Towboat America 1852

[woodburner]

The America will make a handsome model indeed.

I have a book of the Bard Brothers' steamboat paintings and discovered a great interest in the color schemes of the vessels - white, of course, but often with red or green stripes, louvered doors and windows in wine or plum, the great paddlebox fans in brilliant hues and the lettering in that great Victorian ooomph drop shading. Of special interest is the machinery colors - I noticed that the walking beams are typicaly green, red or blue, usually on a frame of contrasting color, or of imitation varnished wood, as in the case of the America.

Jim

[whaleboat]

Hello Jim,

Your message about color schemes of paddlewheelers comes at a most
opportune time. Being a novice at PWs I assumed that the walking beam
frames were made of metal and was wondering what the color depicted
by Bard in his painting of America 1852 represented. If the frame was
actually wooden beams I will varnish the frame. Any comments
appreciated.

Thanks,
Al Blevins

[woodburner]

Hello Al,

I assume the cast iron walking beams were placed upon frames of very stout oak or similar wood, but I cannot be sure. A varnished wood finish shows on several of the Bard Bros' paintings, which indicates the apperance of wood was at least desireable. My gut feeling is to doubt that they were varnished (difficult to maintain) but painted and grained in imitation of varnished wood, as was frequently locomotive cabs, doors and interior paneling in the 19th century. You could try either finish, and I'm sure it will look very handsome.

The walking beams typicaly show a ground color - say red, green or blue - with the raised ribs picked out in black, yellow or red stripes. The engines below decks got similar treatment. Everything was pinstriped, and occasional ornamental paintings were a factory embellishment. Hard to think of today, but common at the time. A giant red walking beam must have been pretty impressive racing down the Hudson on a fast day boat.

Most of my research is in 19th century locomotive painting - the Hudson River Rail Road ran fast trains in competition with yellow cars and locomotives decked out in green with tomato red wheels, which must have been a sight racing by at 52 miles per hour in 1851 - one of America's first high speed rail lines. I also study carraige, wagon, railway car and marine machinery color schemes. There are a lot of commonalities, but also individual traditions within each field.

Can anybody help me with the location and any info on the Novelty Iron Works? They built the side lever engines for the Collins steamer Atlantic.

Thanks,

Jim

[Paulrjordan]

Hi Jim:

There was a "Novelty Iron Works" in Fond-du-Lac, Wisconsin which
still exists today as Giddings & Lewis, LL and operates on the same
site as the original company did in 1859.

However, you are probably refering to the "Novelty Works" based on New
York City's East River and later known as the "Novelty Iron Works".
Interestingly, this was the firm who assembled the "shotproof" turret
of the Ironclad "Monitor" so, for our ACW members, here's an extract
from the DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN NAVAL FIGHTING SHIPS, published by the
Naval Historical Center in 1969

"The prime contract for construction of MONITOR was awarded to
her designer John Ericsson 4 October 1861, Construction of her
hull was subcontracted to the Continental Iron works at Green
Point, Long Island; fabrication of her engines was delegated to
Delamater & Co., New York City; and the building of her turret,
composed of eight layers of 1-inch iron plates, was assigned to
the Novelty Iron Works, also of New York City. The revolutionary
craft was launched 30 January 1862; and commissioned 25 February, Lt.
John L. Worden in command."

Following on from this, here's an excerpt from "Steamboat Days," by
Fred Erving Dayton published in 1925, which is a concise account of
the birth of steamboats and their development in America. Thankfully,
portions of this book describing the early developments of steamboats
and the development of steamboats in New York and on the Hudson River
have been reproduced on a Website at:

http://www.ulster.net/~hrmm/steamboats/dayton/steam.html

You may wish to bookmark it for some interesting reading, but
meanwhile here's an excerpt from Chapter 19 "New York's Early
Domination of Ship and Engine Building".

**********************************************************************
The Novelty Works

Rev. Eliphalet Nott, President of Union College, Schenectady, who had
succeeded in burning anthracite coal to heat houses, invented a
boiler, about 1833, with appurtenances for applying coal fuel to the
generation of steam. He built a boat to test its merits, installing
his improved boiler and engine. The boat embraced so much that was new
that it was named "Novelty".

