The Washington times., 1934-06-02
POTOMAC RIVER OFFERS WAsEGTONANs RELAXATION AND PEAsUR
Example Is Set
By President
Roosevelt
BY BETSY CASWELL
WomGn'S Page Editor

Oh WOuuGE w INC bLlAI CLlc EOIO-
mac River Is not featured"
more in the daily life Of Wash
ington residents. Blessed as we
are with o sheltered waterway,
comparatively free from mos
duitoes, 1t seems to me that
some method Of aquatic trans
portation and sport should be
an integral part Of our lives.
When I see the use to which
the other big cities put any
available waterways, it becomes
almost incredible that the cave
dwellers Of the District Of Co
lumbia have allowed such a
source of pleasure and recrea-
ton to escape them.
Fortunately, this does not
hold true Of some Of our
brighter minds. Many tired
business men own a good-sized
cruiser, aboard which they are
able to attain q week-end'S rest
and relaxation. In most he
men" il born the urge Of the
sea, and I know Of no happier
way to spend an afternoon for
the man who is land-locked be-
hind an office desk for the
week than to put in q few
hours on the water, with a
trim little craft under him,
and heavens best breeZeS fan
ming his brow.
Perfect Rest
We have been set the ex-
ample Of how to attain q per-
feet rest by no less than the
President Of the United States,
himself.
Whenever feasible, Mr.. Roose-
welt takes to the water, away
from telephones, doorbells and
streams of people demanding
his immediate attention. Aboard
the "sequoia," the "Amberjack
II" and the "Nourmahal," he
has found complete relaxation
and respite from the pressing
affairs Of the day.
The "Sequoia" alone we may
claim as q native Of Washing
ton waters. History may have
been made. and may be made,
aboard her simple deckS-in
any event, she Is q means Of
giving rest to our President,
and, as such, deserves more de-
tailed attention.
Formerly . tender Of the De.
partment Of Commerce, she
was assigned to the service Of
the white House during the
Hoover AdminiStra ton, after
ex-President Hoover decided
not to use the traditional presi-
Dental yacht, "Mayflower."
Originally, she was built in
1925, in the Matthias Ship
Yards, at Camden. Maine, for
Q Mr.. Cadwalder, and was
bought by the Department Of
Commerce, in 1881. She is
106 feet over all, beam 10 feet,
draws 5 feet, and is Of $50
tons displacement. Her speed
OF - knots Is assured by two
Winton-DieSel engines, Of 200
horsepower each. Her cruising
radius IL approximately $50
miles, giving q plenty Of safety
on weekend cruises, and short
trips to neighboring waters.
The "Sequoia" is now manned
by the Navy, to which she was
officially turned over in March
Of 1888. Her crew consists Of
seven men, commanded by q
lieutenant Ounior grade), Of
the Regular Navy. At the mo-
1nent, this happens to be the
honor Of Lieut.. j. Stewart
Blue, U. 8. N.
Envlabl, Position
When the "Sequoia" was
thus nominated for a niche in
the Nations fame, she was re-
fitted with six cabins, done in
mahogany and redwood, and
the original gasoline engines
were replaced by the more
modern Diesel type. Also, a
small cabin. with bath, was
added on the top deck, directly
aft Of the bridge.
No special fittings, such as
dinner services, glassware, ETC.,
were added to show that she
had become the conference
room Afloat Of the United
States Government. Simple,
and unpretentiouS, always, she
has done her part in our stir.
ring times, ana attained an en-
viable position among the land
marks Of our epoch.
For the next several weeks
IL Is the plan Of this paper to
run o series Of articles on the
pleaSure-craft moored on the
Potomac and its inletS. There
are surprisingly many Of them
but there should be many
more partaking Of the natural
resources at our command.
from washington. which is
the head Of navigable waters,
to Point Lookout, the river
should be allie with cruisers,
Speedboats, auxiliary Sail-boatS
and Sh0llo7 draft craft, flash
ing over the blue water, under
the summer sun, bringing
health and enjoyment to thou
sands.
Certainly with the example
already set US by those intelli-
rent "SkipperS" who have