Steamboat captain Archie Long of Weems was beloved by the people of the Northern Neck and many believed he was super human when it came to seamanship on Chesapeake Bay.
Many a foggy or stormy day on the bay, when other captains stayed moored to the dock, Captain Archie was out on the water making a trip safely back to Baltimore.
One of the legends surrounding Captain Archie was that he could determine his boat’s location anywhere on Chesapeake Bay by the smell of the mud on a lead line. A lead line is a long line with a weight tied to the bottom and used to determine water depth.
Some thought it was a joke, while others believed it. On one trip from Baltimore to Weems, Captain Archie invited two young mates to stay overnight at his home with himself and his wife. They stayed in a cottage in the Longs’ backyard. Second in command of the boat took the steamboat on up the Rappahannock River to Fredericksburg with a plan to pick Captain Archie and the two mates up on the way back.
During the night, the two mates got to arguing as one believed Captain Archie could determine his location on the bay by the smell of the mud and the other laughed as if it was a joke.
The mate who believed it, told the other, “Alright I will prove it.” He went out into the Longs’ garden plot with a jar in the dark of night and filled it with dirt. The two then went back to sleep and woke up the next morning to catch the steamboat, along with Captain Archie, back to Baltimore.
About halfway to Baltimore a fog fell over the bay so thick one could not see anything within inches of their eyes. After a while, the boat slowed down as Captain Archie wanted to check the depth of the water with the lead line.
This was the opportunity the two mates had been waiting for. The mate with the jar of dirt filled it with water and made it muddy. He then took the end of the line and dipped it in the mud and brought it up on deck to be dropped overboard.
“Throw her over,” said Captain Archie. They dropped the line over and when it hit the bottom it was pulled up to see the watermark on the line to determine depth. They pulled it up but lost sight of the watermark in the rough weather.
Aggravated Captain Archie pulled the line from them, picked up the lead and smelled it. He paused for a moment and put it back up to his face and smelled it again. Suddenly, he screamed up to the pilot, “Shut her down! Jesus Christ! We are back at Weems!”
It Happened Here in Rivah Country!
