During the 1830’s and ’40’s on the Rondout waterfront in Kingston, the sloop “Martin Wynkoop,” along with sloop “Albert Gallatin” formed the freight and passenger line to and from New York City. Stories of ghosts haunting the “Martin Wynkoop” have been passed down for generations. Excerpted below, Nathaniel Booth, Rondout resident, tells the story of The Haunting of the “Martin Wynkoop,” Haunted or not? You decide!
Monday 25 February 1850
Morning fine and spring like – the sloop Captains begin to look at their vessels as if they long to be aboard and talk of bending their sails – boatmen are beginning to congregate and may be seen in companies of three or four on the sunny sides of the houses on the wharf – Lazily watching the chips and straws floating down and smiling when a cake of ice detached from shore goes slowly on its way to destruction – wasting rapidly – the sun shine – the only topic of conversation in their respective vessels – how this one was the best on such a wind – how well such a one worked up the creek – what narrow escapes they had experienced – “I hear the old ‘Martin Wynkoop’ is for sale” remarked one – “no doubt and she will be ‘for sale’ as long as she floats – there ain’t many men would risk buying her” –That’s a fact; they say she is an unlucky craft and that queer sights have been seen on board of her – anyhowI would not have a berth on her for 20.00 a month!
“I don’t believe in spooks,” said a youngster in the crowd – “I never seed a bigger spook than myself yet!” “Neither do I,” said another – “I guess all the spooks, ” – “Boys,” said an old salt with emphatic solemnity she is haunted and there is no use talking about it – I have known her for thirty years and she has had ill luck all the time – she has never paid expenses – she had broke more legs and arms – ruined more freight and done more damage generally than any craft between Troy and New York – “You don’t believe this and you don’t believe that” is all fudge – facts are stubborn things and what a man sees with his own eyes he is apt to believe in, and what he knows can’t be argued out of him; and I know she is both unlucky and haunted –
I knowd her I may say afore she was built – she was built for a fast sloop and a man was looking through the woods for a long time for a tree large enough to make her keel without splicing – but before the tree was cut the sloop was cussed by an old woman for some spite against the builder – yes she put her cuss on it first and she never was lucky afterwards –
The first accident was to the man looking for the tree; when he found it and was cutting it down it fell all of a sudden and killed him dead on the spot – then the old woman cussed it again but they went on and built her, but when she was finished they could not get her off the stocks – the ways were greased – every stancion taken away – nothing remained to support her and yet she would not launch! What caused that I should like to know? Well they tried for a week to get her off but no use, there she was – at length they sent for Dr. Brink –“What the witch doctor? Time has cured folks by moving his hands and talking gibberish? and killed witches with silver bullets – and never used no psychic but signs and fresh butter” – “Yes the same man; well he came and made his signs and talked a long time to himself and by and bye she went with a rush – she shot like an arrow and almost went to the bottom of the river; now if that aint a sign I don’t know anything about witchcraft that’s all –
Well she had made but one trip when the owners son (Hasbrouck) a fine young man broke his neck by falling down the hold while she lay along side the dock – and then when Captain George run her she upset, lost her deck load and drowned the cook – besides that every season someone gets his leg or his arm broken – ever since she was built in 1820 for Hasbrouck she has been in scrapes – she ran foul of the sloop Convention and nearly destroyed both – she ran afoul the wharf and smashed herself to pieces – she dumped a load of hydes at one time worth 9000 dollars – she sunk several times once with a load of flagging stones – she went out in the big freshet of ’36 and lodged high and dry on the flats – they had to dig her out – and the same spring she sunk; she has carried away more rigging than she is worth – has thrown overboard more frieght than she ever made for her owners – but this is nothing to the sights and sounds on board –
