The ride from Mineola to Sheepshead Bay at 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday was a clear shot.  It’s not often that one can cruise down the Belt Parkway doing 70 mph.  I got to the dock where the Bullet II was tied up at 26^th Street and Emmons Avenue.  As I navigated my Nissan Pathfinder to this intersection, I could see that a throng of people had already gathered at the dock.  Finding a parking spot was a challenge, but I found one not too far away on Bedford Street, under the Belt Parkway.  As I began to mingle with the crowd and by the level of energy emanating from it, it was evident that they were anxiously waiting to get this adventure underway. I came equipped with a digital camera and was able to make a photographic record of the trip. Some of the photos will be interspersed and linked to in the body of the text that follows.  All the photos are available for viewing at http://www.greenpt.com/upthecreek/CreekTourPhotoAlbum.htm.  The event was advertised as a tour of New York City's movable bridges, many of which span the Newtown Creek and its tributaries..  

    I did not know any of the people who were gathered there.  However, within a few minutes, a tall guy wearing a black baseball cap and dressed all in black approached me offering his hand and a big grin.  “You must be Frank, who else would be wearing a Greenpoint hat, I’m Bernie.”  I was finally face to face with Bernie Ente, the organizer of this urban expedition, who until then, I only knew through e-mail correspondence and a couple of phone calls.  This was not the first of such expeditions he has organized, and not the first time he led one up the Newtown Creek.  He has led other expeditions by foot and by water exploring various places around the New York Metro area.  First and foremost, Bernie is a Railroad enthusiast and has led many tours of railroads facilities, bridges and the like.  In addition, he is very knowledgeable about railroad and bridge technologies in general.  The expedition on this particular day was advertised as a tour of moveable bridges along the Newtown Creek.  Why bring two expeditions up the Newtown Creek, you may ask?  Perhaps it is because, in addition to his love of railroads and bridges, Bernie is also an environmentalist who happens to live in Maspeth, Queens, not far from the banks of the Creek.  The Newtown Creek is an environmental causality of the Industrial Revolution.  Until the initial steps were taken in the 1960’s to reverse the damage, the Creek had succumbed to 100 years of industrial toxic waste and raw sewage, to become a dead and deadly estuary of the East River. 

     The Creek is much cleaner today than it was throughout much of the 20^th Century and the last part of the 19^th.  This is due in part to Federal, State and City environmental laws passed, starting in the 1960’s, and the decline of heavy industry along its banks.  Also, a federally funded water cleanup facility was built along the Creek’s banks that filtrates the Creek’s water to remove various pollutants.  The cleaner water is then returned into Creek.  The results of this are evident from the come back of marine and other wild life that has occurred in and around the Creek. 

     However, the Newtown Creek is still a toxic danger zone.  Here are just a few of the toxic tragedies.  There is about 15 feet of highly toxic muck covering the once rocky bottom of the Creek.  Thousands of gallons of gasoline and oil products have seeped into the soil next to and below the Creek over the years from oil refineries that produced petroleum products on or adjacent to its shores.  Starting with the Astral Oil Company in the 1880’s (later to become Standard Oil) to the Mobil Oil Company in the 1960’s, hundred of millions (if not trillions) of barrels of oil were refined on its banks.  Storage tanks were built and ultimately leaked a literal lake of raw and refined oil products into the soil.  In the early 1970’s a 10 foot concrete wall was built around a large section of land located near the Greenpoint Avenue bridge because of flammable fumes that were emanating from the ground.  It was said at the time that if it were ever touched off, the explosion would be equivalent to a small nuclear weapon.

     In addition to the oil, there are chemicals and heavy metals left there from various factories including hide tanning, cellulose film, rendering plants, canneries and other types of industries that blatantly dumped their waste directly into the Creek.  One of the biggest offenders was the Phelps Dodge copper plant located on the Maspeth side of the Creek near the Kosciusko Bridge.  Recently, the plant facility that was closed down years ago was leveled to the ground.  In its place now sits a very large sandlot where the smelting and copper works one sat.  Only one little problem; lying beneath the shallow layer of sand is ground that is poisoned by the chemicals and byproducts of the copper smelting operations.  Because of this, the powers to be don’t know quite what to do with the now vacant and highly toxic land.

