Researching HIGHLANDER c.1835 - The Model/ Rex Stewart

             
           Samuel Ward Stanton's drawing of the famed Newburgh, New York steamboat
           HIGHLANDER as she appeared on the Hudson River in 1835.


Newburgh, New York was a booming river town that developed into a monopolized commerce
center for the citizens of the Lower Hudson Valley. Much freight, especially produce and livestock was going south to New York City and steamboats were needed to get those goods to its destination. Furthermore, travelers who needed to commute to various towns found these vessels accommodating for the purpose. This was the era of the 19th century and river commuting was the beginning of a new form of travel.

             Early brothers Bard watercolor depicting HIGHLANDER's 1835 appearance.
           Both renditions had to be carefully studied for accuracy and proper re-configuration
           in order to build an accurate scale model.


While researching and building steamboat models in New York's Capital region during the '80s and '90s, I was fascinated with the discoveries I encountered concerning steamboat designs of the 1830 period. I had built models from the 1840s to the present, but never considered those vessels built past Robert Fulton's CLERMONT.

Many contemporary builders had no knowledge of these early sidewheel types, so no models were available to work from -let alone, plans. Only one such work existed on an early steamboat of this period and that was produced by noted modelmaker Forrest Van Loon Ryder out of Coxsackie, New York during the 1950s. This model was HIGHLANDER, one of several Hudson River steamboats he built for collectors, museums and those interested in these prolific boats.

             A vintage model of HIGHLANDER built by the late Forrest Van Loon Ryder
             which is now on display at the Captain David Crawford House Museum in
             Newburgh, New York. There, five other Ryder models are exhibited; all at
             1/8" = 1' Scale.


In 1980 I was commissioned to copy Mr. Ryder's MARY POWELL for a corporation which  the model later became a topic of conversation with business executives at the time. I then decided to venture out and research MARY POWELL to design my own plan set relative to having an accurate model enter the Hudson Valley. These soon became highend collectibles of note. However, Ryder was my inspiration from which I drew the ability to explore, research and study the American steamboat -beginning with those that operated on the Hudson River.

                HIGHLANDER c.1835 - profile plan at 3/32" = 1' scale. Research for this
                work was based on the brothers Bard watercolor and Samuel Ward Stanton's
                drawing which included supportive dimensional data of the vessel at the time
                of her construction.


In the Fall of 2011 a colector from the Newburgh Region proposed a line of steamboat models which included HIGHLANDER. This proposition became the anticipated opportunity to finally research and build a true 1830 replica of a Hudson River sidewheeler. With the experience and credentials established over a thirty year period, it wasn't difficult to configure this vessel's appearance.

The client was very specific about his collection. He wanted all three sidewheelers to be constructed at 3/32" = 1' scale which made little room for error regarding hull dimensions, beam width and deck layout.

HIGHLANDER was a walking beam type steamer that carried her stacks and boilers on the guards away from the hull. Knowing this fact made plan drawings easier to develop...and within two weeks I was able to produce some prolific plans (for the first time) concerning an early steamboat. I now had the formula for designing these vintage gems.

               Work-in-progress showing the underside features of HIGHLANDER. Notice
               the early design pattern of the Northeast sidewheeler. Most steamboats of
               this period  omitted bottom rims which secured and protected the paddles. It
               is possible that the paddles, including the wheel system, was made of oak -giving
               way to these buckets being bolted to the stems of the wheels so to allow this
               feature to last several years without rotting.

               Port bow view showing HIGHLANDER's auxiliary flagstaff. upon viewing
               several Bard paintings and Stanton drawings, I discovered that this odd
               apparatus was carried and used to attach company house flags and pendants.

              
                 Early steamboat models I built during the '80s and  '90s featured handpainted
               flags made of soft metal. These were treated with acrylic base to prevent
               chipping. In recent times I now apply treated paper flags using the same
               applications. However, the paper flags are more life-like, especially when these
               are folded to give a breeze effect.

                  Maritime artist and shipmodel specialist Rex Stewart carefully applies the
                walking beam engine to the HIGHLANDER model. Nearly 140 seperate
                wood pieces make up this detail.

              
                   Starboard overview illustrates the strengthening process of a steamboat
                 of this period. The blue-colored kingposts, spars and hogframes, reinforced
                 with steel tie rods, were placed in strategic points on the vessel to secure
                 areas where the most strain existed -primarily at the stern and amidship
                 around the paddlewheels. So that this odd structure didn't take away from
                 the steamer's design, the kingposts and spars were adorned with gilded
                 balls and, occasionally woodsculpted eagles.

