Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-01
COMMODORE BARNEY's SHIPS.
Sunken Vesscls Which Can BE Seen at Low
Tide the Patuxent.
Correspondence Of The Evening sts-.

Correspondence Of The Evening Sta
UPPER MARLBORO. November 80, 1892.
The Patu1ent river Is the scene of many his
torical events. One can today in many
places along its banks traces of war. 1t will be
remembered that early in the year 1914 that
fleet of seventeen small gunboats were fitted
out In Baltimore and Commodore Joshua Barney
placed in command of them to protect the
shores of the Chesapeake bay and its trbuta-
Ties from the raiding parties of the British
army. who in August. 1914, began their inva-
sion into the United States. While this little
feet could not do much service at sea. yet it
played rather an important part in the war of
1912 and 1914
Commodore Barney came up the Patuxent
river about the middle of August. 1914, and
was lying at Nottingham when Admiral Coch-
rane arrived III the river with about 4 500 men.
under Gen. Robert Ross. These troops we're
landed near Benedict and were marched to
Bladensburg preparatory to the attack on
Washington. Admiral Cochrane assembled the
river however and when Commodore Barney
learned of his approach withdrew his flotilla to
a point near Mt. Pleasant. about one mile north
of the present Hills bridge. He ordered his
men ashore and left small guard on board to
fire the feet when Cochrane camo in sight and
desert them. which they did and Joined their
associates near Bladensburg.
1t was impossible for Barney to retreat to the
mouth OF the river, and he could not go up the
river any further. so before he would surrender
he burned and sunk his fleet. This all hap
pened between Hill landing ard Mt. Pleasant,
and many evidences of the fact remain to be
seen by everybody who viii take the time to go
and gee them. A large piece of one of the boats
is lying partly out of the water right at the old
steamboat landing, just little south of the
bridge, and in the channel there is another
large wreck. It was in the wreck in the chan
mel that James II. Boswell. who was keeper of
Hills bridge for twenty years, pulled
up with his oyster tongs brick.
TO which was attached two grape
shot, each weighing half pound.
They were all covered with mud and in good
state of preservation considering the seventy
eight years they had lain in the water Mr..
Boswell claims that he struck some thing in that
old wreck like cannon, and there is but little
dou bt but that there is one down there. This
wreck lies in about ten or twelve fet of water,
but this is not the most interesting one.
REMAINS OF A LARGE VESSEL.
You so about one-half mile north of Hills
bridge and under little bluff in a bend in the
river, which is known as "ScotchInan's Hole"
you will come upon q wreck lying in about
fourteen feet of water. THE STAR corre-
spondcnts attention was called to this particu-
lar wreck and on last Thursday it was invcsti-
gated 10 the full and complete satisfaction of
all present, including J. l.. Martin. J. H. Bos-
well and The STAR CORES pendent. Mr.. Dos
well padded a small skift up the stream and
some time was spent in making observations
about the wreck. 1t ia a iull-docked boat with
a cabin the only decked boat that has
ever beer discovered out of the whole feet. 1t
carried two masts, the stubs OF which have been
seen many times by Ny. Boswell when he was a
boy. They have. however. rotted away and
nothing Of them can be seen now. The dimen-
sion of the deck taken under water
IS about from fifty to sixty feet long
by about ten fifteen feet wide. The most
singular thing in connection with this boat
is that the deck is as solid as rock and so is the
roof of the cabin. The matches are closed and
In good state of preservation. but the cabin
door is oDen and the vessel il filling with mud
very rapidly. The deck sounded with
large pole and no decayed place was struck.
1t is the impression that the boat
is in good state of preservation. and that
there may be some valuables in her cabin or
hold. BY some it is thought that this is the
provision boat of the fleet. Facts indicate.
however, that the boat is the Serapis, the COM
modOres flag ship. and doubtless the
finest ship in the feet. On very low
tide a person can walk about on its deck
in perfect safety. When the tide is in she
lies about five to six feet under the water.
Julius Nermillion. who attends to the club
house at the landing. says that when he was
he has swung himself down into the cabin of
the boat many time. Thomas Boswell, son Of
James III. Boswell, says the same thing.
STORIES OF THE WRECK.
There are many little incidents connected
with this boat. The STARS representative was
Informed by the oldest men living near there
that a colored man named James Owens piloted
Barney's hotilla up the river. ana that after
tna+ irat oil Nd bod cube ,l.1
somewhat il is said that Owens together with
several others went to this same boat. After
tving a rope around his body. the story goes
Owens went down into the cabin and got
small key OF whisky out. and went back after
another. but was pulledAp by the crowd. fearing
that ne might drown. Mr.. Boswell says
he has heard his parents tell this
many times, and says that he knows
that this Owens killed thirty five
years ago by falling down into saw mill in
Anne Arundel county. He has son still living
in that county today who is quite old. This
boat lies on the Prince Georges shore and is
slightly tilted over on her starboard side, thus
leaning toward the Anne Arundel shore. 1t is
thought that this boat could be raised up whole
out of the water, and that she would be found
solid.
Mr. Boswell has in his possession bayonet
that he caught in one of the old wrecks and
also boarding pike. sharp-pointed insrru-
ment. He also mas many pieces of the old
boats in his possession, which solid as ever
only they away by the action of the
tides. While graphing in one OF the wrecks one
day with his oyster tcngs he knocked piece
of one OF the boats loose, which was living in
about eight feet of water, and it foated like
cask. 1t had been partly burned
and resembled pine. There are signs
of some of these boats az low down the river as
Swami Point, and ii is thought that they are
scattered all along the river. Mr. Boswell SAYS
that near this wreck over in the marsh are two
more OF the fleet that are now entirely covered
up with mud, owing to the filing up of the
river. The river is much different now from
what it WAS fifty years ago. There is also
within 100 feet of this wreck another one of the
boats lying partly out of the water and
on a very low tide you can see the whole length
of it, 1t WAS an open beat, which WAS probably
manned by oars or carried a small sail. The
STARS correspondent has in his possession a
piece of this boat. which ia solid it ever
was, although worn by the action of the tides.
He Is also i'll possession of one of the grape
shot, found in one of the boats. 1t is said
by old men living in Anne Arundel county
that a cannon ball was fred from the river at
some point near Hills Landing. going over in
Anne Arundel county nearly three miles and
landing near a Mrs. Cheneys house. not far
from Bristol. The ball struck about one
quarter of mile from her house. and they
say it tore hole in the earth large enough
to bury horse in.
Double Wreck Mt Glen Loeb, Pa.