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.
Commonwealth would spend her entire career on Long Island Sound routes, first from New York to Allyn's Point, Connecticut under the management of the Norwich and New London Steamboat Company, and later to Stonington and Groton with the New Jersey Steam Navigation and the Merchants' Steamship companies. During the American Civil War, she was part of the transport network that moved northern state Union regiments to the battlefront. Commonwealths end came prematurely when she was destroyed by a dockyard fire at Groton in December 1865.
Construction and design
Commonwealth was built by Lawrence & Foulks at Williamsburg, New York for the Norwich and New London Steamboat Company, which ran a steamboat line between New York City and Connecticut.Heyl, Vol. 3, pp. 97-98. About 18 months in construction, she was completed in March 1855."New Steamer", The New York Times, 1855-03-21.
Dimensions and hull design
Commonwealth had an overall length of 330 feet (100 metres), with a length on deck of 316 feet and 300 feet along the load line, making her one of the largest steamboats on the sound. She had a beam of 42 feet—77 feet over the guards—a hold depth of 13 feet 6 inches and a gross register tonnage of 1,732 tons. For a vessel of her size and tonnage, she drew a surprisingly light draft of scarcely more than 8 feet in running trim.Frazer, p. 275.
Commonwealths hull design was considered to be exceptional—"worthy of examination by all professional architects."Monthly Nautical Magazine, p. 222. The hull was flat-bottomed with an external keel, and the bow sharply angled. The midship section was duplicated for 56 feet fore and aft—an original feature in steamboat design—and the broad beam was considered an aid to stability. Like all large American wooden-hulled steamboats of the era, the hull was supported by heavy hog frames and iron tie-rods suspended from king posts to prevent excessive hogging,Baker and Tryckare, p. 48. but in Commonwealths case it was also strengthened with diagonal iron braces "after the manner of fastening the first-class sea-going steamships", and constructed throughout "with great reference to strength and safety."
Overall, the hull was deemed to provide "adequate stability, ease of motion, and every other good sea quality." This assessment would be borne out in practice: Commonwealths longstanding captain, Jerome W. Williams, would later describe the vessel as "the finest boat for rough water ever built" in the United States.Johnson and Lightfoot, p. 23.
Machinery
Commonwealth was powered by a 1,200 horsepower, 19 rpm single cylinder vertical beam steam engine, with 76-inch bore, 12-foot stroke and Stevens cut-off set at 7 feet, built by the Morgan Iron Works of New York.Monthly Nautical Magazine, p. 224. The engine was fitted with a safety device, designed by Erastus W. Smith, which uncoupled the eccentric in the event of the piston moving further than its prescribed limit, to prevent further damage in the event of a component failure.
Steam, at an average pressure of 30 psi (max. 40) was supplied by a pair of 38-foot by 13-foot-6-inch cylindrical iron return-flue boilers, placed on the guards forward of the paddlewheels. The boiler furnaces, six in total, were fitted with blower engines and used anthracite coal for fuel, about 30 tons of which could be stored in the ship's coal bunkers. The paddlewheels were 38 feet in diameter and each fitted with 28 10-foot 6-inch paddles, with a dip of 32 inches—40 inches when the vessel was fully loaded.Monthly Nautical Magazine, pp. 224-225. While Commonwealths speed is not recorded, it is said to have been unexceptional.Morrison, p. 330.
Passenger accommodations
Commonwealth was noted for the excellence of her passenger accommodations, designed by architect Alexander Hawkins. One feature in particular—the domed upper roof—drew praise, including that of a correspondent for The New York Times:
One of the most noticeable and praiseworthy [features] ... is a semicircular roof to the upper saloon, which gives an air of spaciousness, elegance and comfort that is as novel as it is cheering. This arched roof extends nearly the entire length of the boat, and the prospect through the long corridor is enchantingly beautiful; the arched roof sits so gracefully on its supports, and its ribs are so light, that it seems self-sustained, like the blue arch above our heads. It is painted with exquisite taste a pure white, for any attempt at ornamentation would mar its graceful and beautiful proportions; and gilding and gingerbread work are used with a sparing and chastened hand in all parts of this splendid vessel."A Pleasure Trip to Boston: Trial Trip of the New Steamer Commonwealth", The New York Times, 1855-04024.
The saloon deck also featured an after cabin fitted with thirty large sofas, allowing passengers to "sit and enjoy the magnificent prospect of the evening passage on the Sound with comfort."Monthly Nautical Magazine, p. 225.
Below the saloon deck, in the upper hull, was the main passenger deck, with 120 staterooms, fitted with two beds each, and a number of bridal suites. The staterooms were large, well-ventilated, and designed with "Oriental elegance", incorporating materials such as satin damask, moquette, lace, velvet tapestry, and rosewood furniture."The New Steamboat Commonwealth", The New York Times, 1855-04-20. Also on this deck, abaft of the engine room, was "a spacious and splendid ladies' cabin, unsurpassed in style and finish."
