The J. Henry Edmunds was a 19th-century pilot schooner built in 1887 in Brooklyn, New York for Philadelphia pilots. She sank in 1892 and a second Edmunds was built in 1893, which lasted thirty-five years before she sank in bad weather outside Cape Henlopen in 1928. She was the last schooner-rigged pilot boat in the Delaware Bay.
 Pilot schooner J. Henry Edmunds (1893).
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | J. Henry Edmunds |
| Namesake | J. Henry Edmunds, Mayor of Cape May, New Jersey |
| Owner | Philadelphia Pilots |
| Operator |
|
| Builder | C. & R. Poillon |
| Cost |
|
| Launched |
|
| Out of service |
|
| Fate |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | schooner |
| Tonnage | 56-tons |
| Length | 88 ft 0 in (26.82 m)[1] |
| Beam | 22 ft 0 in (6.71 m) |
| Depth | 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) |
| Propulsion | Sail |
Construction and service
editJ. Henry Edmunds was a pilot schooner built in March 1887, at the C. & R. Poillon shipyard in Brooklyn, New York, for a crew of eleven Pennsylvania pilots. She was known as the No. 3 of Philadelphia fleet. The cost of the Edmunds was $13,000.[2]
The J. Henry Edmunds was registered as a pilot Schooner with the ‘’Record of American and Foreign Shipping,’’ from 1888 to 1993. Her ship master was Captain H. Bailey; her owners were Philadelphia pilots; built in 1887 at Brooklyn, New York (C. & R. Poillon); and her hailing port was the Port of Philadelphia. Her dimensions were 76.3 ft. in length; 20.5 ft. breadth of beam; 8.6 ft. depth of hold; and 56-tons Tonnage.[1]
During the Great Blizzard of 1888 the pilot boats J. Henry Edmunds and E. C. Knight were blown out to sea during the storm. Pilots Sam Bailey, M. Hughes, Ellis Eldredge and Albert Bennet.[3]
The pilot boats J. Henry Edmunds and Ebe W. Tunnell and their Cape May pilots, kept to their assigned area at the Five Fathom Bank, which was twenty-five miles east of Cape Henlopen until the Pilots' Association For The Bay & River Delaware was formed in November 28, 1896. This area was ideal for boarding steamers as it was on the direct line from Europe. After the Pilots' Association was formed, many of the Delaware pilot boats were purchased or sold.[4]
When the steamboat Pennsylvania was built in 1896, the Edmunds was used as a auxiliary to her. The Pennsylvania was purchased by the United States Navy on May 23, 1898 from the Philadelphia Pilots' Association, she was replaced by the two remaining pilot boats the J. Henry Edmunds and the Ebe W. Tunnell.[5] In November 1899, the Philadelphia Pilots' Association placed the Edmunds on a railway at the Jackson and Sharp Company for general overhauling and repairs.[6]
Sunk by four-masted schooner
editOn September 27, 1892, the pilot boat J. Henry Edmunds was run down by a four-masted schooner Ralph M. Haywood of New York, twenty-five miles offshore. The Edmunds sank near the Five Fathom Bank lightship and was a total loss. Elis Eldridge and Alfonso Bennett were the only pilots on board at the time of the collision. They and the crew came on board the Haywood and were taken to the pilot boat John G. Whilldin, which took them to Cape May. The pilot boat was valued at $13,000 and owned by the Cape May pilots.[7]
The new J. Henry Edmunds
editA new pilot boat J. Henry Edmunds was built to replace the Edmunds that sank on 1892. She was launched on February 9, 1893, from C. & R. Poillon's shipyard in New York. Her cost was $16,000.[8] The new J. Henry Edmunds was registered as a pilot Schooner with the ‘’Record of American and Foreign Shipping,’’ from 1894 to 1900. Her new ship master was Captain Hughes; her owners were Philadelphia pilots; built in 1893 in Brooklyn, New York (C. & R. Poillon); and her hailing port was the Port of Philadelphia. Her new dimensions were 85 ft. in length; 21.6 ft. breadth of beam; 9 ft. depth of hold; and 69-tons Tonnage.[9] She was powered by a 125-horsepower diesel engine.[10]
End of service
editThe pilot boat J. Henry Edmunds was lost on March 12, 1928, when she was grounded on the shoals of Cape Henlopen, Delaware, in dense fog and bad weather. The nose of the boat rammed into the sand.[11] The Pilots' Association of Philadelphia, turned her over to the underwriters after failed attempts were made to pull her off the beach. She was the last schooner-rigged pilot boat in the Delaware Bay.[10][4]: p60
On March 24, 1928, the Edmunds was sold at public auction by D. W. Burbage to George Shockley of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for $350.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Record of American and Foreign Shipping". Mystic Seaport Museum. New York. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
- ^ "Addition to Pilot Service". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 21 Mar 1897. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
- ^ "The Breakwater Disasters. More Suffering and Loss of Life-Fears for Other Vessels". The Times. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 16 Mar 1888. p. 1. Retrieved 14 Sep 2021.
- ^ a b Cunliffe, Tom (2001). Pilots, The World Of Pilotage Under Sail and Oar. Brooklin, Maine: WoodenBoat. p. 64. ISBN 9780937822692.
- ^ "Pilot Boat Bought. The Philadelphia Is Now the Property of the Government". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 24 Apr 1898. p. 4. Retrieved 14 Sep 2021.
- ^ "Tunnell on the Railway". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. 10 Nov 1899. p. 1. Retrieved 14 Sep 2021.
- ^ "Pilot Boat Sunk. The J. Henry Edmunds is Run Down By a Big Schooner. Her Crew Landed at Cape May". The Morning News. Wilmington, Delaware. 28 Sep 1892. p. 1. Retrieved 14 Sep 2021.
- ^ "Tunnell on the Railway". Camden Daily Telegram. Camden, New Jersey. 10 Feb 1893. p. 1. Retrieved 14 Sep 2021.
- ^ "Record of American and Foreign Shipping". Mystic Seaport Museum. New York. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
- ^ a b "Grounded Pilot Boat Abandoned By Owners". Sunday News. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 18 Mar 1928. p. 2. Retrieved 15 Sep 2021.
- ^ "Dense Fog Drives 2 Ships Aground in Delaware Bay". The Sentinel. Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 14 Mar 1928. p. 2. Retrieved 15 Sep 2021.
- ^ "News Notes From Lewes". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. 24 Mar 1928. p. 2. Retrieved 14 Sep 2021.