Dr. Nott required special arrangements for creation and repair of his
engine and purchased Burnt Hill Point, East River, a small wharf and
small farm buildings. One of "Novelty's" engines was built within the
limited mechanical resources then installed. From time to time power
and tools were added. The place was known in the neighborhood as the
"Novelty Works," and thus originated the distinctive name by which it
was long known in the engineering world.

The business was conducted as H. Nott & Company. Nathan Bliss, who had
recommended the use of the horizontal style engine for the boat, was
superintendent. Ezra K. Dodd was foreman and later chief engineer of
Novelty. Subsequently, Thomas B. Stillman, Robert M. Stratton and C.
St. John Seymour purchased the premises and conducted the business
under the name Ward Stillman & Company.

Under the new ownership engines were built for two ocean liners,
"Lion" and "Eagle", constructed for the Spanish government. J. D. Ward
retired in 1841 and the business continued as Stillman & Company.
Horatio Allen, importer of the first locomotive, came into the firm in
1842, the style being then Stillman Allen & Company, and in 1855 the
business was incorporated as the Novelty Iron Works of New York with
$300,000 capital. The early neighborhood identification now became the
corporate title.

Entrance to the works was on East 12th Street, opposite Dry Dock
Street, and here was the porter's lodge, head offices, draughting
rooms, and beyond the machine shops, foundry, crane, shears, etc The
foundry was equipped for heavy work, and cast the bed plates for the
engine of "Atlantic", weighing 37 tons and "Arctic" weighing 60 tons.
The great cylinder for the Fall River liner "Metropolis" was cast in
1854, being 105 inches diameter and 14 feet length, with 12 feet
stroke of piston. Twenty-two persons sat down to lunch inside this
cylinder, with room to spare, and a horse and chaise were driven
through it.

The side lever engines of the Collins Line steamers "Atlantic",
"Arctic", "Pacific" and "Baltic" were built in 1849-50, the two former
at the Novelty Works and the latter two at the Allaire Works. C. W.
Copeland designed the engines and the boilers were designed by John
Faron, chief engineer of the line. There were two engines in each
ship, with cylinders 95 inches diameter by 9 feet stroke in "Atlantic"
and "Pacific" and 10 feet stroke in "Arctic" and "Baltic." The boilers
had two tiers of furnaces and vertical water tubes back of them, and
the four boilers connected to one stack. Steam pressure was 14 lbs.,
with Stevens' cut-off on "Arctic" and Sickles' on "Baltic" at 4 feet
and 4½ feet respectively.

Using salt water, scale in tubes became troublesome and the unequal
expansion of the front and back tubes caused them to leak with heavy
expense for cleaning and repair. Unequal expansion of the engine parts
due to the design of the bracing caused breaks, yet the engines did
good service and the ships made good voyages with reasonable fuel
economy.

"Adriatic" was the largest sea-going side-wheel steamer, except "Great
Eastern", being 350 feet length, 50 feet beam and 5,000 tons.
"Adriatic" was modeled and built by George Steers, "a perfect vessel
in appearance, appointments and speed." "Adriatic" cost more than
$1,000,000. The two oscillating engines, built by the Novelty Works,
had cylinders 101 inches diameter by 12 feet stroke and carried 25 lbs
steam. The paddles were 40 feet diameter, with floats 12 feet length
and 3 feet wide and the eight vertical tubular boilers had 30,758
square feet of heating surface.

The Novelty Works blacksmith shop ran 30 fires, while 20 departments
were organized with foremen and working forces, numbering more than
1,000 men. The production of the works ran above $1,500,000 in the
early '1850's.

**********************************************************************
For those of you who are interested in reading this book, the 1925
first edition can still be found and the 1939 2nd edition can be found
in Libraries and also regularly comes up for sale at U.S. used book
stores on the Internet. (US$10.00 - $30.00 depending on condition).

PJ

[whaleboat]

Hello Jim,

Again, you message re: paint schemes is both timely and very helpful.
It sounds as if America 1852 will be a very colorful vessel.

I just got off the telephone with my friend Len Tantillo who fielded
an inquiry from the State University at Albany (NY) re: exhibits for
a show about Albany history scheduled for this fall. He is doing a
painting for the show which will include America 1852 (in addition to
the painting of Troy, NY also featuring the paddlewheeler) and
suggested they might want to use the model. They do, so the model is
about six weeks (if I work every day on it) from completion and it is
already to be featured in two paintings and an exhibition. Some days
you eat the bear...

