Metropolitan Steamship Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Maritime transport |
| Founded | 1866 |
| Founder | Peter Butler, James B. Taft, Thomas Clyde, James Scollay Whitney, Henry Melville Whitney |
| Fate | Purchased by Charles W. Morse in 1906; integrated into Eastern Steamship Lines |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
Area served | New York City to Boston, Massachusetts |
Key people | James S. Whitney (president), Henry M. Whitney (Boston agent), Charles W. Morse (owner from 1906) |
| Products | Steamship passenger and freight services |
The Metropolitan Steamship Company served as a vital maritime connection between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts for three-quarters of a century. Strongly associated with the Whitney family, it was purchased by Charles W. Morse in 1906 and eventually integrated into Eastern Steamship Lines, where it continued to operate under the name Metropolitan Line until 1941.
Origins
Established in 1866 by prominent Boston entrepreneurs such as Peter Butler, James B. Taft, Thomas Clyde, Brigadier General James Scollay Whitney, and his son Henry Melville Whitney, the company aimed to run steamship services along the "outside route" between Boston and New York via Cape Cod. The founders intended to generate revenue by utilizing idle vessels they already owned. James S. Whitney held the presidency, while Henry M. Whitney managed operations as the Boston agent. Investments also came from other family members including William Collins Whitney and sons-in-law Henry F. Dimock and Charles T. Barney.
Operations commenced under Captain George L. Norton, who commanded the steamer Ashland, an 843-ton wooden propeller constructed in 1853 and owned by Thomas Clyde. The fleet rapidly grew to include ships like Jersey Blue, City of Bath, Mary Sanford, Salvor, Relief, Miami, Monticello, and Fairbanks. Most of these were propeller-driven vessels except for the sidewheel steamer Miami, previously the USS Miami gunboat built between 1861 and 1862. The company's New York office was originally located on Catherine Street before relocating to Pier 10 on the North River, where it remained for almost five decades.
In December 1866, the firm purchased three wooden propellers—Nereus, Glaucus, and Neptune—from the defunct Merchants' Steamship Company. These ships, constructed in 1864, each displaced approximately 1,800 tons and measured 228 feet in length with a beam of 40 feet but required hull reinforcement to safely navigate beyond Point Judith in open waters. Equipped with simple expansion steam engines, they could achieve speeds up to 13 knots.
Transition to iron vessels
The company introduced its first iron-hulled propeller, the General Whitney, in 1873, which was built by Harlan & Hollingsworth in Wilmington, Delaware. This iron steamer weighed 1,848 tons and stretched 227 feet long, powered by two-cylinder compound engines. All subsequent iron steamers were designed under the guidance of chief engineer Herman Winter, who served from 1872 to 1891.
Following James Whitney's passing in 1878, Henry Whitney assumed the presidency while continuing his role as Boston agent.
In 1884, the iron propeller H.F. Dimock was launched by William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia; this vessel weighed 2,625 tons and was named after the company’s New York agent. A similar vessel of equal tonnage named Herman Winter was added in 1887. In 1890, the fleet expanded with the introduction of the 2,706-ton H.M. Whitney, equipped with triple expansion engines. These four modern iron propellers—General Whitney, H.F. Dimock, Herman Winter, and H.M. Whitney—alongside older wooden ships formed the backbone of the fleet.
Developments entering the 20th century
In 1892, a collision occurred when the steamer H.F. Dimock struck William K. Vanderbilt's yacht Alva in Vineyard Sound, resulting in the sinking of the yacht; subsequent legal proceedings favored Metropolitan Steamship Company.
Later that year, a collision between the H.M. Whitney and the transatlantic liner Ottoman caused the former to sink temporarily in Boston harbor but it was refloated and repaired without loss of life.
In 1893, Flint & Company acquired the steamer El Cid from the Morgan Line and converted it into an auxiliary cruiser named Nichtheroy for use during Brazil’s Civil War. Although there were rumors that Flint & Company sought to purchase Metropolitan's vessels such as H.F. Dimock or Herman Winter, no deals materialized.
The wooden steamers Glaucus and Neptune were withdrawn from service in 1893 and dismantled by around 1906.
The vessel General Whitney was leased by the Morgan Line in 1898 for service between New Orleans and New York but sank off St. Augustine in 1899 due to leaks; this tragedy resulted in Captain Hawthrone and sixteen crew members losing their lives.
Following establishment of New York–Providence freight-only service by Joy Steamship Company in 1899, Metropolitan began similar operations between New York and Boston; however, these ended after Joy’s acquisition by New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in 1906.
In another incident in 1900, the steamer Herman Winter collided with Munson Line’s freighter Ardendhu, which sank causing two fatalities; nevertheless, Herman Winter rescued twenty-nine survivors.
Also that year saw construction of the steel propeller steamer James S. Whitney, a modern vessel displacing 2,707 tons and measuring 278 feet long, built by Harlan & Hollingsworth as a replacement for the lost General Whitney. This ship featured triple expansion engines.
By 1903, seasonal passenger service operated from May through November with daily departures at 4 p.m. from Boston’s India Wharf bound for New York; return trips left New York’s Pier 14 each evening.
Charles W. Morse Assumes Control
Initially chartered in Massachusetts, the Metropolitan Steamship Company was reestablished in Maine in May 1905. In 1906, Whitney and his partners transferred a controlling stake to Charles W. Morse, the founder of the Eastern Steamship Company. The following year, Morse created the Consolidated Steamship Company as a holding entity for Metropolitan, Eastern, Clyde, and Mallory Steamship Companies. Although he was unsuccessful in acquiring the New York, New Haven and Hartford's Long Island Sound fleet, Morse secured control over the New York and Cuba Mail Steamship Company as well as the New York and Porto Rico Steamship Company in 1907.
