Where's the Lease?

    Throughout the rest of February and all of March, Mr. Raymond heard nothing in response to his letter of February 8. He met with Mr. Baldwin in early April and told him that in anticipation of the May 1 starting date for the Poggatticut which it was intending to do, assuming the slip and channel were both in order, that there should be a lease. He had drawn one on the typewriter in Mr. Clar'’s residence and handed it to Mr. Baldwin. Mr. Baldwin voiced no objections to any of the points in Mr. Raymond’s letter of February 8 and, in fact, did not even mention it, according to Mr. Raymond. Mr. Baldwin told Mr. Raymond that the Town would be meeting about the lease shortly.
    On April 13 at a Special Meeting of the Town Board held at the Town Dock, the Supervisor was authorized to pay Mr. Myers the balance due on the contract for the ferry slip of $940 when the slip was completed, and they authorized the Highway Superintendent, Benjamin Walthers, to put a foot of gravel on the approach to the ferry slip.

This is a photo of the Chequit in 1912, Note the car and the ladies' dresses and hats. Also note the stairs from the front veranda.
     On April 15, the Suffolk Times reported: "The Poggatticut met with a slight accident to her rudder last Wednesday afternoon. Repairs were made at once and after a short delay the boat resumed her trips. All trips have been made from the railroad wharf so far, as the Main Street slip needed repairs when the Poggatticut went on the route."
    On April 22, the Suffolk Times reported: "It was with regret that many of the Islanders saw the last of the Menantic as she left her winter anchorage to proceed to Saugerties, where her new route will be. The Menantic has been on the ferry summers, for over 26 years... Last year the Poggatticut went on the route and the other boat laid idle till sold a short time ago to a corporation up the Hudson."
    At its regular monthly meeting on May 4, the Town Board amended the Ferry Company agreement and referred it to Mr. Tasker, and authorized the Supervisor and Town Clerk to get bids on moving the ferry house and building gates and fence and to do necessary work on the ferry house. On June 4, the Town Board authorized "to hire money from the Bank to pay the bills on the ferry slip, the sum not to exceed (3000.00) Three Thousand dollars." The lease of the Town dock "was laid on the table for future consideration."
    On May 13, the Suffolk Times reported: "The heavy gale of wind last week hampered the work of the ferry boat Poggatticut. During the storm last Sunday the Prospect was used."
    On June 3, the Suffolk Times reported: "The circus at Greenport last Saturday drew a large crowd, old and young, from Shelter Island. That and the extra traffic kept the Poggatticut and Prospect very busy afternoon and evening. On one of the evening trips the Prospect towed a scow for accommodation of part of the crowd."
    On June 10, the Suffolk Times reported: "Repairs are being made at the Main Street ferry landing at Greenport and it will be used again this summer. Those who have much shopping to do will welcome this change as the walk from the business section of Greenport to the railroad wharf was a tiring one when laden with heavy parcels."
    The Suffolk Times reported on July 1: "The Poggatticut had a busy day on the ferry on Sunday as over eighty cars were taken across during the day. Traffic will probably be much heavier over the Fourth. The boat is now making part of the trips from the Main Street wharf in Greenport."
    The July 15 issue of the Suffolk Times reported: "The ferryboat Poggatticut was disabled for a short time last Tuesday, but was soon back on the route. Over two hundred autos ferried across the day before the Fourth and on the next day it was necessary to use the scow and launch to aid in handling the large traffic."
    On July 29, the Suffolk Times reported: “The Ferry Company recently decided to issue books of tickets at a slightly lower rate, good for a certain number of trips. It is a number of years since it has been possible to buy more than one ticket at a time so these books will be very welcome to the public."
    On August 3, the Town Board authorized the Supervisor and Town Clerk "to sign the Ferry Agreement or Lease as presented by counsel ... and submit the agreement made by counsel to the President of the Ferry Company."

There was an observatory platform on the Serpentine from which one could view the entire Island, and all of the surrounding territory from Connecticut to Montauk. This 1922 view of the Heights pier and the Beach Club was probably taken from the platform.
    Mr. Raymond was on the Island most of June and all of July and August. No one from the Town said a word to him about the lease until he received two copy of a revised lease with a brief cover letter from Mr. Baldwin asking that he sign it. The lease was not acceptable to Mr. Raymond. The main issue was fairness. If the Ferry Company was willing to run the Poggatticut at a loss during the lean months, then the Town should not allow other ferry services to use Town docking facilities during the summer season, thus cutting into Ferry Company profits. Limiting the launches, Prospect and Neptune, to the western side of the Town dock would interfere with the activity in the slip. Boats belonging to Town residents were, of course, welcome at the Town dock, but not boats offering competitive ferry service. That other events, besides weather, might limit ferry service, such as breakdowns had to be worked into the lease, and the Ferry Company would be responsible for the schedule. Then there were concerns about the exact day in May that double ended ferry service might be moved to The Heights in consideration of Decoration Day which might fall between May 25 and May 31. The lease gave the Ferry Company use of the slip, but not exclusivity as a ferry service. There were other issues surrounding issues of liability and responsibility. The Ferry Company was broadly liable for all mishaps in the general vicinity of the dock and slip.
    He drew up a new lease based on the Town's submitted lease and his revisions and sent this off to Mr. Baldwin.
    On August 18, having just returned from New York City where he had met with the Ferry Company’s insurance company, Mr. Raymond wrote to Mr. Baldwin:
    As indicated to you some months ago, the question of Marine winter insurance on our boats is an element that must have bearing on service.
    I have been hopeful that I could secure some alteration of the lay up requirements in these waters, and so have been willing to go ahead with the proposed lease ... I have endeavored to press the matter to a settlement in our favor, without result. The terms of the only policy they will issue reads:
    “Warranted laid up and out of commission from December 31st noon to March 15th noon, etc.”
    I am not entirely discouraged and do not propose to stop where we are on this thing. I am advised however by those capable of informing me, to let the matter drop again, and in each case of an open winter, take up a short term policy to cover it with the underwriters, which might be successful. In short treat for a winter policy early in December each year, based on the then winter conditions.
    It will be necessary however to have an understanding on this point when we consider the lease further.
    The following day, Mr. Tasker wrote Mr. Raymond suggesting that they get together to discuss the lease with the hopes that they could clear up any issues. On August 20, Mr. Raymond telephoned Mr. Tasker, and they set up a meeting for the next day.
     Mr. Raymond’s notes of his meetings with Mr. Tasker read as follows:
    There were two, the 21st and 22nd. They were entirely friendly. There was no claim made on Mr. Tasker’s part that the Ferry was or had been seeking any unusual advantage, nor that it at any time sought to control the Dock and Slip. The form lease submitted by the Town in Mr. Baldwin’s letter of August 4th was gone over each of us holding a copy and writing in as we agreed on our individual copy the new forms to be used, so each had a record of the final draft as AGREED TO. I do not set up Mr. Tasker could by such agreement bind the Town, or that I so understood it, but I do claim the form as exactly specified and agreed was to be SO drawn and presented to the Town for its approval or disapproval.
    During the meeting with Mr. Tasker, Mr. Raymond shared his concerns about ferry competition at the Town dock. It was not Mr. Rouse per se, he told him, but the whole question of competition. Anyone could run unlicensed ferries from the Town dock, but only the Ferry Company would be obligated to do so during lean times.

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