Metropolitan Steamship Company
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Steamship Company was for 75 years one of the chief transportation links between New York City
and Boston, Massachusetts. It was closely associated with the Whitney family
until its acquisition by Charles W. Morse
in 1906. Even after being merged into Eastern Steamship Lines, it was maintained as a distinct service, the Metropolitan Line, until 1941.
in 1866 to operate steamships on the "outside route" between Boston and New York City around Cape Cod
. The company was organized in February 1866 by Peter Butler, James B. Taft, Thomas Clyde, Brigadier General James Scollay Whitney
, and Whitney's elder son, Henry Melville Whitney
. One of the objectives of the investors was to place in remunerative service vessels they owned which were presently idle. James S. Whitney, who had been collector of customs for the Port of Boston in 1860-61, was elected president; Henry M. Whitney was named agent at Boston. Other members of the family eventually became financially interested in the company, including Whitney's younger son, William Collins Whitney, and his sons-in-law, Henry F. Dimock
and Charles T. Barney
.
Service was inaugurated in 1866 by Captain George L. Norton with the steamer Ashland, a wooden propeller of 843 gross tons, built in 1853 at Philadelphia and owned by Thomas Clyde. The Ashland was soon followed into service by the Jersey Blue, City of Bath, Mary Sanford, Salvor, Relief, Miami, Monticello and Fairbanks. Oldest of these was the Jersey Blue, a 368-ton, 133-foot wooden propeller built in 1850 at Newark, New Jersey
. All were propellers except the Miami, a sidewheeler built in 1861-62 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard as the gunboat USS Miami and sold for mercantile use in 1865. The line's New York offices were at first located at the foot of Catherine Street, East River, but soon moved to Pier 10, North River, where they remained for nearly half a century.
In December 1866 the wooden propellers Nereus, Glaucus and Neptune were purchased from the failed Merchants' Steamship Company. Built in 1864, each was a vessel of 1,800 tons and measured 228 feet in length with a beam of 40 feet. Their hulls had to be strengthened, as they had been built for the more protected waters of Long Island Sound
, not the open seas beyond Point Judith. Simple expansion steam engines gave a speed of 13 knots.
. A vessel of 1,848 tons, she measured 227 feet in length with a beam of 40 feet, and was propelled by two-cylinder compound engines. All of the company's iron steamers were designed by Herman Winter, the line's chief engineer from 1872 to 1891.
Upon the death of James Whitney on October 24, 1878, Henry Whitney was elected his successor as president of the steamship line. In addition, he retained the office of agent at Boston.
In 1884 the 2,625-toon iron propeller H.F. Dimock was built by William Cramp and Sons
at Philadelphia and named for the line's New York agent. A similar 2,625-ton, 274-foot iron propeller, the Herman Winter, was built by Cramps in 1887. Both had two-cylinder compound engines. With the construction of the 2,706-ton, 288-foot H.M. Whitney, powered by triple expansion engines at the Cramp shipyard in 1890, the line possessed four modern iron propellers - the General Whitney, H.F. Dimock, Herman Winter and H.M. Whitney, and the older wooden propellers Glaucus and Neptune (the Nereus having been lost while a barge).
for Massachusetts
and the United States Supreme Court ruled against him.
The H.M. Whitney was involved in a serious accident while still in harbor on September 28, 1892. While bound from Boston to New York, at 7 p.m. the H.M. Whitney was run down and sunk in Boston harbor by the transatlantic steamer Ottoman of the Warren Line, bound from Liverpool
to Boston. No lives were lost, and the H.M. Whitney was refloated and reconditioned for further service
In 1893 the firm of Flint & Company purchased the steamer El Cid of the Morgan Line and outfitted her as an auxiliary cruiser named Nichtheroy(sold to United States Navy and renamed as USS Buffalo (1892)
) for service in the Brazilian Civil War of 1893-94. At one point it was reported that Flint & Company wished to purchase the H.F. Dimock or Herman Winter from Metropolitan, but nothing came of it.
The Glaucus and Neptune were withdrawn from service in 1893 and laid up at Brooklyn, New York, where they remained until July 1906, when they were finally towed to Boston for breaking up.
