Call Number: 1991.051
Extent: 0.42 Linear feet, in one manuscript box.
The Daniel H. Mowell account books span the period 1895 to 1919. Nearly all eight chronologically-arranged account books in the collection relate to Mowell’s work as a tugboat captain and meticulously record the daily operations onboard the tugs Stephen E. Babcock and George Hill. Mowell divided each of his account books into three sections: a daily account of barges, sloops, and other vessels moved from port to port and prices charged; a separate daily account of brigs, schooners, etc. towed to and from Staten Island ports; and a daily account of gross earnings with complete weather conditions and amounts of coal used. The second half of the final account book relates to Mowell’s work as an automobile chauffeur and records details of his daily activities, including the mileage of each journey, the daily weather, road conditions, and places visited. Several news clippings containing nautical items of interest to Mowell, as well as photographs of Mowell’s tugboats and other ships in New York Harbor and around the world, are interfiled throughout the account books. The collection also includes two loose photographs, one of the tug George Hill in a sand bank near Roslyn, Long Island, and one showing a miniature house made of craft materials, with a nautical adventure poem printed on the verso. Finally, a small assortment of loose ephemera, such as invitations, business cards, clippings, and poetry, is also included.
Daniel H. Mowell was a Brooklyn resident who worked in the tugboat industry in New York Harbor. In 1895, Mowell took command as captain of the tugboat Stephen E. Babcock, of which he was also one-quarter owner. Mowell and his crew towed schooners, yachts, and sloops across New York Harbor from New Brighton to Hempstead, City Island to the Battery, and Red Hook to Rikers Island. Beginning in 1907, Mowell took additional command of the tugboat George Hill, which he also owned. After selling his tugboats in 1913, Mowell retired as a captain, though he did acquire ownership of the barges C.J. Curtin and D.H. Opdenbrown. He then worked as an automobile chauffeur in Brooklyn.
Names:
- Mowell, Daniel H.
- George Hill (Tugboat)
- Stephen E. Babcock (Tugboat)
Places:
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- New York Harbor (N.Y. and N.J.)
Subjects:
- Chauffeurs — New York (State) — Kings County
- Ship captains — New York Harbor (N.Y. and N.J.)
- Shipping — New York Harbor (N.Y. and N.J.)
- Ships
- Tugboats — New York Harbor (N.Y. and N.J.)
Types of material:
- Account books
- Business cards
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Invitations
- Photographs
- Printed ephemera