Captain Charles W Scott.xml
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Captain C W Scott and the Aphrodite
Captain Charles W Scott was born in England in 1859 and came
to the USA in 1869, according to the census records we found.
He was one of a small corps whom Oliver H Payne trusted
greatly; Oliver's estimate of Scott was displayed in the Payne
will, in which he willed Scott $25,000. This amount was second
only to the $50,000 willed to Emma C Larson, his confidante,
and far exceeded any amount willed to other employees.
I was unable to discover any of Scott's early history and how he
became a ship captain.
The first record I found for Capt CW Scott was in the New York
Times, February 15, 1893. The article indicated that a Mr. Edwin
Scott of Philadelphia (no relation to CW) purchased the steam
yacht Sagamore and would be leaving soon for a trip to the
West Indies. The new owner intended to take a two year trip
around the world. Capt CW Scott was to be the ship master for
both cruises. No information whether the two-year cruise ever
happened.
Captain C(harles) W Scott served as captain for the Endeavor, a
yacht Payne leased for several years before commissioning the
construction of the Aphrodite. The steam yacht was built by the
Bath Iron Works in Maine. Oliver made several trips to Europe
on the Endeavor, with Capt CV Scott as the captain. When
Payne decided to commission a new yacht, he engaged C V
Scott to assist in the design, which followed the lines of the
Endeavor, but larger and with more modern fittings.
The new vessel, named Aphrodite, was launched 1 December
1898. Oliver H Payne was unable to attend; Scott's daughter
Vivie (or Vivian) had the honors of launching the ship. From the
census records, Vivie was about 14 years old at the time of the
launch. The yacht slid easily into the waters of the Kennebec
River; a tug then towed the yacht back to the shipyard.
The New York Times archives show that Payne sailed the
Aphrodite the years between 1900 and 1914, usually to Europe,
especially the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas, with frequent
stops in England, and coaling stops in the Azores. Payne's
nephew, Payne Whitney, who lived with Payne until his marriage
to Helen Hay, accompanied him on several of these trips.
Another passenger was G. T Schley of the brokerage firm of
Moore
&
Schley, Payne's favorite brokerage, and one which
figured prominently in the merger of Tennessee Coal
&
Iron
with United States Steel.
The Aphrodite was called a steam yacht because it could
navigate under steam, but also could navigate using sails; the
vessel carried 17,000 square feet of sail that were often used in
seasonable weather. It attained a speed of 17 knots during its
maiden voyage from Bath, Maine to New York City, two knots
more than that specified in the contract. On one of its first
voyages to Europe, it encountered a hurricane after leaving the
Azores for New York City, but weathered it well with very little
damage.
The yacht often visited Esopus, mooring in the river so that it
might be visible from the main house. The New York Times
carried the story of an incident in 1913. A steamer headed from
Newburgh to Albany struck a submerged rock near Esopus
Island, north of the Payne Estate. The captain realized that
would not make any port safely, and let it drift down the river
until the engines became flooded. He then pointed it into the
eastern shore.
Captain Scott noticed the event, and sent his tenders over to
help out. The crew of the Aphrodite loaded the passengers on
their tenders and brought them to the wharf at West Park (the
current dock and boathouse had not been built in 1913).
Several of the ladies had fainted from the excitement and
danger. The officers of the Aphrodite treated the passengers to
lunch, and waited for the next Newburgh-to-Albany boat to get
the passengers on their way.
Colonel Payne met with Julian Burroughs, who by now was
manager of the Esopus estate and was directing several
construction projects. He asked him to build a dock and
boathouse. When Julian indicated he had no experience of these
items, Payne instructed him to take direction from Captain
Scott. It is clear that Scott did the basic design. Payne
instructed Burroughs to show the plans to Thomas Hastings, the
surviving principal of Carrere
&
Hastings architects. Hastings
refused to look at the plans, expressing surprise that Colonel
Payne would entrust such a project to such "hicks" (this last
word used by Julian in his diaries).
