QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

A Short HistoryTHE WEEMS' STEAMBOAT LINE

Steamboating on the Chesapeake began when a Cap-tain Edward Trippe of Dorchester County, intriguedby Robert Fulton's successful launching of the Cler-mont on the Hudson River, persuaded two friends tojoin him in financing the construction of a steamboat.Built at a cost of $40,000, in Baltimore, the vesselwas launched in 1813 and appropriately named Chesa-peake. Her first trip was a one-day excursion run toAnnapolis June 13, 1813 for $1 "here and the sameback." Included was a cold dinner.

The following Monday the Chesapeake began herregular run from Bowley's Wharf, Baltimore, toFrenchtown on the Elk River near the head of theBay. Passengers disembarked, were carried by stage-coach to New Castle, Delaware, and transferred thereto a steamboat for Philadelphia. Shortly, other lineswere competing for this north-bound trade and theUpper Bay became the New Jersey turnpike of thatera.

Down Bay the invention of the steamboat broughtabout changes also. While not as many people wantedto travel from the tidewaters of Southern Marylandto Baltimore as apparently did from Baltimoreto Philadelphia, there had been for many years a livelycommerce between the Tidewater and Baltimore.Baltimore's growth as an industrial city offered mar-kets to the farm and plantation owners along thesouthern waters. Energetic watermen had long engagedin the business of transporting all manner of farmproduce, livestock and seafood to these markets.

Foremost among these watermen was Captain GeorgeWeems whose packets had been plying the waters ofthe Patuxent River and Western Shore of the Bay forsome years. Recognizing the opportunities of steain-boating, in 1817 Captain Weems chartered the steam-boat Surprise and began a service lasting 88 years tolandings along the Western Shore of the ChesapeakeBay and to the Patuxent, Potomac and RappahannockRivers and short-lived services to the Chester andWicomico Rivers on the Eastern Shore.

After four years of service the Surprise was disposedof and Captain Weems purchased the Eagle built in

Philadelphia in 3813. With the boat Captain Weem'scareer as a steamboat man almost ended before itreally began. A terrific boiler explosion wrecked thesteamer on April 19, 1824. Captain Weems was se-verely scalded. Doctors wanted to amputate his legsbut he refused their advice and was safely nursed backto good health by his wife and daughters. One pas-senger was killed, reputedly to have been the stateattorney of Maryland. (It is worth noting that thisdeath is the only one resulting from accident on theWeems Line during its long history).

By 1827 Captain Weems had successfully prosperedto the point that he was able to organize a company,the Weems Line, later to be known as the WeemsSteamboat Company. The Patuxent, completed in1828, was the first of thirteen steamers expresslybuilt for the new organization. Put into service,Patuxent's route began in Baltimore at MarylandWharf thence to Herring Bay (southern Anne ArundelCounty), landings on the lower Patuxent River, andon to the Rappahannock River to Fredericksburg,Virginia. The Rappahannock run was discontinued,

(Continued on Page 2)

Weems steamer Eagle 1813. Drawing copy courtesy ElizabethS. Anderson Steam Vessels of Chesapeake and Delaware Baysand Rivers.

Bugeye Tiwe& - Page 2

(Continued from Page 1)A Short History THE WEI

but trips were added to the Wicomico River on theEastern Shore which were discontinued after tenyears.

Another steamer Planter was built by the companyin 1845; Martha Washington was bought in 1854.These, with Patuxent, provided captaincies for Cap-tain George Weems' three sons: Patuxent with Cap-tain George Weems, Jr.; Martha Washington, CaptainMason L. Weems; Planter, Captain Theodore Weems.Later each of the sons was to have a steamer as hisnamesake. The George Weems built in 1858 replacedthe Patuxent; Theodore Weems, 1872, replaced theGeorge Weems which burned in 1871 ;and the MasonL. Weems, 1881, drew too much water for most Rap-pahannock River landings and was sold off to NewYork in 1890.

The Weems Line was not without competition as itendeavored to monopolize steamboating along theBay's Western Shore and its three large rivers: Patux-ent, Rappahannock and Potomac. Going back to thedays of the Eagle there had been competition fromthe Maryland of the Maryland Steamboat Companyfor the Annapolis, West and South River route. Fol-lowing the wreck of the Eagle, Captain Weems didnot return to the Annapolis area but did have a land-ing at Fairhaven on Herring Bay.

