Evening Star Newspaper, April 6, 1930, Page 98

S —— THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, APRIL 6, 1930. Potomac Boat Club Won National Fame BY JOHN CLAGETT PROCTOR. UST when the Potomac Boat Club i was organized under the name / seems to be doubtful. The city di- / rectories, at least down to 1885, give the year as 1868, and from that date on as 1869, but, whichever of these dates is the correct one, the club has al- ways been one of the foremost in the District as well as a worthy competitor for the racing honors of the Potomac River and elsewhere. Originally organized under the name of the Potomac Barge Club, it had its actual begin- ning in the Summer of 1859. In this connection, what will appear to many as being an interesting news item, and truly . a historic one, is the following reference to the Potomac Club appearing in The Btar of June 13, 1859: “A number of our. citizens have formed themselves into .a club under the title of the Potomac Barge Club for the purpose of aquatic exercise and pleasure, ., They have purchased a beautiful barge of 40 feet in length with six oars and finished and furnished in most superb style. She arrived this morning at George- town, from which place the club will embark in her this afternoon at 5 o'clock and proceed to their new boathouse at the Tenth street canal bridge under the escort of the Falcon “Boat Club, in their beautiful barge, which has so long been the champion and pride of our waters. “The Potomac club barge was built by Mr. A. Luffbarry of Philadelphia, who is well known as the builder of some of the fastest boats which ply on the’ bosom of the beautiful Schuylkill River, where boating is carried to such an extent by its numerous clubs, com- posed of some of the wealthiest and most in- fluential citizens of Philadelphia. “We are glad to know that some of our prominent citizens have turned their attention to this pleasant and healthy exercise; for cer- tainly there is no city in the Union where this exercise is more needed and can be so success- fully prosecuted as in this, where there are so many engaged in sedentary pursuits and where we have such a magnificent stream as our broad Potomac. We hope roon to see the Potomac as numerously dotted over with these graceful craft as may be witnessed any after- noon on the Schuylkill River, where they have established a regular navy of rowboats. The ceremony of naming the barge will take place in Georgetown.” HOW strange it must seem to many, espe- cially to-the newcomers, when they read that this first boathouse of the Potomac Barge Club was located “at the Tenth street canal bridge,” and yet even today many are still liv- ing who can recall the old canal that slug- gishly flowed along B street north and the canal boats and other small craft that could be daily seen unloading their cargoes at the wharves erected along this water course, once the old Tiber Creek. Indeed, there are others still among us who, in their childhood days, have taken the excursion boat for a Summer’s outing well up into the Washington Canal. It does seem odd, and yet it is a fact, that from Sixth street to the Potomac River, well up unto the Mall to the south, was once cov- ered by water, as well as was quite a strip to the north of B street, which—between Thir- teenth and Fourteenth streets—even extended to include a part of the site of the beautiful marble building of the District Government. The Center Market, the granite building of the National Museum, much of the Department of Commerce building, and all of the limestone building for the Bureau of Internal Revenue rest upon ground which, during the early days of Washington was covered by the Tiber and even afforded good fishing. _ All of Ohio avenue from . Twelfth tc near Pifteenth street, a part of Louisjaia avenue grom Ninth to Tenth street, and nearly all of the block in which stands the old Ford's Opera House, might well have been bought at one time with riparian rights. Indeed, the old “Mash” Market—as' the colored folks used to call it— got its name from the marshy locality in which the original nondescript buildings were erected. The early condition of this territory was clearly revealed not iong ago, when the con- tractor was excavating for the foundation of the Internal Revenue Building. Numerous piles and old wharves were uncovered, deep in the ground and extending up almost to C street, and it may have been even right here that the Potomac Barge Club had its boathouse and tied its barge in the days before the Civil War, and, incidentally, no doubt the unaccountable gap between 1859 and 1868 or 1869, can be traced to that great conflict, when our young men were so greatly needed in the Army. Tmn are members of the old Potomac I Boat Club still living, some occupying the highest positions in our community and else- where. A serious break in the membership was caused