''Elbridge T. Gerry'' was a 19th-century

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern en ...

pilot boat A pilot boat is a type of boat used to transport maritime pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting. Pilot boats were once sailing boats that had to be fast because the first pilot to reach the incoming ship ...

built in 1888 at the Robinson & Waterhouse

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

City Island, Bronx City Island is a neighborhood in the northeastern Bronx in New York City, located on an island of the same name approximately long by wide. City Island is located at the extreme western end of Long Island Sound, south of Pelham Bay and east o ...

. She was named in honor of

Elbridge Thomas Gerry Elbridge Thomas Gerry (December 25, 1837 – February 18, 1927), usually called "Commodore" Gerry due to the office he held with the New York Yacht Club from 1886 to 1892, was an American lawyer and reformer who was the grandson of U.S. Vice P ...

, a commodore of the

New York Yacht Club The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...

. She served as a pilot boat from 1888 to 1896, when she was sold for offshore yachting cruises. Her name was changed to ''Kwasind,'' after the

strongman In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength. More recently, strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, have grown in popularity. Thes ...

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...

's ''Song of Hiawatha''.

Construction and service

''Elbridge T. Gerry'' was launched on August 24, 1888, from the shipyard of Robinson & Waterhouse,

. The launch was witnessed many invited quests. She was owned by pilots Captain B. J. Guiness, Hiram Treat, John Reardon, Edward Earl, Charles Foster and William Hurrall. She was christened by Amelia Guinness, the captain’s daughter. She was named in honor of

, a commodore of the

. The ''Gerry'' became a pilot boat of the

pilot fleet. She took the place of the pilot boat Ezra Nye, which on March 12, 1888, drifted and went ashore near the southern end of the Manhattan Beach Railroad pier in the

Great Blizzard of 1888 The Great Blizzard of 1888, also known as the Great Blizzard of '88 or the Great White Hurricane (March 11–14, 1888), was one of the most severe recorded blizzards in American history. The storm paralyzed the East Coast from the Chesapeake Ba ...

. Her dimensions were 80 ft. in length; 21.8 ft. breadth of beam and carried 25-tons of ballast and 62-tons. Her foremast was 70-ft and her mainmast 71-ft high. She cost $13,000. On October 15, 1893, the pilot boat ''Elbridge T. Gerry,'' dragged her anchors and started to drift ashore off

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

. She was rescued by a tugboat and brought into port. On January 27, 1894, the pilot boats '' Thomas D. Harrison,'' No. 3, and ''Elbridge T. Gerry,'' No. 2, were in a race to see who could reach the steamship ''Caracas'' first, which was fifteen miles off

. Pilot Cooper came to the ''Caracas'' first and climbed aboard to bring the steamship into port. The ''Elbridge T. Gerry'' was listed as one of the eight New Jersey Sandy Hook pilot boats in 1891 before the age of

steamboats A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

, which reduced the number of

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

pilot schooners.

End of service

On December 13, 1896, the 60-ton New York pilot boat ''Elbridge T. Gerry'' was purchased by Edgar Harding of Boston and went to Lawley's shipyard in Boston to be fitted for offshore yachting cruises. On Jan 31, 1897, the New York pilot boat ''Elbridge T. Gerry'' changed her name to ''Kwasind,'' after the

's ''Song of Hiawatha''. Captain William K. Nickerson of

Provincetown, Massachusetts Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States Census, Provincet ...

, was in command of the schooner-yacht in preparation for a

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

cruise and then to

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

. On April 16, 1901, Captain Frederick T. Horton and Captain Charles W. Henderson of the schooner ''Kwasind,'' sailed past

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

down to

Fernando de Noronha Fernando de Noronha () is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, and located off the Brazilian coast. It consists of 21 islands and islets, extending over an area of . Only the eponymous main island is inha ...

, off the Brazilian coast. They were on a treasure hunt for gold but did not find the gold treasure that was supposed to be on the island.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Favorite Schooners Pilot boats Schooners of the United States Individual sailing vessels Ships built in City Island, Bronx 1888 ships

Construction and service

End of service

See also

References