(erielack) Final EL Ferry service

[Jjbchian_@_aol.com]

To all listers:

Ed Montgomery gave a very nice portrayal of the last EL Ferry to cross the 
Hudson. In part, Ed says:


"Departing Barclay Street we were saluted by a New York City Fire boat
with every hose available creating  an enormous spray of water followed
by three toots from it's horn.  ELMIRE responded with three mournful
blast from its deep riverboat-sounding whistle.  It seemed like everyone
on the river knew this was ELMIRA'S last run with every water craft
around saluting with three blasts and ELMIRA responding in kind.
Halfway to Hoboken I was surprised to see LACKAWANNA making an
additional trip.  I was an extra run to pick up the remaining passengers
at Barclay Street.  Inside the upper deck there was a major party going
on with a lot of hard liquor being drunk.  Some of the commuters were
totally ripped singing "Glory, Glory to the ferry, now we gotta ride the
G-D---ed tubes".  Too soon the boat was tying up at Hoboken with
passengers leaving.  The floor was strewn with life jackets.  I picked
one up and took it home:  kind of an EL keepsake with "ARLINGTON"
blanked out and "ELMIRA" stenciled on it.  I really didn't want to
leave, walking around and viewing the cabin for the last time.  WINS was
there recording the thoughts of some who rode the last crossing."

I was on the last crossing along with friends John Snogans and Ken Martin. I 
have just sent to Paul the article about the last trip as reported in the 
Herald News on November 24, 1967. Paul, please post this so everyone can read it. 

As Ed and the article states, the last official trip from Barclay Street to 
Hoboken was packed (Please see photo). Before departing Barclay Street on the 
ELMIRA, I was standing up by the wheel house along with others, and George 
Eastland, EL's PR guy assigned to Hoboken, was trying to get everyone up there to 
go downstairs, which everyone did. As soon as the boat departed, people were 
taking everything. I took one of the life jackets with "ELMIRA" stamped on it, 
and a really nice gold leaf "NO SMOKING" sign, which required a little bit of 
effort to remove with a screw driver. Both are in my basement today. George 
Eastland didn't really mind, as the boats were going to the boneyard.

The end of the Ferry service was a sad day, but the boats were wore out with 
thin hulls. There was no way EL had the money to replace them, and  EL claimed 
that the ferry service was losing money.  

I also remember the band playing and there were A LOT of tipsy passengers. 
Good thing no one fell overboard! 

Kind regards, 

John Boehner   



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