A History of Local Ferry Accidents
Dense fog in the 19th century caused innumerable ferry accidents, especially as the waterways were more active then. The worst seems to have been in October 1854, when such a heavy fog fell over New York that “the ferry-boats had difficulty in making their trips, on both rivers, and we hear of several collisions which occurred between vessels in the streams.” The Times article is pretty hilarious; the ferries were apparently playing bumper cars that day! It wasn’t unusual though: in December 1873, heavy fog caused two ferry collisions, neither serious. In April 1870, a ferry traveling from Williamsburg to Manhattan collided with a schooner. No one was hurt, but “the roof and side of the ladies’ cabin of the ferry-boat were smashed in for a considerable distance.” In December 1865, a ferry boat coming from Brooklyn to Manhattan collided with a steamer headed up the East River in a dense fog. No one was hurt or killed. And in December 1853, a ferryboat on its way from Montague Street to Wall Street collided with an anchored schooner in dense fog. The ferry pilot had told the schooner “he should trip his anchor and pass up on the tide out of the way. The mate refused, insisting that he had as good a right to lie there as the ferry-boats had to run. On the next trip of the ferry-boat the collision took place.” [photo]
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