Zophar Mills was a fireboat operated by the Fire Department of New York City from 1883 to 1958.[1][2] She was the department's first iron-hulled vessel and had a pumping capacity of 6,000 US gal (23,000 L; 5,000 imp gal) per minute.[1][2]
 Zophar Mills in 1882.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
  United States | |
| Name | Zophar Mills |
| Operator | Fire Department of New York City |
| Launched | 1882 |
| In service | 1883 |
| Out of service | 1958 |
| Fate | Abandoned at Staten Island boat graveyard |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Fireboat |
| Length | 120 ft (37 m) |
| Beam | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
| Draft | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
Around 1882, Zohpar Mills reportedly collided with a pier at Little 12th Street (as of 2022[update], the present-day location of Little Island at Pier 55).[3]
According to some accounts, she was the first fireboat called to the burning of General Slocum, where over a thousand people died.[4] Other accounts say Abram S. Hewitt was the first fireboat to be dispatched.[1][2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c
"SHIP GRAVEYARD, ROSSVILLE, Staten Island". Forgotten NY. Retrieved 2015-06-28.
One of the rusting hulks, er, retired vessels is the fireboat Abram S. Hewitt, which was in active service from 1903-1958. The fireboat, named for NYC mayor Abram Stevens Hewitt (1822-1903) was built by New York Shipbuilding in Camden, NJ and launched the year the mayor died; she served in the NYC fireboat fleet until 1958. It was the last coal-burning fireboat in operation.
- ^ a b c Clarence E. Meek (July 1954). "Fireboats Through The Years". Retrieved 2015-06-28.
- ^ "A Fireboat Destroys a Pier" (PDF). The New York Times. December 28, 1882. p. 8. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ "North Brother Island". Forgotten NY. Retrieved 2015-06-28.
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