Allaire Iron Works

Last updated
Allaire Iron Works
Company typePrivate
Industry Engineering and shipbuilding
Founded1816
Founder James P. Allaire
Defunct1869
Headquarters
New York City
,
United States
Products Marine steam engines, metal castings
Total assets $300,000 (1842/1859)
OwnerJames P. Allaire (1816-1850)
Cornelius Vanderbilt (1850-1869)
Number of employees
1859: 500
1863: 850 [1]

The Allaire Iron Works was a leading 19th-century American marine engineering company based in New York City. Founded in 1816 by engineer and philanthropist James P. Allaire, the Allaire Works was one of the world's first companies dedicated to the construction of marine steam engines, supplying the engines for more than 50% of all the early steamships built in the United States. [2]

Contents

James P. Allaire retired from the company in 1850 when it was taken over by Cornelius Vanderbilt. During Vanderbilt's ownership, the Allaire Iron Works made a significant contribution to the Union cause during the American Civil War. Following the war, the Allaire Works, like many other American marine engineering companies, fell on hard times, and in 1869 it was wound up, whereupon its equipment was purchased by John Roach, who also hired its best employees for his own company, the Morgan Iron Works.

Amongst the many notable achievements of the Allaire Works, it supplied the engine cylinder for the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, Savannah, pioneered the use of the compound engine in steamships, and built the engines for two winners of the coveted Blue Riband. The company also supplied the engines for at least 17 U.S. Navy warships during the American Civil War.

Background

James Peter Allaire founded his first company, a brass foundry, at 466 Cherry Street, New York, in 1804. In 1807, Allaire received an order from steamboat pioneer Robert Fulton for brass fittings for the North River Steamboat , the world's first commercially successful steam-powered vessel. Allaire and Fulton struck up a friendship, and Allaire provided fittings for later vessels built by Fulton. [3]

The Steam packet Chancellor Livingston entering the harbour of Newport Steam packet Chancellor Livingston (entering the harbour of Newport) PY0156.jpg
The Steam packet Chancellor Livingston entering the harbour of Newport

Following Fulton's death in 1815, Allaire leased his plant and equipment from the Fulton and Livingstone families, and entered a partnership with Fulton's chief engineer, Charles Stoudinger. Allaire and Stoudinger built the engine and boiler for the last steamboat contracted for by the Fulton shop, the Chancellor Livingstone, which was completed about a year later. [4]

Stoudinger himself died shortly after completion of Chancellor Livingstone, after which Allaire decided to move Fulton's equipment from its location in New Jersey to his brassworks at Cherry St., New York. With the consolidation of his business at the Cherry St. plant, Allaire renamed it the Allaire Iron Works. [3] [4]

Allaire ownership, 1816-1850

Early period, 1816-1822

Artist's impression of Savannah SS-Savannah.jpg
Artist's impression of Savannah

In 1817, the Allaire Iron Works supplied the engine cylinder for Savannah, the first steamship to make a transatlantic crossing. The cylinder, one of the largest then built, had a diameter of 40 inches, while the piston had a stroke of 5 feet. [5] Savannah was not a commercial success, and following her return voyage from Europe, her engine was removed and sold to Allaire.

In 1819, the Allaire Works supplied the engine for Robert Fulton, the first steamship to enter service along the United States coastline (as opposed to working the inland waterways). This engine had a 44-inch-diameter (110 cm) cylinder and a stroke of 5 feet. Robert Fulton helped to demonstrate that steamships were capable of reliable seagoing service. Other engines built in this period by the Allaire Works include those for United States—a 140-foot steamer said to be the first American steamboat to issue tickets (rather than "way-bills") to passengers [6] —and for James Kent, North Carolina, South Carolina and other Hudson River steamers. [4]

Howell Works

As Allaire's business grew, he found it increasingly difficult to source adequate amounts of quality pig iron from which to manufacture his engines. The best quality pig iron was imported from Britain, but high tariffs made it uneconomic to use. The pig iron industry in the United States was at this time still in its infancy, and producing neither the quality nor quantity of pig iron required. [7]

The only solution was for Allaire to become a manufacturer of pig iron himself. In 1822, in response to a recommendation from a friend, Allaire purchased 7,000 acres (28 km2) of land in Monmouth County, New Jersey, which contained a furnace used for manufacturing pig iron from the natural resource of bog iron. Allaire renamed the furnace the Howell Works, and over the next 20 years used it to source most of his pig iron, during which time Howell Works grew to be a substantial and largely self-sufficient community, complete with its own church, school, company store and farmland. [7]

Pioneering compound engines, 1820s

In 1824, the Allaire Works built the engine for the steamboat Henry Eckford, the first steam vessel in the world fitted with a compound engine. The high-pressure cylinder was 12 inches in diameter and the low-pressure cylinder 24 inches, with both having a stroke of 4 feet. In the same year, the Allaire Works also supplied a compound engine for a 200-ton towboat called Post Boy, [8] and another for a small steamer, Linnaeus. [6]

Other vessels equipped with compound engines from the Allaire Works to 1828 included Sun, Commerce, Swiftsure and Pilot Boy. [4] The Allaire Works built compound engines decades before the advantages of such engines became widely recognized in the shipbuilding industry.