Below the main passenger deck was a third deck, containing more cabin space aft and a dining saloon forward. The three decks were linked by staircases forward and aft, with a main staircase amidships with double flights and double entrances which ran from the lower cabin to the upper saloon, described as a particularly fine piece of workmanship.Monthly Nautical Magazine, pp. 225-226.
A number of firms were subcontracted for the specialty work: McGrath & Allendorph and M. H. C. Glensman for the cabinet work; Reed, Tice & Hamilton for the joinery; A. T. Stuart & Co. for the upholstery; Haughwout & Co. for the chandeliers; and Storrs Brothers for the plated ware. Furniture for the vessel, constructed of rosewood, was designed specifically for the ship. The tableware was of white China and heavy plated silverware. The servants designed their own livery: black pants, white vests and jackets, and blue velvet caps with silver trimming and the letters "C. W." in beadwork at the front.
Safety features and communications
In addition to passenger comfort, the designers of Commonwealth also paid considerable attention to safety. Commonwealth was furnished with eight lifeboats, 600 life-preservers—enough for every passenger aboard—and 155 life-preserving seats. A large number of water pumps, operable either by machine or hand, were installed, each fitted with "a great length of hose" ready for use; also a number of "steam fire annihilators". Even the staterooms themselves were arranged in such a way as to permit rapid access to the main deck in case of emergency.
To communicate with passengers and crew, a speaking trumpet was fitted to the rooms of the captain and pilot, just aft of the wheelhouse. The trumpet could also be utilized as a whistle to the forecastle. Additionally, the captain was able to communicate with crew members via a set of twelve bells located in different parts of the ship.
Officers
Having spent a considerable sum on the boat, the proprietors of Commonwealth were careful to ensure that their investment was placed in competent hands. Their choice of skipper for the vessel was Captain Jerome W. Williams, a seaman with almost 25 years of navigational experience on Long Island Sound, and known for his "cool, clear head and good judgement".Hunt, pp. 771-772. Williams would remain Commonwealths captain for the whole of her career, through all her changes of ownership, and is said to have developed a great fondness for the vessel. Commonwealths chief engineer was Samuel Carter, another man with at least 20 years' experience. Both officers were said to enjoy "the very highest reputation" in their respective fields.Monthly Nautical Magazine, p. 226.
Service history 1855–1860
Commonwealth embarked on her trial trip, testing her engine for the first time, on March 20, 1855. She was then placed by her proprietors, the Norwich & New London Steamboat Company, on the route from New York to Allyn's Point, Connecticut, the latter being the terminus of the Norwich & Worcester Railroad, which ran a connecting service to Boston via Norwich, Connecticut and Worcester, Massachusetts.Dayton, p. 163.Morrison, pp. 328-330.Parish, p. 839. For Commonwealths debut, the Railroad itself introduced a number of "splendid new sixteen wheel" railway carriages as a means of increasing the attraction of the service. The Railroad also assigned a train specifically to the steamer, ready to leave the moment Commonwealth arrived with her freight and passengers.
Commonwealth made her maiden voyage to Allyn's Point on Thursday, April 5, 1855. She would thereafter maintain a regular scheduled service on this route, departing from the foot of Cortlandt Street, New York at 4pm every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, alternating with her stablemate Connecticut which departed at the same time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This schedule, excepting accidents, maintenance and poor weather, appears to have persisted until the sale of Commonwealth in 1860.Jones, p. 282; Parish, p. 839; Nash & Parish, p. 256; Appletons, p. 246.
On the night of September 3, 1855, Commonwealth broke her starboard crankshaft in stormy weather, and was taken in tow by the rival steamer Metropolis of the Fall River Line, the two vessels arriving in port about 8:00am, or about two hours behind schedule for Metropolis."Steamboat Accident", Hartford Weekly Times, p. 3, 1855-09-08. A new crankshaft was manufactured and fitted to Commonwealth in the "remarkably short time" of ten days, and she resumed service on or about the 18th."New York City", The New York Times, 1855-09-19.
In October and November 1855, the essayist Henry David Thoreau made a couple of voyages aboard Commonwealth to New York City. Of the second, Thoreau remarked that while the weather was "so windy inland", the vessel had "a perfectly smooth passage" and himself "about as good a sleep as usually at home."Sanborn, p. 335.Thoreau, Torrey and Allen, p. 133. In June 1857, a woman reportedly fell overboard from Commonwealth at the New London wharf, and could not be extricated from the water for half an hour, during which time the buoyancy of her hoop dress was said to have saved her from drowning.Emersons Magazine, p. 108. In August 1858, Commonwealth suffered a collision with the schooner Sea Lark, but only minor damage was done to either vessel.Starr, p. 199.