 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
A Chronological Look at Harvey's Lake
The Rosalind, c. 1900
Chapter 5: The Steamboat Era
The earliest steamboat on the Lake was the Wingohocking. George P. Richards of Plymouth purchased it in 1860 from its former owner, John Martin, who used it on the Susquehanna River. In 1865 H.B. Wright purchased it and relaunched it on a New Jersey lake.
The Emma followed in 1876 for use by the Lake House hotel. Other small steamboats followed in later years, most notably the Mistletoe and City Charter, which brought passengers from the railroad station at Alderson over the lake to the Inlet hotels before the trolley reached the Inlet area in the late 1890s.
The age of large steamers began in 1891 when Capt. William Bond's Big Boat (later Shawanese) was launched. In late 1892 the Lake Transit Corporation was formed and the following summer the Rosalind was built at the Lake. The company also purchased Bond's boat. These boats were about 60 feet long and principally carried passengers between the hotels at Inlet (Sunset), the Picnic Grounds and Alderson.
In 1900 the Lake Transit Company's most famous boat, the double-decked Natoma ("Queen of the Waters") was launched. It could carry 350 passengers. In 1902 the Harvey's Lake Steamboat Company was formed and in 1903 it launched the twin steamboats Wilkes-Barre and Kingston, each 70 feet long.
In 1905 the Acoma ("Large Water") was built by the Lake Transit Company. The 75 foot long boat was the last steamboat built for Lake use. In the same year the Rosalind was sold to a Lake Carey operator. It was shipped on the Lehigh Valley Railroad. (It sank at Lake Carey about 1912.) Four years later the Lake Transit Company dismantled the aging Shawanese. In 1909 the Lake Transit Company purchased the Wilkes-Barre and Kingston from the rival Harvey's Lake Steamboat Company. The Emily, a gasoline launch (motor boat), was also added as a taxi-boat to take passengers around the Lake and into shallow landings.
During the winters the steamboats were kept in storage docks near the Outlet. Weekend steamboat service would begin in late April or early May. Daily service generally began during the Memorial Day weekend. In the pre World War I era 100,000 visitors could fill the summer season, particularly with massive church and company picnics sponsored at the Picnic Grounds. The trains and trolleys were full of passengers who jammed the steamboats to reach the amusement park. In addition, cottage owners and renters could flag a steamboat or "jitney launch" as a water taxi to all points around the Lake.
The steamboat era flourished between 1900 and 1920. By the early 1920s the Kingston was often out of service. Typically, the steamboat company, managed by Clarence Shaver, used the Natoma and Acoma, with supplemental service by the Emily, to meet weekenders' travel needs. During the week the Emily sometimes carried children to school. "Cap" George M. Anderson was the colorful captain of the Acoma and a popular figure at the Lake.
With the popularity of the automobile after World War I, Lake roads were increasingly clogged with auto traffic. The steamboats fell into a slow decline as did the trolley line which stopped service between Dallas and the Lake in 1931. The following year the steamboat company was sold, largely for the scrape value of the boats - except for the Natoma. Oscar Ruth, a local jeweler, purchased the Natoma and he ran it from Sandy Beach. But by 1938 the Natoma was the victim of vandalism and high maintenance costs. It was towed to permanent dockage at a spot near the Picnic Grounds and in 1947 it was dismantled.
The Kingston.
The Natoma.