Norwalk After Two Hundred & Fifty Years

"Capt. Richard Raymond, of Saybrook, heads the roll of Norwalk navigators. He ran a coasting vessel (transiently) in and out of Norwalk harbor in the seven- teenth century, his "pier" being in all probability near Fort Point. Old wharf remains have there been dis- covered. Capt. Josiah Thatcher, of Yarmouth, Mass., succeeded Capt. Raymond. Both these captains were evidently experienced sailors. Thatcher appeared in Norwalk early in the eighteenth century. His hill home (rear of present street railway depot, Wall and Knight streets) commanded on that day the Norwalk river, or, more properly, creek, and he was a prominent progenitor. Capt. James Hurlbut, a ship-builder of Saugatuck, is anciently mentioned, and in 1750 the name of Commo- dore John Cannon appeared. The keels of Cannon's vessels ploughed to West India waters. Nathan Mal- lory was a Norwalk captain in 1757 and remained in ser- vice until 1800. Capt. David Whitney was a Norwalk mariner in about 1775, who did good service in the Revolutionary war. 244 About 1770 the Polly made regular trips from Nor- walk to and from the Southern Islands. Capt. Squire piloted his hark hither from Barbadoes. On one trip in the spring of 1773 thirteen horses and eleven oxen were transported from Norwalk to the West Indies. The horses realizing for their owners about one hundred and fifty dollars each and the oxen one hundred and fifty dol- lars per pair. Gov. Roberts, of Antigua, laid in, in 1773, Norwalk pork, hams and beans, and John Fane, of the same place, Norwalk corn and oats, and "Widow Hews" had 10,000 shingles. All these articles, with staves, flour, butter and earthern-ware, were exported to the West Indies and sugar, molasses and liquor from thence im- ported. A little before the battle of Lexington was fought the Polly, on one of its trips, brought as part of its cargo, nearly 2,000 gallons of molasses and nearly 4,000 pounds of sugar. Later than 1770, Esaias Bouton owned a vessel that plied between Norwalk and Boston, and Isaac Wicks, of this town, was commissioned to cruise in the Sound. A ferry to Long Island was anon estab- lished by the Raymonds, and afterwards run by Ebenezer Phillips, at the close of the eighteenth century. Capt. Joseph Warren and his son, Capt. Samuel B. Warren, and later still Capt. Isaac Scudder and Capt. Daniel James, followed the marine profession. The Warrens alluded to employed at least two sailing vessels in the Norwalk and New York transportation service, viz., the Griffin and the Republican, which made regular trips — their city berth being adjacent to Catherine and James slips. Some few years later — 181 2- 181 5 — the Long Island Sound commerce was almost annihilated by the British Commodore Hardy and the "Liverpool Packet." Sad work was made with Connecticut sloops and schooners. The North Shore sailors, however, notably Capt. Daniel Merritt (ancestor of the 1896 Merritts) sometimes eluded the enemy and made their way through the East River to the city front. From 181 5 to the be- ginning of local steam navigation in 1824 there were several Norwalk coasting proprietors. Uriah Selleck was one of these. Eben D. Hoyt was a shipmaster at that time. In the summer of 1814 he built, on Uriah Sel- leck's dock, the sloop Teaser. Afterwards the firm name was E. D. Hoyt & Son, the line consisting of the Amon, Capt. Jedediah Brown; the Mechanic, Capt. Samuel Daskam and Allen Brothwell ; the Citizen, Capt. Samuel Pennoyer and Sherman T. Morehouse, and the 245 Sabina, Capt. Fraser Hoyt. These vessels made two weekly trips to New York. Noah Selleck, having bought out the Hoyts, sailed from the Hoyt dock clear to the bridge. His line in- cluded the sloops Mary Ann Selleck, Domestic and Sur- plus, as an extra. At the same time Willis J. Merritt built and ran the sloop Mary Willis upon the New York and Norwalk route. Noah Selleck associated his brother Isaac, and the two were later succeeded by the iatter's son, Capt. Isaac Selleck, Jr. Chas. T. Leonard then became temporary proprietor, and finally Capt. Isaac Demmon controlled the line. This was the end of the Norwalk packet history — which end was tragic. The last vessel of the regular line, the