In 1860 rivalry developed on the Patuxent itself -the Weems' family's own territory. The PatuxentSteam Express Company started a run with its boat,the Express. Apparently it was no match for the well-

established Weems Line and soon withdrew from theroute.

Buying out one's rivals is a strategy to end compe-tition and the Weems Line made use of it. The Balti-more and Rappahannock Company, organized in1830, had successfully pushed the Patuxent out ofthe Rappahannock route. For thirty years the com-pany maintained its supremacy along that river butthe effects of disastrous steamer fires could not beovercome.

In 1865 the company known simply as the Fre-dericsburg Line was owned and operated by JacobTome and Mason L. Weems, son of the Weems Linefounder. These partners also owned the Baltimoreand Susquehanna Steamboat Company. When MasonL. Weems died in 1874, his heirs bought out all theother Weems' heirs along with Jacob Tome's share ofthe Fredericsburg Line including the steamers Matildaand Wenonah,

Control of the Patuxent, Potomac and Rappahan-nock Rivers was further consolidated with the pur-chase of the Maryland and Virginia Steamboat Com-pany in 1895. This line had been organized in 1888by the Lewis Brothers in St. Mary's County. The Po-tomac and Sue were acquired along with all thewharves and other property of the short-lived com-pany.

The importance of shipping in the Western Shore'sPatuxent, Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers is mani-fested by the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Rail-way Company's action when it named one of its

Weems steamer Theodore Weems 1872, Drawing copy courtesy Elizabeth S. Anderson, Steam Vessels of Chesapeake and DelawareBays and Rivers.

Bugeye Twwft - Page 3

MS' STEAMBOAT LINE

steamers Three Rivers in recognition of them. Ironi-cally, the Three Rivers burned off Cove Point at themouth of the Patuxent River July 5, 1924 with theloss of ten lives.

Although Three Rivers was not a Weems Line boat,the Weems Line did suffer some disastrous events inits long history. As mentioned earlier, the Eagle'sboiler explosion in 1824 killed one passenger and in-jured seven including Captain Weems who was nearlyscalded to death. The Planter ran into Fort Carroll,an unfinished fortress in middle of Patapsco River,and sank in 1955 but was raised, put back into ser-vice and used by the Government during the Civil War.George Weems burned at her dock (1871). Her enginewas salvaged and used in her new sister ship, TheodoreWeems which in turn burned at her Light Street pier.Much of this boat was salvaged and rebuilt as the St.Mary's. The St. Mary's also burned in 1907, but thiswas after its sale from the Weems Line. The Essexburned in 1887 at the Light Street pier but was re-built. She burned a second time after purchase byMaryland, Delaware and Virginia Railway Line. Sur-viving that she foundered as a fisheries steamer offthe New Jersey coast in 1923. The final fire in 1901

Weems steamer Ca/vert 1901. Photo courtesy The Mariner'sMuseum.

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burned the Richmond to the water's edge in Fre-dericksburg.

As destructive as were the fires and occasionalwrecks steamboating survived and prospered. Therewas no livelier commerce in and out of Baltimore thanthat provided by the constant stream of steamboatsin and out of the harbor joining it with tidewaterMaryland and Virginia. Beginning in the 1870's shortrail lines had brought Eastern Shore's produce fromthe interior to steamboat landings high up on its manyrivers and also directed much of its flow towardPhiladelphia and other northern cities.

In early 1904 scuttlebutt around the Baltimoreharbor had it that the Pennsylvania Railroad was back-ing a consolidation of three steamboat lines. Rumorbecame reality when in late 1904 the Maryland, Dela-ware and Virginia Railway Company was formed withthe Pennsylvania Railroad as its parent. The WeemsLine was one of the three. On January 28, 1905, theWeems Steamboat Company was sold to M.D. & V.for $1,030,966.13. Included were all wharves, scows,property and the steamers Northumberland, Lancas-ter, Middlesex, Potomac, Ann Arundel, Calvert, West-moreland, St. Mary's, Essex and Caroline.

Steamboating on the Western Shore did not ceasewith the sale of the Weems Line. Though its distinc-tive stack marking of a red ball with the letter W uponit was gone, steamers still plied between Baltimore andthe three rivers into the early 30's. No rail line hadreally ever challenged the steamers between SouthRiver and the York; but the trucking industry withthe construction of bridges and concrete roads pene-trated the long peninsulas and brought steamboatingto its end.

