CITIZEN June 1, 1975 By SHEILA TUCKER The hissing of steam at the wharf, the clicking engine sounds reverberating across the water, the store houses and landings along the lake shore, the chicken dinners and ham breakfasts were familiar sounds and sights for more than 100 years of Cayuga Lake steamboating. The era began on Dec. 15, 1819, when the Cayuga Steamboat Company was formed. Oliver Phelps of Ludlowville supervised in Ithaca the building of the 80 foot long and 50 foot beam "Enterprise." The boat's 24- horsepower engine was purchased in Jersey City, carried by water to Albany and. transported overland by teams to Iihaca. The "Enterprise," captained by Elijah H. Goodwin, traveled daily except Sunday between Ithaca and Cayuga, leaving Ithaca at 3 a.m. and arriving at Cayuga Bridge by noon. She carried freight, passengers and mail between the two points until 1822 when she was converted into a freighter. At the same time, Elias Manchester of Levanna estabIished the first grain storage facility on the lake. He continued his interest in the business until 1865 and businessmen in Cayuga, Union Springs and Aurora following his leadership creating, warehouses and vying for the lake trade. The "Telemachus" was built in 1822 and served as a passenger and mail boat until 1829 when the "DeWitt Clinton" was christened. The 130-ton, 30-horsepower "DeWitt Clinton," owned by Richard Varrick DeWitt, not only carried passengers but also towed canal boats. It was capable of towing four canal boats of 35 to 40 tons each at a speed of six miles an hour. The rate for towing was the same as that charged on the Erie CanalÄ 161-2 cents per mile or $6 for a light load and $7 for a full load. In the 1840s, Capt. T.D. Wilcox, a "picturesque character, nervous, quick in speech and action, sometimes hasty in temper, but withall of a sweet and kindly disposition," established a fleet of steamers on the lake. In 1850, the whistle of the lake's first "modern" passenger steamboat, the "Kate Morgan" echoed between the hills. The "Kate Morgan" made daily lake trips, leaving Ithaca at 7 a.m., reaching Cayuga Bridge at noon and returning to lthaca at 7 p.m. Capt. Goodrich, a "trim figure and neatly attired' refined gentleman with unusual bearing" commanded the "Morgan." George Blood was the mail clerk and Billy Hatch's chicken "suppahs" were famous. Wilcox also operated The "Simeon DeWitt" which had replaced the "DeWitt Clinton" in 1836, as well as the "William E.. Dodge" and the "Aurora." The "Aurora" was captained by Chet Dryer of Aurora, "an ideal sailor, ruddy countenance, bluff in manner, sharp in his orders and good to boys." The "Aurora: left Ithaca in the middle of the afternoon, spent the night in Cayuga and returned to Ithaca in the morning. A flag at a landing was sufficient to bring the boat to a stop for passengers or freight. These boats carried passengers and freight and made several landings, crossing the lake at least twice on each trip. Besides the three passenger boats, Wilcox owned the "Sheldrake," a tug boat that towed barges laden with produce, merchandise, lumber and coal. She was operated by Capt. Martin Ryerson, "an older man, who was known as an excellent fisherman." Coal was railed to Ithaca and by trestles and chutes loaded onto barges at the Inlet to be towed to Cayuga and the Erie Canal. In the fall of 1868, the "Robert J. Wyley" carried 280 tons of coal while her sister boat, the "Levi Kenney," 290 tons. In 1868, the "T.D. Wilcox" later renamed the "Ithaca" was built in Union Springs to replace the "Kate Morgan." She was con- sidered the fastest boat on the lake and was commanded by Capt. James B. Taylor. Two years later the luxury, double decker passenger boat, the "Frontenac" was built at a cost of $49,000 to replace the "Aurora." The steamboat traffic not only led to the creation of warehouses and boat building establishments along the shores of Cayuga Lake but also to the establishment of hotels. Capt. F.H. Lyon, who operated steamboats from 1842 to 1854, purchased a hotel in Cayuga which he later sold and leased as the "Railroad Hotel and Dining Room." There were also the "Sheldrake," "Glenwood Beach House," "Aurora Inn" and others. The steamboats for 40 years commanded the north and south Cayuga Lake trade. The challenge to steamboatmg came in 1865 when the Cayuga Lake Railroad was organized with Henry Wells as president. Tracks along the east shore of Cayuga Lake were laid in 1871 and completed in 1873. However, that year the railroad company suffered financial losses and went into receivership. It was reorganized under the same name and operated until 1877 when it was purchased by the Lehigh Valley Railroad; Wilcox sold his interests to the steamboat company in 1873 but regained control the following year. A battle ensued between the boats and the railroad. Petitions were signed by Ithaca merchants to have their freight delivered at the boat landing. Wilcox cut the rates for water travel to 50 cents for passengers. His attempts to keep his trade were not successful and he was forced to reduce the number of daily trips. The boats then began to cater to excursion and picnic groups. The "Frontenac" offered 50 cent meals and a four-piece Italian Orchestra. Capt. Linn Van Order announced on June 12,1885 that his boat had made a record run from Ithaca to Cayuga. It had traveled the 28 {38} miles including six landings and two crossings in 1 hour and 53 minutes Capt. Melvin Brown assumed control of the steamboats and established the Brown's Transportation Company. He continued to operate the "Frontenac" as well as the 100 foot "Mohawk" and "Iroquois." The "Frontenac" burned on July 27, 1907, and the "Mohawk" and "Iroquois" continued operating on the lake until 1911 when Brown moved them to Seneca Lake. In May of 1912, while they were at a Staten Island shipyard, they were destroyed by fire. There also were yachts and other boats thatplied the waters throughout the years- the "Mary Gertrude," "Sadie Anna," "Lone Isle," "Lark," "Bertie," "Ada," "Idler," "Frolic," "Doctor King," "Spothawk" and "Lurlene." The "Horton" and "Kellogg" serviced the west shore once it became developed. In 1912, residents along the shore as well as the Auburn Busineasmen's Association and Sherman Collins of Ithaca attempted to raise $40,000 for a new steel passenger boat. They were unsuccessful. The new invention, the automobile, enabled people to travel. farther for outings and the passenger boat was no longer needed. The littler steamer "Col. J.H. Horton" did serve the cottage colonies at the head of the lake until it burned on April 15, 1925, taking from Cayuga almost the last remnant of its old passenger boat traffic. The old warehouses have disappeared and the one time active wharves have washed away leaving only a few gaunt piles, jutting out of the water like neglected grave stones, marking the demise of the steamboat era of Cayuga Lake.