At New London
The Central Vermont freighters and the New York Boats towered above their sheds near the New London railroad station. The harbor was always full of steamboats and barges and tugs and schooners, some in motion and others moored for further development. The schooners were heavy with lumber and wood pulp from up north and lay low in the water with their numerous masts towering above all else.
[Editor's Note: "Central Vermont freighters" refers to cargo boats that were loaded with freight delivered to docks in East New London by trains of the Central Vermont Railway. The freighters then carried the cargo to New York or other destinations. A subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway, the "CV" tracks linked Montreal and New London. In recent decades the line has been operated by other companies, In 2019 the operator is the New England Central Railroad, and plans to expand freight service are a component of the effort to revitalize the Port of New London. The McGuire Library's holdings about the Central Vermont Railway are listed in its online catalog.]
The squat and dirty coal barges were almost awash with anthracite or bituminous coal ready for transshipment by rail or to go up the river to the factories and homes of Norwich. Ocean tugs were there to take away the high-riding empties. The home traffic was in the care of CASSIE, AQUIDNECK, and other small tugs In those days the tugs bore family names or Indian titles of local interest. And the oceangoing tugs bore strange and gay devices on their funnels to indicate their ownership. The Fishers Island boats moved in and out infrequently, and the Long Island steamers were ready early in the day to carry the public to Greenport, Sag Harbor, Shelter Island and Montauk Point.
