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The East River just got a little grosser: A tugboat tugging a barge hit rocks last night - and the barge was carrying 4 million gallons of home-heating oil. That's about $6 million worth of oil, but it's unclear actually how much was spilled. Authorities are investigating the incident, but the tugboat operator denies alcohol was involved.
The Post thinks the area where the spill happened (just north of Roosevelt Island) is appropriately named the Hell Gate waters, which made Gothamist wonder why it's called Hell Gate. Did it seem hellish to go to Queens? Wired New York and Forgotten-NY on Hell Gate Bridge. And Gothamist on the East River.
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that's a nice image...painting or photo?
It's from a Georgia O'Keeffe painting...I'm trying to track down the exact one, as she did a series of them.
Hell's Gate is one of the toughest patches of water in the U.S. The Harlem River and Long Island Sound come together in a swirling whirlpool of currents that then become the top of the East River. Small vessels (small as in 45ft sailboats and pleasure craft) try to only pass Hell's Gate at slack tide. It's very easy to get caught in the spin and not get out.
Rumor has it that millions in British Gold lay at the bottom of Hell's Gate- that fleet of English ships when down there during the Revolution.
test comment
"Did it seem hellish to go to Queens?"
Hmmm, could it have been hellish to cross to Manhattan?
;)
According to The Library of Congress:
This treacherous set of currents in New York's East River was designated Helle Gadt on a Dutch map of 1639.
"Hellish to go to Queens!" Hah, I say.
;)
Thanks Jen for that link but it's for the Astoria Street Necrology. A picture of the Hell Gate Bridge is at the bottom of this page
http://www.forgotten-ny.com/SUBWAYS/connectingrailroad/connectingrailroad.html