The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-09-13
THE MARY WASHINGTON HERE.


After Season at Baltimore She Returns
to Her Home.
The steamer Mary Washington is back. This
is the first season since her launch that she
has not regularly churned the Potomac. She
and the river have so long been wed that the
tides seemed to flow unevenly without her.
She does not wear quardruple expansion en-
gines, collision bulkheads, water brakes, sky-
sailyards, nor stuns'ls; she is not ieweled in
painted gold; she cannot mock Phebus with
electric lights and dazzle day with artificial
suns, but she's our Mary. Last June her
owner, Captain Ephriam s. Randall, chartered
her TO party of Baltimoreans. Under com
mand Of Captain Richard Allen she left her
native waters, and, up to her return few
days ago, did excursion duty between the
monumental town and FAIR View. The his
tory of the Mary is that of the Potomac ex-
cursion business. Her decks have been the
archery range of Cupid, and children romp
where their parents first felt elective affnityn
The craft in question was built and launched
at Accotink, Va, In 1874 by the Upper Poto-
mac Steamboat Company, OF which company
the Mary's inaugural commander, Captain
Hillman Troth, became president. She was
towed to Alexandria and received her upper
cabins there. She was modelled after the
light draught Ohio and Mississippi boats and
was designed for the Potomac fruit and gar
den traffic. Proving not fleet enough for
this she was condemned to serve as freighter
Under Captain Newell she made her debut as
an excursion steamer, and piled between
Washington, Occoquan, Craney Island, ely
mont, Mount Vernon Springs, and Marshall
Hall. Her career has fulfilled the promise of
her first appearance. During the Centennial
she ran to Mount Vernon and bore multitudes
OF pilgrims to that consecrated place. She
ran there In connection with the steamer
Arrow that was built away back in the sixties
by Stackpole and Sykes and was commanded
by the late Captain Frank Hollingshead. The
Arrow was sold In 1S7S was taken to Florida,
and now lies stranded in the st. Johns River.
After the sale of the Arrow and pending the
completion and arrival of the w. W. Corcoran,
the Mary was chartered by the Mount Vernon
Steamboat Company, and for nine months
served as the regular Mount Vernon boat.
Captain Bussard, of Alexandria, was one of
the men who worked her as an excursionist
transport and guided her through the channel
Of the Potomac
When John M. Little was managing the
Marshall Hall resort the Mary made daily
landings there. About 1879 or $50 Captain E.
). Randall chartered her for one season, cried
Eureka, and bought her for $4,000 She was
a man and capable as an officer. Captain
Randall purchased River View, and for several
seasons the Mary and her genial master made
things hum. 1t is perhaps not too much to
say that more eWashingtonians have pilgrimed
on the Mary Washington than on any four
Oon0i pooco Conioiucu. IuTee years ago sne
was well nigh rebuilt, but for all this she be-
gan to lose her grip as an aqua-splitter. Her
master bought the nautc sylph-the Crystal
ave-at New York. This craft started down
the coast. piloted by Captain Tom Martin, but
went to Davy Jones' locker by collision. He
then bought the Pentz at Baltimore, and in a
measure discarded the old Mary. She was
turned over to Captain Richard Allen, and
made daily trips to Collingwood Beach. This
was more than the pride of the Mary could
bear, and she went away to distant waters, but
as already stated, returned a few nights ago
to the river OF her birth, and next season will