Boats (aka A Boat Trip) 1938

Nancy and Roger are taking a boat trip to today with their parents from Albany down to New York here is the name of the boat the Alexander Hamilton people are still coming up the gang plank but it is almost time to start it is time to start as Roger and Nancy look on men are taking away the gang plank next they see this man loosening a large rope which held the boat fast to the pier our boat's big wheels churn the water as we back away from the pier we back slowly out into the river and our boat ride has started down the mighty Hudson Nancy and Roger will see many ways by which people use the river this large ship does not carry passengers it is being loaded with Lumber and other heavy Freight across the river we see a great hole in the ground it is a rock quarry where people dig out Stone because the Quarry is near the Hudson River the stones are usually put on barges like these which carry them down the stream the barges are fastened by a long rope to a strong little Tugboat which pulls them along Nancy and Roger and all the other passengers are enjoying the smooth Glide of the boat through the water this Lighthouse is one way in which a boat trip is made safe it marks a shallow spot so boats can steer away from it and here is another way that boat trips are made safe our boat is carrying many small boats on it a whole row of lifeboats on each side the lifeboats are Broad and solid they have ores for rowing and airtight tanks to keep them from sinking each of them will hold 20 people here's another boat another boat just like the one on which Roger and Nancy are riding it too has many people on it but they are going up the river for their boat trip this boat is the hendrik Hudson named after the man who discovered the river inside this Pilot House is the captain of our [Applause] boat [Applause] oh look there's the captain let's go see what he's doing well well how do you know come right in that's a steering wheel isn't it yes when I turn it this way makes the boat go to the right and this way turns the boat to the left what's this that's to signal to the engineer the engineer where is he down below in the engine room thanks Captain goodbye bye [Applause] bye our boat has just passed under a bridge a high bridge built to carry railroad trains across above the River from one Shore to the other and now we are coming close to a town our captain has signaled everyone that we are passing here is a ferry boat loaded with people and cars waiting for us to pass so they can go across the river to the there is no Bridge here for automobiles there are many kinds of boats on the river here for example is a kayak a little boat that has to be paddled this man is having an easier time he has rigged up a sail for his canoe and these people have a larger sailboat when the wind is blowing they can take it easy and let the breeze blow them along by now Roger and Nancy are wondering what makes our boat go they remember the captain told them that our engineer was down below and here they are above the engine room what a big piece of Machinery helping make the boat go and how smooth and Powerful it [Music] seems the engineer can stop the boat or go ahead by pulling back on these [Music] [Music] levers Roger and Nancy again come up deck so that they won't miss anything and just in time our boat is passing the Palisades famous Rocky Cliffs along the Hudson near New York City this is another Freight boat carrying about the same kind of heavy Goods that freight trains carry on land and this is a motor yacht bright and richly finished people on it are going for a pleasure ride up the river and now a cabin cruiser these people seem to be in a hurry far above these small boats and our large boat Roger and Nancy now see the broad span of the George Washington Bridge we are passing far beneath it so we cannot see the many cars and buses hurrying to and fro across the bridge and here below the Washington Bridge is a fireboat practicing we see how far it can throw a stream of water a fireboat is very useful for fighting fire on ships in the harbor or fires on the peers at the water's edge the Hudson River has many boats here this barge is quite low in the water that's because it is filled with gasoline it has no engine but a chugging little tug is pushing it Roger and Nancy must have seen something unusual it is unusual nowadays when most boats are run by engines this is a sailing boat but its Sails are all put away and its masts are bare while it is anchored in the river here is a ferry boat much like the one we saw far back up the river this one too is loaded with cars and people coming from New Jersey to New York this is a police patrol [Applause] boat and ocean liner has just come in and a tug is helping it to its [Music] Pier over here is a big freight boat already tied up at its Pier it has had a long ocean FP from Cuba and the men are unloading bags of sugar from it up ahead a huge ocean Miner is backing out into the [Applause] stream one of the largest ships afloat most big ocean liners have strong little tugs like these to help turn them about in the river when starting out on a voyage or when coming in our journey from Albany to New York is over but for the people on this big liner their journey across the broad Atlantic ocean has just begun