Show birthday celebration in baltimore recalls an important chapter in the history of american transportation Transport ati on 7 7 77 k 4 0 4 R n Z 41 1 41 f X ac A y A ARM gov herbert R governor of maryland surrounded by a bevy ot of baltimore beauties dressed in costumes of a century ago cuts the ho birthday cake of the old bay line bye by ELMO SCOTT WATSON neleh sed by western newspaper union ALTIMORE MD was recently the scene of a birthday BALTIMORE celebration which had more than local significance because it recalled the early days of an important chapter in the history of american transportation forit for it marked the anniversary of the founding of the oldest steamboat line in the united states the baltimore steam packet better known as the old bay line because of its century of activity in the chesapeake bay it was just years ago that the georgia the original flagship of the company started on her maiden voyage from baltimore to norfolk and the line has operated almost continuously since that time so on the anniversary of the Georg georgias laos first trip gov herbert R ocon or of maryland accompanied by baltimore city and the mayors and city managers 0 of f three neighboring in g cities cibil s in virginia norfolk fo lk newport news nevis rind and portsmouth were driven down to the baltimore waterfront there they were greeted b by y m men en and women dressed to in the costumes of a hundred years ago among them was an actor wearing a high silk hat and a black frock coat and playing tho the part of caan jim coffee skipper of friends or relatives in virginia or the carolinas Caroll nas could take a boat from baltimore to portsmouth and then continue their journey over the old portsmouth and weldon railroad southward steamboats early history As a bacig background round for the significance of the anniversary which was celebrated in baltimore it is necessary to tb go back to the beginning of the nineteenth century in america whether james rumsey john fitch samuel morey henry miller shrove shreve or robert fulton was the inventor of the steamboat is still a matter of dispute among the historians but thel the fact remains that Ful tons successful voyage on the clermont up the hudson in august 1807 gave the first real impetus to this form of transportation tho the next year a regular line of steamers between albany and new york was established within the next year john stevens had made the first coastwise coast wise steamboat voyage in america when he took his phoenix from now york t to 0 delaware bay within the next five years a line was running on the delaware a steamboat had been built at pittsburgh for service on the ohio and another bearing the picturesque name of walk ln in the water had been built near buffalo to ply between that city and detroit in 1810 an american ship the savannah became the first steam craft to cross the atlantic but this now new form of water travel was a long time in coming into its own on the high seas the americans america ns still clung to their fast sall sailing ing pack packets ets and clipper ships steam navigation expands however when the english sent the great western and the sirius across the atlantic to amerl america ca in 1838 the americans began to wake up the result was the rapid I 1 expansion of steam navigation during the forties and fit fifties with the B baltimore altimore steam packet company as one of the pioneers along th the e atlantic coast in 1845 the old bay line was operating three steamboats the georgia the jewess and the herald it continued to add ships during the next decade and to enjoy great prosper prosperity ity then came the outbreak of the war between the states in which this line played on an interesting and unusual role its boats operating as they did between ports in hostile territory those ports were chiefly confederate ones norfolk was of course pro southern as was baltimore in sentiment even though maryland remained in the union the old bay line was operating the louisiana and the adelaide on regular runs between these two points when the war started and the union forces seized the latter boat at fortress monroe forcing caan cannon to disembark his passengers and the mail later the adelaide was used as a transport attached to the joint atlantic blockading squadron and as such she took part in the bombardment of forts hatteras and clark on august 28 and 29 1861 some time before that the federals era is captured norfolk and noti 11 fed ed the company that it could not sall sail its vessels farther south than old point comfort however it maintained a dally daily service with the louisiana and the geor goanna geanna tho the unas lines first ironclad iron cla clad vessel between baltimore and old point throughout the war the union navy yard at portsmouth being close to territory held by the confederates was in constant danger of being captured so the federal government decided to give it up all of the vessels in this important naval depot were burned or scuttled one of them was destined to have a thrilling history she was the merrimac which was sunk later sho she was raised by the confederates rebuilt as an ironclad renamed the virginia and sent out to attack the northern ships in hampton roads historic naval battle the result