Growth and financial problems, 1830s-1850

A side-lever engine built by the Allaire Iron Works in 1849 for the transatlantic steamer Pacific Side-lever engine 1849.jpg
A side-lever engine built by the Allaire Iron Works in 1849 for the transatlantic steamer Pacific

In the 1830s, the Allaire business empire reached the peak of its expansion. The Howell Works in New Jersey was producing a surplus of pig iron, enabling Allaire to diversify into the manufacture of household goods in addition to his production of marine engines in New York. Ships supplied with Allaire-built engines in this period included Frank, New Haven, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Massachusetts, then the largest ship operating on Long Island Sound, was driven by a pair of beam engines. [9]

Allaire had also accumulated considerable interest in steamships by this time. In 1836, a ship in which Allaire was part-owner, William Gibbons, ran aground and was destroyed. In the same year, the Howell Works furnace blew out and production there temporarily ceased. The following year, the Panic of 1837 plunged America into a severe recession, and later that year, the steamboat Home, wholly owned by Allaire and largely uninsured, sank with the loss of 100 lives, damaging Allaire's reputation and leaving him short of capital. [10]

Allaire had up until this point in his career been able to borrow to meet cash shortfalls, but with the recession affecting demand for his products, he was obliged to look elsewhere for working capital. In 1842, he sold shares in the Allaire Iron Works, which was incorporated for the sum of $300,000. [4] Shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt and Allaire's brother-in-law John Haggerty were thus able to eventually gain a controlling interest in the company. [2]

With the capital infusion from incorporation, the Allaire Iron Works remained productive through the 1840s. In this period, engines were supplied for steamboats such as Isaac Newton in 1846, C. Vanderbilt in 1847, and Commodore in 1848 (the names for the latter two reflecting Vanderbilt's growing influence in the company). Engines were also supplied for the sister ships Bay State and Empire State in 1846–47, the former of which was the fastest boat on Long Island Sound for some years. In 1849–50, the Allaire Works supplied the engines for two of the original four Collins Line steamers, Pacific and Baltic. The engines for these two vessels were of the side-lever type, with Pacific having a 95-inch cylinder and 9-foot stroke, and Baltic a 96-inch cylinder and 10 foot stroke. [11] Both ships were to become Blue Riband winners by setting speed records for transatlantic crossings. [12]

Vanderbilt ownership, 1850-1869

Transport magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt gained control of the Allaire Works in 1850 Cornelius Vanderbilt Daguerrotype2.jpg
Transport magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt gained control of the Allaire Works in 1850

Vanderbilt takeover

In 1850, James P. Allaire retired from the Presidency of the Allaire Iron Works—according to one report, through the machinations of his brother-in-law John Haggerty, who may have been scandalized by the former's marriage to a young woman 26 years his junior in 1846. [2] Cornelius Vanderbilt subsequently gained control of the company, [13] appointing T. F. Secor, former proprietor of T. F. Secor & Co., as its manager. [14]

After the Vanderbilt takeover, an increasing percentage of the company's contracts came from Vanderbilt himself, who from this point had most of his new steamboats and steamships engined there, just as most of his shipbuilding contracts went to the same firm, that of his trusted nephew, Jeremiah Simonson. Vanderbilt brought his own ideas to the field of marine steam engineering. Defying the prevailing wisdom, he began powering oceangoing steamships with American walking beam engines, believing that their relative lightness of construction, economy of operation and low maintenance requirements made them preferable to the low center-of-gravity, but more complex, British-designed side-lever and oscillating types. [15] Other American marine engine manufacturers quickly followed his example, and walking beams became the preferred engine type for oceangoing American sidewheel steamships until the introduction of the much more economical surface condensing compound engine in the early 1870s. [lower-alpha 1]

During the 1850s, the Allaire Works supplied engines to such notable ships as Buckeye State in 1850—only the second ship on the Great Lakes to be fitted with a compound engine [17] —and the 3,360-ton Vanderbilt, whose twin 90-inch cylinder beam engines were believed to make her the fastest oceangoing ship operating from New York upon launch in 1856. [18] Other ships fitted with Allaire powerplants in this period include North Star (1853), a transatlantic ocean liner, St. Lawrence (1853), built for operation on the Great Lakes, and the Long Island Sound steamer Plymouth Rock (1854). [19]

American Civil War

The 3,360-ton steamer USS Vanderbilt, in port during the Civil War. Vanderbilt's size, speed and range made her an ideal hunter for the Confederate Raider CSS Alabama, but she never located her prey. USS Vanderbilt cropped.jpg
The 3,360-ton steamer USS Vanderbilt, in port during the Civil War. Vanderbilt's size, speed and range made her an ideal hunter for the Confederate Raider CSS Alabama, but she never located her prey.

The Allaire Iron Works made a substantial contribution to the Union cause during the American Civil War, providing the engines for at least seven warships, while at least another ten merchant ships with Allaire engines were purchased or chartered by the U.S. Navy and converted into warships.

In 1861, the Allaire Works built the engines for two of the 700 ton Unadilla class or "90-day" gunboats, USS Penobscot and USS Winona. The following year, the company supplied the engines for the 1,533-ton screw steamer USS Lackawanna, and for two of the 1,173-ton Sassacus class double-ended sidewheel gunboats, USS Mackinaw and USS Mattabesett. [20] In 1864, the Allaire Works supplied two 100-inch cylinder, 4-foot stroke vibrating-lever engines for the 4,912-ton monitor USS Puritan; however delays in supply of the ship's 20-inch Dahlgren smoothbore cannon prevented the vessel from seeing wartime service. [21]

The Allaire Works also supplied the engines in 1864 for the 4,215-ton Wampanoag class screw sloop USS Madawaska. Intended to be a very fast ship, Madawaska was fitted with experimental vibrating-lever engines designed by Navy architect John Ericsson. The engines proved a failure, delivering a cruising speed of only 12.73 knots, well under the specified speed of 15 knots, and they were later replaced with a more conventional power plant. [22]

In addition to the engines directly contracted for, the Navy also requisitioned a number of merchant steamships powered by Allaire engines and converted them into warships. Some of these vessels had been built prior to the war, while others were built during the war and requisitioned by the Navy as they entered service.