 

                
                  Port profile of Newburgh, New York steamboat HIGHLANDER c.1835.
                Scratch-built solely in wood at a scale of 3/32" = 1'. 


History:

HIGHLANDER was built for the company of Thomas, Johnson and Wardrop in 1935. Her length on the keel was 160 feet with a beam of 24 feet. Her depth of hold was 8 feet and her overall length was complete at 175 feet.

Made of wood, her hull was built at the shipyard of Lawrence and Sneden in New York. The vertical beam engine was constructed at West Point Foundry in Cold Spring, New York. She carried two boilers on the guards; both of iron. Her paddlewheels were 24 feet in diameter with 10 foot length buckets that dipped 29 inches.

This unique steamboat carried a 'cookie-jar' pilothouse on the skydeck with a fancy bell attachment on the roof behind the gilded eagle ornament which sat center. When she entered service on the Hudson River she was one of the best and fastest boats to run. She operated on the Newburgh-New York Line until the steamer THOMAS POWELL appeared in 1846. HIGHLANDER was then used as an excursion boat and later ran for the Freight and Passage Line between Rondout and New York City until 1852. The following year she was taken south to the Delaware River and used as a towboat before being dismantled in 1866. Her engine was erected in the new towboat replacing her which was named WILLIAM H. ASPINWALL.

Commission work can be honored for any and all Hudson River steamboats. These are fine one of a kind models that accurately define the vessel as it appeared at any given time of its career. For information about my line of work kindly email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137.

To view my work and credentials, visit https://youtube.com/c/RexStewartoriginals and https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart.

Thanks for viewing.

Steamboat Model MARY POWELL c.1887 -The History and Build/ Rex Stewart

Few models exist on the renowned sidewheeler MARY POWELL. Some have been produced with minute detail while others varied in levels of craftsmanship and quality. But no matter how the steamboat has been presented over the years, MARY POWELL remain to be, nationally and internationally, one of the most favorite builder subjects today.

MARY POWELL was built at the onset of the Civil War. She was launched in 1861 at the request of Captain Absalom Anderson who, prior to the "M.P.", commanded the THOMAS POWELL -a swift sidewheeler known to many as the "Swan of the Hudson."

                Steamer MARY POWELL docked at Rondout Creek, New York c.1887


Thomas Powell was a prominent citizen of the village of Newburgh, NY located 60 miles north of New York City on the west bank of the Hudson River. The firm of T. Powell and Company composed of Powell and Captains Samuel Johnson and Robert Wardrop who established a steamboat line in 1835 which lasted ten years. Upon dissolving the line, Powell kept the steamboat HIGHLANDER and went into partnership with his son-in-law, Homer Ramsdell.
In 1846, Powell and Ramsdell brought out the new THOMAS POWELL for day service between Newburgh and New York City. She ran in line with HIGHLANDER and two years later, because of fierce competition, Powell and Ramsdell sold their interests to the Anderson and Romer families. As steamboats were being acquired by different firms along the Hudson, there was a need for fast and reliable boats. A new steamboat came to the river in 1860 named the DANIEL DREW, a celebrated New York-Albany dayboat that gained reputation on the Hudson when she raced and beat the ARMENIA of river fame.

Captain Anderson, viewing the swift DANIEL DREW as she daily passed his Rondout dock, knew that it was time to upgrade and build a new steamboat that would be the talk of the entire Hudson Valley for next six decades. The sidewheeler would be the inevitable "Queen of the Hudson". The name being the MARY POWELL. Anderson's goal was to have a vessel that would outdo every Hudson River steamboat known. He made it clear to the builders that the vessel had to make better time than his THOMAS POWELL -and that a heavy forfeiture of the contract would be in place if that recommendation failed. When the Allison Shipyard in Jersey City, N.J. completed MARY POWELL, she measured 267 feet in length, with a beam of 34.5 feet and depth of hold at 9.2 feet. Her tonnage was 819.

Because of Captain Anderson's steamboat ties in the area, and his highest respect for Thomas Powell, it was only fitting to name his vessel after Powell's wife whom, in her own right, had ties of historical proportions in the maritime.

Mary Ludlow Powell established a firm maritime history in addition to being the widow of Thomas Powell. Her eldest brother entered the United States Navy as a midshipman in 1795 and rose to the rank of captain. Mary's next eldest, Robert Ludlow, had been assigned to the U.S.F. CONSTITUTION and was aboard when "Old Ironsides" encountered and captured  H.M.S. JAVA in December, 1812. The best-known brother, Augustus C. Ludlow, was James Lawrence's first lieutenant on the CHESAPEAKE in the engagement with H.M.S. SHANNON off Boston on June 1, 1813. It was in this battle that the mortally wounded Lawrence gave the vain command, "Don't give up the ship!"

