Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-06-05
The New Steamer Mary Washington.

was launcleu, auu loWeu up W tnis CITY lO re-
ceive her machinery and the rest of the joiner
work, necessary for her completion. Her ap-
pearance so apxiously looked for by cur citi
Gems excited much interest and curiosity Nearly
everybody was surprised to see boat Of such
dimensions, after having for many weeks list
ened to the dsparaging stories Of the enemies
of the enterprise; but the greater surprise was
on examining her fine model, her nice proper
tions, her excellent timbers and the superior
workmanship displayed in all her parts. This
boat was constructed at the thriving village Of
AccotDk, ten miles down the river, 10 The ship
yard and under the superlntendence OF Mr. 7.
| H. Troth, the energetic president OF the CON-
| pany. Nj. Charles Grimm, the builder, has
had over thirty years experience 10 Steamboat
building both on the Western rivers aud on
the Atlantic seaboard, and is reckoned one Of
the very best and most skiltu workmeu of his
profession. All impartial and mpetcnt judges
who have examined this last result of hts ski,l
u lite in pronouncing it admirable and entirely
worthy of his wide reputation. With the best
materials to be found in our fine timber reg ion
at his disposal, he has builded hull strong
and firm and yet not heavy nor cumbersome.
Her length is one hundred and fifty four feet
on deck, breadth Of beam torty-tive feet
width OF hull twenty-eighty feet four inches,
depth of hold, fye-feet six inches, midships
eight feet six inches forward and eight feet
ait, height of cabin coiiog eleven feet. Her
draupht OF water is now about fourteen inches;
with her machinery on board and her joiner
work completed her draught will be about
twenty-five or twenty-iour inches. Her wheels
will have diameter of twenty-five feet four
inches with paddles Gig ht by twenty inches.
Her machinery will consist of two horizontal
tubular boilers forty-two inches 10 diameter,
eighteen feet long with twenty-eight four inch
tubes 10 each boiler, two smoke-stacks thirty
two inches in diameter, thirty feet high two
high-pressure slide valves engines, sixteen inch
cylinders, FIVE and ahalf feet stroke, with wheel
shaft of best wrought iron, eight inches 10 di-
ameter and forty-four feet long, both engines
to connect on the same shaft The boilers and
all their necessary arrangements are the work
of Petit & German. The engines are the
work of MIR. VIM. S. Moore, both maDutac-
lures of our city and deserving of all praise for
the manner in which they have executed the
trusts confded to them. All the machinery is
ready and there will be 20 delay IN setting it
up in place on the boat The rest of the joiner
work including the saloons will be pushed for
ward as rapidly as possible under the super
intendence of MIR. Grimm, and everything will
doubtedless be ready for inspection and service
by the first of July.
The organization of the Upper Potomac
Steamboat Compauy"' aad the building Of
their fine light draugbt steamer, was the result
not of any speculative design on the part of the
projectors, but for the purpose of supplying
great necessity long felt by the colony Of North
ern settlers in the county Of Fairfax, on the
lands of the Potomac border. They had pur-
chased about fifteen thousand acres Of the old
estates, including those of General Washington
and George Mason, and with the true idea of
reconstruction had gone to work With COM
mendable diligence to reclaim the wasted do
mains of the old planters, and restore them to
their ancient fertility. ln process of time these
lands, under the new and better system of cul-
; ture, became productive and fruitful, yielding
largely Of every variety of farm productions;
but the carrying to market by wagons of vast
quantities of hay, grain, and potatoes, and the
rapidly increasing fruitage of the numerous
and extensive orchards and strawberry and
other berry plantations, was expensive and tedl-
Gus. Quick and cheap transportation Was the
great object to De attained. These farmers &C
cordiugly, under great difficulties organized
themselves into a stock company and proceed
ed to build steamer. A boat of light draught
was required to obviate the necessity OF cxpen-
sive landings and to make every shore Of the
river accessible. They also required large ca
pacity and speed. How we'll they have sue
cceded 10 their purposes everybody will soon
be able to judge. While it Was the design OF
the company to secure means of cheap and
rapid transportation for their own productions,
they meant also to make their steamer EN-.
phatically peoples boat, designing to have
all their arrangements so as to commend them
selves to the public needs; and they wish every
body TO understand that they never started out
with the intention Of running boat in opposi-
ton to any company or any individual engaged
in steamboating-a such object they entirely
disayow. In constructing their boat the COM
pany have commercially employed home art-
Fans, and during time when there was scar
city of employment giving to them work to the
amount of many thousands of dollars.
This is the way to encourage home Industries
and to advance home interests. The custom
has been too general hereabouts to overlook
and neglect skilled mechanics and builders right
at hand and 20 thousand miles in quest of
often less efficient mechanical talent. Surely
the Upper Potomac Steamboat Company"
deserve the thanks of our citizens for setting so
good an example to all individuals and com:
panies needing the aid of our own industrial
classes. We cordially welcome the MARY
Washington. Her appearance on our waters
!, is another of the many gratifying evidences
that just now, our people are awakening TO the
great importance of taking advantage Of un
Surpassed natural facilities afforded by our re-
gon for agriculture, manufactures and trade.
She has been built in the interests Of the
"peope,' to afford them cheap and quick
transportation, and with such mission as the
one proposed by her projectors, namely, that
"of socially uniting country and city interests;
of interchangipg country and city industries; OF
promoting and establishing traternal feelings.
of developing valuable natural resources; of
fertilizipg and utilizing waste places; of simu-
lating honest, useful labor, encouraging trade
and manufactures; of bringing from distant
places to our borders large acoessons of thrifty
strangers to cooperate with our people in the
great work of progress and improvement, y
We again say, welcome to the Mary Wash
ington, and great success to this most common,
| ~ tho thriving nolonv of