The Board of Trade was organized February 22, 1882, Mayor A. S. Cassedy presiding at the meeting. Daniel S. Waring was chosen president and the other officers were: vice-presidents, William B. Brockaw and John Schoonmaker; treasurer, Jonathan N. Weed. This organization helped in many ways to advance the city's interests. It was succeeded by the Business Men's Association, organized October 16, 1900, with the following officers: Samuel V. Schoonmaker, president; James Chadwick, W. C. Belknap, Hiram B. Odell, vice-presidents; John F. Tucker, secretary: H. A. Bartlett, treasurer. It was incorporated March 30, 1904. Among the larger plants it has secured for Newburgh may be mentioned (1901) the Abendroth & Root Co., of Brooklyn manufacturers of spiral pipe, automobiles, etc.; (1901-1902) the Fabrikoid Co., formerly doing business in New Jersey, which purchased the property known as Haigh Mills at West Newburgh. Their products are shipped to all parts of the world; (1903) William C. Gregg Co., of Minneapolis, Minn., manufacturers of sugar plantation machinery. William Johnston McKay was chosen president of the association in 1907. This organization is in charge of Newburgh's portion of the Ter-Centenary celebration of the discovery of the Hudson River, and has already arranged for special exercises, September 25, 26 and 27, 1909.
TRANSPORTATION AVENUES.
The transportation facilities of Newburgh are almost unsurpassed.
In front is its fine harbor, bay and river, with steamship lines up and down and across. These lines are a restraint upon the tendencies of the railroads towards high freight rates. The river trade is large and within a few miles of Newburgh are about fifteen village ports which are more or less tributary to it. The local traffic of the Hudson is mostly by lines of steamers, some of which carry both freight and passengers and others only passengers. Sloops and schooners, which long ago did nearly all the carrying trade, still do service.
The Central Hudson Steamboat Company has two night lines of steamers to New York, which carry passengers and freight. Boats of this line leave Newburgh and New York in the evening and afford charming water trips to residents and others. The company also provides the Newburgh, Albany and Troy line, the steamers of which leave Newburgh for the upward trips every morning, except Sundays, and arrive from Albany in the evening. The captains of the boats on the Newburgh and New York lines are Zach Roosa, William Meakim, Weston L. Dennis and E. N. Gage. Those on the Newburgh, Albany & Troy line are Fred L. Simpson and Egbert Van Wagner.
The Newburgh and Fishkill ferry, for which a line of steamers was started in 1835, continues business, its steamers leaving Newburgh about every half hour between 5.45 a. m. and 10.45 p. m. H. Stockbridge Ramsdell is the agent.
Newburgh and Haverstraw Steamboat Company has the steamer Emeline, Captain D. C. Woolsey, which starts for Haverstraw and intermediate landings each mid-afternoon and Haverstraw for Newburgh in the evening.
Newburgh and Poughkeepsie line's steamer Hudson Taylor, Captain George Walker, leaves Newburgh for Poughkeepsie every morning.
Wappinger's Falls and Newburgh line's steamer Messenger leaves Newburgh forenoons and early evenings.
The West Shore Railroad, which extends north and west to Albany and Buffalo and south to New York, connects at Newburgh with the line and the New York and the New England systems, and at Buffalo with the Grand Trunk and the Lake Shore Railroads. Over thirty trains a day arrive and depart on this road. It has facilities for transporting cars across the river.