"Cross Here and Save Time"

"Cross Here and Save Time". . , Before the construction of highway bridges across the Hudson River, more than 100 ferries provided crucial economic and social links to communities on opposite sides. Ferry service, however, was unpredictable. It was relatively slow and ran intermittently; most ferries were not equipped to operate in the winter when the river froze., In the 20th century, automobiles overtook other forms of transportation, and the ferry companies had to keep up with traffic volume. The New York State Bridge Authority (NYSBA) briefly operated the Kingston-Rhinecliff and Newburgh-Beacon ferries before bridges in these locations were completed. Several bells, formerly navigational aids located on the bridges and ferry wharves, are on display near the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, Mid-Hudson Bridge, and Newburgh-Beacon Bridge., [Sidebar:] , Fog Bells , The Beacon Long Wharf Bell (left) served as a navigation aid to the ferryboats that plied the river between Beacon and Newburgh. Similar bells were mounted on the ferryboats and wharves to aid navigation during fog and storms. In November 1988, the Bridge Authority relocated the bell to the toll plaza with a dedication on the 25th anniversary of the bridge’s opening., This original fog bell from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge (top right) was once mounted at the base of a masonry pier in the river. It was replaced by an electric horn and can now be seen at a river overlook near the bridge’s toll plaza., This original fog bell from the Mid-Hudson Bridge (bottom right) was replaced with an electrically powered fog horn. The bell is mounted on steel components from the original bridge sidewalk, which was removed when the sidewalk deck was replaced and widened around the bridge towers c. 1999., [Captions:] , The Newburgh-Fishkill (later Newburgh-Beacon) ferry operated under the slogan “Cross Here and Save Time.” Completing 52 crossings daily, it was the only ferry service north of New York City that ran two boats and operated throughout the winter., Ferries operated here for nearly 250 years. They generally traveled from Kingston Point or Rondout to Rhinebeck or Rhinecliff. Ferry service ended in 1943 as war-time gas rationing drastically reduced the number of passengers. The New York State Bridge Authority restored ferry service between 1946 and 1957 before ending the service for good when the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge opened., Electric fog horns, like this one from the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, replaced fog bells as navigational aids for marine traffic in the late 1950s. With advances in technology, fog bells and horns became obsolete. Ship pilots now use GPS to locate the river channel, thus avoiding the bridge structure.