Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-25

grown-up children and stacks of bas-
kets filled with lunch. The Mary
never travelled in the fast set of boats.
She was steady and conservative. 1t
was never her ambition to rush up
and down the river with broom tied
cape at her and say, There goes
the boat that makes the biggest swell
on the river" Proud boats like the
Arrowsmith, the Armenia, the Bishop,
the Excelsior. the Pentz, the River
Queen and Manchester rushed by her
and blew their whistles at her in
good-natured though somewhat 1eer-
ing tone. But the Mary kept her
way serenely while the band played
on and the happiest girls and boys
in the world danced on, and the same
old moon we know today spread its
sheen of silver on the water.
Some of the Woodworking steam
boats, toiling under heavy burdens
night and day-boats like the Jane
MoseIey, John w. Thompson, George
Leary, Lady of the Lake Mattano.
George Law and scores of others.
would pass the Mary and seem to
have smile of derision on their
Washington! The frivolous thing!
To spend her life in idle pleasure and
vain pursuits, Why should she not
be made to carry freight and bear
her share of the burdens of trade
like honest. self-respecting steam
boats? There ought to be a law
against a steamboat spending all it's
time in just one excursion after an
other. Thank the stars that I do an
honest days work and that / can
hold my head up in the society of
respectable steamboats, and that 1
the world of business. ETC." But the
old Mary logged along and her band
played on.
In the first "ramble" it was written
that the Mary was not built to be an
excursion steamboat, but that she
was designed for a business career,
and that she was built at the instance
of the Potomac Fruit Growers Asso-
citation, which was an organization of
Virginians and Washingtonians that
was quite active in the 70's. Her hull
was set up on Accotink creek. near
the village of Accotink and she was
launched Thursday. June 4. 1874. She
was lowed to Alexandria, where her
engine. built by Moore & Co. of that
city, was installed. Her first COM
succeeded by Capt. Troth. and in 1876
she became Mount Vernon boat, un-
der command of Capt. L. L. Blake. in
competition with the regular" Mount
Vernon boat, the Arrow, commanded
by Capt. Frank Hollingshead. About
this time Col. Joseph McKibbin and
Capt. Blake bought Marshall Hall. and
the Mary Washington became the
Marshall Hall boat until she was sue
ceeded. in 1873, by the w. w. Cor
coran. Soon after this the Mary be-
came the Glymont boat and in 1881
she was bought by Capt. Ephraim s.
Randall. who established River View.
and before the setting up of that re-
sort on the old Hatton farm at Hat
tons point, Capt Randall ran the
Mary to Glymont and Occoquan. AS
the River View boat the Mary was
succeeded by the Samuel ]. Pentz. A
man whose name was Wooden, but
whose initials escape the Rambler's
memory. and who ran the flying
horses at Glymont, leased the Mary
from Capt. Randall and she again be-
came the Glymont boat. WOODEN
bought tract of land on the Virginia
side of the river north of River View
and established Collingwood Beach
as colored excursion resort and the
Mary became the Collingwood boat
Several years later Capt Randall sold
the Mary to a man named Taylor.
While anchored off the 18th street
wharf she sank. Her engine and boil
ers were taken out, the hull was
raised and 1t was sold to Bob Holtz-
man. Not long after this she was re-
paired and somewhat remodeled and
became boat on which games of
chance are said to have been played.
She was anchored off Alexandria and
her ribs now rest in the mud in Four
Mile run.
In connection with the Mary Wash
ington the Rambler has received this
letter:
221 West Cedar Ave-, Merchantsville. N. J.
My Dear Rambler: VIII you permit very
interested reader, who tries to follow you en-
your many journeys. to say word in regard
to your musings on the river boats? JACOB
Troth was not the captain Of the Mary Wash
inrton. but a brother of Capt Troth. He did
live adjoining Woodlawn mansion, visited Fres-
no. Calf, and returned. dying at Woodlawn in
a little property he acquired after disposing Of
his old home to Miss Sharp the present owner
Of the mansion. The captain, think lived at
Accotink. and there was a brother, If remem-
Der rightly, who miller at Burnt Mills,
Nd. Jacob Troth has a son, Joseph. and a