      War of 1812 CONSTITUTION Battle Station, handcarved in wood by the author. This

      representation show how the men were positioned during the fight with HMS JAVA

      when Mary Ludlow's brother served...Hand-carved action onboard CONSTITUTION

      can be seen in this video

                                 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv0_HC0cwrM

The MARY POWELL, now on the waters of the Hudson, was now becoming the echo of river folklore. In 1867, Captain Anderson retired from the steamboat business after selling his shares of MARY POWELL to Thomas Cornell, the steamboat potentate of Rondout, N.Y. This purchase was made three years prior. For several years, as the steamboat changed ownership, it was being scrutinized for performance. Then in 1874, a young steward came aboard the vessel, the young son of retired Captain Absalom Anderson. His name was Absalom Eltinge Anderson who would, many years later, become the prolific captain of the renowned steamer.

In 1872 the MARY POWELL returned back to Captain Anderson and remained with the family until 1883 when Thomas Cornell, again, acquired her. When the successor, Jansen Anderson, the Captain's eldest son passed away, Eltinge was not looked upon as the possible choice to keep the legacy of the family business. Between the seasons of 1884 and 1885 Eltinge, determined to prove otherwise, devoted much of his time preparing a pamphlet to promote the MARY POWELL. As a result of his efforts, Captain William Cornell retired and sold his share in the vessel to Eltinge.

                        

           Portrait of the young Captain Absalom Eltinge Anderson, stmr. MARY POWELL

The MARY POWELL became the heart of steamboat folklore. For 55 years she travelled the Hudson and entered practically every port on her route. She was both beautiful and fast, having surpassed records of her contemporaries with no loss of life. She transported dignitaries and royals and accommodated renowned men and women of her day. She was a favorite at West Point and all points south of that landing. North, she was respected and won the hearts of the Albany-Troy citizens and was embraced as "The Queen" of riverboats.

In 1920 she finally ceased operations on the Hudson River and became legendary years afterward. A book about her was written by my friend and author, Donald C. Ringwald, and several years later, a descendant of the Mary Powell Family, Pauline Hending Matherson, commissioned me to build her an exacting model of the steamboat -which is in their Vermont home today.

             Bard painting of MARY POWELL as she first appeared on the river c.1861

Several MARY POWELL models were built in Albany during the '80s and early '90s -and a new version is now being built in New England at my Southbridge, MA studio. This version is the famous steamboat as she first appeared on the river in 1861 and is probably the only one of its kind anywhere, to date. This will be shared with the public and maritime community in a few months. To conclude, below are images of MARY POWELL as she appeared in 1887.

      Constructed entirely of wood, this project took approximately two months to build and

      is considered one of the most accurate models in the Hudson River Valley.

    This closeup shows the meticulous superstructure of MARY POWELL, from walking

    beam engine down to her paddlewheels. Her racy hogframes were state-of-the-art; a

    beautiful, graceful design that no other steamboat of her class carried. This was, in

    essence, MARY POWELL the "Queen of the Hudson".     

Hudson Day Line Model PETER STUYVESANT c.1944

           Hudson River Day Line steamboat PETER STUYVESANT heading downriver from
          Kingston, New York c.1933.


When the WASHINGTON IRVING sanked at New York Harbor June 1, 1926, no plans were made by the Hudson River Day Line to replace her. This decision came as a result of financial constraints to build a vessel of similiar size to the IRVING. However, upon vote, it was able to proceed with a smaller steamboat to serve routes in that portion of the Lower Hudson between New York and Pougkeepsie. Also, the company's vision was to expand its charter business.

PETER STUYVESANT was launched February 2, 1927, from the yard of Pusey and Jones at Wilmington, Delaware. Katharine Olcott, daughter of Day Line owner, Eben E. Olcott , sponsored and christened the vessel -giving her its name. Destined to be the last steamboat ever built for the Hudson River, she made her first round trip from New York to Newburgh on a Saturday afternoon, May 28, 1927.

                   PETER STUYVESANT berthed at her New York Day Line Pier c.1951


The PETER STUYVESANT was designed by J.W. Millard and Brother. Combining normal maritime requirements, with added ammenities, she was attractive to organizations wanting charters for various outings. On the second deck was a bandstand, positioned behind the smokestack wall and the cabin, from there, extended further aft to establish a dance floor. Also, tables could be placed in this room to provide extra dining space away from the regular dining area so that sizable groups could be served.

