1895: The Brooklyn Bridge Watchman and His Brooklyn Bridge Watch Cat

Posted: 13th October 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Cat Men, Cat Stories
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Could this be the Brooklyn Bridge Watchman with his cat? He was described as an old, grey-haired man "with a chinful of whiskers and a moustache," so let's pretend that it is!
Could this be the Brooklyn Bridge Watchman with his cat? He was described as an old, grey-haired man “with a chinful of whiskers and a moustache,” so let’s pretend that it is!

Before the Brooklyn Bridge was built, there were tenements where the approaches are now. And in those tenement buildings–according to the Brooklyn Bridge watchman–were cats. Lots of cats. ( wonder if one of these cats was Ned of the Bridge, who christened the bridge in 1883?)

Speaking to a reporter from The Sun in 1895, the Brooklyn Bridge watchman explained that when the tenements came down, most of the cats roamed away. However, a few refused to leave, even when the buildings were reduced to ruins.

The Brooklyn Bridge workmen would sometimes feed the cats, but the felines had to become expert hunters in order to survive. “In time,” the Brooklyn Bridge watchman noted, “this activity made of them a superior race.”

The Brooklyn Bridge Watch Cat

On the day that The Sun reporter visited the Brooklyn Bridge watchman, he was using a long, straight stick to stroke his watch cat. The man explained that the grey cat with green eyes was better than a watch dog, and his abilities seemed unlimited. The cat could do everything but talk, but he was not entirely deficient in the vocal expression of ideas or facts.

The Sun, October 13, 1895 Brooklyn Bridge Watchman article
The Sun, October 13, 1895

“Let a stranger open the gate when I’m at the other end of the yard,” said the Brooklyn Bridge watchman, “and up will jump that cat with arched back and swelled tail, and he yeowls in a voice that causes the stranger to stop and gasp. By the time the stranger gets through gasping, I’m there asking him his business.”

The Brooklyn Bridge watchman continued, “He’s a thoroughbred, that cat is. No stranger can touch that cat.” The man then lifted the cat up by its tail to demonstrate that the watch cat completely trusted his master.

Numerous tenement buildings were demolished to make way for the approaches to the Brooklyn Bridge. New York Public Library digital collections.
Numerous tenement buildings were demolished to make way for the approaches to the Brooklyn Bridge. New York Public Library digital collections.

According to the Brooklyn Bridge watchman, the watch cat did not yeowl when a child entered the storage rooms on the Brooklyn side of the bridge. “He jumps up from his bed there in the dust beside the gate and makes for him with mouth and eyes wide open. Say! the kid don’t wait, he don’t He gits. I don’t know as the cat would hurt him or not. He ain’t never had a chance.”

The watch cat also never went after dogs. “If he did,” the watchman explained, “the dog ‘ud just open his mouth and swaller ‘im whole. He runs away from dogs like thunder.

“See that pile of lumber what’s no good? That’s where the cat goes to. He gits there ’bout three inches ahead of the dog, and while the dog’s closing up the gap ‘twixt ’em the cat turns around. When the dog starts coming for the gate the cat’s on his back a-clawing like slamnation, and holding on with his teeth.”

While the Brooklyn Bridge watchman talked about his cat, he began poking at piles of granite and stones. As the rats came out of the piles, the watch cat took a swipe at them, killing each one with his claws.

He then told the reporter a story about the cat and several dogs:

Vintage cat
The Brooklyn Bridge watch cat was a large gray cat with green eyes, a large head, and a long nose. He had big shoulders and big hips and legs, but a narrow waist. The cat looked at people through the corner of his eyes, and the curl of his upper lip made it appears as if the cat was laughing at you.

“Last week a gang of three dogs comes into the gate. They thought they had a snap, those dogs did. They walks in, slow like, Hully, thought the leader of the gans, here’s a puss. Yip! The other dogs joined in the chase after the cat.

Talk about yelping and barking. I heard it–couldn’t a helped it, and I got into sight just as the cat got up to that pile of lumber. I hollered. I was afraid they’d kill him. They didn’t look at me even.

Say! you won’t believe me when I tell it, but the cat rode two of them to the gate, and clawed the other one with a hind paw. I ain’t afraid he’ll get killed, ‘cept with shot, now. He’ll lick five dogs.”

The Brooklyn Bridge Cat Tribe

In addition to the watch cat, several other cats made their home on or near the Brooklyn Bridge. Some of these felines used the approaches to get onto the bridge, while others would climb upon it.

One cat, the Brooklyn Bridge watchman noted, even took a ride on one of the street cars that traveled over the bridge. He happened to be on the car when the cat curled up in a nearby seat and started to purr. The watchman petted the cat for a bit until the cat disembarked on the Brooklyn side.