Domestic, was burned to the water's edge off Shippan Point, and her commander, Capt. Demmon, died on West avenue, Nor- walk. Mr. Selleck's history (from which the foregoing is quoted), adds that the passage by sail to the metropolis was sometimes accomplished in twenty-four hours, al- though there are Norwalk residents still living who have "run" the trip in twelve hours. The following is a copy of an advertisement in The Norwalk Gazette of Nov. 4, 1818: NORWALK PACKET. The New Superior Fast Sailing Sloop Packet. Master, Samuel Daskam, is intended solely for the accommodation of Passengers, having three elegant and Spacious Cabins, with 42 Berths. The Proprietors assure their friends and the public that no exertions will be spared for the accommodation of Passengers. The Bar will be well furnished with the best of Liquors, Wine, Porter, etc. The Sloop leaves Norwalk Wednesdays and Satur- days, and New York on Mondays and Thursdays. Capt William H. Ferris was one of the early navi- gators of Norwalk. He was one of the owners of the sloop Orange, in 1833, and after various experiences of the sweet and bitter sort he sold out and bought an in- terest in one of Hoyt & Co.'s vessels plying as a market boat between New York and Stamford. In one year he made forty-four round trips between these ports^ which 248 was accounted as rare good luck. In 1845 ne built the schooner Josephine, and sailed her between Albany and Baltimore* for twelve years. He had a narrow escape from death in 1838. He was in a vessel off the Battery in New York harbor. In throwing over an anchor the stock caught in a heavy lion skin which Capt. Ferris wore. The anchor was so heavy it dragged him over- board. He had a knife and tried to cut himself loose, but failed, and then, at the bottom of the harbor, he actually unbuttoned and removed his coat. He soon reached the surface, after having been given up as lost by his crew. He lived to a green old age and died in Nor walk only a few vears ago. Again we quote from Selleck's "Norwalk," as fol- lows: "The sail to the metropolis was an event in those days. At first the greater part of the hull was berthed off, as the passenger lists ran at times to fifty, but as the Selleck and Merritt era neared more space was needed for freight. Market Day was a busy one at the bridge and there was a stir when the wagoners arrived. Jarnes Wilkes drove from New Fairfield, Nathan Benedict from Ridgebury, John Knowles from New Milford, Benedict Dunning from Brookfield, Hull from Danbury, Myron Dykman from Redding, Samuel Seymour from North Wilton, Russell Mead from Ridgefield, and Nathaniel Close from North Salem. The cabin, divided into two parts by sliding doors, was appropriated to the captain and passengers. There were no 'state rooms,' but curtain berths on the Orion 'five lengths' lined on both sides of both cabins. In a Hudson river cabin Alexander Ham- ilton, in 1787, penned the opening chapters of the 'Fed- eralist' (undoubtedly the most profound treatise on government ever written). No Norwalk sloop cabin, it is said, was ever thus distinguished. Nevertheless, it may be well believed that the time therein spent by our merchants and professional men of that era was not en- tirely misimproved and our business men of more recent years, such as George Bishop, Charles Isaacs and Thomas Warner, patronized the route, the latter of whom when intending to make the trip was wont after bank hours to go to the dock and interrogate the captain as to 'the prospect.' If the reply came 'fair weather and fine wind,' the cashier was sure to be aboard at the hour of sailing and almost as certain to find himself at James Slip in the morning. Upon the down passage the boat 247 was considered well under way when Sheffield Island was cleared, between which and Sand's Point lay the long Sound stretch, the route leading from thence through the lower sound, East River, the 'Gate' and East and West channels (Blackwell's Island), and around the Hook to the finish. Capt. Jacob Nash, born in Ridge- field in 1772, but a resident later of Norwalk, was a mas- ter mariner, and so was his son, Capt. Daniel K. Nash. I he latter and his neighbor, Capt. William H. Ferris, are well remembered.