legends Greater Astoria Historial Society 35-20 Broadway, 4th Floor | L.I.C., NY 11106 718.278.0700 | www.astorialic.org Gallery Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 2-5 PM Saturdays 12-5 PM Exhibits ~ Lectures ~ Documentaries ~ Books Walking Tours ~ Historical Research Unique & Creative Content For more information visit us on the web at www.astorialic.org This image adapted from an invitation to the Long Island City Athletics 33rd Annual Masque Ball, 1909. Admiral of the City Fleet Capitan Will Hamilton, of 76th Street in Elmhurst, known in the harbor as “Admiral of the City Fleet,” got his start on the 34th Street run. Although when he was interviewed in 1925 while captain of the “Macon” on the Staten Island Ferry, he still missed his East River run. “I left with regret for I spent the better part of my life on that boat.” “Crowds that went to the racetrack and the German picnic parties heralded the opening of the ‘Beer Season,’” he said. “I used to carry about 40,000 racetrack followers in a day, about 10,000 in one hour - in addition to the regular crowd! That group was good natured and orderly. Every prize fighter was above board. I knew them all by sight. They were herded on like cattle but there never was rowdiness. “Everyone who became captain had to work his way from deckhand. I became a deckhand when the auto came into vogue. There was a law that they could not go on or off on their own power. Most of the cars were pushed off the boat by deckhands who made a little extra change. One day a wealthy man gave me all the change in his pocket. I counted it later. It was $2.60 in coins! Another source of revenue for deckhands was stowing coaches on the ferry boats. We used to get all the funeral processions that went to Calvary Cemetery and by watching the deck closely we were able to make room for an extra coach after the boat was loaded. I used to collect fifty cents for that effort. “The 34th Street Ferry was responsible for giving Mayor Gleason of Long Island City his nom de guerre, ‘Battle Axe’ that he used in his campaign for elections. ‘Paddy’ Gleason deducted that the railroad people discriminated LEGENDS OF LIC BY GREATER ASTORIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY LEGENDS OF LIC against outside teamsters by allowing express wagons to take possession of the front of the line enabling them to get on the boats first. The railroad had set up poles in front of the ferry to keep the express wagons in line and to block the outside wagons from getting aboard. One morning, Gleason came to the ferry with a force of men with axes and cut the poles down. I saw this myself. There was also a goodly number in a crowd of spectators who were quite delighted with the proceedings and cheered Gleason on. “He was a clever politician, uneducated but in his own way, got the votes. Cutting down those poles was one of his ways of keeping himself before the public as the defender o f the people’s rights. His valet, a fellow named ‘Scotty,’ either in remorse of Gleason’s death or from too much liquor, jumped off the boat one night. Reginald Brooks of the Meadowbrook Hunt Club, a millionaire, jumped overboard to save him. Got a Congressional medal I recall. “I used to have a nodding acquaintance with every millionaire that came to Long Island, including the Belmonts, Whitneys and the Mackays. There used to be six boats to 34th Street, two to James Slip and three fast steamers that were special and conveyed the bankers to Wall Street. The bankers did not want to mix with the common herd that traveled to James Slip. Those 20 mph boats were practically yachts. They were scheduled to arrive at the terminal to meet trains that came from the millionaire colony.” Next: Now a part of history 32 MAY 2013 I LIC COURIER I www.queenscourier.com
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