less than a year ago in the tragic death of William C. McKinney—or “Bill” McKinney, as the boys used to call him—one of the oldest ql"::db mostly highly esteemed members of the About a year ago ‘Mr. McKinney had the misfortune to lose his wife, and he decided to spend the rest of his days in New York with his two sons, John and Don. “Bill” was a Jovable character, and to such a degree was he admired by the older members of the club and a few of his Washington cronies that on April 26, 1929, they sat down to a testimonial dinner to their old friend, who was about to leave them—forever! But little idea had they then that this would be the last time many of them would ever see him again alive. ! . «In June last, accompanied by his lifelong friend, Joseph T. Daly, at one time a. member of the Potomac Boat Club, Mr. McKinney went " tg New York to spend some time with hiia and to try to forget his great sorrow. The better - Organization Was Originally Known as the Barge Club, Possessing a Boat House as Early as 1859—New Building of Internal Revenue Bureau Stands on Old Site—Honors Won by Famous Crews Came Through Remark- able Training—Names As- sociated With Its History. Potomac Boat House which stood at the foot of Thirty-first street, Georgetoun, to entertain Mr. McKinney, Mr. Daly had plan- ned a motor trip through New Jersey, and it was while they were thus enjoying themselves that, on June 15, the car in which they were riding, was struck by a heavy truck and turned over, killing Mr. McKinney and seriously in- juring Mr. Daly. The lifeless body was returned to the city of his many pleasures and interred in Oak Hill Cemetery, there to rest until the Great Boat- man shall come to ferry him across the great heavenly river into the Kingdom of his Maker. Assembled at the grave to honor him was a delegation of Potomac’s members and many mvefiwr. A sister to Parker Page married Maj. Marcellus Bailey, son of Dr. Gamaliel Bailey, celebrated editor of the National Era, in which was first published Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, “Uncle Tom's Cabin.” Mr. McKinney won this race, which, accord- ing to eye-witnesses, was well contested by Mr. Page throughout, who by some was believed to be the better of the two, before the race. For many years Mr. McKinney was employed in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and at the time of his death was a retired Federal employe. One of the Potomac’s champion crews. Left to right: W. C. McKinney, Edward ! Ryan, Charles Baker and Edwin Fraser. other friends, who regarded his taking away as a personal Joss. As an oarsman‘ Mr. McKinney stood with the best. One race in which he participated and which will most likely be remembered by a host of his admirers, took place back about 1881. when he was champion single sculler of the South. It was for a $50 gold medal and the championship of the Potomac River. His opponent was Parker Page, champion of the Harlem River and a brother of Harvey L. Page, a well known architect of this city some years ago, and son of & local patent attorney and As THE writer has said, there are old-timers of this club still living in Washington, of whom undoubtedly many are just as popular as in days gone by, but none today more so than John Hadley Doyle of the Post Office Depart- ment, who was president of ,the Potomacs for 10 years, or from 1898 to 1908, during which the club enjoyed unusual prosperity. He was of a progressive disposition, and it was through his efforts that the use of the club house was extended to colleges and schools which desired to add rowing to their courses, Taking a special interest in Georgetown College, he gave to this institution & ‘modern, eight- oared rowing machine, which the crews used i the Winter in training for the subsequent collegiate regatta at Poughkeepsie, and later secured for them eight-oared shells for actual work. It was also during his presidency that the celebrated high school crew was developed. The “Tech” foot ball team at that period was the best aggregation, and won the high school championship easily. Feeling that they would make great oarsmen, he encouraged the entire team to join the ranks of the Potomacs, and here they quickly acquired the science of rowing, first under Hecox and then under “Pat” Dempsey, who made of them one of the smoothest-going eight-oared crews ever seen. In 1908 they won the intermediate eight-oared championship at Philadelphia, and on the fol- lowing day came within inches of winning the senior eight-oared championship, being defeated by the Argonauts in the fastest time ever made on the Schuylkill River. The crew was made up as follows: Thrall, Deguerre, Drury, Miller, Spransy, Bullough and Brewster, with “Bob™ Slocum, a former Cornell coxswain, at the rudder post. Indeed, a member of one of the other famous Washington boat clubs told the writer a few days ago, that