In 1898 the General Whitney was chartered by the Morgan Line for service between New Orleans and New york. While carrying copper ingots and barrel molasses she sprang a leak and sank off St. Augustine, Florida
, on April 23, 1899. Lifeboats were launched, but as they came ashore in the surf one capsized, drowning Captain Hawthrone and 16 men.
When the Joy Steamship Company
established its New York City-Providence, Rhode Island
service in 1899, the company also instituted freight-only service between New York and Boston. The Joy Line was acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
in 1906, ending its freight service to Boston.
On January 23, 1900, the Herman Winter was bound from New York to Boston when she collided with the freighter Ardendhu of the Munson Line off Robinson's Hole, Vineyard Sound. The Ardendhu sank with the loss of two crew members, but the Herman Winter brought 29 survivors into Vineyard Haven.
In 1900 the 2,707-ton, 278-foot steamer James S. Whitney was built to replace the lost General Whitney. Built by Harlan & Hollingsworth at Wilmington, this modern steel propeller was powered by triple expansion engines.
The annual passenger season for the line was from May to November. In 1903 the line's steamers left India Wharf
, Boston, for New York daily at 4 p.m. The evening sailing in the opposite direction from New York was from Pier 14, North River.
of the Eastern Steamship Company. Whitney later said this was the worst mistake he ever made. Morse organized the Consolidated Steamship Company in January 1907 as a holding company for Metropolitan as well as Eastern Steamship Company, Clyde Steamship Company and Mallory Steamship Company. Despite an initial announcement of such a sale, Morse failed in his attempt to purchase the Long Island Sound
fleet of the New York, New Haven and Hartford. He did, however, acquire control of the New York and Cuba Mail Steamship Company and the New York and Porto Rico Steamship Company in 1907.
In 1906-07 the steamers Harvard
and were built by the Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding & Engine Works (the operator of the old John Roach
shipyard) at Chester, Pennsylvania
, for a Metropolitan subsidiary, the Metropolitan Steamship Company of New Jersey. Each of the 3,731-ton steel propellers measured 407 feet in length with a beam of 61 feet, and had accommodations for 987 overnight passengers. Amongst the first American ships to be fitted with steam turbines, the two ships had a maximum speed of 24 knots and upon entering service were the fastest American-flagged vessels afloat.
Owing to the highly leveraged nature of his financing, the Morse business empire crashed in the Panic of 1907
. The Metropolitan Steamship Company went into receivership in February 1908.
The H.M. Whitney was outbound from New York to Boston with passengers and freight when a failure of her steering gear caused her to run aground in the Hell Gate channel of the East River on the afternoon of May 23, 1908. After floating off on a rising tide, she anchored in mid-channel, where her lights were concealed by a heavy fog that lay over the river and Long Island Sound all that evening and night. Fortunately, damage was minor, and she was able to proceed when the fog cleared.
During 1907 three modern steamers, the Massachusetts, Bunker Hill and Old Colony, had been built by Cramps at Philadelphia as package freighters for the Maine Steamship Company, a New Haven subsidiary. Each of the 4,029-ton steel propellers measured 395 feet in length with a beam of 52 feet three inches. The Massachusetts and Bunker Hill were propelled by steam turbines while the Old Colony had reciprocating engines. They were running between New York, Boston and Portland on what was called the Boston Merchants' Line when Charles Sanger Mellen
of the New Haven sold a controlling interest in the trio to Morse in 1908.
In the meantime, Morse had been indicted for his role in precipitating the Panic of 1907. He was sentenced to federal prison in November 1908 for violation of federal banking laws but remained free on appeal until January 1910.
The Horatio Hall sank at the edge of the channel. Most of her crew left in lifeboats and were picked up by the H.F. Dimock, but Captain W. Frank Jewell, the pilot, first mate, and two seamen remained in the pilot house, which remained a few feet above water. (They were picked up later.) The H.F. Dimock left the scene at 11:15 a.m. and sailed slowly toward Orleans Life-Saving Station, where she was beached. The passengers and crew were removed by the lifesavers under Captain James H. Charles. Moderately damaged, the H.F. Dimock was later hauled off the beach and towed to shipyard for repairs.
