ARSENAL TO HOST LECTURE ON THE HENRY CLAY DISASTER

On Monday, July 18, at 5:30 p.m. the Parks & Recreation Library will hold its primary lecture event for the summer. Commissioner Benepe will introduce Kris A. Hansen, author of the new book Death Passage on the Hudson: the Wreck of the Henry Clay (Purple Mountain Press, 2004). Ms. Hansen’s lecture and slideshow will summarize the narrative of her well researched, 163-page monograph.

In an age of jet planes and Interstates, it’s hard to remember that, in 1852, the best way to get from place to place was to take a steamboat. The waters of the Hudson were once filled with ferries going to Brooklyn, New Jersey, and all the way up the Hudson. Like present-day airlines, steamboat companies tried to lure customers by advertising quick travel (about 20 miles per hour was the max) and lush accommodations. The steamboat Henry Clay had lounges, deck chairs, and a bar. Although the Hudson River Railroad would provide faster service from Albany to New York, many of the well to do chose to take the older, more comfortable steamboats, especially when traveling with their whole family.

Wednesday, July 28, 1852, as the title of the second chapter explains, was just "an ordinary day." The Armenia, which belonged to a different company, was the Henry Clay’s competition that day, and coincidentally built by the same shipyard. For the first half of the trip, the Armenia steamed ahead of the Clay. The race to see whose ship would get to New York first provided all too much entertainment to the crew, who otherwise remained uninterested in their normally repetitive jobs. Gentlemen took bets on which boat would make the better time. The Henry Clay’s crew decided to make up time by skipping the landing at Bristol. This was commonplace; and while it annoyed the passed-over passengers, it delighted the betting gentlemen and crewmen on board. Hansen’s book quotes an observer who noted "many drinks were taken at the bar, congratulatory of the success of the Henry Clay, by the hands on board."

In the following leg of the trip, to Trivoli, the Armenia rode the more favorable channel and arrived first at the port. The helmsman of the Clay cut in front of the Armenia to try to beat it at the last minute. What happened next was either a result of his miscalculation or his intentional scheme to collide with the other ship. Whatever the case, the two boats crashed together, but were seemingly unharmed. They each continued down the river, picking up their high-society passengers.

Andrew Jackson Downing was among those who boarded at Newburgh. Downing was a publisher and landscape architect who developed the idea for Central Park with William Cullen Bryant. He stands as a key figure in the history of New York City’s parks. In 1850, he traveled to England, with the primary goal of finding a gifted architect to come work for his landscape design firm. He found the 26 year-old Calvert Vaux. Later that year, taken with a book written by Frederick Law Olmsted, Downing invited both to a party on his estate, causing the duo to meet for the first time.

Shortly after Downing got onboard the Henry Clay, hot embers from the smokestack showered down on the wooden deck of the boat. Within minutes, fire consumed the center of the boat. The deck was impassable and families were split on opposite sides. Families struggled to find each other in the confusion and the thick smoke. The crew ran the boat aground, but the rear section was in deep water. People jumped off into the choppy river and drowned. Downing took steps to ensure his family’s safety, but lost his own life as a consequence.

In total, 81 died as a result of the Henry Clay disaster, and many of those passengers represented the "who’s who" of nineteenth century society. Naturally, the disaster led to massive inquiry. Ms. Hansen will discuss both components of the story in her lecture and then field questions from the audience. Afterwards, an oil painting of the disaster—on permanent loan to Parks from the Metropolitan Museum—will be on display, and refreshments will be served.

The event is open to all, but reservations are requested by calling (212) 360-1324 or emailing RSVP@parks.nyc.gov.

-written by John Mattera

 

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"You great star, what would your happiness be had you not those for whom you shine?"

Friedrich Nietzsche
(1844-1900)

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