Around Manhattan Island and other maritime tales of New York

The port of New York, Manhattan Harbor, is always bustling; any resident of or visitor to New York is quick to recognize the integral part the port plays in the life of the city, but the vessels that keep it alive are rarely focused on. In these six stories, Brian Cudahy provides us with a unique and wonderful tour of the port of New York through the 20th century. From the Iron Steamboat Company to the Norwiegan Cruise lines, Around Manhattan Island is a treasure for all with an interest in maritime history, and for all who love New York. Library Journal Transportation historian Cudahy (Under the Sidewalks of New York, Fordham Univ., 1995) adds another well-written volume on a vital chapter in the history of New York City. He tells six stories that feature the history of such vessels as those in the Circle Line; the superliner SS United States; New York harbor fireboats; the Iron Steamboat, which ran excursions to Coney Island; the steamboat Observation, which exploded and sank in 1932; and the 20th-century commercial cruise ships that operated between New York and Bermuda. With a wealth of information about the many ships that plied the waters of New York Harbor, including detailed chapter notes, Cudahy's work will be of most relevance to readers with an interest in transportation history; it should also appeal to visitors to the Big Apple. For public and academic libraries.Linda M. Kaufmann, Freel Lib., North Adams State Coll., Mass. Cudahy begins with a history of the Circle Line and its forerunners and erstwhile competitors in the around-Manhattan sightseeing business. Next, he gives us the fascinating story of the fastest ocean linear of all time: the S.S. United States. The noble history of the New York Fire Department's fire boats is next, followed by the story of the Iron Steamboat Company's sidewheelers, which ferried passengers to the magical Coney Island from 1881 to 1932. Then there is the tragic 1932 explosion of the steamboat Observation, with its parallels to an earlier and even more devastating tragedy at nearly the same spot. Finally, Cudahy tells, in fascinating detail, of the New York-to-Bermuda cruises - as they were in yesteryear, and as they are today. This book contains six different stories about six different maritime subjects, each involving the port of New York in a central and important way. A second theme common to all six stories - perhaps the only other one - is sheer personal interest on my part. The stories also include one or more appendices found at the end of the book (before the index).