On October 8, 1909, Metropolitan's assets were sold at foreclosure sale to John W. McKinnon of Chicago. The company was reincorporated in Maine on October 11, 1909, with Morse as president, McKinnon as vice president, Charles L. Andrews as secretary and Campbell Carrington as treasurer.
The James S. Whitney was outbound from New York to Boston when she ran aground in Hell Gate channel at 5:40 p.m. on December 18, 1909. Captain J.W. Crowell found it necessary to give way for a passing Fall River Line package freighter, and while doing so was forced aground by the ebbing tide. It was necessary to lighter part of her cargo before she could be pulled off by tugs. No passengers were on board at the time.
Early on July 15, 1910, the James S. Whitney was again in trouble while bound from New York to Boston with a cargo of wool, cotton and oil. She passed Point Judith at 5:30 a.m. and caught fire about half an hour later. In an attempt to reach Vineyard Haven she ran onto the western end of Middle Ground Shoals in Vineyard Sound at 8 a.m. The steamer backed off the shoal at 11:45 a.m. and, accompanied by the revenue cutter Acushnet, safely reached Vineyard Haven. Contained in one section of the cargo hold, the fire continued to smolder for a couple days but was finally extinguished.
On the afternoon of the next day, July 16, 1910, fire destroyed Piers 14 and 15 on the North River in New York City. The H.F. Dimock of the Metropolitan Steamship Company and the Altemaha of the Brunswick Line were able to leave their berths with some damage, but two sailors from the H.F. Dimock panicked and were drowned. The Harvard suffered only some blistered paint and was able to sail on her evening departure for Boston from Pier 9.
Later in 1910 the Harvard and Yale were leased for $360,000 a year to the Pacific Navigation Company for service between San Francisco and Los Angeles
. After a voyage by way of the Strait of Magellan
to California
, they entered service in December 1910. Sailings were extended to San Diego in 1911. Leased by H.F. Alexander's Admiral Line for service on the same route in 1916, they saw war service in 1918 as military ferries on the English Channel
, a locale for which they were well suited. Later, they were operated on their old California coastwise route by the Los Angeles Steamship Company
.
, for the Maine Steamship Company. In 1911 the Metropolitan Steamship Company and Maine Steamship Company were consolidated with the Eastern Steamship Company to form the Eastern Steamship Corporation. The Massachusetts and Bunker Hill were sent to the Cramp yard in 1912 for the addition of passenger accommodations and conversion to oil fuel. Their sister, the Old Colony, remained coal-fired.
The line went into receivership in 1914, but emerged in 1917 as Eastern Steamship Lines. The company's Boston-New York service, the Metropolitan Line, began using the Cape Cod Canal
in 1916. During World War I
the James S. Whitney and H.M. Whitney were sold to foreign interests, reportedly for $400,000 each, for ocean service. The H.F. Dimock and Herman Winter were also sold during this period and placed in the banana trade between Mobile, Alabama
, and Bocas del Toro
, Panama
.
After the United States' entry into World War I
, the Massachusetts and Bunker Hill were purchased by the United States Navy
in 1917 and converted into minelayers as the (later AK-44) and USS Shawmut (CM-4) (later ).
Eastern assigned the steamers Camden, Belfast and North Land to the Metropolitan Line from 1918 to 1925. In 1924 the steamers Boston and New York were built for the service; they were joined at peak periods by the North Land. Sailings on the Metropolitan Line had always been summer-only, but Eastern assigned the steamers George Washington and Robert E. Lee to the route in the off season from 1927 to 1932. When the steamers Saint John and Acadia were built in 1932, Saint John was assigned to the Boston-Saint John, New Brunswick
route in the summer, with the Acadia on a new route between New York and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
. In the off season both were assigned to the Metropolitan Line.
Service on Eastern's various routes was gradually reduced in the 1930s. The steamer New York left Manhattan on the last sailing of the Metropolitan Line on November 29, 1941.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Boston, Massachusetts. It was closely associated with the Whitney family
Whitney family
The Whitney family is an American family notable for their social prominence, wealth, business enterprises and philanthropy, founded by John Whitney who came from London, England to Watertown, Massachusetts in 1635.-Rise to prominence:...
until its acquisition by Charles W. Morse
Charles W. Morse
Charles Wyman Morse was a notorious businessman and speculator on Wall Street in the early 20th century.-Early life:...
in 1906. Even after being merged into Eastern Steamship Lines, it was maintained as a distinct service, the Metropolitan Line, until 1941.
