Meet the Section of the East River that Mariners Fear Most – Hell Gate

Hell Gate is one of the most foreboding places we have in this otherwise seemingly tame urban environment.”

John Waldman

Hell Gate is a treacherous stretch of the East River that flows between Randall’s/Ward’s Island and two Queens’ neighborhoods, Astoria and Ditmars Steinway. To appreciate this waterway from both perspectives, I first visited from the shores of Astoria Park and later, from the eastern shore of Randall’s Island. In case this episode inspires you to visit, which I hope it does, you can find directions to both spots at the end of this post.

8 Cool Things You’ll Learn about Hell Gate in this Episode:

• The water moves at a dangerously fast clip through Hell Gate, roughly 5 knots. Back in the 1800’s, it moved twice that speed. In those days, the sound of the rushing water could be heard from a quarter mile away.
• The topography of the riverbed creates eddies (mini-whirpools) that makes traveling through this stretch of the river particularly difficult. The danger of the topography today pales in comparison to the threat it posed in the 1700’s and 1800’s. At that time, this stretch of water was filled with 9 acres of impassable bedrock reefs.
• By 1850, it’s estimated that 1000 ships ran aground on the reefs in Hell Gate every year, and one in 50 were sunk or damaged passing through this strait.
• A ship called the HMS. Hussar sank here, reportedly with millions of dollars in revolutionary war gold in its hold. That treasure has never been recovered. In this episode you’ll hear from Captain Mike Carew, one of the few scuba divers who has the skills needed to search for the wreck in these treacherous waters.
• 280,000 pounds of explosives and 5,000 pounds of dynamite were used to clear the reef from Hell Gate so ships could more easily pass through. On October 10, 1885, more than 50,000 people watched the explosion from the safely of the shore.

• The currents in this watereway are still fast and tricky. Most boat captains are on alert when passing through this strait. Others seek out the rough waters: White water kayakers are one such group. They use the white waters of Hell Gate to practice their skills.
• There once was an underwater car graveyard here, which was discovered by the NYPD scuba team.
• One visit to Hell Gate inspired Henry Koperski to write a musical composition for three instruments, piano, cello and trumpet. We talk with Henry in this episode and he treats us to an early listen to his composition.

Who You’ll Meet In this Episode

• Professor John Waldman: John is a New York angler, a professor of biology at Queens College and the author of several books, including Heartbeats in the Muck: The History, Sea Life, and Environment of New York Harbor. The book is a survey of New York Harbor from the 17th century, when it teemed with marine life to its rebirth today; with many old and new photographs.
• Captain Mike Carew: Captain Mike is a ten-year veteran of the N.Y.P.D. Scuba team and owner/operator of Captain Mike’s Diving Services, Inc., a full-service dive shop on City Island in the Bronx. Mike’s been teaching people in New York City to scuba diving for years, and in his spare time, he searches for the wreck of the HMS Hussar.
• Henry Koperski: Henry is a composer and writer living in Kingston, NY. From 2014-2018, Henry worked as an accompanist and piano bar pianist at venues all over the city, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Club Cumming, Town Hall, The Duplex and many more. You can see Henry perform (almost) every Wednesday at Club Cumming.

Websites and Resources

• The Conquest of Hell Gate
• NYC Ferry, Astoria routes and schedules
• Astoria Park, NYC Parks, Queens
• Randall’s Island Park Alliance
• Heartbeats in the Muck: The History, Sea Life, and Environment of New York Harbor
• Club Cumming
• Hell Gate Bridge
• Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden

Visiting Hell Gate

To understand the two different perspectives of this waterway, I visited from both vantage points, first from the shores of Astoria Park and later from the eastern side of Randall’s Island. Below are pics from both visits

To view Hell Gate from the Astoria side, I took the NYC Ferry from East 34th Street in Manhattan to Astoria Queens. My two nieces, Bridget and Theresa Carroll joined me on the adventure. From the ferry dock in Astoria, we walked roughly a mile (about 15 minutes) to Astoria Park, which runs along the edge of Hell Gate. You get a great view of Hell Gate from here.

To appreciate this watereway from the opposite shore, I drove over the RFK Triborough Bridge to Randall’s Island with my husband, Dave Almeida. Once you’re on the bridge, just follow the signs to Randall’s Island. By bus, take the M35 from the northwest corner of 125th Street and Lexington Avenue

Tip: If you visit here in warm weather, pack a picnic. There are several picnic tables on Randall’s Island (some with BBQ grills) that have a nice view of Hell Gate, the waterway, and Hell Gate, the bridge.

Listeners who liked this Episode, also liked…

• Episode 2: Wow! Jamaica Bay
• Episode 5: The Hudson River