Other cats would try to make friends with the Brooklyn Bridge policemen, who would sometimes share their lunch with the felines. Some of the men would try to pet the cats, but even those who got fed the most would not allow humans to get near them. There were, as the Brooklyn Bridge watchman explained, members of the bridge cat tribe.

Brooklyn Bridge
Some of the Brooklyn Bridge cats would try to befriend the police officers who guarded the bridge. NYPL digital collections

1893: Robert Bruce MacMurray, the Horse-Saving Fire Dog of the FDNY

Posted: 12th October 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Dog Heroes, FDNY Horses/Mascots, Horse Tales
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The following dog story of Old New York, taken from the pages of the New York Times and an old book published in 1922 (Dog Heroes of Many Lands by Sarah Nobel Ives) is about a fireman named James MacMurray and his life-saving fire dog, Robert Bruce. Despite countless hours of searching, I cannot determine which midtown (I assume) engine company they were assigned to. Perhaps someone can help me solve this mystery…

Robert Bruce MacMurray of Engine Company ?
Robert Bruce MacMurray of Engine Company ?

When James MacMurray left his position as herdsmen of a large New Jersey stock farm in 1893 to become a member of the New York Fire Department, he brought along his constant companion, Robert Bruce, a well-trained black and tan “sheep dog.” The two-year-old collie was trained to herd sheep, so he had a lot to learn about herding fire horses in city traffic.

“You’ll not find a better,” the tall, red-headed man told the captain of the engine company. “Bruce has been with me upwards of two year, and a finer herder you’ll not find in New Jersey.”

It took him some time to get used to the noise and traffic, but pretty soon, Robert Bruce MacMurray was an official FDNY fire dog. Every evening he sat with the men in their sitting room on the top floor of the engine house, where they would tell stories, read, or play cards. He’d also help out to make sure the horses were properly rubbed down, groomed, and fed each day.

Robert Bruce always slept at the foot of MacMurray’s bed, and when the fire alarm clanked out its warning, he was down the stairs before the fastest fireman could slide down the pole. He would go to all the fires and gallop under the engine. Swift of foot and sure of eye, he never got in the way of firemen’s feet or horses’ hooves.

Twice during his first winter with the FDNY, Robert Bruce was responsible for saving lives. In the first incident he saved the lives of his beloved fire horses, and in the second event, he came to the rescue of his loving master.

The William Campbell Paper Factory Fire

New York World, October 19, 1893
New York World, October 19, 1893

At approximately 8 p.m. on October 18, 1893, James Sexton, a watchman for the William Campbell paper factory on 41st Street and 10th Avenue, was on one of the upper floors of the eight-story brick building when he saw flames coming from the adjacent Nevius & Haviland wall-paper factory.

Soon the fire spread to Campbell’s factory, causing Sexton to lose consciousness near a door on the ground floor. Fortunately, a police officer also saw the flames and was able to drag Sexton out the building before pulling the fire alarm.

Flames were bursting from the windows of both factories by the time the first of many fire companies arrived. In their rush and excitement, the firemen of Robert Bruce’s company forgot about the horses. Even fireman Pete Tinkum, who drove the engine that night, did not notice that the fire was beginning to spread at the corner of the block where his horses stood.

In addition to their factory on 41st Street and 10th Avenue, William Campbell also had a factory in Hackensack, NJ.
In addition to their factory on 41st Street and 10th Avenue, William Campbell also had a factory in Hackensack, NJ. This building later became a grocery store called Packard Bamburger or Packard’s’s for short.

Since it was the dog’s job to stay with the engines during the fires, Robert Bruce was the first to notice the horse nearest the flames succumb to the heat and collapsed.  He jumped from firemen to fireman to get their attention, but they were too occupied to pay the dog any mind. Finally, he jumped on Pete, who followed the frantic dog to the engine and saved the other horses just in time before they also suffocated.

William Campbell Wallpaper Company, where Robert Bruce MacMurray saved the fire horses.
The William Campbell Wallpaper Company occupied #514 to #520 West 42nd Street and #503 to #517 on West 41st Street between 10th and 11th Avenues, as noted on this 1885 map. Notice the large Consolidated Gas Company gas tanks to the left. The Grand Street Horse Car Depot, where a large fire took place five years earlier, was also nearby.

Bruce’s second heroic feat came soon after the factory fire, during a smoky fire at a tenement house on 20th Street. This fire filled the building with dense smoke, which made it very difficult for the firemen to find and rescue those residents who stayed inside and didn’t climb down the gutter spouts, hurl themselves from windows into nets, or fall to their deaths.

