February 16, 1994

Paddle Wheeler Mary Blue Died By Fire And Water

Paddle wheel steam boats were instrumental in opening Charlotte Harbor to settlement and commerce --- starting with the Colonel Clay during the Seminole war of 1849. Yet, none are as fondly remembered as the little Mary Blue built and operated by Capt. Albert F. Dewey from 1890 until it burned and sank in 1902.

The Clay ferried Indian Agent John Casey from Fort Brooke ( Tampa) to a peace pow-wow with Seminole Chief Billy Bowlegs. The place was Burnt Store near today's marina of that name south of Punta Gorda. A temporary peace was arranged, but it was the beginning of the end for Seminole dominance of Charlotte Harbor.

Capt. James McKay, owner-operator of the stern wheel Salvor, and his partner, Cattle Baron Jacob Summerlin, built a dock at Burnt Store in 1860. From there they shipped beeves to Cuba and the American Confederacy. This trade was interrupted two years later when the U.S. Navy captured and confiscated the Salvor off Key West. The Navy then blockaded Charlotte Harbor at Boca Grande Pass from where Burnt Store dock could be observed.

Undaunted, McKay had a larger and faster stern wheeler built which he named Scottish Chief. Cattlemen Jesse and Joel Knight then built a new dock in 1862 on the north shore of Charlotte Harbor.

A village, today's Charlotte Harbor Town, quickly sprang up around the new dock. It was the harbor's first, permanent, American settlement.

The new location was out of sight of the sailing bark U.S.S. Gem Of The Sea patrolling Boca Grande Pass. With the advantage of secrecy, speed independent of wind, and knowledge of the harbor's many other inlets, McKay easily evaded the Gem. Capt. McKay made six blockade runs from Charlotte Harbor and Tampa until October 1863. The Scottish Chief was surprised at its Tampa mooring by a Federal raiding party and burned to the water line.

Sailing schooners and sharpies ruled the harbor until 1886. At that time, the narrow-gauge Florida Southern Railway pushed its tracks to Punta Gorda. Its purpose was to connect with the "splendid side- wheeler" Morgan needing a refueling stop on its New Orleans-Havana run. Mining of phosphate pebbles from the bed of Peace River began in 1890 south of Arcadia. A miners' town called Hull sprang up around drying sheds and a railroad spur. Albert F. Dewey of Savannah, Georgia, came with the Peace River Phosphate Mining Company to tow barges of ore to sea-going freighters at Punta Gorda's long dock.

Dewey and the company carpenter --- a mulatto named George Brown --- built a small fleet of 60-foot "lighters" (barges) for the ore and a flat-bottom, stern-wheel tug boat which Dewey named Mary Blue after his wife.

Two years later, Dewey bought the Mary Blue and barges and contracted to haul ore --- but with the freedom to transport general cargo for other customers around the harbor. Thus, for 12 years, the Mary Blue was a familiar sight around the harbor. It was the ship that citrus growers hired to haul their products to the rail head at Punta Gorda.

Mary Blue met a spectacular demise during the dark hours of morning July 29, 1902 --- oddly through a combination of fire and water. The event was reported by the Punta Gorda Herald:

"About 1 o'clock Tuesday morning, the tow boat Mary Blue, which was owned by Mr. Albert F. Dewey, took fire and was burned to the water's edge.

"At the time, she was lying at the Long Dock with a lighter loaded with coal between her and the dock. Engineer John Rogers and Fireman Jim Moye were on board asleep and did not awake until the boat was completely enveloped in flames. They escaped with only their night clothes on.

"Their presence of mind, however, enabled them to prevent a greater disaster than the loss of their boat; for, on running out on the lighter of coal, they cast off the hawsers by which the Blue was moored to the lighter and dock. "This saved the warehouse and the other vessels and lighters lying at anchor hard by.

"The tide was at ebb and carried the burning boat away from the dock. She drifted around to the old pilings on the shore side.

"After being almost completely consumed, the remains of her hull sank in shallow water.

"The Mary Blue was built at Hull, 15 miles above here, about ten years ago, and has plied these waters ever since --- engaged chiefly in towing phosphate lighters. She was a flat-bottomed stern-wheeler valued at $10,000.

"A few of our citizens saw the fire of the burning boat and thought it was the Long Dock. They woke up Mr. Dewey and called his attention to it. Upon a careful scrutiny with the aid of glasses, it was seen that it was the Mary Blue.

"Origin of the fire is inexplicable. The loss is quite a heavy one to Mr. Dewey, but with his usual pluck and determination he began Tuesday looking around to buy another boat."

Capt. Dewey bought a replacement for the Blue at a Fort Myers bankruptcy sale. She was the Bassinger, two years old, 60 tons burden, and drew only two feet of water --- ideal for Charlotte Harbor duty. Somewhat later he added another little stern wheeler named Phoenix.

Until the railroad was extended to Fort Myers in 1904, a trio of large, comfortably appointed stern wheelers vied for passengers and mail on the eight-hour run to Punta Gorda. They were the Thomas A. Edison, St. Lucie, and H.B. Plant. This was the golden age of paddle wheelers at Charlotte Harbor. In addition to the important, commercial tasks --- the big steamers were popular among harbor residents for dances, picnic excursions and moon light cruises.

The Edison burned at Fort Myers in 1914. The St. Lucie and H.B. Plant took up service as excursion boats at Tampa.

Capt. Dewey's Bassinger burned while anchored and unoccupied in the Peace River off Cleveland. The Phoenix was the last of the paddle wheelers. It fell on hard times when the phosphate company built the Charlotte Harbor & Northern Railroad to the deep-water dock at Boca Grande Pass. The Phoenix sank under "suspicious circumstances" while on its way up the Peace River to Cleveland where it was to undergo repairs at George Brown's ship yard. It was strange that the steamer sank in the only deep, river-bed hole in the Peace River after the crew had removed all food and portable objects.

It was the end of the romantic paddle wheelers at Charlotte Harbor.

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers

Photo courtesy of Charlotte Harbor Area Historical Society
Capt. Albert F. Dewey's first paddle-wheel steamer Mary Blue built in 1890 and burned spectacularly in 1902.
Note: Basinger and Phoenix probably burned shortly before or after 1911 when phosphate company started shipping via CH&N.