24 August 2003

Historic fireboat to tour Hudson

by Khurram Saeed

If there are perfect summer moments, this may have been one of them.

Two rainbows glistened a few feet above the sun-drenched Hudson River as the John J. Harvey fireboat sent arcs of water 50 feet into the air from its eight brass cannons.

"It's just a beautiful sight on a clear summer day," said Beverly Valenti, a Mahwah, N.J., resident who was one of 60 people to take the free boat ride yesterday.

Valenti and her husband, Michael, were on their Harley-Davidson motorcycle along Grassy Point Road when they noticed the fireboat at Panco Petroleum's dock in Stony Point.

The 45-minute ride was one of several during the boat's 12-day tour up and down the Hudson River. In the morning, it took people from Bear Mountain State Park. Today, the Harvey, which is painted red, white and black but is rusted in some places, will provide rides in both Piermont and Yonkers.

While all seemed fine on the Harvey, the 17 owners of the 72-year-old retired New York City fireboat are worried about what lies below the waterline.

Two of its five 600-horsepower engines were turned off yesterday to prevent further damage to them, and one of its propellers is losing its mass, causing the boat to vibrate and shimmy at times.

The owners said the boat needs a month out of the water so about $700,000 in repairs and maintenance can be done. The restoration would add 20 years to its life.

"Every 10 or 20 years, you need a complete overhaul," said Eric Weisler, a New City resident who is one of the owners. "You can't fix a hull when it's in the water. You need to see it before it becomes a big problem."

The owners recently applied for a $350,000 matching grant from the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The boat was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. A decision on the grant is expected by late fall.

Weisler, who created and maintains the boat's Web site, believes the Harvey's value lies in trips like the one it made yesterday and dozens it's made since August 2000 to every accessible community on the Hudson. Those who sail aboard the vessel learn about its history and the need for improved access to local waterfronts, he said.

Huntley Gill, one of the Harvey's owners, said the repairs are not needed immediately, but are "crucial if the boat is going to be around another 10 to 20 years."

Suffern residents Dorothy Peteet and her husband, Brian Lee, took their 4-year-old son, Joseph, on the boat yesterday, as they did last summer when it visited Cold Spring.

"I love the fact that it's old, they saved it and it's functional," said Peteet, who bought two $12 T-shirts from the boat's small gift shop.

The Harvey's galley has been converted into a gift store that sells tote bags, watches, hats and temporary tattoos, all adorned with the Harvey's name. All of the proceeds go toward maintaining the boat.

One of the items on sale in the gift shop is Maira Kalman's book, "Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey."

It tells the history of the boat, which weighs 268 tons and pumps as much water as 20 firetrucks, and ends with its key role during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Not only did it help evacuate some 150 people trapped at the seawall near the Battery, but it also played a critical role in pumping water to fight fires at the World Trade Center for 80 hours.

"From 9/11," Eric Weisler said, "you can see that she hasn't outlived her history yet."

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