History of East River Surrounding Roosevelt Island

The April 7, 2007 issue of the Main Street Wire had a fascinating article concerning the history of shipping on the East River particularly the section just north of Roosevelt Island (formerly Blackwell's Island), known as Hell Gate which was:

a death trap for shipping – so shallow that tidal currents ran at high speeds and rocks projecting up from the bottom could destroy any ship not properly piloted. In one of the great engineering projects of the 19th Century, rocks were removed and the bottom of the channel literally blown out.

As to the East River:

It roils, boils, tumbles and falls, races north, then south, and sometimes in both directions at once; yet at slack water Hell Gate at Roosevelt Island is as peaceful as a country pond. Sometimes, when you look at it, you think you are out to sea at Montauk Point, rather than on the banks of an inland waterway. As rough as it is today, it is relatively benign compared to 150 years ago. A few cargo ships, ferries, and barges ply its waters without danger. It looks like a part of the sophisticated cityscape around it, just a little rougher. But 150 years ago, it was much different. New York was a port island, and much of its world traffic entered through Long Island Sound and the East River (which is actually a tidal channel), rather than, as it does today, through Lower New York Bay on its way to the ports of Bayonne, Elizabeth, and Newark.

Image is from Main Street Wire which credits "Scribner’s Monthly of November, 1871, and from the July, 1872, issue of The Manufacturer and Builder, a trade publication."