''Elmer S. Dailey'', originally known as the ''Claire B. Follette'', is a wooden

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels. ...

built by William H. Follette in 1915 at

Tonawanda, New York Tonawanda (formally ''City of Tonawanda'') is a city in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 15,130 at the 2010 census. It is at the northern edge of Erie County, south across the Erie Canal ( Tonawanda Creek) from North To ...

, and rebuilt and renamed in 1928 by Brown Drydock on

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and f ...

. It was used to transport materials from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It is the only known surviving

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly redu ...

boat and is one of a few remaining wooden-hulled canal boats. It sank in 1974 along with the ''

Priscilla Dailey ''Priscilla Dailey'', previously known as the ''Elizabeth E. Newell'', is a wooden canal boat constructed in 1929 in Whitehall, New York. The barge was used to transport bulk cargo in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut harbors. It sank in 1 ...

'' and the ''

Berkshire No. 7 ''Berkshire No. 7'' is a wood and steel barge constructed in 1935. It is historically important as a transitional canal barge and as one of the few surviving wooden-hulled canal boats. It was used to transport bulk cargo, including shipping fer ...

'' in the harbor of Bridgeport, Connecticut on the west side of the

Pequonnock River The Pequonnock River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed 2011-04-01. waterway in eastern Fairfield County, Connecticut. Its watershed is located in five communities, wi ...

. It has deteriorated to the point that a salvage operation could result in it breaking apart. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

on December 21, 1978.

Description

The barge is an Erie Canal boat that has two Fairbanks-Morse in-line six-cylinder diesel engines. It measures long with a beam. The depth of the hold is listed at and it had a listed capacity of 101 tons. Clouette describes the ''Elmer S. Dailey'' as having an "almost rectangular hull in section and plan, with bluntly rounded bow and stern...the bulwarks, perforated by scuppers, rise up to the stem which is slightly raked back. There are prominent strakes in the bow and topside along the sides of the vessel. A coaming about high frames the single large cargo opening which occupies about two-thirds of the boat's length". The cargo opening is covered by convex hatch covers. Towards the stern is a rectangular pilothouse and a low cabin with a companionway which has a protruding stack.

History

The ''Elmer S. Dailey'' was originally known as the ''Claire B. Follette'' when it was built by William H. Follette in 1915 at

. In 1928, the ship was rebuilt by Brown Drydock on

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

and acquired the name ''Elmer S. Dailey''. Brown Drydock installed two Fairbanks-Morse in-line six-cylinder diesel engines and added the pilothouse and stack. At an unspecified later date, one engine was removed and a

direct-drive A direct-drive mechanism is a mechanism design where the force or torque from a prime mover is transmitted directly to the effector device (such as the drive wheels of a vehicle) without involving any intermediate couplings such as a gear train ...

engine, rated at 180 or 210

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are th ...

, operated on compressed air. In its final configuration, the vessel was manned by a three-man crew. The ship was owned by Stewart J. Dailey, a former mule driver on the

who later became a partner in a Tonawanda shipbuilding company and afterwards opened his own business, S. J. Dailey Company. and The barge was used to transport materials between ports in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

, and

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, and after the diesel engines were added, it was able to push another barge. It was in service between 1941 and 1972, and afterwards was moored in

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

Harbor together with the ''Berkshire No. 7'' and ''Priscilla Dailey'', two other barges. In the spring of 1974, one of the barges began to take on water, dragging down the other two. No part of the barge is visible above water. ''Elmer S. Dailey'' is listed in the U.S. Registry as #166315.

Importance

The ''Elmer S. Dailey'' is historically significant because it is the only known surviving Erie Canal boat and is one of a few remaining wooden-hulled canal boats. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 21, 1978. It and the other two barges that sank with it are the only shipwrecks in Connecticut listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1998, the historic status of the barges was a concern for the Port Authority of Bridgeport Harbor, as the sunken ships interfered with a billion-dollar redevelopment project. Over the years, the barges had deteriorated so that an operation to salvage them would likely result in it breaking apart. No action had been taken by 2003, but a report noted that prior to any activity of the ''Elmer S. Dailey'' the

Federal Transit Administration The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administratio ...

and/or the City of Bridgeport should document the barge with photos and a technical description. Specifics regarding the documentation based on the activity would be archived at the State Historic Preservation Office and the

Mystic Seaport Museum Mystic Seaport Museum or Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea in Mystic, Connecticut is the largest maritime museum in the United States. It is notable for its collection of sailing ships and boats and for the re-creation of the craf ...

Notes

''The New York Times'' article notes that the barges sank in 1974, but inaccurately states that the ships were placed on the National Register of Historic Places "shortly before they went down". The ''Elmer S. Dailey''s nomination form was produced in February 1978 and it was added on December 21, 1978. Another document relating to the Intermodal Transportation Center erroneously states the ''Elmer S. Dailey'' National Register of Historic Places listing date and that it sank because of

Hurricane Gloria Hurricane Gloria was a powerful hurricane that caused significant damage along the east coast of the United States and in Atlantic Canada during the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the first significant tropical cyclone to strike the n ...

in 1985.

References

External links