{"id":60108,"date":"2025-07-02T23:33:53","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T21:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=60108"},"modified":"2026-07-02T00:13:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T22:13:07","slug":"spending-a-busy-night-on-belmont-the-smallest-island-in-new-york-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2025\/07\/02\/spending-a-busy-night-on-belmont-the-smallest-island-in-new-york-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Spending a busy night on Belmont, the smallest island in New York City"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the 1890s, William Steinway began construction of the Steinway Tunnel under the East River in New York City.<\/p>\n

The beautiful ghost station of the New York Subway that was designed by a Spaniard<\/a><\/rel>
\nThe interior of the Statue of Liberty torch and the sabotage that canceled its visits<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

The tunnel was designed to be used by streetcars<\/strong>, connecting Manhattan with Steinway Village, and is still part of that great city's suburban subway system today. Facing East 37th Street in Manhattan, there was a small rock outcrop located between the old Man-of-War Reef and Blackwell Island. In 1905, a temporary island was constructed on this rock outcrop<\/strong> in order to excavate two shafts for the construction of the tunnel. This temporary island eventually measured 30 by 107 meters and was even equipped with a beacon.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
A photograph published by the New York Tribune on October 14, 1906 showing the appearance of Belmont Island during construction of the Steinway Tunnel (Source: The Library of Congress<\/a>).<\/div>\n

After the tunnel was completed, the island was not removed.<\/strong> In 1914, the shafts were sealed. In 1918, the buildings that had been constructed on the island during the construction of the Steinway Tunnel, including the beacon, were demolished, but the temporary island was not removed. Because of this, in 1926, the submarine USS S-51 ran aground there<\/strong> while being transferred to the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard. In 1964, a Norwegian tanker, the Sigdal, carrying fuel oil to the Bronx, also ran aground on the islet.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
Belmont Island in a photo taken on September 5, 2015 (Photo: Farawayman<\/a>).<\/div>\n

In 1977, a group of United Nations officials (whose headquarters are located right in front of this island) following a Hindu guru named the island U Thant<\/strong>, in honor of a Burmese UN Secretary-General who died in 1974. The name became official in 1982, when a metal arch was installed on the island with a jar containing U Thant's personal belongings.<\/strong> The arch collapsed in 2011, with no one bothering to rebuild it. A navigation tower with a green light was built next to it to prevent further maritime accidents.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
The United Nations building, with Belmont Island situated directly in front of it (Photo: Ad Meskens<\/a>).<\/div>\n

This islet is commonly known as Belmont Island<\/strong>, named after August Belmont Jr., who funded the construction of the Steinway Tunnel. The island is uninhabited<\/strong> except for a small colony of double-crested cormorants. In May, the YouTube channel Two Feet Outdoors<\/a> posted a video in which the protagonist reaches Belmont Island and spends a night there<\/strong> in a tent. A busy night, as you can see in the video, but after all, this is New York, the city that never sleeps:<\/p>\n