|
The Ghost
Ship In April of 1919 a fierce storm interrupted ship traffic on the
Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
Captain Watt Herbert, then a small boy sailing with his father, sought
shelter in Machodoc Creek on the Virginia side of
the Potomac River and watched as the J. R. Moffett, a large cargo schooner,
encountered heavy seas off of the mouth of the Wicomico River on the Maryland
side and sank. Captain John Ranier and his crewman,
both of Mathews County, drowned. As she sank, she
capsized, lost her cargo of oyster shells, then resurfaced and ended up in
the shallows with her masts and the remnants of her sails above water. Several days later the storm abated and
Watt and his father continued their voyage. Through the early morning mists
they could see the masts and sails of the J.R Moffett materialize as if she
had been resurrected. Others also saw the apparition and the legend of the
ghost ship of the Potomac was born. Captain
Herbert told the story many times as he worked the waters and boatyards of
the Potomac. Eventually it was picked up by Tom Wisner, the Bard of the
Chesapeake, and molded into a song. Through the telling and over the years
the name of the schooner was transposed to the J.R. Morphy.
THE GHOSTSHIP MORPHY
Tom
Wisner taught biology in Maryland during the early seventies and worked with
Dr. Eugene Cronin at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomon's
Island. Best known for his song Chesapeake Born, he was an active
advocate of Bay restoration and incorporated his songs and art into his
presentations. Tom was indirectly responsible for the Chesapeake Bay Program
after he challenged Maryland State Senator Bernie Fowler, from Broomes Island, to wade into the Bay until he could no
longer count his toes. As a boy, the Senator was able to see his toes in
chest deep water, but by the early '70s they disappeared in ankle deep water.
The demonstration, now repeated every year, dramatically chronicled the
deteriorating condition of the Bay resulting in public and political concern
and culminating in major research efforts and subsequent recovery programs. I
heard Tom perform this song while I was a citizen advisor for the Chesapeake
Bay Program, and I was mesmerized. I knew the Ranier
family of Middlesex and knew that they came from a long line of watermen, but
no one that I talked to had ever heard the story of Captain John and the
ghost ship Morphy. I then found these two entries
in the archives of the Mathews Journal: April 10, 1919: "Captain John Ranier of Blakes and Chris
Brooks, colored, of the same place are assumed to have lost their lives in
the terrific gale of last week. They were bound for Alexandria with a load of
shells in the schooner J.R. Moffett and failed to arrive at their
destination." April 17,
1919: "Found Schooner but no trace of men. The schooner J. R. Moffett
was found at the mouth of the Wicomico River in an upright position with
about 20 feet of the masts above water." Historical note: Blackistone
Island is now found on maps and referred to as St. Clement's
Island, the birthplace of Maryland. In 1633, on the feast day of St. Clement,
fourth Pope and patron saint of mariners, a band of adventurous Catholics
left England on two small ships bound for North Virginia in order to claim
their rights under a charter granted to the first Lord Baltimore (George
Calvert) by King Charles I. On March 25, 1634 they landed on the 400-acre
island that they named St. Clement's and held the
first catholic mass in the English colonies. Led by Leonard Calvert, son of
George and brother of Cecil Calvert (second Lord Baltimore), they then
established the town of Saint Mary's. The town and the colony were named
after Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I: Maria's Land ~ Mary's
Land ~ Maryland. Subsequently the island was owned and farmed by a family of Blackistones and for many years was popularly known as Blackistone's Island. The island has now eroded to less
than 40 acres, is a Maryland state park and is the site of the annual
blessing of the fleet in October. To hear the song, click HERE – This version was
ripped from radio back in the Ô80s (c) Dan
Gill - Published in Pleasant Living
May – June '12 Something Different Country Store and Deli More Blurbs
from a Country Store Previous: White Sweet Potatoes Next:
Country Cheese – A Primer Visit us on our Facebook
page to see what we are up to!
|
