| Show birthday celebration in baltimore recalls an important chapter in the history of american transportation Transport ati tr 7 F L IS 4 aki aa wv 4 14 X gov herbert R governor of maryland surrounded by a bevy of Bal baltimore baldimor timor beauties dressed in the costumes of a century ago cuts the birthday cake of the old bay line by ELMO SCOTT WATSON released by western newspaper union ALTIMORE MD was recently the scene of a birthday B BALTIMORE celebration which had more than local significance because it recalled the early days of an important chapter in the history of american transportation for it marked the anniversary of the founding of the oldest steamboat line in the united states the baltimore steam packet company 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 georgias first trip gov herbert R of maryland accompanied by baltimore city officials and the mayors and city managers of three neighboring cities in virginia norfolk newport news and portsmouth were driven down to the baltimore waterfront there they were greeted by men and women dressed 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 the part of caan jim coffee skipper of friends or relatives in virginia or the carolinas 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 background for the significance of the anniversary which was celebrated in baltimore it is necessary to go back to the beginning of the nineteenth century in america whether james rumsey john fitch samuel morey henry miller shreve or robert fulton was the inventor of the steamboat is still a matter of dispute among the historians but the fact remains that Ful tons successful voyage on the clermont mon t up the hudson in august 1807 gave the first real impetus to this form of transportation the next year a regular une 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 new york to delaware bay within the next five years a line was running on t the he delaware a steamboat had been built at pittsburgh for service on the ohio and another bearing the picturesque name af of walk in the water had been built near buffalo to ply between that city and detroit in 1819 an american ship the savannah became the first steam craft to cross the atlantic but this new form of water travel was a long time in cc coming ming into its own on the high seas the americans still clung to th their air fast sailing packets and clipper ships steam navigation expands however when the E english sent the great western and the sirius across the atlantic to america in 1838 the americans began to wake up the result was the rapid expansion of steam navigation during the forties and fifties with the baltimore steam packet company as one of the pioneers along the atlantic coast in 1845 the old bay line was 0 operating pe rating three steamboats the georgia the jewess and the herald it continued to add ships during daring the next decade and to enjoy great prosperity then came the outbreak of the war between the states in which this line played 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 adel adelaide aide on regular runs between these two points when the war started and the union forces force s seized the latter boat at fortress monroe forcing caan cannon to disembark his passengers and the ma mail jul later the adelaide was used as a transport attached to the joint atlantic blockading squad squadron ron 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 fed brals captured norfolk and notified the company that it could not sail its vessels ela farther south than old P point int Com comfort folt No however wever it dainta maintained ned a daily service with the louisiana and the the lines first ironclad iron 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 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 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 e nga gement between the monitor and the virginia or merrimac on march 9 1862 which changed the course 1 0 A A 4 po I 1 7 capt james cannon master ot of the old bay line steamboats from 1840 to 1868 courtesy old bay line of naval history among the shipping which was at old point comfort on that day and which saw that engagement was a new boat which the old bay line had recently purchased the thomas A morgan an iron side wheeler feet afeei long which had been used as an official mail boat between fortress monroe and yorktown later when the union forces evacuated norfolk and portsmouth one of the old bay lines ships the william selden was captured and burned burne db i by y the confederates other losses suffered during the war seriously handicapped the lines operations but it managed to survive it t resumed its ita regular runs and ordered 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 kompany was just after the close of the war on july 24 1865 when an advertisement in the baltimore sun stated that the old established bay line is op aerating daily the steamers louisiana adelaide and thomas kelso from baltimore to norfolk with connection at fort monroe tor for james river landings and richmond by 1870 the company was again prosperous and had placed in service its first screw steamer the transit which was used only tor 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 fostering the economic and social development there but to this line belongs the distinction of years of continued ope operation ratio n an and d service a notable accomplishment in any enterprise in a nation which itself is only years old |
