It appears this tug and derrick barge are working over by the power house at the Vischer Ferry 2000′ twice-bent Dam opposite lock E-7. This is the dam where Margot and Watermaster have broken up ice jams the past few winters.
Here’s a closer up and
an even closer up, confirming that it’s Canal tug Amsterdam and Derrick Barge (DB) 8. And sorry . . . this is a call for group sourcing. Many thanks to Canal Society president Craig Williams, who started filling in details as follows: “Amsterdam… was B. B. Odell Jr., built in Schenectady in 1901 (50.4′ x12.4′ x5.9′). In the Department of Public Works report for 1945 (1946) Amsterdam is described as having been built, along with the Averill, ‘for the old Erie Canal, [and is] no longer efficient to operate and [having] deteriorated to the point it is no longer feasible to operate them.’ ” A post on Averill is in the works.
Urger, on the other hand and shown here as a steam vessel and with a different superstructure configuration, has appeared on this blog many times and will appear some more next month, or so is the plan. Urger was converted from steam to diesel in 1948.
I can’t be certain, but Urger here appears to already be dieselized in the next photos.
Below is a closer -up of the photo above showing the jackstaff on the bow topped with a wind direction indicator.
Here are two more tugs we might find more about. . . . the story of Queen City is [again from Craig] “very complicated. In 1946 it was reported as ‘so weak it will no longer hold patches’ yet they overhaul its engine in 1948 (for use on another boat?). It is replaced in the early 1950s by one of the 1950s tugs [of the] Pittsford, Lockport... [class]. Merchant Vessels for 1926 says that the Queen City was built in Buffalo in 1906. The State reported that year that they had rebuilt the tug, completely replanking the hull, new decks and pilot house, and the boiler and engine ‘thoroughly repaired’ Was it then probably considered a new tug?
As to Flower City, “According to Merchant Vessels it was built in Buffalo in 1909 though it doesn’t show up in the State’s annual reports until a note for 1912 that it worked throughout the season (sort of implying something new). It was condemned in 1937, replaced by a State Department of Corrections tug Refuge. Don’t know if it was dismantled at that time.” Actually, I’d love to learn more about tugs operated by the State Department of Corrections.
All photos used thanks to the Canal Society of New York. Many thanks to Craig Williams for filling in detail for these government boats.
5 comments
Comments feed for this article
April 11, 2022 at 1:10 pm
William Lafferty
Flower City was, indeed, removed from documentation in 1937 as abandoned. My brief description of it on this page an eternity ago: “The Flower City was built at Buffalo in 1919 for the State of New York, nearly identical to the State of New York No. 2, built the same year and place. 50 x 15.5. x 4.9; 27 gt, 16 nt; 10″ x 10″ single cylinder HP steam engine, 80-ihp.”
Queen City was built at Buffalo in 1906, its “owner” in Beeson’s listed as W. J. Hingston, then the Superintendent of the Buffalo-Oswego portion of the canal. He was also a shipbuilder and may well have built the vessel and leased it back to the state. That Queen City was removed from documentation in 1936 as abandoned and the state tug Syracuse, built 1918, was rebuilt into a new Queen City, converted to Diesel, that year. The state tug built at Syracuse in 1934 named Syracuse was the new Syracuse, first documented in 1936. The second Queen City left documentation in 1940, although that does not necessarily mean it was abandoned or dismantled then.
April 11, 2022 at 5:23 pm
tugster
Hi William– An eternity ago . . . I had to look that up . . . it was 2015, but I agree, seven years ago seems like an eternity. For the record, let me put in the link to one of many many valuable contributions you’ve made here: https://tugster.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/whatzit-27/#comments
April 11, 2022 at 2:11 pm
Lee Rust
‘Flower City’ is pictured at the Canal terminal on the Genesee River in Rochester… the Flower City.
April 11, 2022 at 5:25 pm
tugster
Lee– Although I grew up not far from Rochester, it’s a canal city I know so little about. I guess I need to visit all these Rochester canal connections like the terminal you allude to.
April 11, 2022 at 10:14 pm
Lee Rust
The former Governor’s yacht ‘Inspector II’ tied up at that very same spot during 1966-67. The Canal terminal building is long gone now, replaced by a block of apartments.