Early history
The Metropolitan Steamship Company was established by Boston business interests soon after the end of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in 1866 to operate steamships on the "outside route" between Boston and New York City around Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. The company was organized in February 1866 by Peter Butler, James B. Taft, Thomas Clyde, Brigadier General James Scollay Whitney
James Scollay Whitney
James Scollay Whitney was an American business executive and politician. He was the father of Henry Melville Whitney and William Collins Whitney, founders of the Whitney family business interests....
, and Whitney's elder son, Henry Melville Whitney
Henry Melville Whitney
Henry Melville Whitney was an American industrialist, the founder of the West End Street Railway Company of Boston, Massachusetts, and later the Dominion Coal Company Ltd. and the Dominion Iron and Steel Company Ltd. of Sydney, Nova Scotia...
. One of the objectives of the investors was to place in remunerative service vessels they owned which were presently idle. James S. Whitney, who had been collector of customs for the Port of Boston in 1860-61, was elected president; Henry M. Whitney was named agent at Boston. Other members of the family eventually became financially interested in the company, including Whitney's younger son, William Collins Whitney, and his sons-in-law, Henry F. Dimock
Henry F. Dimock
Henry F. Dimock was a lawyer in New York City who was closely associated with the Whitney family business interests.Dimock was born in South Coventry, Connecticut, the son of Timothy and Laura F. Dimock...
and Charles T. Barney
Charles T. Barney
Charles Tracy Barney was the president of the Knickerbocker Trust Company, the collapse of which shortly before Barney's death sparked the Panic of 1907.-Early life and marriage:...
.
Service was inaugurated in 1866 by Captain George L. Norton with the steamer Ashland, a wooden propeller of 843 gross tons, built in 1853 at Philadelphia and owned by Thomas Clyde. The Ashland was soon followed into service by the Jersey Blue, City of Bath, Mary Sanford, Salvor, Relief, Miami, Monticello and Fairbanks. Oldest of these was the Jersey Blue, a 368-ton, 133-foot wooden propeller built in 1850 at Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. All were propellers except the Miami, a sidewheeler built in 1861-62 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard as the gunboat USS Miami and sold for mercantile use in 1865. The line's New York offices were at first located at the foot of Catherine Street, East River, but soon moved to Pier 10, North River, where they remained for nearly half a century.
In December 1866 the wooden propellers Nereus, Glaucus and Neptune were purchased from the failed Merchants' Steamship Company. Built in 1864, each was a vessel of 1,800 tons and measured 228 feet in length with a beam of 40 feet. Their hulls had to be strengthened, as they had been built for the more protected waters of Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
, not the open seas beyond Point Judith. Simple expansion steam engines gave a speed of 13 knots.
Iron steamships
The line's first iron-hulled propeller, the General Whitney, was built in 1873 by Harlan & Hollingsworth at Wilmington, DelawareWilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
. A vessel of 1,848 tons, she measured 227 feet in length with a beam of 40 feet, and was propelled by two-cylinder compound engines. All of the company's iron steamers were designed by Herman Winter, the line's chief engineer from 1872 to 1891.
Upon the death of James Whitney on October 24, 1878, Henry Whitney was elected his successor as president of the steamship line. In addition, he retained the office of agent at Boston.
In 1884 the 2,625-toon iron propeller H.F. Dimock was built by William Cramp and Sons
William Cramp and Sons
thumb | upright | 1899 advertisement for William Cramp & Sons William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company of Philadelphia was founded in 1825 by William Cramp, and was the preeminent U.S. iron shipbuilder in the 19th century. The American Ship & Commerce Corporation bought the yard in 1919 but closed...
at Philadelphia and named for the line's New York agent. A similar 2,625-ton, 274-foot iron propeller, the Herman Winter, was built by Cramps in 1887. Both had two-cylinder compound engines. With the construction of the 2,706-ton, 288-foot H.M. Whitney, powered by triple expansion engines at the Cramp shipyard in 1890, the line possessed four modern iron propellers - the General Whitney, H.F. Dimock, Herman Winter and H.M. Whitney, and the older wooden propellers Glaucus and Neptune (the Nereus having been lost while a barge).