On the third deck, the carpeted saloon was slightly raised so that passengers could view the scenic river without the obstruction from those on the outside. Also arranged on either side of the saloon were eight parlors.

         Port profile work-in-progress view of the 1:160 scale model of PETER STUYVESANT.
        The Saloon Deck is being worked on.

Steel-hulled, she was propellor driven with a single screw. Her measurements were 269 ft. with a 60 ft. beam and a draft of 13 ft.5 inches. She was supplied with steam by four Babcock and Wilcox oil-fired, water-tube boilers.

In September 1932, as a result of the Depression, the Day Line made operational changes to employ PETER STUYVESANT, parttime on the New York-Albany run. Between the seasons of 1948 and '49, the Line was acquired by new owners who maintained regular service up the river as far as Poughkeepsie. In 1955, due to financial constraints, only two steamboats operated on the Hudson: ALEXANDER HAMILTON and PETER STUYVESANT.

Following the season of 1962, ownership changed and the vessels were purchased by New York's Circle Line. In 1963 PETER STUYVESANT was no longer placed in commission and was later acquired by Anthony Athanas, proprieter of a Boston waterfront restaurant, Anthony's Pier 4.

"The Delaware Steamboater" was a piblication that surfaced during the 1980s to bring both awareness and support to the steamboat community relative to vessels that needed preservation.

It was also instrumental in fundraising during a time when many citizens on the East Coast heralded these prolific vessels. Unfortunately, as the decade of the '90s arrived, interest in preserving the steamboat declined and many vessels were lost to the scrap-yards.









In 1968, after necessary conversion, the steamboat was placed in a underwater cradle constructed to provide maximum protection. She served as an annex to accommodate large groups and regular patrons whom were waiting for tables. Her final days ended when a great winter storm clipped the Northeast on February 7, 1978. There, at Boston Harbor, she sanked.

             Author's scale model of PETER STUYVESANT showing her private parlors on
            the promenade deck.


The model that I researched and constructed show the prolific steamboat as she appeared in 1944 during the war years. Travel on the Hudson River was popular and it gave many citizens the opportunity to enjoy their outings and view the scenic river during that troubled period.

                      Stern Port Profile of PETER STUYVESANT, Wood Model -Scratchbuilt

The model is produced in bass and pine woods. Scratchbuilt, it has an overall length of 20 inches.

For more information about commissioning a fine quality Hudson River or Northeast steamboat model email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137. You may also visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart

Tow Sidewheeler SYRACUSE c.1857

                         Towboat sidewheeler SYRACUSE in New York Harbor c.1877

The Hudson River was a waterway dotted with sail and steam during America's young Industrial Age. Some of the world's most interesting vessels were travelling this river, from sailing sloop to massive nightboat. The river had its own life of whistle, voices and churning water that seem to have echoed every ten to twenty miles from Troy-Albany to New York City. This was the heydey of steamboating.

The towboat entered the river in the late 1840s and established itself as the 'workhorse' of rivercraft.These large vessels were cumbersome in appearance, yet their featured large stack and complicated steel-wired tie rods, and hogframe system, made these sidewheelers unique and appealing to river communities.

Day and night, port to port, they ran -from the northern tip of the river (Albany-Troy) to the southern tip (Newburgh-New York City). One such towboat that received maritime accollades for its appearance and river tasks was a sidewheeler named SYRACUSE.

                       Painting of tow steamer SYRACUSE by American artist James Bard


The wooden hull of SYRACUSE was built at Hoboken, New Jersey in 1857 and was powered by an engine constructed by Berman at New York City. She was 218 feet long, breadth of beam 35 feet and five inches, with a gross tonnage of 608 and a net 459 tonnage. Her vertical beam engine had a 72 inch cylinder with a 12 foot stroke.

Built exclusively for towing, SYRACUSE became the sixth largest tow to make her appearance on the Hudson. She was constructed for Jerry Austin of Albany and was the most handsome and most powerful of any of the fleet of towboats on the river. The Austin Towing Line, operating between New York and Albany placed SYRACUSE in service in 1857, running in line with the steamboats OHIO, GENERAL MACDONALD and AUSTIN.
these vessels serviced the Line for many years, and in the summer of 1876 the OHIO, becoming of no further use, was run ashore on the east side of the river (above Castleton) and broken up. The other boats continued running until the fall and were sold thereafter.

                            Scale model of towboat SYRACUSE as she appeared in 1857.

Samuel Schuyler who operated the Schuyler Towing Line, purchased SYRACUSE while the Cornell Steamboat Company of Rondout bought AUSTIN, GENERAL MACDONALD and S.O.PIERCE. Schuyler rebuilt the SYRACUSE and added her to his towing fleet -operating her until 1893 when he discontinued his business and sold the steamer to the Cornell Company.