The largest and most impressive of these ships was the 3,360-ton oceangoing sidewheel steamer Vanderbilt, launched in 1856, and gifted to the U.S. Navy by Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1862. With her 14 knot speed and long operational range, Vanderbilt was an ideal candidate for a pursuit ship, and after being fitted out with a formidable battery of cannon, the newly commissioned USS Vanderbilt was employed in a year-long hunt for the notorious Confederate raider CSS Alabama, but without success. Other Allaire powered ships commissioned by the Navy included Harriet Lane, James Adger, Magnolia, Rhode Island, R. R. Cuyler and Western World, all built before the war, and Fort Jackson and the ferries Clifton and Shokokon, built during the war. [23]

The Allaire Works also continued to produce engines for commercial vessels during the conflict, such as City of New London, built in 1863, and St. John, which was built in 1864 and used as a hospital ship. [24]

Postwar slump and closure

Shortly after the end of hostilities, the U.S. government dumped more than a million tons of unwanted shipping onto the market, driving down prices and depriving the shipbuilding industry of new orders. The slump lasted several years, and many ship and marine engine builders were driven to bankruptcy in this period. [25]

By 1867, the Allaire Iron Works had only one engine and one boiler on its books. The company soldiered on until 1869 when Cornelius Vanderbilt sold its plant and equipment at auction, which were bought by John Roach at scrap metal prices. Vanderbilt was wealthy enough to survive the slump, but had apparently decided to move his assets into railroads by this time. After the auction, the property of the Allaire Works was divided into a tombstone factory and horse stables. [26]

Roach, one of the few marine entrepreneurs to survive and prosper in the postwar period, took the best of the Allaire Works tools, along with its best former workers, and employed them at his newly acquired plant on the East River, the Morgan Iron Works. [26]

Production, 1816-1867

Merchant ships

The following table lists merchant ships with engines supplied by the Allaire Iron Works from the company's inception in 1816 until its closure in 1867. Names in small print preceded or followed by an arrow in the "Name" column indicate that the engine either originated from or was later installed in the ship so named. This is an incomplete list.

