Thomas S. Negus

The Thomas S. Negus or T. S. Negus, was a 19th-century two-masted Sandy Hook pilot boat, built by C. & R. Poillon in 1873 for the New Jersey maritime pilots. She was the winner of a $1,000 prize at the Cape May Regatta in 1873. She was named for Thomas S. Negus, president of the N. J. Pilots' Commissioners. In 1897, she left the pilot service to prospect for gold during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Over the Cape May Course, 1873; Won by pilot boat Thomas S. Negus, No. 1.
History
US
Name: Thomas S. Negus
Namesake: Thomas S. Negus
Owner: N. J. Pilots
Operator: Captain John Cooper[1]
Builder: C. & R. Poillon
Launched: September 24, 1873
Out of service: November 4, 1897
Fate: Sold
General characteristics
Class and type: schooner
Tonnage: 68-tons TM[2]
Length: 85 ft 2 in (25.96 m)
Beam: 20 ft 5 in (6.22 m)
Draft: 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m)
Depth: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Propulsion: Sail
Notes: Used log rails instead of bulwarks

Construction and service

New Jersey pilot-boat Thomas S. Negus, No. 1, was launched on September 24, 1873 from the C. & R. Poillon shipyardat the foot of Bridge Street in Brooklyn, New York. She was buil to replace the pilot-boat Jane, No. 1 of the New Jersey Pilots' Association fleet, which was lost in 1872.[3]

Negus was registered with the Record of American and Foreign Shipping from 1876 to 1900 with Captain William Lewis as master and N. J. Pilots as the owners.[2] She was named for Thomas S. Negus, president of the board of Commissioners of Pilotage of New Jersey.[4][5]:p85–86 On October 31, 1893, the Negus was listed as one of eight New Jersey Sandy Hook pilot boats.[6]

On October 9, 1873, the Thomas S. Negus won a notable victory over her competitors in the Cape May Regatta, which was a race from Owl's Head Point around to Cape May Lighthouse in New Jersey, and back to the Sandy hook Lightship. The race was sponsored by Joseph F. Loubat, who was a yachtsman, that offered the Bennett cup and $1,000 for first place. Captain William Lewis sailed the Negus during the race.[7]:p380 Thomas S. Negus, of the N. J. Pilots' Commissioners, was one of the invited guests onboard the Negus during the race. Negus later wrote: "Arrived at the Lightship off Sandy Hook at 8 h. 49 m. 30s. A. M. Hailed Judges on board, who informed us we were the second boat in, The Enchantress only being ahead of us."[5]:p62–70 The pilot-boat Enchantress won the first prize, the Thomas S. Negus, No. 1 won the $1,000 second prize, and pilot-boat James W. Elwell, No. 7, won the third prize. Of the pilot-boats, the Negus took first place with the Widgeon second, the Fish third, the Elwell fourth, and the Blunt last.[8][9]

On October 18, 1878, the pilot-boat T. S. Negus, No. 1 carried survivors to Stonington, Connecticut after being transferred from the Isaac Webb. The Webb, had rescued the crew of the whaling bark Sarah, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, on October 16, 1878, forty miles south of Black Island with three survivors. Twenty-two of the crew perished. The Sarah had been caught up in a hurricane and was laying on its side, a floating wreck.[7]:272 [10]

The Sinking of the S.S. Oregon.

On March 19, 1886, the New Jersey pilot-boat Thomas S. Negus No. 1, picked up sixty bags of mail from the Cunard Line passenger steamer SS Oregon, that sank after being hit by a three-masted coal schooner off Fire Island with 845 people on board. Captain William Lewis of the Negus picked up a mail bag that contained $250,000 of Erie second consolidated bonds, several boxes or oranges and a satchel belonging to G. S. Frances. All the letters were in good condition.[11][12] The pilot-boat Phantom helped to rescue 400 passengers and crew.[13][14][7]

On February 10, 1895, Pilot-boat Thomas S. Negus, was blown out to sea because of a blizzard. Pilot John Hall came back to port on the White Star freighter Cevic. The Negus broke her foreboom but survived the storm.[15]

