Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-04-30

| at that place. Spring of 1854. Capt. Sanford
having gone on to the Bangor and Boston
route, Capt. r. ID. Donovan was put in COM
mand of the Ocean. and ran her until the
evening of Nov. oath, when she was run into
by the Cunard steamship Canada, of Deer
Island, Boston Harbor, and burned to the
waters edge. At this accident, six passen-
gers and Mr.. Hiram Wing, express messen,
ger, lost their lives.
In 1855 and 1856 steamer Governor, Capt. Jas
Collins, ran from Hallowell to Boston and
steamer T. F. Secor, Capt Donovan. from Au-
gusta to Portland tri-weekly. Capt. Cnas. Beck
was in command of the T. F. Secor during
the season. of 1878 9 and 1860
The new steamer Eastern Queen, Capt.
Jas. Collins. came in the spring of 1857 and
ran that and the next season. The Queen
was partially burned at Wiscasset in March,
1859, and was lowed to East Boston and re-
built the following summer, returning here
the next November and resumed her trips as
before. Steamer State of Maine took. the
Qneens place while the latter was being re-
paired. Capt. Jas. Collins health had been
gradually failing, and in June. 1861. he
breathed his last at his home in Farmiugdale,
after which sad event Capt Jason Collins
was appointed to the command of the steam
er Eastern Queen and continued to fill that
position until the spring of 1866, when he
took command of the new steamer Star of
the East. which position he maintains at the
present time The steamer Eastern Queen,
under Capt Sam'l Blanchard, left Hallowell
tor Boston Tuesdays and Fridays during the
summer, and Bath. under Capt, Collins. Mon
days and Thursdays during the winters of
lS66-7-8-a. Early in the season of 1870 the
Queen was sold and withdrawn from the
route.
The iron steamer ScOcia, Capt. Sam'l
Kimball, was on the route from Augusta to
Portland the latter part of the season of 1864
but soon after she was sold and the following
February she sailed for China, under Capt.
Smith, and was never again heard from.
Steamer T. F. Secor. Capt VIM. B.
Morse, ran from Portland to Bath where she
connected with the steamer Union, Capt.
Chas Beck. for Augusta, daily, during the
season of 1851. The Union was subsequent
ly sold to the government and taken to For
tress Monroe by Capt Anthony Sprague, and
formed part of the Burnside Expedition,
where she was of great use owing to her
speed and light draught of water.
In July, 1865, parties in Bath bought the
steamer Danl Webster, Capt. Roix, and
placed her on the route from Gardiner to
Boston, in opposition to the Eastern Queen,
where she ran the remainder of the season,
leaving Gardiner Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays at three o'clock p. NJ.
The next spring the Eastern CITY, Capt
Prince. was purchased and the two steamers
formed a daily line from Boston to Bath, in
connection with the railroad for up the river.
The opposition proving Improbable, the two
boats were hauled up at Bath, and for long
time known as the two white elephants"
The two boats were finally sold and taken
away.
About the year 1888, Capt. Wyman Morse
purchased at Jefferson, the steamer Jefferson
built t. ply on the lake bearing the same
name. moved her overland to tide waters,
launched and brought her on to the Kennebec
River.
This was the first regular tow boat that
ever ran on the river Capt B. w. Morse,
then mere lad. acted under direction of his
father, who was skilled III the art, as engineer
Of the Jefferson. Capt. Morse subsequently
added other and more powerful steamers to
he line under his control, until age and its
infirmities required him to retire from active
business In the mean time his son had been
advanced tn Captain, and had become part
owner, and at present writing is the general
business manager and large holder of stock
in the .'knickerbocker Steam Towage Com
pany."
In 1913, Mr.. Ebenezer Beard came to Pitts
ton. and contracted with the late Deacon Fol-
insbee. who built for him the hull of boat of
Ga tons, which he took to KimbalPs wharf.
where she was supplied with boiler and two
small steam engines, which were attached to
"twin' screw propellers, which he had invent
ed He named the boat the Experiment, and
subsequently took her to Portland and Bos-
ton. His was great improvement over the
Ericsson propeller, from which Capt. L.
amassed fortune. This was the first screw
propeller steamboat ever built, and the writer
of this claims the honor of having acted as
pilot on her fret visit to Hallowell.
MIR. Beard was also the inventor of the
excel condenser" now so generally used. He
received no pecuniary advantage from either
of his inventions, but, as am informed, s
IN possession of document which entltles
him to free passage on any steamer in the
world that uses the screw propeller.
In 1860 the steamer Spray was built at
Bath and placed on the route from Bath to
Boothbay, under command of Gilman A. Low
as captain and part owner. This was the
nest egg from which was Matched the Eastern
Steamboat Company. Capt. Low is still on
the route as commander of the fine steamer
Wiwurna. As early as 1853 possibly at still
earlier date, stern wheel steamers owned by
the late Capt. Nathl Kimball, were plying
between Augusta and Boothbay via Sasanoa
river, but only during the cheated term"
In 1874 parties in Gardiner purchased the
steamer Magnet and placed her on the route
from Augusta to BOothbay. The Magnet,
Capt. A. Sprague, was succeeded by the Hen
ry Morrison. Mabel F. and Islander, under
the patronage or ownership of the same par
| ties
In the spring of 1881 company was
formed in Gardiner, under the title of the
Kennebec Steam Towage Co., Capt A. Rich,
president; VIM. Perkins, agent and treasu.
rer, and placed on the river the fine tow boats
Charlie Lawrence, Capt. Blanchard, and
Stella, Capt. Sprague, which arrangement
continues at present writing. Many steam
ers of different kinds have, of course. visited
US since 1875, but newspapers are so plenty
and publishers SO enterprsng that the future
historian will have but little trouble in the
steamboat line. H.K. CHADWICK.
GARDINER, OCT.. 1885.
When will the average citizen stop spend.
log his hard earnings on cigars and tobacco