Smyrna times., 1884-04-23
Early Steamboating on the Della
ware.

Early SteambOating on the Della
ware.
WIND northeast, blowing and rainy
ana as | sat wondering if it would ever
clear, a Knock at the door and in
walked my old friend, Capt. Robt. NJ
boone. L arose glad enough TO see
MN, for no one, unless he has tried II
can imagine the fund of information bs
possesses, and being a good talker one
never tires of listening to him. "We1
Capt.'. l remarked, I'm glad YOU
came IN, for | know you can tell me
just what | want to know. namely
ABOUT early steamboating on the Della
ware. Well, answered the Captain
as near as l can remember. in 1901
my father and John Walker started 4
packet line between Salem and PbiIa-
delphia. They had the .New Consfif~-
I1o"' I1' Md'1Gana, Jas. Laurence and
economy. These boats, or at least part
OF them, were fitted up with cabins and
carried passengers, while the Others
freight only. In 1925 | commenced
steamboating with father in the Essey
captain EnOch Boone. After running
ner awhile we took the FIushin0 AZ
that time Pennsgrove was called Sber-
ron's Cove, Il small settlement where
we sometimes stopped. Our Pbiladel-
phla wharves were first above Arch
and first above Race The fare for mas
sengers was so cents. In 1895 C,,nt
Mason was running line, but on Can
tam Boone buyingO gOut Capt. Broadway
Mason stopped, and Capt. Boone Or
canned stock company, the farmers
taxing 500 worth of stock each but
wnen everything was ready the stock
holders refused to allow live stock 10
De carried, 50 Capt. Boone left them
and went into the packet line again >
From that time on" | asked do
you remember the different boats -
On, guess so, let me see: party of
eastern mackerel men, named B. and
D. cooper, ran a small boat called the
Ldfdyette for two or three weeks, aHd
then took her to Mt. Holly, her place
being taken by the AibemGrIe. but after
running for six or eight weeks she was
burned at Arch street wharf in 1895
The next boat was called the Salem,
capt. Ross. She ran to New Castle
connecting with the Baltimore line
All goods and passengers were carted
IA miles across the country TO a nlace
called FrenchtOwn; this was the onlv
communication between Baltimore and
Philadelphia, except by sea. At that
time the BoOAes were still running the
Flushing, and continued in her until
'3S, when they sold her to Commodore
Vanderbilt, and she ran between Ros-
ton and Nahant for number of years.
About that time the Reynolds and
Others started an opposition line with
the PiOnSer, and the BOOnes bought the
CLIFTON which they ran until 1851.
when they retired from business and
sold her to Minor Harvey. In 1913 the
Reynolds bought the Express and both
boats ran on the line until 1853. when
the Major ReybOld was built and start
ed" How does the time now made by
the boats correspond with that formerly
made ?" asked. "Well, (" responded
Capt. Boone, "about the same: the
heyootd could beat the Express or Cliff
ton, but as she was subjected to more
detention, they generally got to their
wharves FIRST" Did they make about
the same stops? ?" eyes: Delaware
City was then called Newbold's Land
ing. Phil Potts Ferry, afterwards
called CraVen's Ferry, is now called
Pennsville, and Chichester or Chester
was only small place, with some few
factories back of it, and a cOuple of
piers for ice breakers in the river" "I
do not suppose the river was as well
lighted then as now ?" mo: the only
light was on the Pea Patch (Ft. Della
ware) from there you had to do with
out" Captain, how was business
conducted then as compared with
now?" "Oh, entirely different. In
the first place, the boats were the ex-
press companies, buying for people
when they wanted and paying bills,
carrying their money, and in fact were
the only medium between the country
and city. We carried of course every
thing-and live stock, &c, was sold
right on the deck and taken away.
There Were no agents then and We had
to carry and sell and buy also. Then
the excursion business which is now
so great was almost unheard of. and
one or two would run in a year. NV,
what a change in the river! Al
that time the Pea Patch was a barren
island, and then the government built
a Fort on it, but that soon burned
down, and the walls were taken to
bank around it with. Where you now
see beautiful residences and villages
there was nothing but bare fields. But
l guess you are tired of hearing about
all this so must be going" and out he
started leaving me much impressed
and pleased with his knowledge, and
when thought of the many years he
carried people up and down without
an accident, was ready to join with
the watermen in calling him what he
was always known as "the best pilot
ever on the Delaware. ."-SaIem South
JerseymGa.