Payne restricted his sailing to North America after the beginning
of World War
I.
He loaned the Aphrodite to the U S Navy for
patrol work. The vessel was stripped of its ornate furnishings
and any art work and equipped for patrol duty, working mostly
in the North and Baltic Seas. Scott did not command the
Aphrodite when it was in war service. Payne then kept Scott in
his employ until Payne died in June 1917.
Not much information is available in the census records for
Captain Charles W Scott. The 1900 record gives us the most
information. CW Scott is a sea captain born October 1859
living on west 88th Street in Manhattan. His wife is Emma, born
December 1866. They have two children: Vivian, born
November 1886 and Eleanor, born May 1891. The Scotts have
been married 16 years. I was unable to locate a 1910 census
record for C W Scott. By 1920 he is living in Brooklyn with
Roland and Florence Weymouth and their daughter Scott, age
5. Charles W Scott is listed as age 63, a shipping captain, who
came to the US in 1875. Scott is characterized as 'uncle' but not
clear if uncle of Roland or Florence.
The 1900 census for Kennebec Maine places Roland and
Florence, married two years, as lodgers. Roland was born in
Maine July 1874 and Florence was born in Massachusetts born
Jan 1877. both Roland and Florence are listed as salesman and
saleslady for dry goods. The 1880 census for Wales Maine
shows the family of James C and Anella Weymouth with six
children. Roland is the fourth in line. James works on the
railroad.
The 1930 census places Charles W Scott in New Rochelle,
Westchester County, again living with Roland and Florence and
Scotta. Scott is listed as a merchant mariner in shipping, and
indicates he came to the US in 1871.
Census records:
1880_ME_androscoggin_wales_dist 21_James Weymouth family
1900_ME_kennebec_gardiner_Weymouth
1900_NY_manhattan_dist 518_Scott CW
1920_NY_kings_brooklyn_Weymouth
&
Scott
1930_NY _westchester _new rochelle_ Weymouth
&
Scott
This page drafted 22 May 2011. Updated 6 June 2011
Captain Charles W Scott was born in England in 1859 and came
to the USA in 1869, according to the census records we found.
He was one of a small corps whom Oliver H Payne trusted
greatly; Oliver's estimate of Scott was displayed in the Payne
will, in which he willed Scott $25,000. This amount was second
only to the $50,000 willed to Emma C Larson, his confidante,
and far exceeded any amount willed to other employees.
I was unable to discover any of Scott's early history and how he
became a ship captain.
The first record I found for Capt CW Scott was in the New York
Times, February 15, 1893. The article indicated that a Mr. Edwin
Scott of Philadelphia (no relation to CW) purchased the steam
yacht Sagamore and would be leaving soon for a trip to the
West Indies. The new owner intended to take a two year trip
around the world. Capt CW Scott was to be the ship master for
both cruises. No information whether the two-year cruise ever
happened.
Captain C(harles) W Scott served as captain for the Endeavor, a
yacht Payne leased for several years before commissioning the
construction of the Aphrodite. The steam yacht was built by the
Bath Iron Works in Maine. Oliver made several trips to Europe
on the Endeavor, with Capt CV Scott as the captain. When
Payne decided to commission a new yacht, he engaged C V
Scott to assist in the design, which followed the lines of the
Endeavor, but larger and with more modern fittings.
The new vessel, named Aphrodite, was launched 1 December
1898. Oliver H Payne was unable to attend; Scott's daughter
Vivie (or Vivian) had the honors of launching the ship. From the
census records, Vivie was about 14 years old at the time of the
launch. The yacht slid easily into the waters of the Kennebec
River; a tug then towed the yacht back to the shipyard.
The New York Times archives show that Payne sailed the
Aphrodite the years between 1900 and 1914, usually to Europe,
especially the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas, with frequent
stops in England, and coaling stops in the Azores. Payne's
nephew, Payne Whitney, who lived with Payne until his marriage
to Helen Hay, accompanied him on several of these trips.
