23 August 2003

Historic fireboat impresses -- Oldest in NYC's fleet sails Hudson

by Rob Seetoo

Sure it was late, but it was worth the wait.

Onlookers at Waryas Park oohed and aahed when the fireboat John J. Harvey fired its water guns more than 150 feet in the air as it passed underneath the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge on a muggy Friday afternoon.

At 2 p.m., about an hour after its scheduled arrival, the oldest boat in the New York City Fire Department's fleet turned toward the shoreline and fired its guns again, soaking the crew and travelers on board.

Peggy Lay, of London, was going to celebrate her 40th birthday on a Hudson River cruise out of Kingston. Instead, some of her extended family were ready to climb aboard the John J. Harvey for a free ride to Cold Spring. She was impressed by the boat and its water display.

Historic boat returns

"This is like a once in a lifetime thing," she said. "It's pretty, like a moving waterfall on the river."

The John J. Harvey, built in 1931, has drawn recognition recently after it was brought out of retirement to help fight the fires at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

The fireboat is on a 12-day, dual-purpose tour of the Hudson River, partly in an effort to help raise money toward a $375,000 matching grant from the state government for repairs and maintenance.

"A part of the tour is to raise awareness of water-borne transportation," said John Doswell, one of the owners of the boat.

Paul Israel of Ancramdale, Columbia County, was a member of the crew for a week.

"It was an amazing experience. Nobody has an ego. It's a little miraculous," he said.

Poughkeepsie Mayor Colette Lafuente greeted more than a dozen people at the park's dock as they climbed aboard the boat.

She was impressed with the crew, too, many of whom are owners and volunteers helping to rebuild the boat.

"The people who are trying to save this boat are magnificent," Lafuente said.

Jim Moseman of Glenham was impressed not only by the boat, but also by Poughkeepsie's waterfront park.

"The whole waterfront is nice," he said.

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