     As I mingled with the crowd I began to get a sense of the type of people who were interested in a cruise down the Newton Creek.  Certainly, I understood my motivations i.e., to fulfill a boyhood dream of sailing down the Creek.  During my youth, the banks of the Creek, particularly under and around the Kosciusko Bridge, was my playground for a few years.   On occasion, I spent the night around a campfire right on the edge of the Creek.  I used love to watch the tugboats come by all day and night with barges containing all kinds of unknown materials.  How I longed to stand up in the bridge of one of the tugs and cruise up and down the Creek.  So, here was my chance, maybe not on a tug, but to cruise the Creek in a boat.  But, why did so many other people want to make the trip.  As it turned out, there were railroad and bridge aficionados, engineers, city planners, environmentalists, historians and politicians who shared a common interest in this trip.

     Our departure time was delayed due to trouble with the boat’s engines.  This only added to the adventurousness of the trip. As I stood there waiting I wondered, if and when they got the engines running, what would happen if they failed along the way.  Fortunately, they performed flawlessly during our voyage.  The route to the Creek was to first round the point of the Sheepshead Bay into the entrance of Jamaica Bay, then head west along Coney Island to Fort Hamilton.  At Fort Hamilton, we then turned north and entered the Verrazano Narrows and went under the bridge into New York Harbor.  We sailed north, past the Statue of Liberty, following the shoreline of Brooklyn heading to the mouth of the East River.  Once on the East River, we continued our journey north, passing under the famous New York bridge trio, The Brooklyn, The Manhattan and The Williamsburg.  Hugging the Brooklyn shore and moving slowly so the passengers could take in the sights, the Captain of the Bullet II made his way past Brooklyn Heights, the famed Brooklyn docks (passing a Tall Ship docked there), the Gowanas Canal, Red Hook, Wallabout Bay (that for nearly a century was home to the former Brooklyn Navy yard), Williamsburg, the Domino Sugar plant and its familiar sign and finally Greenpoint. 

     As we made way up the East River I moved around the boat and took note of some of the conversations among my other shipmates.  Two gentlemen, who by their conversation appeared to be civil engineers, commented on the roads, their various elements and dates of construction. In another part of the boat, a group of three retired Long Island Railroad men were pointing out to each other the remains of a once vibrant Port of New York, and in particular, the now but non-existent railroad infrastructure. I overheard one telling how he used to drive trains down to the Brooklyn water front.  At one time, the river supported a busy shipping industry.  Railroad cars were "lighted", special barges with tracks, that allowed rail traffic to move back and forth between Long Island and New Jersey, and then onto the U.S. mainland beyond.  And then there were, of course, the bridge aficionados who were discussing the various bridge designs, techniques and history as we passed under them 

     Now having arrived in the Greenpoint area we first passed the ancient mouth of Bushwick Creek, known once as Norman's Creek after the European settler to build a house in Greepoint, Dirck "The Norman" Volchertsen.  Though we were on a tour of bridges, there was no mention of Greenpoint's ghost bridges.  The first was the Bushwick Creek bridge built in large measure by the efforts by Neziah Bliss, founder of modern day Greenpoint.  This bridge was built in 1838 and  used to span the Bushwick Creek (now filled in), connecting fledgling Greenpoint to its neighbor to the south, the City of Williamsburg, and hence the City of Brooklyn beyond.   The north bank of the mouth of Bushwick Creek is the site where the hull of the iron plated U.S.S Monitor was built by The Continental Iron Works during Greenpoint's prolific, but short lived, ship building era.  The U.S.S Monitor, whose revolutionary design by John Ericsson, ushered in a new age of steel hull war ships, and ultimately all heavy ships.  The U.S.S Monitor is well known in the history of the American Civil War as defeating the Confederate ironclad warship, the Merrimac.  

     Moving up the Greenpoint shore, we passed the foot of Greenpoint Avenue and then Kent St.  As you can see, the Greenpoint docks and piers are all but gone.  One of the only standing piers is at the foot of Freeman Street.  It was here that Greenpoint received its name.  At the time of the Dutch exploration of this part of Long Island's shoreline, a grassy appendage extended into the East River. It was used as a landmark for mariners and referred to as the green point. 

     We then passed the foot of Box Street that still has an operational lumber terminal.  The first lumber terminal was established here by David Provost, a descendent of one of the 5 original Greenpoint families.

    Eventually, we made our approach to the confluence of the East River and the Newtown Creek.  Perhaps confluence is a bit of a misnomer.  Although at one time the Creek was a flowing stream that drained the surrounding upland areas and emptied into the East River, today it is more correctly defined as a tidal estuary.  Except for the occasional drain sewer run off when there is a heavy amount of rain, the Creek's water movement is tidal in nature.  As we got closer to the mouth of Creek, Long Island City was clearly visible.

