Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-25
laughter. Mrs. Sarah Anthony, at Mount Yer

daughter. Mrs. Sarah Anthony, at Mount Yer
non.
1 do not recall your article on woodlawn
mansion and am sorry to have missed 1t. Ny
mother was n Parke. and such claims re-
lationship to the Custs family. believe the
original Parke ancestor is buried at Williams
burg Church. At least there is tablet there
to his memory.
Your memory Of boats antedates mine. but
knew Capt. Blake and Capt. Ross and the lat
ter's son and grandson. l also had the sad op-
portunity Of seeing some Of those old boats
Durn. have ridden on number Of those you
mention. and when child. remember often Of
taking the ferry at Alexandria and back to
cool on" on hot summer days. / shall follow
you with much interest on the river
Very truly yours. Mrs. MAY BOYNTON.
The Mary Washington spent very
little of life in the regular steamboat
business. and while young boat en-
tered the excursion business. The
Rambler finds the following in The
Star of Friday, August Z. 1874:
The inaugural excursion Of the new steamer
Mary Washington yesterday. in spite Of embar-
easements growing out Of delay in inspection
Was gratifying success The boat has been
pany for the accommodation of market garden
ers and farmers along the river. She is built
upon the western model. and draws only TWEEN
ty-two inches of water. She is expected to
equal any boat on the river in speed while her
appointments render her attractive for excur.
sions. Her owners and officers are men Of high
character. and the enterprise promises abun-
dant success. On the homexard trip the pas
sengers held meeting and passed resolutions
commencing the new boat to the patronage Of
the public.
Among the advertisements in The
Star in August, 1874, the Rambler
finds one that "a moonlight excur-
sion of the Fifth Baptist Church, Rev.
c. c. Meador. pastor. will be given
on wednesday evening, August 26,
1874. on the elegant new steamer
Mary Washington. which will leave
There is another advertisement that
1.-The new. stanch and commodious
steamer Mary Washington will leave
the Potomac ferry wharf for Mount
Vernon, stopping at Alexandria. Fort
Foote, Collingwood, Fort Washing
daily, excepting Sunday. at 10 am.
returning at 4 pm" The Mary car
ried De Molay Commandery, No. 4,
knights, Templar. to Glymont. Mon
day, August 81, 1874. In those days
the captain of the Mary was NJ. E.
Germond. The Rambler believes that
Engineer Germond was the father
of E. L. Germond, who died April 10,
1904. and who, between 1855 and his
death, served as assistant engineer.
engineer or chief engineer on the
Arrowsmith, Excelsior. George Leary.
Wakefield. City of Alexandria. Pilot
Boy, Belle Haven. Howard Cassard.
Florence, Columbia. Minerva, the tug
James Richards, Samuel j. Pentz and
the George W. Pride. In possession
of the Rambler Is a diary which Mr..
Germond kept during his service on
the river. and at some time in the
course of these narratives he means
to print extracts from it. ]. II. Ger
mond, who was engineer Of the Mary
T..
Corcoran at the time of her destruc-
ton by fire, Thursday, September 3,
1891.
In The Star of October 10, 1874. the
Rambler finds the following adver-
tisement: The steamer Mary Wash
trips until further notice. She will
leave Glymont every morning, Sunday
excepted. at O'Clock. Returning,
leave Washington at 2 pm, touch
ing at all landings each way. Horses
and carriages and live stock taken at
low rates. M. E. Gregg. captain"
In The Star of Monday, May Is,
1892, is this:
The steamer Mary Washington is being re-
painted and overhauled. The Mary Is the flag
ship Of the Potomac feet. She was built at
Accotink, Va. in 1874, for the river trade, and
did duty in this line under Capt. Troth. who
was also president of the Upper Potomac
Steamboat Company. During the summer Of
boat. In 1881 she waJ bought and rebuilt by
Capt. Il. 8. Randall. and for Eve years steamed
between Washington and Occoquan Falls and
Glymont after which she became the River
View boat Capt. Randall estimates that in
fifteen seasons she has carried over a million
passengers. She goes on the Occoquan route
this summer and inaugurates her season with
the Kendall Green excursion.
The Potomac Fruit Growers Asso-
citation, which seems to have been the
cause of the creation of the Upper
Potomac Steamboat Company, which
built the Mary Washington, was or
ganized in 1869. The first published
reference to this association which
the Rambler has found appeared in
The Star Wednesday, August 3, 1870.
1t says that 1.-The Potomac Fruit
Growers Association met at the
Washington Board Of Trade rooms
today, Judge ]. H. Gray in the chair.