Today, I’ve got some old-timey Newhall family lore for you. It’s the transatlantic journey of a English river tug saved from the scrapper by a group of San Francisco crazies that included my father-in-law — the newspaper editor, maritime buff and adventurer, Scott Newhall.
Scott’s transatlantic voyage took place the winter of 1969-70, a year or two before Jon and I met. Scott and his partner in foolishness, Karl Kortum, recruited friends and relatives to crew an aging paddlewheel tug, the Eppleton Hall, on a journey from its home on the River Tyne in northeast England, across the Pacific, through the Panama Canal and up the coast of Mexico to San Francisco.
You can read all about it in Scott’s book, “The Eppleton Hall,” published in 1971 by Howell-North Books.
Why didn’t Jon join this doughty crew on its transatlantic journey? I never asked him, and now, of course, I wish I had. It’s one more bit of Jon Newhall trivia lost to his posterity.
But maybe I didn’t ask because I knew what Jon’s reply would be: Sail a 105-foot, early-twentieth-century riverboat — a tug boat propelled by paddles — across the Atlantic Ocean? Who would do that?
Scott Newhall would. Jon Newhall would not.
Jon and his family frequented the Pacific Ocean beaches when he was a kid. I’m a Midwesterner, and it’s a freshwater inland sea that I call home. See “The Center of the Universe? It’s a Little Beach in Michigan, of Course.”
A fascinating story. I have relatives from Newcastle and the story has captured my 9 year old son’s imagination . It is almost impossible to get the book now sadly, shame it is long out of print. so he has had to make do with the you tube video of the story. Many thanks Aidan
If you are anywhere near San Francisco you could take a little expedition to its waterfront and get a glimpse of the Eppleton Hall, which is docked there. I’ve seen copies of the book for sale on line for large amounts of money!
Thanks for posting this little video Barbara. It’s somewhat accurate or accurate enough account. One note, the photos mixed up Karl Kortum and Scott Nichols when identifying them No harm done.
And, you are absolutely correct, maybe a bit censored in imagining Jon’s response, had he ever been asked or had he ever considered asking about being a part of that venture. As far as being hare-brained, it was thought out and planned about as well as it could have been.
Trudy was left out of the story as well. She and Ruth joined in Trinidad and I think departed in Curacao.
I didn’t realize the Ruth and Trudy had joined the expedition. Good to know. The truth is, I loved Scott and his — seemingly — hare-brained adventures. He could see possibilities where no one else could.
Wonderful story. Scott Newhall !! What an optimistic, enthusiastic, determined person. He knew how to put a team together.
He came up with a lot of hair-brained (hare-brained!)schemes in his lifetime — and they tended to turn out pretty well. Not really so hair-brained after all.