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Steamboats and Ferries
"Forty miles for 30 cents."
-- Last of the Steamboats: The Saga of the Wilson Line by Richard Elliot, 1970
By the late 1880s, the Wilmington shipyards were doing a brisk trade with both South American steamship lines and operators of the vastly popular excursion liners in the US. Working folks not only took a keen interest in the racing yachts built in Wilmington, but could also enjoy day long cruises on sleek, beautifully appointed steamboats.
J Shields Wilson, a shipyard engineer from Camden, became president of Wilmington Steamboat Company, later known as the Wilson Line, and helped design some of the fastest and most beautiful steamboats on the Delaware River.
Right: The State of Pennsylvania, built for the Wilson Line by Pusey & Jones, was launched on the Christina River in 1923. Her maiden voyage was a moon-light cruise to Riverview Beach for a fare of 50 cents. Designed for maximum deck space, the ship featured a 3000 square-foot ballroom where a live orchestra played dance tunes. Here we see her with thousands of celebrants taking part in the Swedish tercentenary celebration on June 27, 1938.
Below: Brazilians proudly pose with the iron sidewheeler, Apurinan, built by Pusey & Jones for service on the Amazon River in the nineteenth century.
Bottom: The Rio Branco, built by Pusey & Jones for the Alto Amazonas Compannia of Brazil, is shown at anchor on the Christina River in 1870. |