not wholly insignificant that out of the seven witnesses that looked down upon the deck of the schooner as she passed the steamer, illuminated to some extent by the steamer's lights, not one noticed any deck cargo; while the Shaw's large deck-load of iron must have been easily distinguishable. 

(9) The evidence all tends to show that the place of the Newport's collision was some two or three miles from the place where the wreck [Page 662 / Page 663] of the Shaw was found the next afternoon. This conclusion depends, to some extent, on estimates; but by no means wholly so. The place of the wreck is fixed, by its bearings from the stations Nos. 5 and 6, as less than five miles off Deal beach. The officer at station No. 5 testified at the trial that it bore from his station S. E. He afterwards made affidavit that he should have said E. S. E.; and as it bore E. by N. from station No. 6, the former would make the wreck less than three miles from shore; the latter, four and a half miles. 

All the witnesses from the Newport, however, as well as three for the libelant, estimate the place of the collision as from seven to eight miles off shore. The master went out further than usual to avoid the many coasters that had gathered near shore during the thick and snowy weather previous. It is scarcely probable that all on board should have misjudged the distance from shore in the same way, by making it one-third greater than it was. 

The distance and course run by the steamer after passing Sandy Hook and Scotland lightship, and the bearing of the Highland lights, after the Newport had got headed north, confirm the estimates given by the witnesses of their distance from shore at nearly seven miles. Upon heading north, the Highland lights, as the pilot testifies, bore 'about N. N. W.;' the two lights being in range and showing as one. The master says that the Scotland lightship at the same time bore N. by W. westerly. By passing from half a mile to a mile to the eastward of the latter at 5:50 and running 40 minutes S. by E., and then 10 minutes S. 1/2 W., as the master testifies she did run, the steamer would have reached, at 6:40 P.M., when the engine was stopped, about 12£ miles from the Scotland light-ship, and would be bearing, when headed to the northward, within half a point of S. S. E. from the Highland lights, which the pilot says bore 'about N. N. W.;' and this would also bring the Scotland light-ship N. by W. westerly, as the master testifies. This would make the steamer about seven miles from shore. The mate's statement that the Highland lights bore N. N. W. from the steamer after she got headed south again, I consider a mistake, as it is not reconcilable with anything else in the case, nor with the libelants' theory. 

The witnesses upon whom the libelants rely for proof that the schooner struck by the Newport was seen to sink, not only testify under somewhat suspicious influences, but the force of their testimony is greatly weakened by the manifest mistakes and improbabilities that attend it. One of the witnesses, Anderson, who says the schooner disappeared suddenly when about half a mile distant, also says 'it was a clear night at the time;' that the steamer was 'under full speed;' that it was moonlight; and that without moonlight the schooner could not be seen a half mile off, but thinks it could have been seen a quarter of a mile. Now, the proof is certain that the steamer was not then under full speed, but that her engines were either stopped or going slow; that it was not then a clear night; and, [Page 663 / Page 664] as the moon fulled on the evening of February 11th, there was no moon above the horizon at 7 P.M. of the 23d. From this it is manifest that not only can no value be attached to the witness' inference that the schooner sank when half a mile off because she suddenly disappeared, but the false circumstances stated discredit him altogether. There are other circumstances that compel me to withhold confidence from the statements of the other witnesses that testify that they saw the schooner sink. 

These circumstances altogether are sufficient, as it seems to me, to explain and to outweigh the apparent probabilities against the Newport at first presented. Her narrative is not attended, so far as I can perceive, by any serious inconsistencies, or by any difficulties or improbabilities. I cannot regard the case of the libelants, therefore, as established by any such preponderance of proof as to warrant a decree against the Newport, and the libel must be dismissed. The Grace Girdler, 7 Wall. 196; The Albert Mason, 2 Fed. Rep. 821; S. C. 8 Fed. Rep. 768; The City of Chester, 18 Fed. Rep. 603. But, considering the misfortune of the libelants, and their apparent probable case, the dismissal may be without costs."

Source:  The Newport, 28 F. 658 (S.D.N.Y., 1886) (Federal Reporter).

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Commuting Between New York City and Pelham in 1843 Before the Railroad Was Extended to Pelham

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Pelham residents today think nothing of a quick jaunt into New York City.  The inexpensive commute on Metro North takes 29 minutes from Pelham Station to Grand Central Terminal on modern and comfortable electric trains that are heated during cold weather and air conditioned when hot.  Thus, it is hard to imagine a time in the earliest years of the railroad industry in the New York region when the line of the New York and Harlem Rail Road extended from City Hall through 27th Street, Harlem, Fordham, and terminated at Williams' Bridge using steam locomotives and passenger cars with virtually no modern conveniences.  

