there was a public interest, so we morphed
into a not-for-profit."
The John J. Harvey has been placed on
the National Register of Historic Places
and, like the Statue of Liberty itself, is a
National Landmark. The State of New
York's department of Parks, Recreation
and Historic Preservation announced a
$320,000 matching grant for the fireboat's
ongoing restoration, and the Harvey is
soliciting cash contributions, materials,
services, all being tax-deductible.
The catch is that the money must be
spent and the work done before the State
ponys-up the matching funds. Two brand
new propellers were recently donated by
the Kennedy Shops in Mobile, Alabama,
while a large cache of engine parts arrived
from Atlas Power Resources of
Portsmouth, Virginia. Enough altogether
has been raised - about $80,000, including
the matching grant to-date - to support the
Fireboat's visit to Derektor for drydock-
ing. Continued funding is required, of
course, and a public fund-raising party
(with a $25 contribution) has been sched-
uled for Saturday, June 18 on Pier 63. Fur-
ther details are available at the Harvey's
website, www.fireboat.org.
"I got a call from Kent Barwick," Mr.
Gill recalls, "who asked, how is it that you
pulled this whole thing off so smoothly,
how did you plan such a thing? I said no,
no, that's not how we do it around here.
You see, you get a whole lot of people
together who are really fools, and we all
hold hands together at the end of the dock
and jump at once."
Harvey in Medialand
Throughout a long career, the Harvey
was admired as outstanding equipment by
mariners and firefighters. Beyond those
populations, the boat was a handsome
though anonymous decoration in the
background, spraying the skies in festive
celebration of greater things. The Harvey
welcomed the first Queen Mary on her
maiden call at New York, as well as the
Normandie, whose fatal fire she later
fought. Back in the days when New York
newspapers covered ship arrivals, many a
famous liner was shown in salute, though
the fireboat's own name made the captions
only sometimes.
If the Harvey became a household
word, it was through one of the few delib-
erate, malicious events the boat has had to
combat. Manhattan's twin towers had pan-
caked into their blazes, and the street
mains were broken. Every fireboat pump
that could be mustered was called, to sup-
ply water from the river. When the FDNY
learned the Harvey was operational, it
requested the retired vessel's assistance.
The assistance was granted, and ground-
on for days.
Where most local communities outside
the New York City (and even within) have
volunteer fire engine companies, volun-
teer fire boat companies are a rarity.
Becoming such had not been on the Har-
vey's agenda before 9/11, nor has it been
added since. It was a fluke that brought
the vessel back to action, whereupon it did
what everyone did, which was whatever
$
1600
BACKED BY THE INDUSTRY’S STRONGEST WARRANTY!
Heavy Duty
Hydraulic PowerUnit
15HP 3000PSI
• Variable Volume0-15 GPM
• Pressure Compensated
Puts you in complete control of heavy duty
marine equipment such as cable & boom
winches, thrusters, steering, lots more!
SA
VE
$
$$$
Order Direct! Call (312) 829-1365 or Fax (312) 829-9679
or order on secured website www.hydraulicbargains.com
Variable GPM delivery! Pressure-compensated power units
automatically deliver only the amount of oil needed to properly
operate the circuit. There can be no excess of pumped oil:
therefore, all the energy is put to useful work. Volume can also
be adjusted manually and the pressure compensation feature
will automatically control GPM delivery from the manual setting
down to 0 ... increasing and decreasing GPM as required to pre-
vent overload and operte at greatest efficiency. Pumps are inter-
nally mounted in a steel 30 gal. reservoir which allso contains
filter, oil level gauge and gressure gauge. External 3/4” pipe
connections. Size 20”x20”x20”x45” H. 200 lbs. fob Chicago.
Specify Stock No. VPU1515-TU
1-YEAR GUARANTEE
Full purchase price BACK less trans-
portation cost if unsuitable in ANY way!
ROBERTS ELECTRIC CO.
311 N. Morgan St., Dept. 6901
Chicago IL 60607-1381
RUSH PURCHASE ORDER
BUY DIRECT and SAVE
Price includes electric motor
220/440 V, 60 Hz., 3 Ph, AC plus
full instructions and service manual
To Make a Reservation, call 1-800-SEA-9494
11 North Square, Boston, MA 0 2113
Voice (617) 227-3979 Fax (617) 227-4005
inn@marinershouse.org www.marinershouse.org
Starting at
$
50
per night
including breakfast.
Lunch and dinner
offered daily.
Guests must be
active seafarers
with proof
of service.
Affordable Luxury When
You’re Anchored in Boston
The antiquity and charm of the original
Mariners House has been updated to
include all the modern amenities,
featuring completely renovated private
rooms, private baths, elegant common
rooms and all the in-room necessities
of modern life.
We now offer a variety
of conference packages.
Please call for details.
150 Years of Hospitality and Guidance
to Professional Mariners
MARINERS HOUSE
Circle 264 on Reader Service Card
Circle 248 on Reader Service Card
June, 2005 • MarineNews 43
HISTORY THE YEARBOOK
JUNEMN2005 6(41-48).qxd 5/26/2005 7:10 AM Page 43
Digital Wave Publishing