Key people Emile Myele (Founder) | ||
Type Towing and Lightering Company Industry Ship assisting, Lighterage, Transportation(1909-1994) Headquarters Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Area served Delaware River, Chesapeake Bay | ||
The Independent Pier Company was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1876 under Emil Meyle's name, and incorporated under this name in 1909.
Emil Meyle went to work in 1876 on the Philadelphia waterfront providing stevedoring and warehousing services. In 1909 he incorporated under the name Independent Pier Company. The company was based at "Pier 34" South Wharves near the foot of Kenilworth Street.
He became a tugboat owner in 1911 when he purchased the steam tugs Active and Neptune and added the Triton in 1913, Pilot Boy in 1917, Lookout in 1920 and F.A. Churchman in 1926. He bought Chas. Killam & Co. in 1915 which added 5 lighters to his fleet. Meyle provided wharfage, towing, lightering, stevedoring and terminal operation. The company ran deck and covered lighters, stick lighters, steam cranes and heavy lift crane barges, providing a single agency for Delaware Valley shippers. In 1976, it incorporated the tugboats into the Independent Towing Company, and in 1980 the towing business was sold to McAllister Towing.
The company ran the Tioga Marine Terminal for the Philadelphia Port Corporation (now the Delaware River Port Authority).
The company was sold to Thomas Holt in December 1994. Two of the tugs Jupiter and Saturn survive, Jupiter in Philadelphia under the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild, at Penn's Landing, and Saturn in Maine.