Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1892-10-10


smoking hulk, burned TO the waters
edge, with her steam drum and walk
ing-beam only standing, was all to be
seen yesterday morning of what had
been the Washington ferry steamer
City of Alexandria From distance
her remains somewhat resembled a
dynamite or torpedo boat after the or
der Of the Eesuvius or Cushing but
upon drawing near charred mass of
extinct Goals, twisted rods and topsy
turvy machinery in careened hulk
told the story of the previous night
that the old ferry boat City OF AleXan-
d.ia had made her last voyage; that
the boat which for twenty-five years
had been so familiar an object in the
moving panorama Of the Potomac,s flo
tilla and which is said to have made
10000 round-uips, had met the fate Of
her predecessor 0heGeorgc Page)whose
ribs now lie in the mud of Quantico
creek. The AleXandria's career was
destined to cease after the labors of
Saturday. The boat had made her last
trip and had arrived, here at a quarter
TO eight o'clock, when the usual work
of cleaning up and arranging for Sun
day was entered into. Shortly after 9
O'Clock people who happened to be near
the foot of King street noticed sheet
of light shoot up near the steamers
smoke-stack, but the night being cloudy
and notwithstanding, ii was at first sup
posed to be no more than the smoke
from her chimney which sometimes
emits dull flame on dismal nights. 1t
was not long, however, before this illu-
sion was dispelled by two columns of
fire and smoke which forced their way
through the wooden work of the upper
saloon. and those who witnessed it
started fire alarm. Before the engines
could respond the hurricane deck had
almost become a sheet Of fire, and so
inflammabIe was the ioiner's work that
it was Immediately seen nothing could
subdue the flames and that the boat
was doomed to destruction. The fire
department, though, lost no time IN
getting TO work, but all efforts to sub
due the flames were futile, and it soon
became apparent that the crowd which
had boarded the steamer would be
compelled to disembark in order to al
low the burning boat TO be pulled away
from the dock before she sank The
tugs Juno and Eva Belle Cain later, al-
ter some difficulty and no little heroism
on the part of officers, crews and others,
succeeded in fastening hawsers on what
was then almost seething mass OF
flame and pulled the Inflated steamer
into the stream and away from the 9TH
i1l, cd
The tugs with their burning tow
proceeded to the opposite flats
and when nearly abreast Of Duke
street abandoned The boat, or
what was then left Of her, to her fate.
The light from the burning steamer il
}umined the river for miles, while
above huge bank OF light was formed
BY fhe cracking fire from oil, paint,
canvas, lightwood and other innam-
mable material, which was visible for
miles. The spectacle afforded by the
moving mass of flame while the boat
was being pHlled into the stream was
one long to aforementioned by the thou
sands who witnessed it, and the fact
that no human lives were i'll jeopardy
.dispelled the horror and enabled all tc
look with awe on the weird scene. Be
fore grounding on the Maryland flats
the boat slightly careened toward thi.
city as she struck the channel bank. anc
for hours continued to burn, until tht
fire finally simmered down only WheI
there was nothing further for Ii TO ieec
upon. notwithstanding streams from me
tugs PLAYED continuously upon it. Ih'
4 f,NrIr 81
er of the City Of Washington, both nay
ing been built in Nyack, n. y, in 1867
and for the past quarter of a century
had piled between this city and Wash
ton. she was 1876 feet long, % fee
beam, and had saloons on the spar anC
hurricane decks. She was of the dou
blc-ender type, on the order. o
the old Union and George Page
the first, we believe, of that class o
steamers placed on the ferry route. Tho
Union ran between the two cities about
1852, and was succeeded by the George
Page. steamer which became histori-
cal, having evolved into a gun6oat dur,
ing the war, and which, rs stated
above. met the fate of the City OF Alex
andria in .Quantco creek upon the
abandonment of OF thePotomac batterie!
by the confederates. The Alexandra
cost about $500 and was insured ioi
$4,000 in companies with agencies II
Washington. She is said to have beer
valued at $4,000 by the compan!
owning her. The origin of the fire
cannot be ascertained. and the the
cries are legion. The most gen