A tenement fire on Second Avenue is depicted in this 1869 image. New York Public Library Digital Collections
A tenement fire on Second Avenue is depicted in this 1869 image. New York Public Library Digital Collections

James MacMurray and his partner, Fireman Cummings, were groping their way along the hallway of a second-floor landing when MacMurray grabbed for a broken railing. Unbeknownst to Cummings, MacMurray stumbled and fell, landing under a staircase, where he lay barely conscious, stunned, and alone.

When they realized he was missing, Captain Warner and Cummings started searching through the building, but they couldn’t find him. They were just about to go for a ladder to get into the third floor when they heard Bruce barking inside. The dog appeared at the door and led the men to James.

The Livery Fire of 1899

Robert Bruce MacMurray’s greatest save came during the Great Blizzard in January 1899.

Following a day of constant alarms, another alarm for a fire at a large livery stable near Madison Avenue came in just after the men had finally gotten to bed. Because of the extreme cold and dangerous ice conditions, MacMurry ordered Robert Bruce to “bide at home.”

But the fire dog could not stay back and miss the action, so he took off after the engine. MacMurray spotted him on the fire scene, but he was too busy trying to put out the fire and save the 35 horses inside to reprimand his dog.

Robert Bruce MacMurray saved 20 horses from a large livery stable, like this one on 42nd Street and 7th Avenue
The livery fire took place in a large stable like this one, which was located in present-day Times Square at 42nd Street and 7th Avenue.

With the water freezing as soon as it sprayed from the hoses, the firemen knew they could not save the barn. So instead, they focused on leading the horses out of the burning building one by one. Panic seized the horses as they were led out, and they all returned to the stables, where the smoke was too dense for the firemen to rescue them again.

Suddenly, the former sheep-herding dog ran into the flames. “Hold your wits and look!” MacMurray told the worried men.

“Look, man, don’t you see the bonny laddie? He’s herdin’ them! He’s a herdin’ the horses like sheep, and they dare not disobey. He’s bitin’ their heels now. Look how they mind him!”

As a large crowd of firemen and civilians watched in awe, Bruce kept biting at them, jumping on them, and nipping at them to keep the horses from returning to the stable. The horses ran down the street toward Madison Avenue until Bruce herded them onto another side street. He held them against the wall of a brewery until the stable hands were able to lead them to shelter in other stables.

That evening, Robert Bruce MacMurray saved the lives of 20 horses.

The following week a delivery truck arrived at the firehouse with a package addressed to Robert Bruce MacMurray.

Inside was a leather box lined with satin that held a magnificent dog collar with a plate of solid gold tacked onto it that read: “Robert Bruce MacMurray, The Fire Dog, In grateful remembrance of services rendered on the night of January 27, 1899. From (owner) to the dog who saved the lives of twenty horses.”

If you enjoyed this tale, you may enjoy reading about the cat-saving fire dog of Brooklyn’s Engine Company No. 203.

1916: The Kittens, Puppies, Chickens, and Pig That Adorned the Payne Whitney Mansion

Posted: 6th October 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Animal Stories
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New York Times, 1916

Here’s a short little ditty about Mr. and Mrs. Payne Whitney that you can add to your New York City history trivia collection. It will give you a fun story to tell while you’re walking past the Whitney mansion on Fifth Avenue at 79th Street…

On January 27, 1916, Mrs. Payne Whitney hosted a food bazaar in her home for the benefit of the Social Service Department of the New York Hospital (today’s New-York-Presbyterian Hospital). All types of “appetizing viands” were offered for sale, including fruits “arranged in the cubist effect” by artist Arthur Bowen. Davies.

According to The New York Times, in addition to the food, the event featured plenty of music–“the barnyard sort”–which seemed to please the large crowd in attendance. The performers, who were kept among the rare Italian statuary and tapestries in the red and gold drawing room, included pedigreed puppies and kittens, all placed in kennels in the corner of the room.

Designed by Stanford White in 1902 and completed in 1906 shortly after White’s murder, the Fifth Avenue mansion was built for the Payne Whitney family as a wedding gift from Payne Whitney’s uncle, Oliver H. Payne. Museum of the City of New York
Designed by Stanford White in 1902 and completed in 1906 shortly after White’s murder, the Fifth Avenue mansion was built for the Payne Whitney family as a wedding gift from Payne Whitney’s uncle, Oliver H. Payne, for financier, philanthropist, and sportsman Payne Whitney and his wife Helen Julia Hay Whitney, a poet and patron of the arts. Museum of the City of New York

There were also crates of Japanese chickens and Leghorns, and a lone suckling pig that grunted contentedly all afternoon. The pig was reportedly owned by young John Hay “Jock” Whitney, who brought the pig from the family’s 438-acre estate, Greentree, in Manhasset, Long Island. The women adored the little pig, and called him “the pig in the parlor.”