Between 1906 and 1907, Metropolitan’s New Jersey branch commissioned two steamers—Harvard and Yale—constructed by Delaware River Iron Shipbuilding & Engine Works in Chester, Pennsylvania. These steel vessels, each weighing 3,731 tons and equipped with steam turbines, were among the earliest American ships to adopt this technology. They achieved speeds up to 24 knots and could accommodate 987 overnight passengers, marking a significant technological advancement within the industry.
Morse’s highly leveraged financial strategy faltered during the Panic of 1907, resulting in Metropolitan entering receivership by February 1908. A grounding incident involving the steamer H.M. Whitney in May 1908 caused only minor operational interruptions without substantial financial consequences.
Simultaneously, three contemporary package freighters—the Massachusetts, Bunker Hill, and Old Colony—were built in 1907 by Cramps Shipbuilding in Philadelphia for the Maine Steamship Company, a subsidiary of New Haven. These ships operated on the Boston Merchants' Line connecting New York, Boston, and Portland. In 1908, Charles Sanger Mellen of New Haven divested controlling interest in these vessels to Morse, thereby broadening his market influence.
Morse faced indictment for his involvement in precipitating the Panic of 1907 and was sentenced to federal imprisonment in November 1908 for banking law violations; however, he remained free on appeal until January 1910.
Corporate Reorganization
On March 10, 1909, amid dense fog near Vineyard Sound, the steamer H.F. Dimock, en route from New York to Boston, collided with Maine Steamship Company's Horatio Hall. Captain John A. Thompson of the H.F. Dimock transferred five passengers from the sinking vessel. The majority of Horatio Hall's crew evacuated via lifeboats and were rescued; four crew members stayed aboard in the pilot house until later retrieved. The damaged H.F. Dimock was deliberately grounded at Orleans Life-Saving Station to disembark passengers safely before undergoing repairs.
On October 8, 1909, Metropolitan’s assets were sold through foreclosure to Chicago businessman John W. McKinnon. The company was reincorporated in Maine on October 11, 1909, appointing Morse as president, McKinnon as vice president, Charles L. Andrews as secretary, and Campbell Carrington as treasurer.
The steamer James S. Whitney ran aground in Hell Gate channel on December 18, 1909, after yielding passage to a Fall River Line freighter; cargo had to be offloaded prior to refloating. On July 15, 1910, while transporting wool, cotton, and oil near Vineyard Sound, the James S. Whitney caught fire but managed to reach Vineyard Haven with assistance; containment efforts lasted several days.
A fire on July 16, 1910 destroyed Piers 14 and 15 along New York City's North River. Both the H.F. Dimock and Brunswick Line’s Altemaha sustained damage but were able to depart; unfortunately, two sailors from the H.F. Dimock drowned during evacuation efforts. The steamer Harvard incurred minor damage yet continued operations from Pier 9.
Later that year, the Harvard and Yale were leased for $360,000 annually to Pacific Navigation Company for service between San Francisco and Los Angeles via the Strait of Magellan. This route was extended to San Diego in 1911. In 1916, H.F. Alexander’s Admiral Line took over their lease for this same corridor; during World War I in 1918 they served as military ferries on the English Channel before returning to coastal operations under the Los Angeles Steamship Company.
These corporate reorganizations and redeployments of vessels illustrate deliberate strategic efforts to enhance market penetration and maximize asset efficiency across both regional and international routes.
Metropolitan Line
In 1911, the vessels Massachusetts, Bunker Hill, and Old Colony were in operation on routes connecting New York, Boston, and Portland, Maine under the Maine Steamship Company. That same year, the Eastern Steamship Company was formed through the merger of the Metropolitan Steamship Company and Maine Steamship Company. In 1912, the Massachusetts and Bunker Hill underwent enhancements that included expanded passenger facilities and conversion to oil fuel, whereas the Old Colony continued to use coal.
The company entered receivership in 1914 but was reorganized in 1917 as Eastern Steamship Lines. Beginning in 1916, the Metropolitan Line adopted the Cape Cod Canal for its Boston-New York service. During World War I, several ships such as the James S. Whitney and H.M. Whitney were sold for oceanic operations; meanwhile, vessels like the H.F. Dimock participated in banana transport between Mobile, Alabama, and Bocas del Toro, Panama.
After the United States joined World War I, the U.S. Navy acquired the Massachusetts and Bunker Hill in 1917, converting them into minelayers designated USS Aroostook (CM-3) and USS Shawmut (CM-4). Between 1918 and 1925, Eastern deployed steamers including Camden, Belfast, and North Land within the Metropolitan Line.
New ships named Boston and New York were launched in 1924 to serve this route, with additional support from the North Land during periods of high demand. Traditionally a summer-only service, Eastern extended operations into off-peak seasons from 1927 through 1932 using steamers such as George Washington and Robert E. Lee. The vessels Saint John and Acadia, built in 1932, operated seasonal routes between Boston-Saint John and New York-Yarmouth respectively, supplementing the Metropolitan Line during off-season months.
Throughout the 1930s, Eastern progressively scaled back its route services. The Metropolitan Line ceased operations with the final voyage of the steamer New York, departing Manhattan on November 29, 1941.