For those Marylanders old enough to have trav-eled the slow way, steamboating holds memories ofhoneymoons on the longer trips to the Rappahannockand Potomac; relaxing overnights up the Patuxent; aday's excursion to Bay Ridge, Seaside (ChesapeakeBeach) or Solomons. For the over-nighter the recol-lection of the sumptuous meals and elegant state-rooms, provided at a ridiculous low price by today'sstandards, makes one yearn for the former days ofsteamboating on the Bay and rivers.

Information used in this article was obtained from the followingsources:

Burgess, Robert H and Graham Wood. Steamboats on the Patuxent.Steuart, W. C, "The Weems Line of the Chesapeake," Steamboat

Bill, April 1944.

Graham Wood slide lecture, June 6, 1981 at Calvert Marine Museum.Calvery County Land Records, 1905.

DevelopmentalDirector Hired

In 1979, the Calvert Marine Museum began workingwith the firm of Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc., aBoston-based consulting firm which designed the Na-tional Aquarium in Baltimore, on a master plan forCMM. Based on careful study of our present pro-grams, collections and facilities, as well as evaluationof current and future visitation projections, a compre-hensive plan evolved. Central to the plan is creationof a boat basin and construction of a new exhibitsbuilding. The boat basin will greatly enhance the in-terpretive aspects of our program, for example pro-viding on-the-water display areas for the Museum'snow over-crowded water craft and offering an estu-arine "walk-through" for visitors. The new buildingwill include substantially enlarged exhibit space -including an aquarium — and a 250-seat auditorium.Total cost of the development is now estimated atover $3 million. Needless to say, in order to under-take a plan of this magnitude, increased resources,especially financial ones, are essential.

For that reason, the Museum has contracted a De-velopment Officer to expand our membership baseand to raise funds from foundations, corporationsand organizations — both locally and nationally.Thanks to an Institute of Museum Services grant, JudyAllen, who has been most recently with the NationalTrust for Historic Preservation, began as the Develop-ment Officer in mid-November. She has set out a one-year strategy, the key to which she feels is endorse-ment and support of the master plan from currentMuseum constituencies: "We need to be realisticboth about the economy and about our needs at theMuseum and in Calvert County generally. That doesn'tmean being pessimistic. I've found the interest andenthusiasm for the Calvert Marine Museum, from itsconception back in 1964 to the formulation of thedevelopment plan now, to be impressive. That record,combined with the Museum's excellent staff and thecontinued commitment and interest from our mem-bership and leadership — both at the County level andon our own Board of Governors - will enable us tocarry out what is an ambitious, but certainly an at-tainable plan."

A three-dimensional model of the site plan is nowon display at the Museum. You are encouraged tocome in and view it. If you have questions or wouldlike more information, please give Judy Allen a call atthe Museum.

Bugeye Times - Page 5

Fossil FactsTIGER SHARK TEETH

G, contortus

G. cuvieri

G. aduncus

Frequently found in the sandy matrix and beach-wash of Calvert Cliffs are the fossilized teeth ofGaleocerdo cuvieri, the modern tiger shark. First ap-pearing during the mid-Pliocene epoch, it is perhapsthe best known member of the Carcharhinidae orrequiem shark family. Belonging to the genue Galeo-cerdo, a combination of Greek words meaning "cun-ning or weasel-like," it derives the name "tiger" fromthe striped markings worn by its young.

The teeth of G. cuvieri are easily identified by theirunique sickle shape. In a span of ten years an averagesize (lengths of eighteen feet are not uncommon) tigershark may produce as many as 24,000 teeth. Recentstudies indicate that young tigers may lose and replacetheir teeth every seven or eight days. Dentition is alikein both upper and lower jaws. The teeth are broadand flat. They are recurved and are sharply notchedposteriorly. The edges are coarsely serrated with theserrations becoming finer on the triangularly pointedtip that thrusts obliquely outward. The teeth decreasein size toward the corner of the mouth. Most fossi-lized teeth of this species run less than an inch inlength and vary in color depending on the matrixin which they were buried.

The teeth of Galeocerdo aduncus and Galeocerdocontortus, among other Miocene relatives of G. cuvieri,are found at Calvert Cliffs. Those of G. aduncus, ashark that had disappeared by the mid-Pliocene, aresimilar in conformation to the modern tiger, althoughsmaller in size. The margin of the anterior crown isgenerally straighter and more finely serrated and theapex above the rear notch is short and broad andsharply pointed backward. The margin below the pos-terior notch is relatively short and marked with largeserrations. The dentition of another extinct shark,Galeocerdo contortus, is similar to that of G. aduncus.The teeth are however, slimmer bladed and noticeablytwisted toward the front.

