Tappan Zee
Ferry · United States · Lost 1887 · Hudson River
The Nyack–Tarrytown ferry burned to the waterline and drifted ashore near Hook Mountain, ending her long cross-river service.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
Tappan Zee carried passengers across the Hudson between Nyack and Tarrytown from 1878. On the morning of May 21, 1887, fire broke out in her woodwork while she lay at the Nyack dock; she was cut loose and towed into the stream, where she burned to the waterline. No lives were lost. Her hull reportedly drifted to rest along the shore near Hook Mountain, and she was replaced on the route by the ferry Rockland.
Vessel
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Wood
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Steam, sidewheel
- North River Steamboat Company
Loss
- May 21, 1887
- Fire
- Hudson River off Nyack, near Hook Mountain
- Hudson River
- Not established
- Not established
- 2
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Hull reported to lie in the river south of Hook Mountain, off Piermont Avenue in Nyack.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Nyack, New York
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (55/100)
The vessel's build year, dimensions, and the present state of the hull are not established in the sources reviewed.
Rockland County Journal, 21 May 1887, via Hudson River Valley Heritage Historical Newspapers
Date, cause, and circumstances of the fire.
Hudson River Valley Heritage, Nyack Library Collection
Resting location of the hull near Hook Mountain.
