Evening star., 1920-04-04
>HE story Of steamboats, and
steamboa tmen of the Potomac
river has not been written, so

ehu JahcS rivers may nave peen WIN.
ten. but the Rambler does not know
that 1t has and his belief is that this
useful and Interesting work has not
been done.
In connection with this subject are
two facts which the Rambler believes
are not widely known and which he
aims to lay emphasis on. The first OF
these Is that the Potomac is one OF
the original steamboat rivers. Per-
haps 1t is the river on which the frst
steamboat was run, but to insist on
that point is to invite a controversy
which would probably lead nowhere.
and a contention of this kind the
Rambler wishes to avoid. But 1t can
provoke no controversy to write that
steamboat trials were made on the Po-
tomac, Delaware, Hudson, Clyde ana
Seine within a few years of each other
and to say that steamboat was
. operated on the Potomac river IN
1887, while the Clermont of Robert
Fulton was not launched on the Hud-
son river until 1907. Fulton had, OF
: course. experimental with steam
boat before that date. Some of his
experiments were conducted on the
Seine and some on the Hudson before
his device took the form of the Cler-
mont. The Rambler has not before
him record of these experiments, but
he doubts that they were previous to
the experiments of James Rumsey on
the Potomac and of John Fitch on the
Delaware. He inclines to the belief
that "a honor of haipo- n hir rth- river
of the steamboat lies between the Po-
tomac and the Delaware, with the
choice somewhat in favor of the lat
ter river.
X K X
The steamboat OF John Fitch was
making regular trips and carrying
passengers on the Delaware in 1890,
and the claim is made that he was
operating some kind Of a steam-pro
PEELED boat in 1856 and that his in
vention was of the date of 17S5.
James Rumsey was operating a boat
driven by steam on the Potomac river
in 1887, and he probably was expert
mentin:; with the device year or
two or three years previous to the
successful operation of the boat. 1t
may be that his experiments antedate
those of Fitch, but here enters con-
lecture. OF Rumsey it is recorded
that he ran his steamboat on the Po-
tomac "at Shepherdstown." Without
doubt he ran the boat several miles
up and down the Potomac river above
and below Shepherdstown. Shep-
herdstown, now in West Virginia, was,
Of course, Virginia town prior!to the
admission to the Union of the state
of West Virginia, June 80, 1858. 1t
may be that West Virginians date
the separation Of their state from
Virginia from the second Wheeling
convention" which met June II. 1861.
but here is a contention which the
Rambler is going to sidestep as hav-
ing no bearing on the story of steam
boating on the Potomac river.
Shepherdstown Is ten or twelve
miles north of Harpers Ferry by road
and slightly farther by river. Above
and below the town the Potomac is a
calm and sedate river, with numer-
Gus turnings. and one Of these at
shoe bend" In times of flood the
river Is turgid and flows with
strong, swift current. but in fair sea-
sons it is a placid river. Many per-
sons have the impression that the
Potomac river above Washington Is a
rocky, splashing and turbulent river.
1t has a number of severely rocky
stretches from Little Falls to Great
Falls, at Seneca and at Harpers
Ferry. 1t has also many long stretch
es where the water does not foam and
surge among rocks, but moves quietly
along between mud banks, and in
many places reminds one of the Ohio
river. 1t was on one of these calm
stretches Of the river that Rumsey
ran his steamboat in 1887. On bluf
above the river at Shepherdstown
and close to the Norfolk and Western
railroad bridge that crosses the river
at that place stands tall and stately
monument commemorating Rumsey
and his historic achievement.
4
In the National Museum ia model