Merchant ships powered by Allaire Iron Works engines, 1816-1867 [27]
ShipEngineShip notes/references
NameBuiltBuilderTon.Intended serviceNo.Cyl.
(ins)		Str.
(ft)		Type
Chancellor Livingstone1816 Henry Eckford 495Hudson River1445C
Sophia1817A. S. Roberts50Great Lakes
Savannah 1818Fickett & Crocker320Transatlantic1405I/DAAuxiliary steamer; first steamship to make a transatlantic crossing (albeit mostly under sail). Wrecked on Long Island, 1821.
Robert Fulton1819Henry Eckford702Atlantic coast1445C
United States1821J. Williams180Hudson River1445C [28]
James Kent1823 Blossom, Smith & Dimon 364Hudson River1445C
Martha Ogden1823A. S. RobertsGreat Lakes1C
Augusta1824Brown & Bell206 Charleston, SC 38 [29]
Henry Eckford 1824Lawrence & Sneden150Hudson River112, 244Cm/C [30] [31] World's first steam vessel powered by a compound engine.
Linnaeus1824Elijah Peck92Long Island Sound1C [6]
Oliver Ellsworth1824Isaac Webb227Long Island Sound1C [32]
Post Boy182416Cm/B
Pilot Boy1824Cm
Thistle1824202 [33]
Chief Justice Marshall1825Thorne & Williams314Hudson River1C [34]
Commerce
Ontario 56		1825Christian Bergh371Hudson River116, 304Cm
Fanny1825Lawrence & Sneden126Long Island Sound1C [35]
Swift Sure1825Christian Bergh265Hudson River116, 304Cm
Sun1825Hudson River116, 304Cm
Swan1826James P. Allaire353 [33]
Benjamin Franklin1828Brown & Bell410Long Island Sound2VB [36]
Rufus W. King1828 Smith & Dimon New York Harbor1344C [37]
Transport182873Virginia 38 [38]
President1829Brown & Bell518Long Island Sound2487VB [39]
John Stoney1830Brown & Bell163 [29]
Napoleon1830Lawrence & Sneden [lower-alpha 2] 136New York-New Brunswick1516CLengthened 26 ft. and tonnage increased to 169 tons, 1836. Out of documentation, 1855. [40]
Boston1831Brown & Bell380Long Island Sound2407VB [41] [42] [43]
John Cooley1831P. & T. Peck35Atlantic Coast? [44]
Superior1831 Smith, Dimon & Comstock 194Long Island Sound1368CMade 651 trips between New York and New Haven without a breakdown. Engine removed and converted to canal boat, 1859. [45]
Water Witch1831Brown & Bell207Long Island Sound1368C [46]
William Seabrook1831Lawrence & Sneden227Atlantic Coast 38 [29]
David Brown1832190Atlantic coast1C [47]
Flushing1832Lawrence & Sneden107New York– Norwich, CT 1C [30] [48]
Splendid1832 Smith, Dimon & Comstock 209New Haven1377C [49] [50]
Daniel Webster1833John Carrick358Great Lakes1C [51] [52]
William Gibbons1833Samuel Sneden294Atlantic coast1C [53] [47]
Bangor
Sudaver		1834Brown & Bell385Boston– Bangor 1369C [54]
Fox183466 New York City – Long Island 1C [55] [56]
Sandusky1834F. Church377 Lake Erie 38 [57]
Stonington1834211 Rhode Island 38 [58]
Thomas Jefferson1834S. Jenkins428 Great Lakes 1509C [59]
Columbia1835423Atlantic coast1566C [47]
Frank1835Lawrence & Sneden175Hudson River1306CAbandoned 1861. [60]
New Haven1835Lawrence & Sneden342New Haven14710B [49]
Pioneer (2nd)1835Georgia [61]
Portland1835Nathan Dyer445Atlantic Coast1566C [62] [63]
Cincinnati1836James Poyas211 Florida 38 [29]
Home1836Atlantic coast1569C
Massachusetts1836Brown & Bell676Long Island Sound2449VB [64]
New York1836Lawrence & Sneden524Long Island Sound15210C [65]
Ochmulgee1836W. Kirkwood231Georgia 38 [61]
Pioneer (3rd)1836Georgia 38 [61]
Rhode Island1836Brown & Bell588New York–Providence, RI15011C [9] [66]
Clifton1837Vanderbilt162Atlantic Coast 38 [68]
Illinois1837William H. Brown349Hudson River1C [69]
Isis1837130 Georgia 38 [70]
Mud-machine1837[Charleston, SC] 3860William Bird [29]
Despatch1838James Poyas53Florida 38 [29]
Gov. Dudley1838Bishop & Simpson408Atlantic Coast 38 [41]
Illinois1838B. S. Goodell755Great Lakes15610 [71] [72]
Neptune1838Lawrence & Sneden745Atlantic Coast15011½ [29]
Osiris1838Bishop & Simonson145New York– Red Bank 1C [73]
USS General Taylor 1840?150125.36C [74]
Iolas
Gipsey 66		1842Bishop & Simonson180New York-Red Bank2VB [75]
Lady Of The Lake
Queen City 53		1842George S. Weeks425Great Lakes1CFast vessel and first steamboat on Lake Ontario with upper cabin. Destroyed by fire, 1855. [76]
Massachusetts
John W. D. Pentz 63
Massachusetts 69		1842Lawrence & Sneden308Long Island Sound1C [77]
Hero1844Lawrence & Sneden~500Hudson River1C [78]
Hendrik Hudson1845George Collyer1170Hudson River17211
Traveller
Traveler 54		1845Bishop & Simonson?584Long Island Sound15211VB [79]
Bay State1846Lawrence & Sneden1600Long Island Sound17612B
Cricket
L. Boardman 57
River Belle 80		1846William H. Brown204Hudson River13610VBConverted to tugboat 1866; rebuilt for passenger/freight service 1880; sank 1894. [80]
Isaac Newton1846William Brown1332Hudson River18112B
C. Vanderbilt1847Bishop & SimonsonLong Island Sound17212B
Commodore1848Bishop & Simonson984Long Island Sound16511VB [81] [82]
Panama1848 William H. Webb 1087Intercoastal1708.7SL [83]
Plymouth Rock
Empire State 48		1848Samuel Sneden1598Long Island Sound17612VB [84]
State of Maine
San Pelayo 71		1848Bishop & Simonson806 Maine coast15411VB [85]
Canonicus1849Lawrence & Sneden396Long Island Sound13612VB [86]
Pacific1849Brown & BellTransatlantic2959SL
America185?
Niagara185?
Baltic1850Brown & BellTransatlantic29610SL
Buckeye State18501187Great Lakes137, 8011AC [87]
Director 1850J. Simonson65Lake Nicaragua1C [88] Built for Cornelius Vanderbilt's Nicaragua Line. She was the first steamship to sail on Lake Nicaragua.
Daniel Webster1851William H. Brown1035New York-Nicaragua15610VB [89]
Illinois1851 Smith & Dimon 2040South America2859O [90]
Northern Light1851J. Simonson1768New York-Nicaragua26010VB [91]
Union1851South America2607SL [92]
Black Warrior1852W. Collyer1350Atlantic coast16511VB [93]
San Juan
Star Of The West 52
CSS St. Philip 62		1852J. Simonson1172New York-Nicaragua26611VBUSQMD 1861, captured by Confederacy 1861 and converted to receiving and training ship, later sunk as obstruction in Yazoo River. [94]
California1852Samuel Sneden480 Gulf of Mexico 14010VB [95]
James Adger 1852William H. Webb1152dAtlantic coast1SL [96]
Uncle Sam1852Perine, Patterson & Stack1800Atlantic Coast16611B [97] [98]
North Star1853J. Simonson2000Atlantic coast26610VB [lower-alpha 3]
St. Lawrence1853F. N. Jones1844Great Lakes18112VB [100]
Yankee Blade1853Perrine, Patterson & Stack1767New York-Panama17612SL [101]
Cahawba1854W. Collyer1643Atlantic coast17511VB [102] [103]
Magnolia1854J. Simonson1500California17511VB [104] [105]
Mercury1854W. CollyerN.Y. Harbor1 [106]
Plymouth Rock
→Plymouth Rock 64		1854J. Englis2202Great Lakes18112VB [107]
Plymouth Rock1854J. Simonson1752Long Island17612VB [108]
Western World
→Fire Queen 64		1854J. Englis2202Great Lakes18112VB [109]
Ariel1855J. Simonson1850Atlantic coast17511VB [104]
Granada1855J. Simonson1059Atlantic coast16510VB [110]
Leviathan1855Eckford Webb500New York Harbor16010VB [111]
Vanderbilt1856J. SimonsonTransatlantic29012VB
William H. Webb1856William H. WebbN.Y. Harbor?24410B [112]
USRC Harriet Lane 1857William H. Webb674d U.S. Coast Guard 2?I
Champion1859Harlan & Hollingsworth1490Pacific Ocean14210VB [113]
Commodore Perry *1859Thomas Stack513New York Harbor1389VB [114]
John Brooks1859John Englis900 Bridgeport 15612VB [115] [116]
Seth Grosvenor1859Henry Steers84 Liberia 1283St [117]
Rhode Island 1860J. Westerwelt2000 Charleston 172½12B [96] [118]
R. R. Cuyler 1860Samuel Sneden1200dNew York-Havana1704VDA/G
Yankee1860T. Collyer376New York Harbor1388⅔C [119]
USS Clifton 1861J. Simonson977 Staten Island 15010VB [120] [121]
Kings County1861Roosevelt & Joyce500New York-Long Island1349B [121] [122]
Suffolk County1861Roosevelt & Joyce500New York-Long Island1349B [121] [122]
Thomas Freeborn1861 Lawrence & Foulks 306Atlantic coast1408VB [123]
City of Norwich1862John Englis890New Haven15210VB [124]
Eagle1862J. Westervelt1561New York– Havana 17512VB [124]
USS Fort Jackson 1862J. Simonson18501VB [125]
USS Shokokon 1862J. Simonson709dStaten Island1368VB [126] [lower-alpha 4]
Westfield1862J. Simonson960Staten Island1368VB [127] [128]
City of New London1863J. Englis & Son696New Haven15210B [1] [129] Rebuilt in 1865 and 1866; tonnage increased to 1,203. [lower-alpha 5]
Commodore
Costa Rica
Genaki Maru		1863J. Simonson18012B [131] [132]
Evening Star1863New York-Havana18112B [1]
Hu Quang1863Henry Steers1570China17612VB
Katahdin1863J. Englis & Son1234Long Island Sound15611VB [133]
Kin Kiang1863J. Englis & Son1025China15812VB [134] [lower-alpha 6]
Morning Star1863Roosevelt & JoyceNew York-Havana18112B [1] [lower-alpha 7]
Po Yang1863Roosevelt, Joyce956China15012VB
←Western World
Fire Queen
Kiangwae 77		1864John Englis3801China18112VB [136]
Moro Castle1864J. A. Westervelt1987New York-Havana17612VB [137]
New York1864J. Simonson320019012B [138]
←Plymouth Rock 54
Plymouth Rock
Foong Shuey 64
Plymouth Rock 64
Kiangyuen 77		1864Westervelt & Bro.2379 China 18112VB [139]
St. John1864Hudson River18515
Dean Richmond1865J. Englis & Son2525Hudson River17514VB [lower-alpha 8]
Favorita1865J. Westervelt & Son865Pacific156VB [140]
Niagara1865Westervelt & Son1100New York-Richmond 16011VB [141] [142]
Old Colony1865John Englis & SonNew York–Fall River, MA18012VB [lower-alpha 9]
Orient186516811B [144]
Rising Star1865Roosevelt, Joyce & Waterbury19151VB [140]
Saratoga1865Westervelt & Son1100New York-Richmond16011VB [141] [145]
Drew1866John Englis2902Hudson River18114VB
Oregonian1866Lawrence & Foulks2200 California coast18212VB [146]

