Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 September 1907 — PLEASURE CRAFT NAMED RENSSELAER [ARTICLE]

PLEASURE CRAFT NAMED RENSSELAER

Everton Powell Builds Potomac River j Launch and Takes Long Trip. Everton Powell, brother of Mrs. C. G. Spltler, of Rensselaer, and son of John W. Powell, once sheriff of Jasper county, is another former Rensselaer boy who is adding to the fame of Rensselaer in the east. Jesse E. Wilson is Assistant Secretary of the Department ol tie Interior at Washington, D. C., Augustus Phillip is a leadir g actor in New York City, Earl Reynolds has been re engaged for another season to do his marvelous roller skating feats with the Anna Held company, Emerson Reeve of the Postal telegraph company’s employ (now out on strike) is one of the swiftest and most proficie it telegraphers in the country, and now Everton Powell has accomplished a feat that is very remark able. He is employed in the government navy yard at Washington and also has outside employ ment that his genius fits him for attending to. This summer during spare times

he constructed a pleasure launch, planned it and built it himself and built the engine that propels i\ When it was completed he viewed it with delight, his friends pronounced it the smartest looking pleasure craft on the Potomac, and he decided to christen it “Rensselaer” aDd the name was painted iu artistic letters across the bow. The vessel was now ready for its first voyage and with Everton aod his family, which now consists of his wife and three children and his wife’s sister, as passengers, the launch was taken down the Pjtomae river to the Chesapeake bay thence up the bay to the Chesapeake and Delaware rivers and over to Philadelphi, Pa. Here they spent several days and then started on the return trip, sto; ping on the way back for-a fe v days at Cjlonial Beach.

The accomplishment was given ’considerable notice in Washington newspapers, the Daily Star giving a full account of his trip. It is probably 300 or 350 miles between Washington and Philadelphia by water and they made the going trip in 54 hours and the returning trip in 46 hours, which was mighty good time. The trip was undoubtedly a very pleasant one and at the same time inexpensive, and he has what the Star pronounces one of the handsomest pleasure launches on the Potomao tor his future use.