Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-15

Historic Places United States. One
u..;.l: of these islands is
Maryland pilgrims landed on March %.
1884. The other is jamestown. where
the Virginia pilgrims settled in 1907.
1t is one of the disappointing things
of history that the landing place of the
Calvert colonists is not determined be-
yond controversy. but the place Of land
ing was on one OF two islands in the
Potomac river and both of these islands
have been very much changed by wind
and water. One has very nearly been
obliterated and the other has been very
much reduced in its extent.
The Calvert colonists landed on Heron
to whsh they gave san the bar
pointed out today as Heron Island and
it has long borne that name. Most
authorities on this subject incline to
the belief that the Heron Island Of
Blackstone. or sometimes Blackstone.
The Rev. Andrew White Of the So
ciety Of Jesus. who accompanied the
Maryland pilgrims
First Landing and wrote the &C
in Maryland. a eoe" which; IL. i is known o"y
as Father Whites Brief Relation Of
the Voyage into Maryland" said:
Thus we sailed some twenty leagues
up the river to Herne Island, so-called
from the infinite swarms of hernes
(herons) thereon. This we called st.
Clements. Here we first came ashore;
here by the overturning of shallop
we had almost lost our mades which
we brought along. The linnen they
went to wash was much of it lost.
which is no small matter in these
parties. The ground is here, as in very
many places covered with pokiberries
with a sweet kerneD with ackhornes,
black walnut, cedar. saxfras. vines,
salad herbs and such like. 1t is not
above four hundred acres and there
fore too little to seat upon for US;
therefore they have designed it for a
fort to command the river. meaning
to raise another on the maine land
against it, and SO keep the river from
forraigne trade, here being the mar
rowest Of the river"
Maryland, says that the island called
Heron, or "Herne" Island and renamed
st. Clements. is now called Black
istons Island. This rendering is fol-
lowed by nearly all. if not all. Mary
land historians.
McSherry. In his history of Maryland.
writes: 1.-THE ships now approached
the Heron Islands, on one of which st.
Clements-thought to be Blackistones
Island-the colonists determined to
small for a settlement. to build
strong fort for their protection in case
Of any outbreak
On what Is now called Heron Island
a bit of sand shows above the water
and at other tides the water rolls
aboye this. But the memory of some
old persons in that part Of the Potomac
country goes back to when there was
small island with a beach Of shell
and pebbles and green things growing.
and very respectable tradition has 1t
that an island of considerable area was
there. Blackistones Island has been ap-
probably reduced by erosion within
jamestown Island is going. and quite
an area of it has gone. Jamestown
was a peninsula at the time of Its set
Element, but is now very distinctly an
island, connected with the mainland by
q simple wooden bridge at least fifty
feet long. Biologists say that this
coast is settling and that in a few
centuries more jamestown island may
drop of the map altogether. 1t is so
low now as to make 1t hard to under
stand why the settlers should have
chosen it.. Their letter of instructions
warned them against low and damp
land as liable to prove malartous, ana
here at high tide the rising waters
the peninsula. The Virginia pilgrims
chose this site in evident conflict with
their letter Of instructions because the
narrow neck joining the mainland
gave reasonable security against at
tack from savages. They considered it
approach, while an attack from the
water side was not to be feared.
One of the jamestown settlers wrote
the following narrative of the settlers
trials:
Trials of "There were neuer Eng
c.4A,. lishmen left in a foreign
SSs'Ae' COuntrey in such inserts
as wee were in this new DISCOVERED Vir-
ginia. Wee watched query three nights
lying on the bare ground what weather
soeuer came; (and) warded all the next
day; which brought our men to bee
most feeble wretches. Our food was
but a small Can of Barlie sodden in
water to fiue men a day. Our drink
cold water taken out of the River;
whach was at a fioud verie salt; at low
tide full of slime and filth; which was
the destruction of many OF our men.
Thus we lived for the space of fiue
months in this miserable distress, not
hauing fiue able men to man our Bull
warks upon any occasion. II it had
not pleased God to haue put a terrour
in the Sauages hearts, we had all per-
ished by those Wild and crull Pagans,
being in that weake estate as we were:
our men night and day groaning in
every corner Of the Fort most pittiful
to heare."
This was written some time before the
colonists left jamestown, Thursday,
June 7, 1910, and on their way down
the James river met Lord Delaware
with three well stocked ships, which
happy event caused the settlers, or de-
serters. to return to jamestown.
Several months ago the geological
survey issued bulletin on the erosion
of islands in the Chesapeake bay. com
pairing the present condition of those
islands with their condition in 1S47-S,
as shown by a report of the coast and
geodetic survey at that period. Part
struction of the three islands at the
mouth of the Choptank river. OF these,
Charps Island. which a generation ago
was a summer resort and a favorite
hunting ground. besides supporting a
number of families throughout the
year, IL today deserted and barren of
life. Its 4S8 acres In 1S48 had dwindled
to ninety-one in 1900, and in 1910, the
time OF the most recent survey, the
island contained but hfty-three acres
During the period between 1900 and
1910 the north shore OF Sharps Island
suffered q phenomenal loss of 10 feet
dicate that the island will be entirely
effaced before 1850.
James Island lies south of Sharps
Island 1t decrea aed in size frou, Q7S