Legend: Built=year built; Ton.=gross tonnage; Deployment=original location of operation. Where the original deployment is not known, the location is followed by a number, which represents the last two digits of the year in which the vessel is known to have operated at the given location; No.=number of engines; Cyl.=diameter of engine cylinder(s) in inches; Str.=engine stroke in feet; Type=engine type. Types of engine include: AC=annular compound; B=beam; C=compound; CB=compound beam; C=crosshead. Crosshead engines built by this company are almost certainly all of the American "square" type, rather than the Steeple type; DA=direct-acting; DS=double screw; GS=geared screw; HBA=horizontal back-acting; I=inclined; O=oscillating; S=screw; St=steeple; SL=side-lever; V=vertical; VB=vertical beam; VL=vibrating-lever.

Warships

The following table lists warships powered by Allaire Iron Works engines. This list is confined to vessels that were designed and built as warships, and does not include merchant ships commissioned into the Navy.

Warships powered by Allaire Iron Works engines (1861–65)
ShipEngine
NameTypeBuiltBuilderDisp.No.Cyl. (ins)Str. (ft)Type
USS Penobscot G1861C. P. Carter6912301½HBA/S
USS Winona G1861C. & R. Poillon6912301½HBA/S
USS Lackawanna [147] SS1862 New York Navy Yard 2,5262422½HBA/S
USS Mackinaw [148] DEG1863New York Navy Yard1,1731588¾I/DA
USS Mattabesett [149] DEG1863New York Navy Yard1,1731588¾I/DA
USS Puritan [150] M1864 Continental Iron Works 4,19221004VL/DS
USS Madawaska [151] SF1865New York Navy Yard4,10521004VL/S

Legend: Type=ship type. Types include - G=gunboat; SS=screw sloop; DEG=double-ended gunboat; M=monitor; SF=screw frigate. Built=Year of ship launch, or completion where launch date is unknown; Builder=Name of ship builder; Disp.=displacement in tons; No.=number of engines; Cyl.=diameter of engine cylinder(s) in inches; Str.=engine stroke in feet; Type=engine type. Types of engine include: DA=direct acting; DS=double screw; HBA=horizontal back-acting; I=inverted; S=screw; VL=vibrating-lever. See marine steam engine for explanation of various engine types.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ [16] Also see, for example, the manufacturing records of the Morgan Iron Works (Baughman, pp. 242-245), or of other major U.S. marine engine manufacturers.
  2. ↑ Built by Lawrence & Sneden according to official records, but by Smith & Dimon according to the Allaire diary. [40]
  3. ↑ [99] Note that this source gives the cylinder width as 60 inches rather than 66.
  4. ↑ The original Clifton and Westfield were purchased by the government and served as USS Clifton and USS Westfield. The replacement vessels for these original ferryboats were also named Clifton and Westfield. The second Clifton was also purchased by the Navy however, and served as USS Shokokon. The second Westfield appears to have been employed in its original role as a Staten Island ferry. [127]
  5. ↑ [130] The source gives the dimensions of this engine as 54 inch cylinder and 11 inch stroke.
  6. ↑ The name of this vessel is sometimes rendered Kiu Kiang.
  7. ↑ [135] The source gives the cylinder diameter as 18 inches - this is a typographical error, it should be 81 inches.
  8. ↑ The engine for this ship was originally manufactured by the Phoenix Foundry for Francis Skiddy. The Allaire Works rebuilt the engine for its installation into Dean Richmond. Ryder (1966).
  9. ↑ [143] The engine for this vessel was actually that originally fitted to Bay State (1846), salvaged after the latter was scrapped, and rebored to a diameter of 80 inches.