     Finally we began to enter the Creek.  Rounding the point that once was as high as 100 feet with a pure white sand beach, we approached long forgotten and removed, Pottery Beach  It was known as Pottery Beach because above it there was a rich deposit of heavy clay that attracted potters and spawned a very prosperous ceramic industry in Greenpoint.  At one time a resort was located there that provided a Long Island retreat for the well to do across the river in New York.  We then entered the Creek and headed towards the Pulaski Bridge.  On the way, we passed another Greenpoint ghost bridge, the Manhattan Avenue bridge whose footing on the Greenpoint side can still be seen today.  The Manhattan Avenue bridge, or more accurately in the day, the Union Avenue Bridge, was a swing bridge that when first built accommodated trains, carriages and pedestrian traffic between Greenpoint and Long Island City. It completed the first official road in Greenpoint, connecting it with Williamsburg to the south and the City of Astoria to the north.  In the background, the large brick building is the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center.  The building was renovated and is owned by a non-profit organization by the same name.  The building houses artists, artisans, and craftsman, offering both working and living accommodations. 

     We then went under our first Newtown Creek movable bridge, the Pulaski Bridge.  However, it did not have to open for us due to the Bridge's height that easily allowed the Bullet II to pass under.  However, once passed, it offered a breath taking view of the Manhattan Skyline.  

     With the Pulaski Bridge behind us, we headed east up the Creek toward the hills of West Maspeth.  Next we came to the mouth of Whale Creek.  Now just a small inlet, Whale Creek once was the entrance to large salt marsh that on high tide would appear as a bay.  It also drained the upland portion of Greenpoint and extended south as far as the corner of present day Moultrie Street and Norman Avenue.  At this point Norman's Creek, which ran along Norman Avenue hence the avenue's name, flowed into Whale Creek adding to it's volume.  Over time both creeks were filled in to make more space for factories and housing.  Across the Creek from the mouth of Whale Creek is (on the Long Island City side) the Dutch Kill.  We were supposed to take a side trip in Dutch Kill, but couldn't because one of the movable bridges became stuck open when it was tested a few days prior to our tour.

     As we began to round a bend we now approached the Greenpoint Avenue bridge in the distance.  Around the bend, the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge came into full view.  The Greenpoint Avenue Bridge, once known as the Blissville Bridge (once again a project of Neziah Bliss who also founded the town of Blissville, now part of Long Island City) is a draw bridge.  However, it too did not open for us as the boat was just barely able to get under it.  There couldn't have been more than 2 to 3 inched of clearance.  Under the bridge, looking back the way we came, we could see part of the Pulaski Bridge.  After passing under the bridge, the look back was not nearly as spectacular as we saw beyond the Pulaski Bridge, but it was still pretty good. Some of the superstructure of the 59th Street Bridge could be see in the background.

     After the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge, the course of the Creek took a southward tack.  We could now see that we were approaching the Kosciusko Bridge.  Passing the foot of Meeker Avenue we could see the footing of another ghost bridge, the Penny Bridge that once connected Greenpoint to Maspeth.  Before the first Bridge was built, a ferry service operated there.  The Penny Bridge played an important role for the residents of Greenpoint. From 1850 onward after the Greenpoint cemeteries were move to Calvary Cemetery in Maspeth.  Not only did it make a geographical connection, it also provided a spiritual connection.  For many Greenpointers it was the last bridge to cross. 

     Very quickly we passed by the Kosciusko Bridge, built as part of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway construction project in the 1950's.  Starting at the south side of the bridge and extending south along the Maspeth side of the Creek is the location of the former Phelps Dodge Foundry.  The Phelps Dodge plant was once one of the largest copper refineries in the World.  It played an important role in the development of the U.S. and local economy.  However, it also greatly contributed to the toxicity of the Creek and the surrounding land.  Now that the plant site has been cleared, there are some who believe the Phelps Dodge Corporation is not doing enough to return the site to an environmentally safe condition.   

