Evening star., 1920-03-21


commonwealths whose history ia
crowded with honors and great names
Maryland and Virginia.
The Rambler watched these strange
forms which the mist took on. He
even thought that he could hear quick
and mufied splashes as though the
paddle wheels and paddle boxes OF q
spectral steamboat were beating on
the water. The breeze seemed to bring
to his ear low and supulchrai whistles
a. though some phantom steamboat
were blowing for q landing. As he
drew these pictures In the mist he
thought that perhaps there goes the
Mary Washington, the George Leary'
the Pilot Boy, the Jane Moseley. the
Lady Of the Lake. the w. w. corcoran'
the George Law. Mattano, Sue. Psntz
or River Queen.
Boats OF an older time came floating
by. and in the ghostly feet were the
Joe johnson. the Phenix. Columbia.
Union. Thomas collyer. George Wash
ington. James Guy. Vanderbilt. Key
port, st. Nicholas. Express. George
Page and at least Q hundred others,
and ON the wheel box OF one OF the
steamboat ghosts. and one that SEEM
ed especially fleet and aeeting. the
Rambler thought that he could mako
out the name sidney" But 1t was
a dark night and she was travelling
fast. Following this boat seemed to
be three others. and A. the Rambler
spelled out their names they seemed
to be the Powhatan. the Chesapeake
and the Augusta. The Rambler could
not surely make out the misty forms
that stood by the wheel in tho pilot
house. but one looked like Capt
Charlie Mitchell. another like Capt.
silas Reynolds and another seemed
to be the shade OF Capt. Aleck Nc
Causland.
Behind the Powhatan. Chesapeake.
Sidney and Augusta. which seemed to
bs Fastening to connect with stages
at Potomac creek or at Aqua creek
for Tredsricksburg. Richmond and the
south, came another shadowy steam
boat ana one Of considerably later
style. 0As was the steamboat Mount
Vernon coming up the Potomac and
nearly q ~ end Of her run from Bal
timore. Going down stream was boat
on her way to Baltimore. She was
the Oscsola. or course. ~ the Ram
bier looks out through the gray mist
ct these old steamboats, he IL con-
ecious that the year - mot 1890. He
knows that it is 1slo.
But the images OF even older boats
than these are passing. The wrath
Of the nrst Potomac river passenger
and freight steamboat OF which there
Is a record is going by. She is the
steamboat Warrington. She was
running between this city and Aqua
creek In 1915. and may have been run
ming In 1914. but the Rambler thinks
that she appeared in the Potomac In
1916. Her llrst work. and work she
continued for many years. was to
transfer stasecoach passengers from
Boston, New York. Philadelphia and
Baltimore. at Washington. to stage
coaches Tor the south At Aqua creek.
The hrst mention which the Rambler
has found Of this boat 10 In an adver-
tisemsnt in the National Intclligencer
In 1875. which recites that she will
leave the steamboat wharf in Wash
1ngton city every day. Sundays sx-
cepted, for Alexandria and Freder-
loksburg at 3:3e p.m.." and that "by
this road and river route the one hun
drsd miles between Baltimore and
Credericksburg can be covered in
ninstsen hours" OF course. the Wash
lngten did not 90 down the Potomac
and then down the bay and up the
Rappahannock to Fredericksburg.
She transferred her ngers to
otagecoaches At Aqua creek. and
these coaches drove through Stafford
county. straight across the northern
ncck OF Virginia to the Rappahannock
river.
Close by the ghost Of the steamboat
Washington was that Of q boat called
tho Potomac, which. in command of
UriAh Jenkins. was running between
Washington, Alexandria, Old Point
Comfort and Norfolk in the 30s, and
stepping at all places ON the Poto-