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A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships came into practical usage during the early 1800s; however, there were exceptions that came before. Steamships usually use the prefix designations of "PS" for paddle steamer or "SS" for screw steamer. As paddle steamers became less common, "SS" is incorrectly assumed by many to stand for "steamship". Ships powered by internal combustion engines use a prefix such as "MV" for motor vessel, so it is not correct to use "SS" for most modern vessels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamboat</span> Smaller than a steamship; boat in which the primary method of marine propulsion is steam power

A steamboat is a boat that is propelled primarily by steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S or PS ; however, these designations are most often used for steamships.

SS <i>Savannah</i> Hybrid sailing/steampowered ship built in 1818; first steamship to cross the Atlantic

SS Savannah was an American hybrid sailing ship/sidewheel steamer built in 1818. She was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, transiting mainly under sail power from May to June 1819. In spite of this historic voyage, the great space taken up by her large engine and its fuel at the expense of cargo, and the public's anxiety over embracing her revolutionary steam power, kept Savannah from being a commercial success as a steamship. Originally laid down as a sailing packet, she was, following a severe and unrelated reversal of the financial fortunes of her owners, converted back into a sailing ship shortly after returning from Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Morgan (businessman)</span> American railroad and shipping magnate

Charles Morgan was an American railroad and shipping magnate. He played a leading role in the development of transportation and commerce in the Southern United States through the mid- to late-19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan Iron Works</span> American company manufacturing plant for marine steam engines

The Morgan Iron Works was a 19th-century manufacturing plant for marine steam engines located in New York City, United States. Founded as T. F. Secor & Co. in 1838, the plant was later taken over and renamed by one of its original investors, Charles Morgan.

<i>Bristol</i> (1866 steamboat)

Bristol was a large sidewheel steamboat launched in 1866 by William H. Webb of New York for the Merchants Steamship Company. One of Narragansett Bay's so-called "floating palaces", the luxuriously outfitted Bristol and her sister ship Providence, each of which could carry up to 1,200 passengers, were installed with the largest engines then built in the United States, and were considered to be amongst the finest American-built vessels of their era.

<i>Providence</i> (1866 steamboat) Large sidewheel steamer

Providence was a large sidewheel steamer launched in 1866 by William H. Webb of New York for the Merchants Steamship Company. The first of Narragansett Bay's so-called "floating palaces", the luxuriously outfitted Providence and her sister ship Bristol, each of which could carry up to 1,200 passengers, were installed with the largest engines then built in the United States, and were considered to be amongst the finest American-built vessels of their era.

SS <i>Baltic</i> (1850) American Sidewheel steamer

SS Baltic was a wooden-hulled sidewheel steamer built in 1850 for transatlantic service with the American Collins Line. Designed to outclass their chief rivals from the British-owned Cunard Line, Baltic and her three sister ships—Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic—were the largest, fastest and most luxurious transatlantic steamships of their day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine steam engine</span> Steam engine that is used to power a ship or boat

A marine steam engine is a steam engine that is used to power a ship or boat. This article deals mainly with marine steam engines of the reciprocating type, which were in use from the inception of the steamboat in the early 19th century to their last years of large-scale manufacture during World War II. Reciprocating steam engines were progressively replaced in marine applications during the 20th century by steam turbines and marine diesel engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etna Iron Works</span>

The Etna Iron Works was a 19th-century ironworks and manufacturing plant for marine steam engines located in New York City. The Etna Works was a failing small business when purchased by ironmolder John Roach and three partners in 1852. Roach soon gained full ownership of the business and quickly transformed it into a successful general-purpose ironworks.

The Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works was a major late-19th-century American shipyard located on the Delaware River in Chester, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the industrialist John Roach and is often referred to by its parent company name of John Roach & Sons, or just known as the Roach shipyard. For the first fifteen years of its existence, the shipyard was by far the largest and most productive in the United States, building more tonnage of ships than its next two major competitors combined, in addition to being the U.S. Navy's largest contractor. The yard specialized in the production of large passenger freighters, but built every kind of vessel from warships to cargo ships, oil tankers, ferries, barges, tugs and yachts.

<i>Henry Eckford</i> (steamboat)

Henry Eckford was a small passenger-cargo steamboat built in New York in 1824. She was the first steam vessel in the world to be installed with a compound engine, almost fifty years before the technology would become widely adopted for marine use.

Lawrence & Foulks was a 19th-century American shipbuilding company based in New York. Established in the early 1850s, the company built 144 vessels of all types over the course of some fifty years, but is best known for its production of high-speed wooden-hulled steamboats and steamships. Notable vessels built by the company include the record-breaking Hudson River steamboat Chauncey Vibbard, the luxury Long Island Sound steamer Commonwealth, and the fast oceangoing steamships—later U.S. Navy gunboats—Bienville and De Soto. In addition to the domestic market, the company also built ships for service as far afield as South America and China.

