RE: (erielack) Marine operations (was: Classic Trains/ Hoboken)

[Ralph Heiss <happymeiser_@_yahoo.com>]

Paul Tupaczewski wrote -
   
  "You know, I was wondering the same thing myself." 
   
  Good, I'm glad I'm not the only one!
   
  "It seems odd that they 
stored the floats - WITH CARS ON THEM! - right in the mouth of the 
ferry slips. Umm, isn't that a hazard to river navigation? They are jutting 
out into the river at that point with nothing really to protect them."
   
  Yes, and for the same reason why the Erie, CNJ, and LV all re-designed their float bridges to sit perpendicular to the East River so as not to be a hazzard to navigation. Granted, the East River is a whole heck of a lot narrower, but the concern is the same. Which brings to mind, why did the Harlem Transfer not redesign their float bridge? It was in fact the exact reason the LV was forced to re-design theirs, so as to utilize longer carfloats. Interestingly enough, the two yards were designed by Walter G. Berg.

"You'd think they'd shove these down the long slip, just to get them out 
of the river? Or at least tie them up alongside a pier? Looks like the 
carfloats are just barely attached to the slips. One nice storm and 
bye-bye go your floats!"
   
  Well, not knowing how wide the Long Slip was, it probably would be impossible to get a tug AND a carfloat up into the slip, let alone get a few in there and then hope to get them out again! Pulling them out on a hawser would not be pretty. I'm sure the floats were tied up better than we can tell from the photo, but I would agree, if a storm blew into port, threre'd be trouble, racks or not!
  
"The tugs to the left of the terminal are definitely EL - this is where 
they usually sat when not in service. As for the ones to the right, 
that's a good question - wasn't Holland American Lines' piers there? Could 
these be their tugs?"
   
  Unfortuneately, I don't know enough about non-railroad tugs to say if Holland American owned any tugs or not, but some of those tugs DO look suspiciously like the Ex-DL&W tugs, which when I posted earlier, I had thought were not on the roster by 1970. However, I did a little more research this evening (those Tom Flagg harbor books are GREAT!)
  
"Also, where were the rest of EL's tugs at this point? Combined, there 
were quite a number of DL&W and Erie tugs. Perhaps they were downriver 
in Jersey City?"
   
  That could be possible, as the Hornell, Marion, Akron, Binghamton, Utica, Hoboken, Buffalo, and Syracuse were all still in service at or around this time, at least as far as I know with the photgraphic evidence I have in my possession. I would of course appreciate it if my info can be corrected if need be. All that remained by 1976 however, I believe were the TAMS boats built by Jacobsen Marine in Oyster Bay, NY.
   
  Two more observations - I counted 20 coverd barges, 15 open scows, 2 pile drivers, 7 carfloats, and the heavy lift (crane) barge (ex-Erie #5 I think). It seems like a lot of equipment, and I'm sure it may not all be EL owned. Any fellow marine fans out there have an EL equpiment roster to compare numbers to? Also, just below the number 14, appear to me to be two large smokestacks, which I think must be ferryboats. Were there any boats still layed up in Hoboken at this time? 

- - Ralph H.

		
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End of EL List Daily V3 #1912
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