        Overview of SYRACUSE showing walking beam engine detail and superstructure

The Rondout company serviced the towboat on the Rondout-New York route where she remained until 1898. After 41 years of continuous service, SYRACUSE was sold to J.H. Gregory who took her to Perth Amboy, N.J. and scrapped her.

For more information about commissioning a fine quality Hudson River or Northeast steamboat model email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137. You may also visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart

The Civil War's M. MARTIN c.1863 , research and the wood model/ Rex Stewart

                  M. MARTIN backing around in Rondout Creek for her run north on the
                Hudson River to Albany, New York c.1880.


Built at Jersey City, New Jersey in 1863, M. MARTIN was constructed at the outbreak of the Civil War. She was initially built for the Romer and Tremper Frim of Rondout to run as a freight and passenger steamer to Catskill and Albany.

She was pressed into service under General Ulysess S. Grant, and during the latter part of the war she operated as the General's personal dispatch boat on the Chesapeake Bay -carrying messages and troops across the bay and river.

The M. MARTIN was known as the Union Army's "greyhound" that served  the federal government during the war. After the fall of Richmond, President Abraham Lincoln and General Grant made a visit to the Confederate Capital aboard the M. MARTIN.

The above painting shows President Lincoln aboard steamboat RIVER QUEEN confering with his Commanders. During the war M. MARTIN was lashed to RIVER QUEEN to protect the President on February 3, 1865 at the Hampton Roads Conference which was an unsuccessful attempt to end the Civil War.

At the close of the war the steamboat was brought north to New York where she serviced the Newburgh and Albany route, running in line with the swift steamer EAGLE. These boats ran together until August 2, 1884 when EAGLE caught fire and was replaced by the new JACOB H. TREMPER.

In 1899 the MARTIN was sold to the Central Hudson Steamboat Company of Newburgh, serving the company for many years. On Thursday morning June 16, 1910, laden with freight and 20 passengers M. MARTIN steamed southbound from Albany to Newburgh and caught fire. She was immediately beached on the east side of the river near Esopus Island where all passengers were taken off in small boats. For ten minutes, on the sky deck, Captain George Hadley fought and distinquished the flames. And with only a scorched pilothouse, the steamboat proceeded on to Newburgh.

After repairs M. MARTIN returned to operate on the Hudson River until the fall of 1918. Two years later in the summer of 1920 she was scrapped -the hull purchased by Patrick Doherty for dock use at Eavesport, a small landing near Malden on the Hudson.

                    M. MARTIN docked at Rondout Creek, Kingston, New York c.1880

The M. MARTIN was considered one of the most handsome boats of her type to appear on the river. A wooden hull vessel, she was 191 feet on the keel with a beam of 28 feet. Her depth of hull was 9 feet with a waterline draft of 6 feet. After viewing several photos from  Herman Boyle's Collection in Kingston,I was now in a position to build the steamboat that was void of any known models made of her.

        Painting of steamboat MILTON MARTIN by American artist James Bard (1815-1897)

My plans for her build began in the fall of 1987 when a surgeon from Albany Medical Center Hospital proposed the model. At that time there was a steamboat frenzy developing with my models and artwork which I pushed throughout the Capital Dustrict through articles and news interviews. It was then that art supporters, businessmen and collectors surfaced to purchase my line of work relative to the steamboat. M. MARTIN would become part of the growing list.

Like prior drawings and blueprints, I studied James Bard' painting and paired it with Mr. Boyle's photos to get the right configuartions. A third party, curator Roderic H. Blackburn from the Albany Institute of History and Art also provided materials which assisted the research. And within the course of two weeks, a set of detailed plans came into vogue on this famous steamboat.

        M. MARTIN in the early stages of construction on the table of maritime artist and

       craftsman Rex Stewart.

                                      Port Stern View of M. MARTIN's work-in-progress

The overall time to complete the project had been a month and two weeks.  Because of the many alterations these vessels encountered during their service, I had to explore a period which best presented this particular steamer. Her early appearance was rather scanty in what photos I researched; but after studying those which shown her on the Hudson in her latter years, I concluded that her 1880 appearance was first-rate for the build. Below she's shown as she was viewed by the general public at that time.

          Hudson River Steamboat M. MARTIN c.1880, Scale 1/8" = 1', Wood, scratchbuilt

                  

                                         A detailed view of M. MARTIN from port stern

For more information about commissioning a fine quality Hudson River or Northeast steamboat model email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137. You may also visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart