I’ve neglected mentioning the locations of the Albert Gayer photos, in some cases because I had no idea. This photo, however, is easy to place: top of the flight and just above the first guard gate there. Center of the photo is the “Crescent Lake” portion of the canal, looking “west.” The waterway flowing to the left is headed for Cohoes Falls, and a hydro plant before the falls.
What’s remarkable for me about the photo is the number of tug/barge units waiting to head down the flight to Waterford and the Hudson. I count eight. Anyone have ideas why so many units are waiting here?
Penn No. 2 is headed up the flight here, I believe, between E-2 and E-3. I’ve not found any info on this tugboat. It has an odd profile, may be on the shorter/smaller side?
Corporal began life as an Army tug and was a Conners vessel until 1951, so that places the time setting of this photo.
In 1951, she became the third Ned Moran.
Next are a set of tug/barges I can’t identify. Nor can I guess at the location, although I’d guess the somewhere in the western half . I can, however, identify the boat whose foredeck you see to the right and will post more info about it later. For now, you can conjecture all you like. I’ll feature this boat (if I remember) in February.
Ditto, I don’t know the unit here, but I’m hoping someone reading this can identify the livery. As for location, I’d say somewhere between E-13 and E-14.
Yet another puzzler. It’s E-8 westbound, but that’s all I can say.
The tug Salutation photo is another I can’t place, for now. I’ve read a reference somewhere the past few days, but don’t have 100% recall. I wonder which years the commercial traffic on the canal last flew this banner.
Also, notice that all the barges in this post are tank barges, moving petroleum products. As total freight on the canal plummeted in the 1950s and 60s, the percentage of petroleum cargoes increased dramatically.
All photos, Albert Gayer, in the collection of the Canal Society of New York. Thanks.
7 comments
Comments feed for this article
January 31, 2022 at 12:49 pm
Lee Rust
The mystery foredeck is that of ‘Inspector II’, the former governor’s yacht of New York State. There’s quite a story attached to that vessel.
January 31, 2022 at 7:23 pm
tugster
You got that right, Lee . . .
January 31, 2022 at 1:45 pm
jack wright
will,loving your series of gayer photoes. the location of the tow with orange tug with the square wheelhouse was taken at the noses in yosts. the piles of gravel on the shore may be for filling some of the reservoir used for the railroad track pans that were located here. on some of these photos notice that all locks are painted black and safety features such as railings are absent. i remember as a child crossing the locks with only a railing on the outside.
January 31, 2022 at 2:52 pm
William Lafferty
Your Penn No. 2 is shown at Waterford. The Eddy Valve plant confirms this. It was built at Port Jefferson in 1951 as Penn No. 2 for McCormick’s Penn Stevedoring Corporation of New York. It was later Penn No. 7, Morania No. 7, and back to Penn No. 2, becoming Pam-El for Floating Equipment Corporation, Brooklyn, and later owned by Webb & Knapp Marine Corporation, Stratford, Connecticut. It left documentation in 1975. 45.8 x 12.5 x 6.7; 22 gt, 15 nt; 240-bhp. Seems a bit slight for pushing an oil barge up (or down) the Hudson.
January 31, 2022 at 3:17 pm
vintagedieseldesign
Salutation was the first new tug built with a retractable wheelhouse, designed by Joe Hack.
February 6, 2022 at 12:26 am
Dan Wiles
I believe the photo with the inspector II bow is in the cut above C6. It’s the only arched single lane bridge I know of on the system.
February 6, 2022 at 5:11 am
tugster
Thx, Dan. I don’t know the Champlain Canal. I guess this season I have to do that canal then finally.