Into the 20th century
While on her customary route from New York to Boston the steamer H.F. Dimock collided with William K. Vanderbilt's yacht, the Alva, in the Pollock Rip Slue, a narrow channel of Vineyard Sound, on July 24, 1892, sinking the Alva. Captain Henry Morrison of the Alva filed suit against the H.F. Dimock, but both the United States District CourtUnited States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
for Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and the United States Supreme Court ruled against him.
The H.M. Whitney was involved in a serious accident while still in harbor on September 28, 1892. While bound from Boston to New York, at 7 p.m. the H.M. Whitney was run down and sunk in Boston harbor by the transatlantic steamer Ottoman of the Warren Line, bound from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to Boston. No lives were lost, and the H.M. Whitney was refloated and reconditioned for further service
In 1893 the firm of Flint & Company purchased the steamer El Cid of the Morgan Line and outfitted her as an auxiliary cruiser named Nichtheroy(sold to United States Navy and renamed as USS Buffalo (1892)
USS Buffalo (1892)
The second USS Buffalo was an auxiliary cruiser of the United States Navy, and later a destroyer tender.Buffalo was built in 1892 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, in Newport News, Virginia, as El Cid. Six months later she was sold to Brazil and renamed Nichtheroy...
) for service in the Brazilian Civil War of 1893-94. At one point it was reported that Flint & Company wished to purchase the H.F. Dimock or Herman Winter from Metropolitan, but nothing came of it.
The Glaucus and Neptune were withdrawn from service in 1893 and laid up at Brooklyn, New York, where they remained until July 1906, when they were finally towed to Boston for breaking up.
In 1898 the General Whitney was chartered by the Morgan Line for service between New Orleans and New york. While carrying copper ingots and barrel molasses she sprang a leak and sank off St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
, on April 23, 1899. Lifeboats were launched, but as they came ashore in the surf one capsized, drowning Captain Hawthrone and 16 men.
When the Joy Steamship Company
Joy Steamship Company
The Joy Steamship Company was an independent steamship line operating in the Long Island Sound in the early decades of the 20th century. It was named for its owner Allan Joy....
established its New York City-Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
service in 1899, the company also instituted freight-only service between New York and Boston. The Joy Line was acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968 which served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts...
in 1906, ending its freight service to Boston.
On January 23, 1900, the Herman Winter was bound from New York to Boston when she collided with the freighter Ardendhu of the Munson Line off Robinson's Hole, Vineyard Sound. The Ardendhu sank with the loss of two crew members, but the Herman Winter brought 29 survivors into Vineyard Haven.
In 1900 the 2,707-ton, 278-foot steamer James S. Whitney was built to replace the lost General Whitney. Built by Harlan & Hollingsworth at Wilmington, this modern steel propeller was powered by triple expansion engines.
The annual passenger season for the line was from May to November. In 1903 the line's steamers left India Wharf
India Wharf
India Wharf was one of the largest commercial wharves in 19th-century Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by Charles Bulfinch, it was built in 1804 to accommodate international trade...
, Boston, for New York daily at 4 p.m. The evening sailing in the opposite direction from New York was from Pier 14, North River.
Charles W. Morse gains control
Originally chartered in Massachusetts, the Metropolitan Steamship Company was reincorporated in May 1905 in Maine. In 1906 Whitney and his associates sold a controlling interest in the company to Charles W. MorseCharles W. Morse
Charles Wyman Morse was a notorious businessman and speculator on Wall Street in the early 20th century.-Early life:...
of the Eastern Steamship Company. Whitney later said this was the worst mistake he ever made. Morse organized the Consolidated Steamship Company in January 1907 as a holding company for Metropolitan as well as Eastern Steamship Company, Clyde Steamship Company and Mallory Steamship Company. Despite an initial announcement of such a sale, Morse failed in his attempt to purchase the Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
fleet of the New York, New Haven and Hartford. He did, however, acquire control of the New York and Cuba Mail Steamship Company and the New York and Porto Rico Steamship Company in 1907.