End of service

At the time when sail was abandoned for steam, the T. S. Negus was sold to Captain Joseph McClure as a pilot-boat. He changed her rig from pilot boat to schooner.[16] On November 4, 1897, the pilot-boat Thomas S. Negus left for Klonkike in Yukon in north-western Canada. Captain Joseph McClure and a company of eight men left New Haven, Connecticut, to prospect for gold. They traveled through the Strait of Magellan in southern Chile to reach the Pacific Ocean.[17]

On June 8, 1898, pilot-boat T. S. Negus arrived in San Francisco after she returned from Cook Inlet in south-central Alaska, where she disembarked twenty-five passengers. The boat was sold to Frank J. Mauka because the owners wanted to remain in Alaska.[18] On April 25, 1899, the schooner T. S. Negus arrived in Hawaii from Columbia, San Diego. Her owner was Frank J. Mauka.[19]

Thomas S. Negus
T.S. & J.D. Negus Company

Thomas Shufeldt Negus (1828 – March 17, 1894) was a 19th century American businessman, established the company T.S & J.D Negus for the manufacture and sale of maritime chronometers in New York in 1845. His brother, John Davidson Negus (1832-1890) was partner in the company.[20] Governor Parker of New Jersey, named T. S. Negus as Pilots Commissioner. He was president of the New Jersey board for 15 years. The pilot-boat Thomas S. Negus was named for him.[5][21]

He died on March 17, 1894 at age 66. His funeral was at his home in Jersey City, New Jersey on March 20th. His was buried at the Green-Wood Cemetery.[22]

See also

References
  1. "A Model Pilot Boat The Successful Launching of the David T. Leahy". The New York Times. 4 September 1890. ProQuest 94789799.
  2. "Index to Ship Registers, 1876". Mystic Seaport Museum. New York. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  3. "A Model Pilot Boat". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. 24 Sep 1873. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-11-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "T.S. & J.D. NEGUS – New York" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  5. Loubat, Joseph Florimond (1887). A yachtsman's scrap book: or, The ups and downs of yacht racing. New York, Brentano Brothers.
  6. "Annual Report Of The Board of Commissioners of Pilotage" (PDF). dspace.njstatelib.org. New Jersey. 31 Oct 1893. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  7. Russell, Charles Edward (1929). From Sandy Hook to 62°. New York: Century Co. p. 127. OCLC 3804485.
  8. "An Ocean Yacht Race". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. 12 Oct 1873. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-11-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "A Trial Trip". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. 3 Oct 1873. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-11-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Lost In A Hurricane. The Bark Sarah, of New Bedford, Capsized When One Day Out". New York Herald. New York, New York. 1878-10-18. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  11. "Picking Up Mail Bags. Divers to Examine the Oregon as Soon as the Sea Goes Down". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. 19 Mar 1886. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-11-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "New Jersey Scub Diving, Oregon". njscuba.net. New Jersey. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  13. Allen, Edward L. (1922). Pilot Lore From sail to Steam. New York: The United New York and New Jersey Sandy Hook Pilots Benevolent Associations. p. 35.
  14. "On Board The Phantom. 850 Persons Taken on Pilot Boat No. 11". The Sun. New York, N.Y. 16 Mar 1886. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  15. "Pilot-Boat Stafford Safe". The Evening World. New York, New York. 13 Feb 1895. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  16. "Trouble On The Negus". The Meriden Weekly Republican. Meriden, Connecticut. 7 Apr 1898. p. 8. Retrieved 2020-11-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Expedition From New Haven. The Pilot Boat Negus with Capt. McClure and Eight Men. Sails for the Klondike". The New York Times. New York, New York. 4 Nov 1897. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-11-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Safe In Port". The San Francisco call. San Francisco, Calif. 9 Jun 1898. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  19. "A New York Pilot Boat. The T. S. Negus Arrives From San Diego". The Hawaiian star. Honolulu, Oahu. 25 Apr 1899. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  20. "T.S. & J.D. NEGUS COMPANY, C. 1845". lannangallery.com. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  21. "Death of Thomas S. Negus". Jeweler's Circular and Horological Review. New York, New York. Vol. 28 (Part 1): 375. 1894. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  22. "Died". The New York Times. New York, New York. 18 Mar 1894. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-11-10 – via Newspapers.com.
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