PS <i>Commonwealth</i> (1854)

Commonwealth was a large sidewheel steamboat built in 1854–55 for passenger service on Long Island Sound. The most celebrated Sound steamer of her day, Commonwealth was especially noted for the elegance and comfort of her passenger accommodations, which included gas lighting, steam heating, and an "enchantingly beautiful" domed roof in her upper saloon. Her stability of motion led her captain to describe Commonwealth as the finest rough weather steamboat ever built in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. F. Secor</span> American marine engineer

Theodosius Fowler Secor was an American marine engineer. Secor co-founded T. F. Secor & Co. in New York in 1838, which was one of the leading American marine engineering facilities of its day. In 1850, he sold his stake in the company to his erstwhile partner, Charles Morgan, in order to go into partnership with Cornelius Vanderbilt in the purchase of another leading New York marine engineering facility, the Allaire Iron Works.

<i>Thomas Powell</i> (steamboat) Former Hudson River steamboat in New York, US

Thomas Powell was a fast and popular steamboat built in Manhattan, New York City in 1846 for service on the Hudson River. She ran between New York City and various Hudson River destinations during her career, including Newburgh, Piermont, Poughkeepsie, Rondout, Catskill, and finally as a nightboat to Troy. She also ran on the Delaware River for some years in the 1850s, and during the American Civil War served as a Union Army dispatch boat.

Orus was a wooden side-wheel steamship built in 1842. After a short commercial career connecting ports in New Jersey to lower Manhattan, she was employed in some of the earliest attempts to develop transcontinental shipping routes across Panama and later, across Nicaragua. She was wrecked in 1850 attempting to ascend the San Juan River in Nicaragua.

<i>New York</i> (1836 steamboat) American steamboat built 1836

New York was an American passenger-cargo sidewheel steamboat built in 1836 for service on Long Island Sound. When new, she was the largest steamboat yet to operate on the route between New York and New Haven, Connecticut, and was one of the largest Sound steamboats of her day.

Erik Heyl (1887–1973) was an American maritime historian and illustrator. He is best known as the author of Early American Steamers, a six-volume work that incorporates illustrations, technical details and service histories of almost 800 steamboats and steamships built mainly in the United States between 1807 and 1870.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Street Foundry</span> Steam engine plant in Brooklyn, New York

