The Nautical Gazette says: One of the oldest pilots actively engaged in steamboating today is Captain James P. Ackley, who daily steers the Hudson River ferryboat Brinkerhoff on her trips between Poughkeepsie and Highland [in Ulster County, NY].
Captain Ackley is 77 years of age [born in ca. 1828], and has been in the boating business for sixty-five years [since 1840]. His first experience was on the sloop Judge Swift, owned by the late Captain William Roberts. Following this he was pilot on some of the famous early-time Hudson River sloops, such as the Westchester, Deep River, Alfred Richards and others.
Captain Ackley was first mate on the Matthew Vassar when that vessel made trips to Virginia for wood which was burned on the Hudson River railroad instead of coal.
The Matthew Vassar also made one trip to Bermuda during the Mexican war with a cargo of merchandise. This was Captain Ackley’s last trip on her. Upon her return the gold excitement was at its height in California [1849-1850] and the sloop was sold to a stock company of Poughkeepsians, who loaded her with a cargo of merchandise for the gold mines.
This enterprise proved a failure financially. Captain Ackley was mate on the well known schooner Oliver H. Booth. He was on her in Hampton Roads when Virginia seceded [from the Union in prelude to the Civil War].
When the crew heard the news all hands the crew heard the news all hands hastened to get out of their dangerous predicament. They took French leave, setting sail at midnight and finally got back to Poughkeepsie after several exciting adventures.
The last interesting sloop of which Captain Ackley was master was the old Surprise, owned by M. Vassar & Company [a Poughkeepsie Brewery founded in 1814]. Her last cargo was in part the old cannon and cannon balls that now adorn the grounds around the soldiers’ fountain, Poughkeepsie.
The first steamboat Captain Ackley piloted was the Fairfield, one of the original excursion boats to Coney Island, which made two trips a day from New York. It was the only boat running on this route at that time and had ample accommodations for all traffic.
Just after the breaking out of the Civil War Captain Ackley was pilot on the steamboat H. S. Allison, which carried soldiers from Hart’s Island to New York.
From this boat Captain Ackley went with the Hudson River towing lines. They paid better wages than were offered on passenger boats.
For nineteen years he was pilot on the largest towboats in the world, including the Vanderbilt and Connecticut. He made a record in 1887 which has never been surpassed, that of towing 117 loaded boats in one tow from Albany to New York.
This essay was published in the Kingston Daily Freeman on July 31, 1905. It was transcribed by Hudson River Maritime Museum contributing scholar George A. Thompson and only slightly edited and annotated by John Warren.
Illustration: Brinckerhoff on September 15, 1940 (Hudson River Maritime Museum).
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