It is harder, still, to imagine wood or coal-fired steam engines with no enclosure for the single engineer / fireman who simply stood on an unenclosed platform shoving fuel into a rudimentary firebox to maintain the steam.  Such "trains" into and out of New York sometimes were principally freight trains with a single "second class" passenger car.  Other times they were principally passenger trains with two passenger cars and a freight / baggage car.  The image immediately below depicts such a steam locomotive. 

Depiction of 1842 William Norris Steam Engine Locomotive

Similar to Locomotives Used at the Time on the Line of the

New York and Harlem Rail Road.  Source:  McElroy's Philadelphia

Directory for 1842, Advertisement Pg. 22 (Following Directory Pg.

348) (Philadelphia, PA:  Orrin Rogers, 1842).  NOTE:  Click on

Image to Enlarge.

The New York and Harlem Railroad was incorporated on April 25, 1831.  The first section of the new railroad ran from Prince Street north to 14th Street on November 26, 1832.  Slowly, thereafter, the railroad opened additional sections until it first reached Williamsbridge on September 3, 1842.  

No railroad line reached the little Town of Pelham until the New York and New Haven Railroad opened through Pelham in late December, 1848.  See Thu., Sep. 11, 2014:  Cattle Were Frightened; Animals Careened Round the Fields - The First Run of the New Haven Line Through Pelham in 1848.  There was a time, then, during the 1840s, when Pelhamites were capable of "commuting" by train to and from New York City -- as long as they could get to and from Williams Bridge.  Today's Historic Pelham Blog article details precisely how it was possible for Pelham residents to commute to and from New York City using the New York and Harlem Railroad for a portion of the trip.

It is possible to understand much about what such a commute was like for Pelhamites in 1843, only months after the New York and Harlem Railroad line was extended to Williams Bridge, from a commuter fare and timetable advertisement that appeared countless times in The Evening Post of New York City that year.  Moreover, the advertisement purports to depict a period image of such a train that permits additional analysis.  The image of the train taken from the advertisement appears below, first, with discussion of what can be learned from the image.

Click on Image to Enlarge.

The tiny image of the advertisement (that appears in full below with a transcription, a citation and a link to its source) appears immediately above.  The steam engine locomotive can be seen in the lead with a single man standing at the crude firebox behind the smokestack (to keep the smoke from obscuring the operator's view).  There appear to be two passenger rail cars behind the locomotive with passengers visible through the windows.  In the rear is what appears to be a freight or baggage car that is loaded.  Although there is no evidence that this image depicts an actual New York and Harlem Railroad train in 1843, its inclusion in an schedule and fare advertisement placed by the railroad suggests that the depiction is not wildly inaccurate.

The advertisement makes clear that to commute on the railroad to lower Manhattan and back, Pelhamites could take a scheduled stage coach from Pelham Bridge to Williams Bridge and then a New York and Harlem Railroad train as far as the City Hall region of Manhattan and reverse the process for the return trip.

There is no indication in the advertisement regarding the stagecoach fare.  The fare between what then was the end of the line at Williams Bridge and City Hall in lower Manhattan was twenty-five cents (about $13.00 in today's dollars).  For regular commuters, certainly rare from Pelham in that day, there was a commutation pass available, although it was sold only as an annual pass.  It cost $50.00 (about $2,600.00 in today's dollars).   

Regular trains departed from City Hall in lower Manhattan for Williamsbridge daily at 6:00 a.m., 7:10 a.m., 8:10 a.m., 9:10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2:10 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 4:10 p.m., and 6:10 p.m. with each train returning from Williams Bridge with any passengers traveling to New York City.  Additionally, beginning May 10, 1843, the railroad began running what later became known as the "milk run" departing Williams Bridge for City Hall at 3:00 a.m. with a return trip to Williams Bridge leaving City Hall at 5:30 a.m.

Horse-drawn stagecoaches to carry passengers, freight, and baggage to Pelham Bridge did not meet every train's arrival at Williams Bridge.  Rather, such stagecoaches only met two trains a day:  those that departed from City Hall at 8:10 A.M. and at 4:10 P.M.  Both stagecoaches could carry passengers, freight, and baggage on their return trips from Pelham Bridge back to the end of the train line at Williams Bridge. 