The West Street Foundry was an American steam engineering works notable for producing marine steam engines in the mid-19th century. Based in Brooklyn, New York, the company built at least 27 marine engines between 1845 and 1855, including engines for some of the fastest and finest steamboats of the era. The company also built and repaired steam engines and boilers of all types, as well as doing other metalwork. The company failed and was liquidated in 1855.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Flourishing Condition of the New York Machine Shops", Scientific American, New Series, Volume 8, Issue 15, p. 229, 1863-04-11.
  2. 1 2 3 James P. Allaire Archived 2012-02-06 at the Wayback Machine , Allaire Village website.
  3. 1 2 Swann, p. 5.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Dayton, Chapter 19.
  5. ↑ Report of the U.S. National Museum During the Year Ending June 30, 1890, Government Printing Office, Washington 1891, page 618.
  6. 1 2 3 Morrison, p. 341.
  7. 1 2 Swann pp. 5-7
  8. ↑ Morrison, pp. 214-215.
  9. 1 2 Morrison, p. 272.
  10. ↑ Swann, pp. 9-10.
  11. ↑ Morrison, pp. 411-412.
  12. ↑ "The Thrall of the Blue Riband" Archived 2007-02-19 at the Wayback Machine , by Robert C. Post, Invention and Technology Magazine, Winter 1996, Volume 11, Issue 3, reproduced at American Heritage website.
  13. ↑ Naval Contracts and Expenditures (to accompany Bill H. R. No. 884), House of Representatives Report No. 184, 35th Congress, 2nd Session.
  14. ↑ Theodosius Fowler Secor, dsecor.familytreeguide.com.
  15. ↑ Stiles, pp. 199-200.
  16. ↑ Ridgely-Nevitt 1981. p. 301.
  17. ↑ Morrison, pp. 376-377.
  18. ↑ Morrison, pp. 429-431.
  19. ↑ Morrison, pp. 308, 375, 429.
  20. ↑ Bauer and Roberts, pp. 67-68, 73-74, 80-81.
  21. ↑ Bauer and Roberts, p. 44.
  22. ↑ Bauer and Roberts, pp. 57-58.
  23. ↑ Bauer and Roberts, pp. 87, 88, 91, 92, 95, 96.
  24. ↑ Morrison, pp. 126, 146, 334.
  25. ↑ Swann, p. 23.
  26. 1 2 Swann, p. 26.
  27. ↑ The information in the table is from the sources cited in the "Name" column except where a cite appears after a particular statistic for another column. If no source is listed at all in the "Name" column, the information is from Morrison (1903).
  28. ↑ Morrison, p. 339.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, pp. 266-267.
  30. 1 2 Treasury Dept. 1838. p. 96.
  31. ↑ Stanton, Samuel Ward (June 1912). "History of the First Century of Steam Navigation: Chapter XX". Master, Mate and Pilot. Vol. 5, no. 1. New York: The American Association of Masters, Mates and Pilots. p. 17. hdl:2027/nyp.33433069075087.
  32. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 2, pp. 179-180.
  33. 1 2 U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, p. 135.
  34. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 69-71.
  35. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 2, p. 85.
  36. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 2, pp. 17-18.
  37. ↑ Morrison 1909, p. 52.
  38. ↑ U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, p. 240.
  39. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 2, pp. 205-206.
  40. 1 2 Heyl, Vol. 5, pp. 189-193.
  41. 1 2 U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, p. 247.
  42. ↑ Morrison, p. 267.
  43. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 31-32.
  44. ↑ U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, p. 81.
  45. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 5, pp. 261-262.
  46. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 337-338.
  47. 1 2 3 Baughman, p. 239.
  48. ↑ Morrison, p. 327.
  49. 1 2 U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, p. 64.
  50. ↑ Morrison, p. 349.
  51. ↑ U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, pp. 124-125.
  52. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 2, pp. 65-66.
  53. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, p. 445.
  54. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 2, p. 13.
  55. ↑ U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, p. 231.
  56. ↑ Morrison, p. 358.
  57. ↑ U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, p. 332.
  58. ↑ U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, p. 84.
  59. ↑ Morrison, pp. 437-438.
  60. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 5, pp. 107-109.
  61. 1 2 3 U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, pp. 285-286.
  62. ↑ U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, p. 19.
  63. ↑ Morrison, p. 387.
  64. ↑ Stanton, p. 59.
  65. ↑ Stanton, p. 47.
  66. ↑ Stanton, p. 51.
  67. Heyl, Vol. 2, p. 19.
  68. ↑ U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, pp. 151-152.
  69. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 175-176.
  70. ↑ U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, pp. 274-275.
  71. ↑ U.S. Treasury Dept. 1838, p. 344.
  72. ↑ Morrison, p. 370.
  73. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 2, pp. 189-190.
  74. ↑ Emmons, pp. 30-35.
  75. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 181-182.
  76. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 5, pp. 161-162.
  77. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 221-224.
  78. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 171-172.
  79. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 323-324.
  80. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 5, pp. 81-83.
  81. ↑ Morrison, p. 308.
  82. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 95-96.
  83. ↑ "Pacific and Atlantic Coast Steam Marine", Daily Southern Cross, 1853-10-14.
  84. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 125-126.
  85. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 2, pp. 243-244.
  86. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 2, pp. 25-26.
  87. ↑ Bartol, p. 120.
  88. ↑ "Great Steamship Foundries of New York". New York Daily Herald. January 1, 1851.
  89. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, pp. 123-124.
  90. ↑ Emmons, p. 37. The design and construction of this vessel's machinery was apparently divided between the Allaire Works and T. F. Secor & Co.
  91. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, pp. 307-308.
  92. ↑ Emmons, p. 37.
  93. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, p. 59.
  94. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 5, pp. 255-257.
  95. ↑ "From The Gulf", The New York Times, 1861-12-22.
  96. 1 2 Bauer and Roberts, p. 87.
  97. ↑ "Steamship Uncle Sam", The New York Times, 1852-09-28.
  98. ↑ "Trial Trip of the Steamer Uncle Sam", The New York Times, 1852-11-13.
  99. ↑ "An American Gentleman's Yacht", Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, 1853-11-12, p. 4.
  100. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 303-304.
  101. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, pp. 463-464.
  102. ↑ "Trial Trip Of The Steamer Cahawba", The New York Times, 1854-04-24.
  103. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, p. 65.
  104. 1 2 "Steamship Launch", The New York Times, 1854-08-24.
  105. ↑ Bauer and Roberts, p. 92.
  106. ↑ "Launch", The New York Times, 1854-06-15.
  107. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 2, p. 203.
  108. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 287-288.
  109. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 2, p. 279.
  110. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, p. 191.
  111. ↑ Frazer, January 1855, p. 57.
  112. ↑ "Launch", The New York Times, 1856-09-06.
  113. ↑ Frazer 1859, p. 345.
  114. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 4, pp. 61-63.
  115. ↑ "New Steamboat", The New York Times, 1859-05-24.
  116. ↑ Frazer 1859, p. 62.
  117. ↑ Main, p. 130.
  118. ↑ "Miscellaneous", The New York Times, 1860-09-07.
  119. ↑ "The Steam Tug Yankee", Scientific American, New Series, Volume 2, Issue 12, p. 182, 1860-03-17.
  120. ↑ Bauer and Roberts, p. 95.
  121. 1 2 3 Main, p. 132.
  122. 1 2 Frazer, p. 180.
  123. ↑ "The Steamer Thomas Freeborn", Scientific American, Volume 4, Issue 9, p. 133 (1861-03-02).
  124. 1 2 "The Side-Wheel Steamer City of Norwich", The New York Times, 1862-09-14.
  125. ↑ Bauer and Roberts, p. 88.
  126. ↑ Bauer and Roberts, p. 96.
  127. 1 2 "At Jeremiah Simonson's, Greenpoint, L.I", Scientific American, New Series, Volume 5, Issue 26, p. 405, 1861-12-28.
  128. ↑ "The Explosion", The New York Times, 1871-08-03.
  129. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 79-80.
  130. ↑ Morrison. p. 337.
  131. ↑ "An Ocean Steamer", The New York Times, 1863-07-30.
  132. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, pp. 113-114.
  133. ↑ Dayton, p. 268.
  134. ↑ "Commercial Enterprise: The American China Trade", The New York Times, 1865-06-20.
  135. ↑ "A New Sidewheel Steamer", The New York Times, 1853-02-15.
  136. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 4, pp. 101-102.
  137. ↑ "Shipbuilding In New York", The New York Times, 1864-12-01.
  138. ↑ "Launch Of A Steamship", The New York Times, 1864-06-18.
  139. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 289-290.
  140. 1 2 "Shipbuilding In New York", The New York Times, 1865-04-28.
  141. 1 2 "Naval Intelligence", The New York Times, 1865-09-07.
  142. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, p. 299.
  143. ↑ Morrison, p. 326.
  144. ↑ "Allaire Works", Scientific American, New Series, Volume 12, Issue 7, 1865-02-11.
  145. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, p. 385.
  146. ↑ Heyl, Volume 1, p. 323.
  147. ↑ Bauer and Roberts, p. 67.
  148. ↑ Bauer and Roberts, p. 80.
  149. ↑ Bauer and Roberts, pp. 80-81.
  150. ↑ Bauer and Roberts, p. 44.
  151. ↑ Bauer and Roberts, p. 57.

Bibliography

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