For Immediate Release: September 2, 2005
CANAL CORPORATION ANNOUNCES HISTORIC TUGBOAT URGER TO
PARTICIPATE IN NEW YORK CITY TUG RACES
Vessel’s Trip Helps Illustrate Canal’s Connection to New York Harbor
Carmella R. Mantello, Director of the New York State Canal Corporation, today announced that the flagship of the New York State Canal Corporation, the historic Tug Urger, will participate this Sunday in the annual New York Harbor Tugboat Races. The venerable ship, built in 1901 in Ferrysburg, MI, now serves as a floating classroom and Canal ambassador, hosting hundreds of fourth-grade students each year.
“The Urger is a symbol of the enduring legacy and magic of this nation’s most historic waterway, and we’re pleased to bring a little bit of the Canal to New York Harbor this weekend,” Mantello said. “As DeWitt Clinton’s wedding of the waters illustrated, the waterways of New York are inextricably connected in a way unparalleled anywhere else in the country, and the Urger’s visit demonstrates our continued commitment to strengthening and highlighting this bond.”
Traditionally held at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, the races will instead be held this year off of St. George, Staten Island. Tugboats participating in the event will gather near Pier One on Staten Island between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. At noon, the historic Fireboat John J. Harvey will lead a parade of tugs to the starting line, after which it’s off to the races for tugboats of all shapes and sizes.
The Urger was built by Johnston Brothers Shipyard in 1901 in Ferrysburg, MI as the Henry J. Dornboss for the VerDuin family. One of the finest vessels in the local fishing fleet, she was often used by the U.S. Lifesaving Service (a forerunner to the U.S. Coast Guard) for lake rescues due to her exceptional seaworthiness. In 1922 the Henry J. was acquired by the New York State Department of Public Works for service as a maintenance vessel on the new Barge Canal, and renamed “Urger.” From 1922 until her retirement in1986, she continued to serve as a maintenance vessel. In 1993, the State Council on Waterways began using the Urger to teach school children about and promote the New York State Canal System.
The Urger is a direct-reversing “bell boat.” This means that the engine has no transmission, and has to be stopped and restarted in reverse to stop or back up. The Captain of the vessel has no direct control of the engine, and must sound a series of bells and jingles in the engine room to alert the engineer. Originally steam-powered, the Urger is now powered by a 1936 Atlas Imperial diesel engine, representing first-generation diesel technology.
The New York State Canal System is comprised of four historic waterways, the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524 miles across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes and the Niagara River with communities rich in history and culture.
In late May 2005, Governor Pataki unveiled his vision for establishing the Erie Canal Greenway and, ultimately, the Empire State Greenway, connecting the Niagara, Erie and Hudson River Greenways. The Canal Corporation and an interagency task force are currently conducting an outreach campaign to gather input and ideas, and develop a comprehensive set of recommendations to create the new Erie and Empire State Greenways and examine certain roles and responsibilities currently assigned to the Canal Corporation. The recommendations will be delivered in a report to the Governor by December 2005.
For more information about news and events along the New York State Canal System, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or visit www.canals.state.ny.us.
-30-