was the engagement between the monitor and the virginin virginia or merrimac on march 9 1862 which changed the cour course S e 7 A Q 05 7 T ml V k capt james cannon master ot 0 the old bay line steam steamboats bolts from 1810 1840 to 1868 courtesy old bay line oi of naval history among the shipping which was at old point corn com fort on that day and which saw that engagement was a new boat which tho the old day bay line had re bently purchased the thomas A Mo morgan an iron sIde wheeler feet long which had been used as an official mail boat between fortress monroe and yorktown later when the union forces evacuated norfolk and ports mouth one of the old bay lines ships the william selden was captured and burned by the confederates other losses suffered during the war seriously handicapped the lines operations but it managed to survive it resumed its regular runs and ordered now new boats such as the thomas kelso and the eolus incidentally ci the first time the name old bay line was applied to this company was just after the close of the war on july 24 1865 when an advertisement in the baltimore sun stated that the old established day bay line is operating daily the steamers louisiana adelaide and thomas kelso from baltimore to norfolk with connection at fort monroe for james river landings and richmond by 1870 the company was again prosperous and had placed in service its first il screw steamer the transit which was used only for freight since that time the old bay like the steamboat lines in other parts of the country has played an important part in building up sparsely settled regions and fos P ping pi ing the economic und and social i there but to this fine line belongs the distinction of loo years of continued operation and service a notable accomplishment in any enterprise in a na tion which its elfis only years year old G CR E 2 nna wi a IV 10 ily VIRGINIA nd caged by western newspaper New if union ton TOE OE E BROWNS farst week J before tho the cameras in the columbia picture so you wont talk marking his return to the screen after ter a serf serious ous automo automobile bilo accident aident that put him in th tho e hospital for four months left lef t no doubt that ho he was fully recovered in tho the first three days joo joe foil fell oft off beds crawled under them jumped out of a second story win dow and swung a haymaker to charles wilsons Wll Wil sons jaw that flint connected accidentally and knocked the actor senseless tor for two minutes so you wont talk Is a comedy in which brown plays tho the dual rol rolo 0 of a timid book reviewer and a gang 4 0 A JOE E BROWN Sp sporting orling whiskers he to grew while recuperating baron tor for wh whom om he Is mi mistaken stalken frances robinson plays opposite him ace director clarence drown brown recalls that in the days of the silent pictures the saying was that the worst p pictures I 1 chur 0 s had the most titles and a really great picture such as the last laugh had no titles at all now it seems likely that one of the great talking pictures has proved that the bigger they ate airi the less the actors say edison the man mr browns latest directorial effort goes a long way toward proving that tact fact there is perhaps halt half a reel during the climatic sequence in which hardly a word Is spoken the suspense during the 40 hour test of Edi sons first electric bulb I 1 tried to re relate late entirely in pictorial terms said the director an and d that Is the stretch during which the audience is most acutely attentive wayno wayne morris cant escape the lane sisters if lie ho acting with priscilla llla lies acting with rose mary one up on her sister site she teamed with him in love honor and behave broth er cr rat and brother rat and a baby rosemary won him in an angel from texas and ashes his romance again in ladles ladies must live their current picture at war ner ncr brothers meanwhile the he ro manco mance of his personal life seems to have hit the rocks betty brewer Par amounts 13 year old discovery who is making her film debut opposite fred mae macmurray izi in rangers ot of fortune has a suggestion for anyone who wan wants ts to learn a foreign language she suggests that the would be student live next door to a camuy which speaks no english be broke and hungry and have to ask the foreigners for food in their native tongue how I 1 learned to speak spanish she explained if youre one of the vast army ol of fans thuve enjoyed the pictures made by osa johnson tind and her late husband martin want to see 1 I married adventure which columbia is releasing the last of tills this month it Is based on mrs johnsons autobiography and is the first pictorial dramatic thriller of a famous woman explorer it tells the story of 27 years of adventure shared by the johnsons the court of missing heirs a half hour radio program which has been taking only 25 minutes because of elmer davis news broadcasts has moved from its customary spot on C CDS to one half an hour earlier carlie r which Ill ilch will give it a full half hour E even ven in its 25 minute weekly broadcasts broadcast it has not done so badly at digging up missing legatees lega tees in 28 weeks under its present sponsorship the program has found claimants to snore more than more than a week I |