Clayton, Jefferson, NY Ships |
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Clayton, Jefferson, NY Ships |
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for sharing your talents, Holice!
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THE SHIP-BUILDING INTEREST Ship-building began at Clayton in 1832 by Smith & Merrick, and has since been continued, sometimes giving employment to as many as a hundred men. From two to four vessels have been built here annually, making a total of from seventy-five to one hundred, including most of the splendid steamers of the old Ontario and S. Lawrence Steamboat Company’s lines. This business began here at about the time the burdensome tonnage duties upon the lake, amounting almost to a prohibition, had been removed in part by the Hon. Joseph Hawkins, of Henderson, who represented this district in Congress. From this time there existed no limits to the size of the vessels but that of the locks of the Welland canal. The first vessels built here were the Jesse Smith and Horatio Gates, commenced by Captain Pickering and completed by George S, Week, for Smith & Merrick, in 1830. G. S. Weeks continued building for the same firm, and built the steamer Black Hawk, and the schooners Franklin, Jefferson, Margiana Willetts, Monroe, Gazelle, Madison, Lucinda, Cleopatra, Western, Chesapeake, Robert Wood, E. G. Merrick, Sylph, and others, besides the steamer Swan. John Oades commenced building for E. G. Merrick & Co., and Fowler & Esselstyn in 1841, and built the schooners St. Lawrence, John Oades, D. N. Barney, Superior, Invincible, New York, Quebec, America, Flying Cloud, Sovereign of the Lakes, Northern Light, White Cloud, Northerner, Sky Lark, Republic, Clayton, Amelia, Adriatic, Northern Belle, Dashing Wave, Monticello, Adirondack, Radiant, Clayton Belle, M. F. Merrick, Montana, Portland, Kearsarge, and others, and the steamers, Niagara, Cataract, Ontario, Bay State, New York, Jenny Lind, British Empire, British Queen, Midge, and Widgeon. Thomas Rees built the schooner Mountaineer, Harrison Persons the schooner Marshfield, and A. F. Barker the schooner Hoboken. Simon G. Johnson began building for Fowler & Esselstyn in 1854, and built the schooners Greyhound, Eagle wing, Watchful, mediator, Senator, Snow Bird, Brooklyn, Montpelier, Montgomery, Montmorency, Mont Blanc, Irene, L. B. Stone, Send, William Home, Hattie Johnson, henry Falger and Black Diamond. He also built the steamers T. S. Faxton, H. S. Johnston, and island Belle. The aggregate tonnage of these vessels and steamers is about 40,000 tons, and the cost about $2,000,000. Mr. Johnston is the only one now extensively engaged in ship-building at Clayton, Messrs. John Oades and Fowler & Esselstyn having removed to Detroit, Michigan, where they still continue their old business with equal success as when at Clayton. To secure the privileges of a coasting trade with Canada, which are granted to vessels built on British soil only, a ship-yard was established several years ago by Fowler & Esselstyn at the foot of Wolf (or Grand) Island, in Canada, and four or five miles above this port. (Jefferson County History, by L. H. Everts, 1878)
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Transcribed by Holice B.Young Html by Debbie December 26, 1999 |
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