Clearly regular travel between the little Town of Pelham and lower Manhattan was difficult and expensive in 1843.  Yet, one can perceive the origins of today's massive Metro North commuter railroad that now carries more than 84 million passengers a year along some of the same railroad track rights-of-way used by Pelhamites when traveling on the New York and Harlem railroad 175 years ago in 1843.

*          *          *          *         *

Fare and Schedule Advertisement for the New York and

Harlem Railroad Published in The Evening Post of New

York City Throughout 1843.  Source:  NEW YORK AND HARLEM

RAIL ROAD - ROAD COMPANY --SPRING ARRANGEMENT

[Advertisement], The Evening Post [NY, NY], May 8, 1843,

p. 1, col. 3 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via

this link).  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

"NEW YORK AND HARLEM RAIL ROAD - ROAD COMPANY.
SPRING ARRANGEMENT.

GREAT REDUCTION OF FARE as follows, viz:

Between City Hall and Harlem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1/2 cents
From City Hall to Fordham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 cents
From City Hall to Williams' Bridge. . . . . . . . . . . . 25 cents

On and after Monday, 24th of April instant, the cars will run daily as follows, viz:

Leave City Hall for Williams' Bridge, at 6, 7:10, 8:10, 9:10, 11:30, 2:10, 3:15, 4:10, 6:10.

On and after Wednesday, the 10th of May next, an extra freight train, with second class cars attached, for the accommodation of passengers, will leave Williams' Bridge, at 3 o'clock in the morning, and returning, leave City Hall, at 5:30, and 27th street, at 6 A.M.

Fare in this Train, between 27th street, and Harlem, 6-1/4 cents; between 27th street and Williams' Bridge, 12-1/2 cents.

The City Hall and 27th street Line will run daily as follows:  from 7 A. M. every ten minutes throughout the day till 8 o'clock, P. M.  Fare 6-1/4 cents.

An extra night line will run from City Hall to 27th st., as follows:

Leave City Hall for 27th st.   |   Leave 27th st. for City Hall,
8:30 P.M.,                             |   8 P.M.
9:30   "                                  |   9   "
10:30 "                                  |   10 "
11:30 " will run to 42d st.      |   11 "

Stages for Westchester, Throgg's Neck and Pelham Bridge, will leave Williams' Bridge daily, on the arrival of the Trains, which leave City Hall at 8:10 A.M., and 4:10 P.M.

Stages for Eastchester, New Rochelle and Mamaroneck, will leave Williams' Bridge daily, on the arrival of the Trains which leaves [sic] City Hall at 7:10 A.M. and 3:15 P.M.

Stages for Rye and Portchester will leave Williams' Bridge daily, on the arrival of tthe Trains which leave City Hall 3:15 P.M.

Stages for Marble Hall and White Plains will leave Williams' Bridge daily, (Sundays excepted,) on the arrival of the Train which leaves City Hall at 3:15 P.M.; also, leave Williams' Bridge every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, on the arrival of the Train which leaves City hall at 8:10 A.M.

Stages for Robbins' Mills, Milesquare, NewCastle, North Castle and Bedford, will leave Williams' Bridge every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, on the arrival of the Train which leaves City hall at 8:10 A.M.

Stages for Mamaroneck, Portchester, Greenwich and Stamford, will leave Williams' Bridge daily, on the arrival of the Train which leaves City Hall at 2 o'clock, P. M.

The company are now ready to commute with persons residing on the line of their road by the year, as follows:  

Between City Hall and 27th street, in
     27th street line exclusively. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25
do          Yorkville, in trains     do     do . . . . . . . . . . . . .   35
do          Harlem,                    do     do . . . . . . . . . . . . .   40
do          Fordham,                 do     do . . . . . . . . . . . . .   45
do          Williams' Bridge,      do     do . . . . . . . . . . . . .   50

For further particulars in relation to commuting, apply at the office of the Company at City Hall, corner of Bowery and Broome street, and at 27th street, and will be forwarded by the 11:30 A.M., and 4 o'clock P.M. trains from the City Hall.

-- Freight must be paid in advance at the office of the company at City Hall, before the same will be forwarded."

Source:  NEW YORK AND HARLEM RAIL ROAD - ROAD COMPANY --SPRING ARRANGEMENT [Advertisement], The Evening Post [NY, NY], May 8, 1843, p. 1, col. 3 (NOTE:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

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