    We then approached what some consider to be the point where the Newtown Creek ends and Maspeth (Kill) Creek begins and where the English Kill branches off to the south.  At one time an island called Mussel Island provided a natural divide of the Creek with Maspeth Kill branching to the east and English Kill to the south.    However, Queens County dredged the island out of existence. An 1855 map shows where Mussel Island was located. It also shows that the Owner of the island was a one Anthony Hulst.  This was the topic of a recent New York Times article by Daniel B. Schnieder

     Our next destination was to take a side trip up English Kill to the Metropolitan Avenue Bridge, the first of the moveable bridges to open for us.  The English Kill, as was Whale Creek, was once a living flowing stream.  It too was the entrance to a salt marsh that filled in at high tide and drained out at low.  It had many small tributaries that drained the upland areas of East Williamsburg and Bushwick.  Much of it was eventually filled.  The Brooklyn Gas Co. now sits on land that was once part of the salt marsh.  Today what exists of English Kill is a mere canal like estuary.  English Kill takes a nearly due south course from where it branches off the Newton Creek.  It then turns east and once around the bend, the Metropolitan Avenue Bridge looms.  Once we passed through, we continued down English Kill where the Captain found a place to turn the boat around to head back to the Newton Creek.  Not having more than a few feet off the bow and stern when the boat was positioned across the Kill, he did a great job of maneuvering the boat to accomplish the turn.  

     Our destination now was the Maspeth Kill and the Grand Street Bridge.  So, at the point where Newtown Creek, Maspeth Kill and English Kill meets we turned east into the Maspeth Kill.  It was a short trip to the bridge, but we had to wait for a time for the bridge to be opened.  This bridge was first opened on December 10, 1885 at a cost of   $ 84,143.26.  It is now slated to be replaced.  As we get closer we can see why this type of movable bridge is called a swing bridge.  The structure of the bridge sits on a small island in the middle of the Kill, and when closed spans the gap of the Kill.  Then as the bridge opens, the structure of the bridge swings perpendicularly to its closed position to become parallel to the banks of Kill, forming a channel on either side for boats to pass. The same two person crew that opened the Metropolitan Avenue Bridge for us had to finish closing and securing it before making their way to the  Grand Street Bridge to open it.  They did open the bridge and we sailed through and down Maspeth Kill where once again the Captain of the Bullet II made an incredible turn with what appeared to be just inches with which to work.  

     As we made our way back to the East River, it was announced that we were going to take a side trip up the Gowanus Canal. This turned out to be very interesting, but I did not take pictures, nor will I further comment on it here other than to say I enjoyed it. There were several very unique moveable bridges to see there.  Be sure to check out  http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=66888&a=9565375 for additional photos by Bernie Ente the tour's promoter.  On the way back to the East River, I saw something that I never saw as a kid hanging out at the Creek, and that I never, ever thought I'd see, a pleasure boat on the Creek.  As we drew near to the East River we once again were given a spectacular view of the New York skyline.  At last we came to the confluence of East River and we said goodbye to the Creek.

     During this tour of the Creek my eyes saw with three forms of vision: past, present and future.  I can see the present and imagine the past.  But I could also imagine the future. I could see a time in the future where marinas lined the Creek's banks; the factories are replaced with homes and restaurants, and parks or green spaces. Finned and shell fish can now be safely eaten, and once again the children of Greenpoint can fish in the Creek.  However, this will not happen unless steps are taken to finish the clean up of the Newtown Creek and Greenpoint's East River waterfront.  This will require action by citizens, politicians and City officials, and environmentalists.  The first major step is to stop any further dumping of industrial waste and raw sewage in the Creek. I saw a four inch pipe coming out at the end of the footing of the old Penny Bridge spewing a black fluid into Creek.  Who owns the pipe? What is the composition of the black fluid coming out of it?  It was not rain water, since it had not rained in several days prior to the trip, and the day of the trip was nearly cloudless to which the pictures shown here attest.   Abandoned and dilapidated buildings need to be razed, and an industrial free or green zone needs to be declared around the banks of the Creek on both sides.  There needs to be a dredging out of the thick layer of highly toxic muck from the Creek's bottom, from the East River to the Creek's end, including all its tributaries such as Dutch, English and Maspeth Kills.

     The Newtown Creek, a tiny body of water as compared to many others, contributed immensely to the prosperity of New York City, and indeed the United States.  As a result, she paid a very dear price.  Having played her part, it is now time that she had a rest and restoration.   She, who has served us well, now needs our help.  Yes, the Creek is in much better condition than I ever could have imagined as a kid playing along its fouled, smelly bank.  However, much more needs to be done.  She now needs our voice and support.  

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