Chauncey Vibbard, often abbreviated as C. Vibbard or just Vibbard, was a steamboat built in New York in 1864 for passenger service on the Hudson River. The first steamboat built specifically for what later became the Hudson River Day Line, Chauncey Vibbard quickly established herself as the fastest steamboat on the river, if not the world, with a record run from New York to Albany in 1864. Her popularity was such that after only two years of service she was lengthened to accommodate more passengers.
Chauncey Vibbard was lengthened again in 1872, but in spite of these alterations, continued to set a variety of new speed records on the Hudson until at least 1876. In 1880, she was given another major rebuild. In 1890, after 26 years' service on the Hudson, Chauncey Vibbard was sold to the Lincoln Steamboat Company, which ran her as an excursion steamer between Philadelphia and Lincoln Park. Laid up in 1900, she was broken up in 1902, having accumulated some 36 years of service.
Construction and design
After purchasing the steamboats Armenia and Daniel Drew in 1863 and running them on the Hudson for a number of months, Alfred Van Santvoord decided to build a new steamboat to operate in conjunction with Daniel Drew. Accordingly, a steamboat "with the same general arrangements and appearance" as Daniel Drew was ordered from the Williamsburg, New York shipyard of Lawrence & Foulks. Completed in early 1864, the new steamer was named Chauncey Vibbard after the prominent railroad executive, who at the time was one of Van Santvoord's partners.
When completed, Chauncey Vibbard had a length of 265 feet, a beam of 35 feet, a hold depth of 9 feet 6 inches, and a tonnage of 794 tons. She was powered by a single cylinder vertical beam steam engine with 55-inch bore and 12-foot stroke. Steam was supplied at a relatively high pressure of about 55 psi by two boilers, one on each guard, just aft of the 30-foot diameter paddlewheels. Both engine and boilers were supplied by Fletcher, Harrison & Co. of New Jersey.
With concave lines forward and convex aft, and an unusually narrow beam for her length, Chauncey Vibbards hull was said "to cut the water as a knife blade, the water only breaking when it hit the paddles." To enhance the smoothness of operation, hull and boilers were carefully balanced to eliminate vibration. With such fine "racer" lines and attention to detail, Chauncey Vibbard would prove capable of a cruising speed of 23 to 25 mph and a top speed of almost 30 mph—sufficient to challenge the fastest steamboats on the Hudson.
According to some sources, Chauncey Vibbards hull was strengthened with high hog frames, typical hull strengthening components of their day. However, Stanton's illustration shows only king posts and iron tie-rods, suggesting that the hog frames were added at a later date, perhaps when the vessel was lengthened. In spite of her speed, Chauncey Vibbard is said to have been one of the most difficult boats to drive into a headwind.
As a day boat, a substantial proportion of Chauncey Vibbards passengers were sightseers rather than travellers. To cater for this clientele, Chauncey Vibbards main saloon was located forward, offering the best possible views of the picturesque scenery of the Hudson. A promenade deck was also installed. Considered of no less importance, perhaps, was the boat's extensive larder—from which it is said almost anything could be ordered. Chauncey Vibbards captain was Dave Hitchcock, a partner of Van Santvoord.
Hudson River service, 1864–90
Schedules
After completion, Chauncey Vibbard was placed on the New York to Albany route, working in tandem with the Daniel Drew, while Daniel Drews former partnering vessel, Armenia, was placed in reserve. Chauncey Vibbard was scheduled to leave New York for Albany on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, while her stablemate departed the same port on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The boats departed Debrosses Street, New York on their respective days at 7:00 am, touching at 30th Street, New York, then continuing on to West Point, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck, Catskill, Hudson and Albany. The return journey for each boat was made the following day, departing Hamilton Street, Albany at 9:00 am and arriving at New York about 6:00 pm.