ANDREW FLETCHER, New York, NY – 1865 This 1865 painting of the "ANDREW FLETCHER" by James Bard is a good representation of the earliest towboats (now called tugboats) to operate on a part time basis from New York Harbor as what would later become known as the 'party boat' or 'head boat'. On Sundays during the 1860s and 1870s, there was very little towing business available and many New York harbor towboats took parties of anglers to "The Fishing Banks" during their off days. And during the summer months, it was common to see as many as 30 towboats anchored on the fishing grounds east of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. At the time, she sailed from Manhattan's East River under the guidance of veteran fishing pilot Samuel 'Sam' Greenwood. An advertisement for her dated June 29, 1865 announced "The New and Splendid Steamer ANDREW FLETCHER for the Fishing Banks". The 130 foot long, wood hulled "ANDREW FLETCHER" was built in 1864 by Morton & Edmonds at Athens, New York for the Fletcher Harrison & Co. who at the time manufactured marine steam engines. She was powered with a Fletcher Harrison & Co. coal-fired vertical walking beam steam engine and was named after Company Chairman, Andrew Fletcher. The engine had a single cylinder 36 inches diameter with an 8 foot stroke while the boiler was a lobster return flue type with a shell diameter of 7 feet 4 inches, a width at front of 9 feet, and a whole length 27 feet. The "ANDREW FLETCHER" had a top speed of 15 knots. The vessel was later owned by the Quarantine Commission of New York and on December 19, 1872, she caught fire while returning from Hoffman Island in Lower New York Bay and burned to the waterline. She was scrapped and her engine was salvaged and in 1873, installed in a newly built vessel, the "NELSON K. HOPKINS".