Another passenger was G. T Schley of the brokerage firm of
Moore
&
Schley, Payne's favorite brokerage, and one which
figured prominently in the merger of Tennessee Coal
&
Iron
with United States Steel.
The Aphrodite was called a steam yacht because it could
navigate under steam, but also could navigate using sails; the
vessel carried 17,000 square feet of sail that were often used in
seasonable weather. It attained a speed of 17 knots during its
maiden voyage from Bath, Maine to New York City, two knots
more than that specified in the contract. On one of its first
voyages to Europe, it encountered a hurricane after leaving the
Azores for New York City, but weathered it well with very little
damage.
The yacht often visited Esopus, mooring in the river so that it
might be visible from the main house. The New York Times
carried the story of an incident in 1913. A steamer headed from
Newburgh to Albany struck a submerged rock near Esopus
Island, north of the Payne Estate. The captain realized that
would not make any port safely, and let it drift down the river
until the engines became flooded. He then pointed it into the
eastern shore.
Captain Scott noticed the event, and sent his tenders over to
help out. The crew of the Aphrodite loaded the passengers on
their tenders and brought them to the wharf at West Park (the
current dock and boathouse had not been built in 1913).
Several of the ladies had fainted from the excitement and
danger. The officers of the Aphrodite treated the passengers to
lunch, and waited for the next Newburgh-to-Albany boat to get
the passengers on their way.
Colonel Payne met with Julian Burroughs, who by now was
manager of the Esopus estate and was directing several
construction projects. He asked him to build a dock and
boathouse. When Julian indicated he had no experience of these
items, Payne instructed him to take direction from Captain
Scott. It is clear that Scott did the basic design. Payne
instructed Burroughs to show the plans to Thomas Hastings, the
surviving principal of Carrere
&
Hastings architects. Hastings
refused to look at the plans, expressing surprise that Colonel
Payne would entrust such a project to such "hicks" (this last
word used by Julian in his diaries).
Payne restricted his sailing to North America after the beginning
of World War
I.
He loaned the Aphrodite to the U S Navy for
patrol work. The vessel was stripped of its ornate furnishings
and any art work and equipped for patrol duty, working mostly
in the North and Baltic Seas. Scott did not command the
Aphrodite when it was in war service. Payne then kept Scott in
his employ until Payne died in June 1917.
Not much information is available in the census records for
Captain Charles W Scott. The 1900 record gives us the most
information. CW Scott is a sea captain born October 1859
living on west 88th Street in Manhattan. His wife is Emma, born
December 1866. They have two children: Vivian, born
November 1886 and Eleanor, born May 1891. The Scotts have
been married 16 years. I was unable to locate a 1910 census
record for C W Scott. By 1920 he is living in Brooklyn with
Roland and Florence Weymouth and their daughter Scott, age
5. Charles W Scott is listed as age 63, a shipping captain, who
came to the US in 1875. Scott is characterized as 'uncle' but not
clear if uncle of Roland or Florence.
The 1900 census for Kennebec Maine places Roland and
Florence, married two years, as lodgers. Roland was born in
Maine July 1874 and Florence was born in Massachusetts born
Jan 1877. both Roland and Florence are listed as salesman and
saleslady for dry goods. The 1880 census for Wales Maine
shows the family of James C and Anella Weymouth with six
children. Roland is the fourth in line. James works on the
railroad.
The 1930 census places Charles W Scott in New Rochelle,
Westchester County, again living with Roland and Florence and
Scotta. Scott is listed as a merchant mariner in shipping, and
indicates he came to the US in 1871.
Census records:
1880_ME_androscoggin_wales_dist 21_James Weymouth family
1900_ME_kennebec_gardiner_Weymouth
1900_NY_manhattan_dist 518_Scott CW
1920_NY_kings_brooklyn_Weymouth
&
Scott
1930_NY _westchester _new rochelle_ Weymouth
&
Scott
This page drafted 22 May 2011. Updated 6 June 2011