Mr. Doyle had don: more in raising finances for his old club when money was necessary to keep things going than any one else, and that in other ways he had done incre for the Potomacs when things were not going so well than any other person in the club. One thing we do know is that he is a mighty fine fellow and a valuable citizen, and the writer understands that Mrs. Doyle at one time was as handy with the oars as her delightful husband. MR. DOYLE is of an old Washington family, his people having lived for some years on the corner of F and Eleventh streets, where is now the building of W. B. Moses & Sons, and he has lived to see this street grow from a quiet neighborhood section to Washington’'s busiest thoroughfare. Naturally he is enthusi- astic about his home town, but no more so than he is about the Potomac Boat Club, and seeing that he was a fellow after the writer's own heart for old events, he asked him a few days ago if he would not tell him something about the Potomac Boat Club in which he was so active when it was making rowing history for the District of Columbia. Of course, in his charming manner, he agreed to do so, and therefore what follows in quotations marks is a part, at least, of what Mr. Doyle recalls of the old days of the Potomacs: “One might write a book of a hundred pages properly to give an accurate history of the rowing clubs of the District in the balmy days of the sport—when one of the requisites of the young men of standing, in those halycon days, was to be associated with one of the three organizations, Analostans, Columbians, or Potomacs, and like all things in those days, how vain and egotistical members did strut and do their part to make it appear that their side was the only one to be affiliated with, and in the course of such arguments something, some= how, was said that nettled the others—and many & black eye was the result. But they were the good old days of sport and the regattas held under the auspices of the three clubs, which formed the Potomac River Rowing Association, attracted the best clubs of the North, West and South, and the Potomac River course became one of national reputation. “It was common in the good days to see such clubs as the Argonauts of Toronto, the Ottawas of Ottawa, the Shoewatts Con Mettes of Michie gan, the crew that startled the world by the rapidity of its stroke, and once when conteste ing in the Henley in England, ran the same up to 53 to the minute; the New York Athletic, Vespers of Philadelphia, Fairmonts and West Philadelphia; Detroits of Detroit, the Pullmans of Illinois, the Molines of Moline, Ill., and also crews from St. Louis, New Orleans, Richmond, Lynchbury and Baltimore, but open up a vision of the golden days of rowing. “It has always been a contention that the oldest club in point of age was the Analostans, and for years this was agreed by all the hise torians until The Star settled the point in favor of the Potomacs. “Be it as it may, it is known that many years ago a convivial group of gentlemen, among whom were Col. Frank Jones, D. B. McLeod; Charley Wheatley, George Fox, “Pop” Truax, Samuel Wheeler, Edward Derrick, Caton Gads~ by, Col. B. F. Blacklock and others, met in the drinking parlors of the old Morgan House and discussed the question of forming a boat club. The idea took quickly, and soon nearly all of the scions of old Georgetown were enrolled on the list of membership, thus starting an organization known as the Potomacs that has run all these years—has seen the ups and downs of the game, has seen other clubs like mushe rooms grow up and die, and has seen its colors carried to the fore in many of the great races of the times when pitted against the best of Americans, especially in the days when Sara- toga Lake was the fighting place for all big aquatic contests. B‘THIB Potomac Boat Club has Had a wonder= ful stretch of history, from its membere ship of the very best citizens, a boat house that for years was the gathering place for cotillons and darces oi all kinds by the elite of George= town. their assembly room in the old house at the foot of Thirty-first street, being one of the largest in the city, and every necessity of such places, lounging room, reception room, retiring rooms with lockers being provided for guests, and this was supplied with heating arrange- ments for Winter gatherings. Oh, it was a swell place and in its brightest days was the resort of the beaux and belles of the period. It will be then seen that the club made mueh of its social whirl and hence the place became the home of the cotillonist, as much so as to those who went into the rowing game. “Added to the glamor of the boat house, the club also possessed an up-river landing, known as ‘Potomac Landing,' where barge parties and picnics were almost daily happenings during the season, and the spot where representatives r 1 rr77777 o NINTTE R - [ 1 ] [ | 1 !