I never sailed her nor wouldn’t have her – but you see Capt. Young or those who have gone aboard, they will tell you – there goes Bill – he went aboard two seasons – “Hello Bill – come here – how long did you go aboard the Martin?” “Nigh on to three seasons and then quit her cause it wasn’t safe fer fellow to be aboard – I stood it as long as I could, but spooks and ghosts every night is too much of a good thing” – “I believe you – how did they act – what did they look like?” – “Well sometimes one way sometimes another – I remember one dark night we were anchored near shore and all of us went ashore to get a drink and when we went back the sloop was lighted up from stern to stern and we heard fiddles playing and folks dancing and laughing aboard as if a regular ball was there – first we held back afear’d to go aboard, but the Captain said he wasn’t afear’d of the devil, so on we went but nothing was there, all was as dark and still as a cellar –
another time we were becalmed so we dropped anchor and I went into the cabin – it was a hot day so I laid down on the bench and pretty soon I see through the cabin window an Injin! the window was open and he crawled in and after him another and another till the cabin was nearly full – then I heard a yell outside and they all left – I jumped up and looked out of the window and saw three or four canoes full paddling about the stern as if they were playing – and these same Ingins have often been seen since by more than one – “Wolf” has seen them and will tell you the same story –
One evening I came aboard (she was then anchored off shore) and saw something sitting on the “Sampson Poot” – first I thought it was one of the hands but when I went nearer it was a large Wild-Cat! her eyes were rolling savage and I was scared considerable – I ran below and called the Captain but when we got on deck the wild cat was gone – then every night almost for a spell we would hear strange sounds in the hold and aloft – sometimes in a good breeze she would lie still and other vessels run past like steamboats – other times she would sail along fast when there was no wind at all – she carried away her mast while I was on board – and I heard two men have been killed at different times – one thing I noticed while I sailed her as very queer – She would hold her course – you might have her helm and take a nap and she would keep the same direction – I believe she would steer herself as well as a man could do it, if let alone – If she aint a haunted vessel then there never was one and never will be, and I’ll be darned if I’d sail her for a hundred dollars a month”
“I hear Capt. Young kept a “Log” while he sailed her – run aboard the Kamanha and borrow it from him – tell him I will see it safe back – Capt. Young don’t much believe in ghosts but he has seen strange things aboard the old Martin Wynkoop – but her comes Jim with the “Log” – here Pete you read it for us”
Log book of Sloop Martin Wynkoop (1842)
(Abridged N.B.)
June 21 “I shipt on board of Martin Wynkoop at $29 pr month with Capt. _______ things passed along very well – one month tho some one stolde her boat –
July 29 In winding round in Catskill Creek a man caut holde of the Davy – tackle – fall in order to get on board – Just as she was swinging around Clear of the Dock thus susspended with Boath hands hold of the tackle – He let go with one hand to reach the taffrail – He let go with the other but in so doing the fall reversed and let him drop about three feet – this unresspectted occurrance yanked the fall from his hand – but he still retained his holde with 2 fingers – this being in front of Johnsons shop who employed some 20 girls who all ran to the Doors on the first Alarm & seeing out a man overboard & that before the man had let go his hold of the fall – but the man seeing no other alternative let himself go down in the water with a tremendous splash witch fritented the Captain – he being on the Dock at the time ran and got a hemlock board as I suppose to reskew the man – that was his intention no doubt – but in his hury & exsitement he ran to the edge of the dock and threw the board vialantly at the man and nothing but the mans diving prevented his head and the hemlock from coming in conduct – the man came up soon and was taken on board”
“After this and for a while things past off very well for a short time – In Oct. 6 while in New York she had 11 firkens of Butter stolde; the Buckland and Catskill boath lay there at the same time – none of their Butter molested”
“About this time Rumour said that she was haunted – I, to test the matter, smoked her out but found nothing that resembled spooks more than rats which was 73 in No.
