320 HUDSON HONORED IN NEW YORK 



Not far from the Stapleton shore the crash took place. The Dutch prod- 

 uct of the sixteenth century had traveled a short distance from Constable 

 Hook in tow, but the wind was so inviting it parted from its convoy and put 

 out sail. When the sailors on the Half Moon saw that a collision was in- 

 evitable they hastily lowered the canvas, which retarded the Half Moon's 

 speed considerably. All the same, the sixteenth century and the nineteenth 

 came in contact with force enough to set the pewter plates on the Dutch- 

 man rattling. 



Neither vessel was much damaged. Part of the railing of the Clermont 

 was splintered and the Half Moon had its nose bruised, figuratively speaking, 

 for the bowsprit was bent a bit, but it was not necessary for the vessels to 

 drop out of the line and they joined in the parade as briskly as if nothing at 



all had happened. 



The Clermont was under its own steam at the time, just as the Half Moon 

 was under sail. The tug Frederick B. Dalzell had taken the Half Moon 200 

 yards. A breeze was kicking the bay into whitecaps, but as the quaint vessel 

 spread its white wings and the sails bellied out, it rounded Staten island 

 like an American cup champion. It wasn't on the cards that it should go as 

 fast, but the crowd on shore was delighted and let out a cry of approval. 



At the same time the cloud of steam issued from the tall stack of Clermont, 

 but Its gait was more methodical. When the crew saw the Half Moon up on 

 it, however, the vessel got a move on in earnest and tried to get out of the 

 way. It couldn't quite make clear water in time. 



In the wake of the Half Moon trailed the official boats, tugs, yachts, and 

 other craft. Five submarines stole into the channel and went along, closely 

 convoying the Half Moon. Then the big show might fairly be said to be on. 



The head line of the naval parade, with the Half Moon leading, was off 

 South Brooklyn shortly before i o'clock. 



The excursion boats were all heavily crowded and the bay was full of 

 decorated vessels of all sorts— tugs, steam lighters, and other craft darting 

 hither and thither. The outward bound liners were all decorated as they 

 passed the parade on their way down the bay. The boats moved up the Hud- 

 son in a double line at a speed of about eight miles an hour, but such was the 

 number of participants and the distance necessary to be maintained between 

 them that the head of the procession had reached the turning point at Spuyten 

 Duyvil and was part way back before the last upward bound vessel passed 

 the Battery. Strung out thus, the column proved to be nearly fifteen miles 

 long. 



