Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-16

mac were $lU between richmond ana
Washington; Sc between Washington
ington or Alexandria and points on
the lower Potomac river at which
passengers could be landed. These
rates of fare included meals. but the
old advertisements do not mention
staterooms. The evident reason for
extending the steamboat Potomac's
trip from Norfolk up the James to
Richmond. in 1925. was that the James
River Steamboat Company operated
a steamboat between Washington and
Norfolk, transferring freight and
passengers at Norfolk to it's Rich
cannot find the name of this steam
boat. but the Washington agent of
the James River Steamboat Company
was William H. Thompson.
The steamboat-stage routes between
Washington and the south were ar
dent competitors of the all-water
route to Richmond. There seem to
have been two of the steamboat-stage
era1 years they were competitors be-
tween themselves as we'll as with the
all-water route. The first steamboat
stage route Of which the Rambler has
found a record was that which ran
the steamboat Washington to Aqua
creek, there connecting with the
stage line across the northern neck
of Virginia to Fredericksburg, whence
stage lines ran south and southwest.
That steamboat, as the Rambler has
ming in 1915 and probably in 1913.
The Washington-Aquia Creek-Freder-
icksburg Steamboat and Stage line
can be traced through the years 1875
1925, and In some years between those
dates the Neutrality-suspicious. Creek
Has ~ NlrC I'D md "a nm
boat and Stage line began operations.
The Rambler finds the latter COM
pany advertising heavily in the news
papers Of 1925 that by steamboat and
stage it put passengers through from
Washington to Richmond In twenty
six hours for $3.50.
How long the Potomac creek route
was operated is anybody's guess, but
it drops out Of the Advertisements in
the early sos and the Aqua creek
route appears to have been the high
way to Fredericksburg, Richmond and
steamboats, on that route were the
Powhatan. Chesapeake. Augusta and
Sidney and among the names of
captains in that squadron the Rambler
has collected those Of Charles Mitch
ell. Silas Reynolds and Alexander
NcCausland. Do not confuse Capt.
Charles Mitchell with Capt. James
Washington Baltimore steamboat Col
umbia, which began running on that
route in 1897 or a year or two earlier.
The steamboat Potomac was running
to Norfolk as late as the early sos and
in the beginning of that decade there
appears another boat running between
Washington, Alexandria and Norfolk.
Her name was the Union. In 1874
steamboat named the Osceola was ply
ing between Washington and Norfolk,
and the Rambler has copied this adver-
tisement: For Norfolk Twice a Week:
The steamer Osceola will leave Wash
ington every Wednesday and Saturday
at o'clock am. for the above place.
Returning, will leave Norfolk every
Monday and Thursday at pm. Pas
sage and fare IS. She will take of and
land passengers at the different landings
on the river and touch in Cone river
every Saturday going and Monday re-
turning. James Mitchell. captain"
When the Richmond. Fredericksburg
and Alexandria railroad. III that Is the
right name) was building northward the
stage line from the Potomac to the
Rappahannock passed out Of existence
and the steamboats, from Washington
made connection with the trains first
at Aqua Creek and later at Quantico.
There is much in connection with
this steamboat-train service which
hopes to complete the task. He re-
calls that in 1865 an opposition route
to those by way of Aqua creek or.
Quantico was begun. In that year
the steamer Keyport. commanded by
Capt. Frank Hollingshead, landed pas
sengers at Belle Plains Landing. on
the Potomac, where a stage was taken
to Hamilton's Station. where connec-
ton was made with trains for Fred
ericksburg and Richmond.
An advertisement appearing In
Washington newspapers in 1865 says:
''By this route passengers will have an
opportunity of viewing Mount Vernon
by daylight and also passing over
many battlefields. The superintend-
emit of the Belle Plains and Hamilton
station line was George Mattingly. of
South Washington. The Keyport
could not have been employed exclu-
siyely on the Belle Plains route be-
cause in that year she was the mail
boat for southern Maryland-that is.
she landed the mail from Washington
,kn &%o T.