In 1906-07 the steamers Harvard
USS Charles (ID-1298)
USS Charles , briefly USS Harvard in 1918 and 1920, was a troop transport that served in the United States Navy from 1918 to 1920.-Construction:...
and were built by the Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding & Engine Works (the operator of the old John Roach
John Roach
John Robert Roach was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis from 1975 to 1995.-Biography:...
shipyard) at Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
, for a Metropolitan subsidiary, the Metropolitan Steamship Company of New Jersey. Each of the 3,731-ton steel propellers measured 407 feet in length with a beam of 61 feet, and had accommodations for 987 overnight passengers. Amongst the first American ships to be fitted with steam turbines, the two ships had a maximum speed of 24 knots and upon entering service were the fastest American-flagged vessels afloat.
Owing to the highly leveraged nature of his financing, the Morse business empire crashed in the Panic of 1907
Panic of 1907
The Panic of 1907, also known as the 1907 Bankers' Panic, was a financial crisis that occurred in the United States when the New York Stock Exchange fell almost 50% from its peak the previous year. Panic occurred, as this was during a time of economic recession, and there were numerous runs on...
. The Metropolitan Steamship Company went into receivership in February 1908.
The H.M. Whitney was outbound from New York to Boston with passengers and freight when a failure of her steering gear caused her to run aground in the Hell Gate channel of the East River on the afternoon of May 23, 1908. After floating off on a rising tide, she anchored in mid-channel, where her lights were concealed by a heavy fog that lay over the river and Long Island Sound all that evening and night. Fortunately, damage was minor, and she was able to proceed when the fog cleared.
During 1907 three modern steamers, the Massachusetts, Bunker Hill and Old Colony, had been built by Cramps at Philadelphia as package freighters for the Maine Steamship Company, a New Haven subsidiary. Each of the 4,029-ton steel propellers measured 395 feet in length with a beam of 52 feet three inches. The Massachusetts and Bunker Hill were propelled by steam turbines while the Old Colony had reciprocating engines. They were running between New York, Boston and Portland on what was called the Boston Merchants' Line when Charles Sanger Mellen
Charles Sanger Mellen
Charles Sanger Mellen was an American railroad man whose career culminated in the presidencies of the Northern Pacific Railway 1897-1903 and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad 1903-1913.- Railroad Man :...
of the New Haven sold a controlling interest in the trio to Morse in 1908.
In the meantime, Morse had been indicted for his role in precipitating the Panic of 1907. He was sentenced to federal prison in November 1908 for violation of federal banking laws but remained free on appeal until January 1910.
Corporate restructuring
On March 10, 1909, the H.F. Dimock, bound from New York to Boston, and the coastwise steamer Horatio Hall of the Maine Steamship Company collided in the eastern Vineyard Sound shortly after 8 a.m. while sailing at half speed in a heavy fog. The accident occurred in Pollock Rip Slue, not far from where the H.F. Dimock had collided with the Alva in 1892. Captain John A. Thompson of the H.F. Dimock brough his vessel alongside the Horatio Hall so that the latter's five passengers could be transferred.The Horatio Hall sank at the edge of the channel. Most of her crew left in lifeboats and were picked up by the H.F. Dimock, but Captain W. Frank Jewell, the pilot, first mate, and two seamen remained in the pilot house, which remained a few feet above water. (They were picked up later.) The H.F. Dimock left the scene at 11:15 a.m. and sailed slowly toward Orleans Life-Saving Station, where she was beached. The passengers and crew were removed by the lifesavers under Captain James H. Charles. Moderately damaged, the H.F. Dimock was later hauled off the beach and towed to shipyard for repairs.
On October 8, 1909, Metropolitan's assets were sold at foreclosure sale to John W. McKinnon of Chicago. The company was reincorporated in Maine on October 11, 1909, with Morse as president, McKinnon as vice president, Charles L. Andrews as secretary and Campbell Carrington as treasurer.
The James S. Whitney was outbound from New York to Boston when she ran aground in Hell Gate channel at 5:40 p.m. on December 18, 1909. Captain J.W. Crowell found it necessary to give way for a passing Fall River Line package freighter, and while doing so was forced aground by the ebbing tide. It was necessary to lighter part of her cargo before she could be pulled off by tugs. No passengers were on board at the time.