12th On the passage up had 2 Lady passengers on board, off Blue Pint – she got a cut down the water came within 2 strekes of her laches – one of the Ladies hollard murder – the other sang out set me ashore – Ile not go another milde in the sloop if it costs 10 dollars to pay my fare in the steamboat and I have to work nights to earn it – now imagine all the sloops cracking broken to pieces and scattered with the stow and Ladies all over the cabin flore and you will have an ide of the scene that met my vue
Nov. 1st The Captain got drunk – sold his coal and wud not deliver it –
Novem 3 Left a man on deck who was well acquainted – he ran aground the first stretch – layd 2 dais
“In the (illegible) got cary’d away Gib haliards – went home without Eny more Axcident wich was sumthing un_____ for her
Dec 3 Capt tipsy fel Between sloop & Dock hawl’d him in and gave a niggar 25 cents to cart him home
4 The ice drug our anchors ashore – A man started to go ashore on the ice that had lay’d there stationary 2 days – but when about half way acrost the flats that are very wide there the ice came up in the channel struck this that the man was on & away man and ice went up the river about 4 milds when the ice being solid that the man was on began to crust and break under his feet – After jumping about from one cake to another for 3 hours the steamboat R.L. Stevens came down which cut a canal between him and shore – he ran to windward as fast as he could but the wels reached him and he threw himself flat on his face to cover as much surfis as possible – and if his hat did not rais on his head it was because his hair was too limber for certainly there was fear enough as the ice gave every sine of breaking – he afterwards got off in a fish boat – gave $60 to be towed cleared of the ice which was at Kingston – hoisted sail got in the hilands
Captain fell between a bail of hay and the wrench head which lay’d him up for that trip – Dec 12 – At mans folly stranded Gib halliards – at Crows Nest got a cut down – the owner cant hole of the Pump handle with one hand & put the other over his eyes to hide the tears he shed out of fear – At mudhole Two Reeft her – spliced her haliards – Bob’s her Gib – and go to Po’Keepsie – wind N.W. – commenced taking her bonnet out – a very tegeous job it being froze – did not expect to meat enny ice but ahead I saw a cake 3 times her length in width and running the whole width of the river – As we struck the ice a flaw of wind struck us & cut her down so that she skipt about – 4 tons of ice inside of her waist – saw no more that night so we lay’d up at Elmores that season
In 1843 I went agin on “Martin” – got up to Yonkers late in the day – ran aground – at low water she roled down so that her boom lay in the mud – It being calm, all hands were lying about deck partly assleep – all of a sudden there came a flaw that started her boom on board like a streeke of litening – I sprung to the halliards just in time to let it go before it got for had it gone over she would have roled over & Broke all her flores in on the other side – After that there was not a breese of wind the day – We got off that night and as far as “Sopus Island” anchoring in the deepest water of the River – I told the Bois to lay down and I would keep watch – there was no wind so we let her jib stand and went below – I had not been there more than twenty minutes when I heard the jib run, thinking some of the Bois had got up and let it run – I went on deck and to my surprise the jib was up! and all the bois asleep so I went below thinking I had been dreaming – in about 15 minutes I heard someone heaving the anchor so I went on deck to help but on reaching the deck all was still the bois still asleep – I then went down in the fore castle and in twenty minutes or so I heard the crew hoisting the jib which I had left standing; supposing the bois were getting under weigh I went above but as before all was still! everything as I had left it except it being very foggy
After this we left Sopus Island and stood a N. West course 2 hours under a stiff breeze I being below – when I went on deck I looked over the strn and saw land which I thought looked like Sopus Island so we got her compass and sure enough it was Sopus Island provided the compass was correct – so we anchored and next morning we lay as near the place we started from as you could draw a line!
When turning the lite house down came her jib & all hands could not haul the block down!
Ran afoul of a vessel anchor’d and after we got afoul they could not understand us nor we them – we caut over her flying jib boom and a man started with a hatchet in his hand to cut the lift – I got my gun witch was not loaded at the time and told him if he cut the lift I would pick him off the boom as I would a squirrel off a limb – At night she sprung a leak lying at the dock the water 1 foot on her kilson in the morning – went to Rutker’s ship who old Fitch and Jim Donelson had a quarrel and so ended that trip”
And so ends this wonderful story which is firmly believed by the boatmen of Wilbur almost without exception – all the reason in the world will not change the belief in supernatural agency being connected to this vessel – consequently her price is proportionably depreciated – As for Dr. Brink mentioned I have seen him and also seen him operate on his patients – He cures by charms – his hands are kept in motion over the affected part as if throwing off the disease and no application used but fresh butter – He also professed to suppress witchcraft and cure the bewitched and let the world blush to hear the greater part of his revenue came from this – he is dead now but his mantle has fallen on his son who yet practices business fair.
The Squaredealer 