Thanks again,
Al Blevins

[Paulrjordan]

--- In Paddleducks@y..., "whaleboat2001" <aandmblevins@a...> wrote:
(SNIP)
>
> I just got off the telephone with my friend Len Tantillo who fielded
> an inquiry from the State University at Albany (NY) re: exhibits for
> a show about Albany history scheduled for this fall. He is doing a
> painting for the show which will include America 1852 (in addition
> to the painting of Troy, NY also featuring the paddlewheeler) and
> suggested they might want to use the model. They do, so the model is
> about six weeks (if I work every day on it) from completion and it
> is already to be featured in two paintings and an exhibition. Some
> days you eat the bear...

Great to hear your paddler is going to be a star. Al!...and so she
should be...'cos EVERYONE loves a paddler! It's a fitting and
auspicious beginning to what we hope will be a long and distinguished
"career" immortalizing the beautiful paddlewheelers of the Hudson
River and which will bring so much pleasure to all who see them. Do
try to find someone with a digital camera so we can watch as "America"
(1852) comes alive again! After all it's her 150th BIRTHDAY and there
SHOULD be a celebration for her!

On a more local note..yesterday evening was a special one for me as I
had the priviledge of introducing a presentation by the
internationally recognized author and Canadian Pacific Ship and
Paddlewheeler expert, Robert Turner. Bob has written more than a
dozen reference works on Western Railways and Ships with at least four
of them focusing heavily on Western Canadian paddlewheelers. He gave a
very entertaining and educational 90 minute presentation at our
Club with a slide show on the history of the Canadian Pacific Inland
Fleet and the sternwheelers which forged the opening of Canada's West.

In addition to showing fascinating historical images of old
paddlewheelers and their crews, Bob brought us up to date on the
latest restoration efforts of the CP Lake Sternwheeler "Moyie" in
Kaslo, British Columbia (Now a National Historic site). In honour of
"Moyie" we displayed a 1:48 R/C model of her which was built 40 years
ago and still delights crowds at our Regattas and public displays.

Bob is an absolute delight to talk to and, to conclude a perfect
evening, I also got my beautiful Turner book "Paddlewheelers and Steam
Tugs" autographed by it's author!!!

Yep..there's something special about Paddler people!!

PJ

[woodburner]

Al,

Great timing! Glad to hear the America will have a good port and impetus to keep the shipyard busy. She will be colorful, and I hope the engine works out well. One thing I notice on a lot of the Bard Bros paintings and prints from other sources is that curtains in the windows are often green on one side, red on the other. This may be more applicable to passenger vessels but its a constant.

I'm beginning to put together on paper at least, plans for the Collins steamer "Atlantic." The Novelty Works engines should be fun to make.

Jim

[woodburner]

Dear Paul,

Thank you very much for the great information and stunning quote regarding the Novelty Works and the engines built there for the Atlantic and her sister. As the sources I found mentioned Novelty Iron Works, its no doubt they referred to the later company name. The same issue occurs for the Baldwin Locomotive Works (actually the names of different partners at different times) and the famous stagecoach builders Abbott, Downing Company, of Concord NH, (equally complicated) and so on. Only recently I came across the correct business name for the Collins Line, which like Cunard, was actually a rather long descriptive.

The Collins Line appears as a rather impressive operation. If not for fate and national politics it might have acheived a greater presence upon the Atlantic. Its steamers were well designed for bad weather, its appointments far more comfortable than the Cunarders, and fast -several making records of various types. The Atlanic also had here moment of glory bringing Jenny Lind to America for her sensational tour.

I suspect there was a greater rush for speed in 1851 than generally aknowlaged. Only two decades or so after locomotives break the paradigm of possible speed in travel, and only 12 after steam is put to use on the Atlantic, the sense of rush is everywhere. Several "fast passenger" locomotives were built in 1849-51, some with eight foot driving wheels, for service in NY, PA and NJ - far in advance of allowable track conditions. The Collins ships did their best to equal this new rush upon the seas. The quote regarding the faults of the side lever engines to break under high operating conditions confirms reports of the vessels recieving extensive repairs while in turnaround.

I'm extremely grateful for this corroberation. Those engines must have been a sight! By the way, "Steamboat Days is an exeptional book - my copy is unfortunately packed away and out of reach, but recall a devastating description of steamboat scoundrel deluxe Danial Drew.

Thanks again,

Jim