Stanley Stepura, CMS member, sent us his picture taken atAdak, Alaska You never know where you might meet upwith a fellow friend of CMM.

Selected Acquisitions

Through the generosity of the Marlborough Hunt Club, themuseum was able to copy a guest book (1910-1925) from thePatuxent Hunt Club, once located on the river near UpperMarlboro. Items of special note include visits by Paul Wilstock(author of Maryland Tidewater) and Franklin Roosevelt. Ac-counts of duck and railbird hunting are also scattered through-out.

Mrs. Pat Lavato donated a store ledger from Lower Marlboro(1906-1923) which records docking of various steamers at thetown wharf and freight charges for variousitems. For example,the steamer Enoch Pratt brought four cases of rubber bootsand one bale of whips in August of 1909; total charge $2.78.One bag of com from the steamer Potomac during this samemonth charged $0.15. A barrel of coffee cost $0.45 in freight,brought by the steamer Calvert in May 1906.

Through the efforts of John Sands, a canning machine wasacquired from the Smithfield Ham and Products Co., Inc.,Smithfield, Va. This canner will be exhibited in the processingroom of the Lore Oysterhouse, now under restoration.

Finally, Mrs. Elizabeth G. Schmidt donated the desk fromthe steamer Governor Thomas, used by the Maryland FisheriesService as part of the Oyster Navy. Once belonging to Capt.Frank L. Griffith, the desk contained official correspondencedating from 1884. One example is a memo stating no stateammunition may be used for hunting purposes. A telegramfrom Annapolis dated January 17, 1893, tells the steamerGovernor Thomas to take on twenty ton of coal and "gethere today," signed T.C.B. Howard, Cmdr. In another let-ter dated July 7, 1983, the steamer Thomas is asked to in-vestigate reported oyster law violations on the Western Shorefrom Plum Point up (north). This collection is a timely ac-quisition as we prepare for the commercial fisheries exhibitat the Lore Oysterhouse.

Bugeye Time* - Page 6

WANTEDThe following items are needed at CMM. Your donation or

suggestions are welcomed:

Mannequins - for oysterhouse exhibit.

50-cup coffee pot.

Small freezer for aquarium laboratory.

Special Thanks

Thank to efforts of the following friends the museum wasagain beautifully decorated for the Christmas Holidays.

Anna Weems Ewalt and Mr. and Mrs. Phil Lines decoratedthe Drum Point Lighthouse, Mrs. Linda McGibery decoratedthe lobby of the museum and Mrs. Ellen Zahniser decoratedthe front doors of the museum.

CALVERT MARINE MUSEUM

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONMEMBERSHIP PRIVILEGES INCLUDE:

1. Subscription to the quarterly "Bugeye Times" newsletter.2. Quarterly calendar of events.3. Free admission to Museum programs (films, lectures,

slide-shows).4. Invitations to previews and receptions for new exhibits.5. Reduced rates for trips, tours, cruises and classes.

NOTE: One month prior to the expiration of your member-ship a RENEWAL notice will be sent to you.

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:Calvert Marine MuseumP. 0. Box 97Solomons, Maryland 20688

PLEASE ENTER MY ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FOR:

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$ 12.00 Individual$ 15.00 Family$ 50.00 Supporting$ 100.00 Sustaining$ 500.00 Patron$1,000.00 Benefactor

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PLEASE RETURN THIS PORTION

CONTRIBUTIONS OF $1,000.00 OR MORE QUALIFY FOR LIFE MEMBERSHIPALt CONTRIBUTIONS ARE INCOME TAX DEDUCTIBLE

MUSEUM

The BUGEYE TIMES Is the quarterly newslet-ter for members of ttie Calvert Marine Society.Named for the traditional sailing craft of the Bay,the bugeye was built in all its glory at Solomons,the "Bugeye Capital of the World." Membershipdues are used to fund special Museum projects,programs, and printing of this newsletter. Addresscomments and membership applications to: CalvertMarine Museum, P.O. Box 97, Solomons, Maryland20688. (301] 326-3719.

NON-PROFITORGANIZATION

PERMIT NO.

SOLOMONSMARYLAND