Evening star., 1920-03-21

W. X. Gross. the hreTnen are L. l. Davis
and 8. p. Smith. tho deck hands are
c. c. Donaldson and d. n. Young and
the watchman is c. d. Little. The 9TH
or men of the harbor police are Sergt.
John E. Preston. Station Clerk H. w.
Turner and Oncers J. w. White. w. g.
Sweet, J. +. Nebb, L. c. Trumbo, J. r.
Narrower. W. N. Corbin and W. II. Skin
ner. night clerk. Private Franklin Mon-
roe was day clerk until February 18,
when he was retired after twenty-seven
Somehow or others. as the talk In
the harbor oiiice turned to old boats Of
the Potomac river, the nrst one men-
toned was the Mary Washington and
the first Of the river captains mentioned
was the Mary's nrst commander. Capt
Gregg. Although It is perfectly proper
to class the Mary Washington with the
old Potomac steamboats,, she was not
20 very old even when she passed away.
Yet she was q famous boat and nearly
every Washingtonian travelled on her.
For years she was an excursion carrier
to the popular river resorts, and tho fea-
ture which endears her in the memory
Of 20 many Washington men and women
Is that they danced merrily on her decks.
She was q dancing boat. Her decks
were broad and smooth and the music
furnished by the many bands that served
on her was said to be always good.
Thousands Of people who are fol-
lowing these lines danced on the Mary
Washington, which as the years went
by came to be affectionately called
"the Old Mary" The Mary was not
built to be an excursion steamer. She
was built for business, and as the
Rambler's memory serves him, she
was built at tho instance Of the Po-
tomac Fruit Growers Association. an
organization Of Virginians that was
quite active in the 70's. The Mary
was built on Accotink creek, below
the village Of Accotink. In 1874. The
Rambler hnds this paragraph in The
Star Of Saturday. June 6. 1874: THE
new steamboat Martha Washington
was launched at Accotink, Va, on
Thursday morning and towed UP to
Alexandria, where she is to receive
her engines" She seemed to have
been named the Martha Warrington
at her launching, for that name oc-
ours several times In the chronicles,
but in q month after she was given
to the river she was called the Mary
Washington. Misfortune came to her
two days after she was launched. for
in The Star Of Tuesday, July Z, 1s74.
this appeared: During the storm
Saturday night the hurricane deck Of
the new steamboat Martha Washing
ton. being built at Alexandria. was
blown off," In The Star Of Tuesday.
August 4. 1874, was this:
The steamer Mary Washington. Just COM
pletcd at Alexlndfia, makes her TRIAL txip
Thursday to Accotink, Glymont and sthss
points on the Potomac river. in command eS
Capt. Gregg. ThA boat. which has cost sbsas
S2a. .00o h 150 ret IN length, breadth q
beam - feet, and she draws, WITH her ma.
chinery on board. only twenty fnehes ek Wltss.
She has been built frsn plans and designs bs
DR.. John Grmss of Pittsburgh, under whass
supervision she was constructed. Her nsdsl
10 Of the Ohio river plan. dsssgnsd b run any-
where that heavy dsw can b found u nsess.
sary to recaivs or land passsnsss Or . barrel
Of freight. Her engines are new. of $50 Aofss.
power and were constructed b. Msars = O..
Of Alexandria. Her boilan wsrs maAs b.
Petit q Co. Of the sams city.
There was quite a celebrated legal
contest in 1874 between the Mount
Vernon management and the steam.
boat Arrow and the Mary Washing
ton over the right Of the Mary to
land at Mount Vernon. the Arrow