1920s Jersey City, Weehawken, etc.

[Mara Seaforest]

Hello, gentlemen (and ladies, if there be such among ye). I wonder if
you would mind a little shore-based tug talk. I suppose you could call
me (eek!) an "enthusiast," but I do have just a little bit more to my
name than that, so maybe you'll indulge me briefly. :)

My grandfather, Alphonse Laugel, was a tug dispatcher in the late
'teens and the first few years of the 1920s, on the Jersey docks. In
that role, he was also a union organizer, though I don't know if this
was AFL, the United Harbor Workers, Harbor Boatmen's Union or what.
(There was quite a lot of competition between various factions, I
gather.)

I don't know what company Alphonse worked for; I do know that in early
April, 1920, he and several other strikers were arrested and taken to
the "Old Slip" police station in Manhattan (which is now an NYPD
museum). He and my grandmother lived in West Bergen (Weehawken/
Weehauken). He died during the winter of 1923-24, of pneumonia. It's
always come down to me that he got sick while picketing on the docks,
but I have no way to test that theory, alas.

I know so little about this interesting man, who died so young. I
don't even have a picture of him, though I've been successful finding
a few facts through ancestry.com. In an attempt to get a sense of what
his life was like, I have been learning more about the tugboats of
that time and place. Yep, I have the book and the DVD. Fascinating
material! I really had no idea what a rich history there was about
tugboats, especially in New York Harbor.

Are there any among you with ties to the years when my father was
"amid ships"? If so, would you be willing to spin some tales or
perhaps post photos? I thank you most sincerely, and hope you'll
forgive me for being a mere enthusiast. I have, unfortunately, nothing
to offer in the way of helping old mates reunite or anything along
those lines. I join you, though, in hoping for a working future for
these amazing boats and their people.

[Roger Lalonde]

Mara,

I would really like to give you a boost to try and jump start this search as
I am interested in this kind of stuff.

You can ask a person I met two years ago at a tug rendez-vous in Waterford
NY,and I am sure can direct you in some way. He is a very knowledgeable man
in tugs.

His email is fr...@tug44.org

His name is.... Fred... he is so nice that I do not think he will kick me
for giving you his name.

Keep me posted, I would like to know how you make out with this project.
Good luck.

Regards,

Roger Lalonde

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[Mara Seaforest]

Roger, how exceedingly kind of you! I will contact Fred and see where we go. I'm spending a few days with a cousin in New Jersey next week and plan to visit the Old Slip police museum to see if they have a mug shot of my grandfather. Ain't that a kick in the head, though, for an only shot at a photo of a mysterious ancestor? Very humbling ;)

Thanks again. Happy new year!

Mara

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