The Steam Tug

The Steam Tug is a historical read about the evolution of the steam engine andsteam tug. Developed and patented in England in 1737, the author takes thereader to the end of the roaring 1850's in New York Harbor. It was not until1807 that Robert Fulton introduced the fi rst commercially successful steamboatthe "Clermont" on the Hudson River in New York. In the early 1800's sailingships entering the harbor would lie at anchor in Sandy Hook for days andweeks waiting for wind to power them into the harbor so they could offl oadtheir cargo.Due to the expansion of shipping and commerce during the mid 1800's, sailingships realized that small steam ferries operating between Staten Island and lowerManhattan could tow them into local wharfs to discharge their cargo and beginloading domestic goods to distant ports abroad saving valuable time.With the advent of large clipper ships, increased commerce and advanced steamboats, would lead to the rise and birth of a new industry, The Towing Business.