William C. Whitney's Fifth Avenue Drawing Room
The kittens, puppies, chickens, and pig were all on display in one corner of the Payne Whitney drawing room. This is a photo of the William C. Whitney drawing room at 871 Fifth Avenue, but we can use our imaginations and make believe this is his son Payne’s drawing room at 972 Fifth Avenue.
The pig lived at the Whitney's 438-acre estate, Greentree, on Long Island.
The pig lived at the Whitney’s 438-acre estate, Greentree, on Long Island.

During the event, Mrs. Whitney sold 500 copies of her cookbook, which she had compiled for the occasion. The book comprised old-fashion English recipes and valuable information for housewives.

One of the many recipes in Mrs. Payne Whitney's cookbook.
One of the many recipes in Mrs. Payne Whitney’s cookbook.
Kittens and Puppies for Sale?

Although The New York Times does not mention why Mrs. Whitney had all the animals in her home, an article in the New York Herald in 1921 makes me suspect that the animals were sold to help raise additional funds for the hospital charity. In 1921, young girls, including the Whitney daughters, sold animals at Mrs. Whitney’s house to raise money for the Milk Fund.

Helen Hay Whitney lived in the Fifth Avenue mansion until her death on September 24, 1944, at New York Hospital. The government of France acquired the property in 1952.

Payne Whitney House
  Today it is the home of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States; it also houses a French-language bookstore called the Albertine.

For Dog Lovers: The Dog Days of Gotham, Free Virtual Event

Posted: 2nd October 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Dog Tails, Virtual Events
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October 7, 2020: 6 PM (ET)

The Dog Days of Gotham Virtual Event for Dog Lovers
A virtual presentation for all dog lovers and New York City history buffs!

Back by popular demand for the dog lovers and the cat people who also love dogs!

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Pomeranians, terriers, bulldogs, and other small breeds were extremely popular with socialites of the “fairer sex” and starlets of stage and screen. Pet dogs were as much a status symbol for these wealthy ladies as were their diamonds and furs. Many women of the Gilded Age loved their dogs more than they loved their children or husbands.

Join me and the Boonton Holmes Public Library on a virtual tour of Old New York as I share fascinating and hilarious stories of wealthy and eccentric women and the pampered pooches they adored. Hear about:

Meet Aimee Crocker, a wealthy heiress who enjoyed collecting things, including bulldogs (at least 25) and husbands (5). Dog Days of Gotham Virtual Event
Meet Aimee Crocker, a wealthy heiress who enjoyed collecting things, including bulldogs (at least 25) and husbands (5).
  • The spoiled monkey griffon responsible for America’s first doggie day care at the Plaza Hotel
  • The French poodle with a $1 million dog yard on Fifth Avenue
  • The terrier that inspired Margaret Wise Brown’s last children’s picture book
  • The pug reportedly buried with her humans at Green-Wood Cemetery—and more!

Fun for dog lovers and New York City history fans alike!

TO REGISTER: This is a free event. To get your personal Zoom link, send an email to registrations@boontonholmeslibrary.org and put “Dog Days” in the subject line. You will then get the link and code to use on the day of the presentation. If you don’t receive a code from the library, please contact me on the day of the event and I can share my code with you.

Author Events

I am available for virtual author events across the United States and in-person presentations in the New York City metropolitan region (including northern New Jersey and the Hudson Valley). If your organization or library is interested in hosting a program, please visit my Author Events page for more information.

Amazing Animal Tales of Old Queens: Free Virtual Event

Posted: 19th September 2020 by The Hatching Cat in Virtual Events
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Tuesday, September 22, 2020, at 7 p.m. (ET)

Amazing Animals of Old Queens Virtual Presentation

Join me and the Greater Astoria Historical Society for a free, one-hour virtual tour of Old Queens. I will take you back in time to explore the history of Queens via amazing stories about cats, dogs, elephants, and other animals that made the newspaper headlines in the 1800s and early 1900s.

Hear about…
• The pig that dug up a pot of gold in Sunnyside
• The ten elephants that escaped from the Ruhe Wild Animal Farm in Woodside
• The squad of Long Island Railroad canine detectives who used their noses to bring more than 100 criminals to justice
• The jet-setting feline mascot for the TWA pilots at the brand-new
La Guardia Airport
• The circus tiger that escaped and was captured in a backyard on
Woodside Avenue
• The tiny Pomeranian who stopped an Astoria BMT train on the tracks during rush hour

Register Today

To register for this free event, please send an email to info@astorialic.org with “Animals” in the subject line. On the day of the event you will receive a link at about 6 p.m. to join us on Zoom.

Author Events

I am available for virtual author events across the United States and in-person presentations in the New York City metropolitan region (including northern New Jersey and the Hudson Valley). If your organization or library is interested in hosting a program, please visit my Author Events page for more information.

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