Early on July 15, 1910, the James S. Whitney was again in trouble while bound from New York to Boston with a cargo of wool, cotton and oil. She passed Point Judith at 5:30 a.m. and caught fire about half an hour later. In an attempt to reach Vineyard Haven she ran onto the western end of Middle Ground Shoals in Vineyard Sound at 8 a.m. The steamer backed off the shoal at 11:45 a.m. and, accompanied by the revenue cutter Acushnet, safely reached Vineyard Haven. Contained in one section of the cargo hold, the fire continued to smolder for a couple days but was finally extinguished.
On the afternoon of the next day, July 16, 1910, fire destroyed Piers 14 and 15 on the North River in New York City. The H.F. Dimock of the Metropolitan Steamship Company and the Altemaha of the Brunswick Line were able to leave their berths with some damage, but two sailors from the H.F. Dimock panicked and were drowned. The Harvard suffered only some blistered paint and was able to sail on her evening departure for Boston from Pier 9.
Later in 1910 the Harvard and Yale were leased for $360,000 a year to the Pacific Navigation Company for service between San Francisco and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. After a voyage by way of the Strait of Magellan
Strait of Magellan
The Strait of Magellan comprises a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland South America and north of Tierra del Fuego...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, they entered service in December 1910. Sailings were extended to San Diego in 1911. Leased by H.F. Alexander's Admiral Line for service on the same route in 1916, they saw war service in 1918 as military ferries on the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, a locale for which they were well suited. Later, they were operated on their old California coastwise route by the Los Angeles Steamship Company
Los Angeles Steamship Company
The Los Angeles Steamship Company or LASSCO was a passenger and freight shipping company based in Los Angeles, California. The company, formed in 1920, initially provided fast passenger service between Los Angeles and San Francisco...
.
Metropolitan Line
For the 1911 season the Massachusetts, Bunker Hill and Old Colony sailed between New York, Boston and Portland, MainePortland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, for the Maine Steamship Company. In 1911 the Metropolitan Steamship Company and Maine Steamship Company were consolidated with the Eastern Steamship Company to form the Eastern Steamship Corporation. The Massachusetts and Bunker Hill were sent to the Cramp yard in 1912 for the addition of passenger accommodations and conversion to oil fuel. Their sister, the Old Colony, remained coal-fired.
The line went into receivership in 1914, but emerged in 1917 as Eastern Steamship Lines. The company's Boston-New York service, the Metropolitan Line, began using the Cape Cod Canal
Cape Cod Canal
The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway traversing the narrow neck of land that joins Cape Cod to mainland Massachusetts.Part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the canal is roughly 17.4 miles long and connects Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south...
in 1916. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the James S. Whitney and H.M. Whitney were sold to foreign interests, reportedly for $400,000 each, for ocean service. The H.F. Dimock and Herman Winter were also sold during this period and placed in the banana trade between Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, and Bocas del Toro
Bocas del Toro
-Transportation:Bocas del Toro is accessible by air or boat. Most visitors fly into Bocas del Toro "Isla Colón" International Airport from Costa Rica or Panama City. Ferries connect Almirante and Changuinola to Bocas del Toro. The ferry from travels thru a canal built to serve local banana...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
.
After the United States' entry into World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Massachusetts and Bunker Hill were purchased by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in 1917 and converted into minelayers as the (later AK-44) and USS Shawmut (CM-4) (later ).
Eastern assigned the steamers Camden, Belfast and North Land to the Metropolitan Line from 1918 to 1925. In 1924 the steamers Boston and New York were built for the service; they were joined at peak periods by the North Land. Sailings on the Metropolitan Line had always been summer-only, but Eastern assigned the steamers George Washington and Robert E. Lee to the route in the off season from 1927 to 1932. When the steamers Saint John and Acadia were built in 1932, Saint John was assigned to the Boston-Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
route in the summer, with the Acadia on a new route between New York and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth is a town and fishing port located on the Gulf of Maine in rural southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.- History :The townsite may...
. In the off season both were assigned to the Metropolitan Line.
Service on Eastern's various routes was gradually reduced in the 1930s. The steamer New York left Manhattan on the last sailing of the Metropolitan Line on November 29, 1941.