Mary A. Bacon, widow of Dr. (James E.) Bacon, drowned at sea on October 23, 1878. She was a passenger on the ill-fated steam boat Empress, which went down in the Chesapeake Bay off Patuxent River in a hurricane on her way down the Bay from Baltimore. There were on board 32 people; the crew and officers amounted to 21 and there were 11 passengers. About 16 people drowned. An attempt was made to get Mrs. Bacon in a yawl but the seas were too powerful and she drowned. Her tombstone stands in St. George's Episcopal Cemetery nearby and reads: "Mary Ann Bacon, w. of Dr. James Bacon 1-25-1832 - 10-23-1878." The Washington Gazette reported that the steamer was not sea-worthy, that the natural life of a wooden hull steamship is from 8 to 12 years, and that the Empress was from 38 to 40 years old. She sat very low in the water, has an old fashioned square engine, with high counter balance, a type of engine obsolete 20 years ago. It was difficult to get 20 pounds of steam kept on her, so she did not have power enough to steam an ordinary gale. See Newspaper Article - see pg 23 at http://countytimes.somd.com/archive/2009/06-jun/2009-06-25.pdf
Daughter - Florence J BACON Coppage
SOURCE:
Sarah Fitzgerald
Parish Administrator
St. George's Episcopal Church
Valley Lee, MD
27 AUG 2009
Daughter - Florence J BACON Coppage
SOURCE:
Sarah Fitzgerald
Parish Administrator
St. George's Episcopal Church
Valley Lee, MD
27 AUG 2009
Mary A. Bacon, widow of Dr. (James E.) Bacon, drowned at sea on October 23, 1878. She was a passenger on the ill-fated steam boat Empress, which went down in the Chesapeake Bay off Patuxent River in a hurricane on her way down the Bay from Baltimore. There were on board 32 people; the crew and officers amounted to 21 and there were 11 passengers. About 16 people drowned. An attempt was made to get Mrs. Bacon in a yawl but the seas were too powerful and she drowned. Her tombstone stands in St. George's Episcopal Cemetery nearby and reads: "Mary Ann Bacon, w. of Dr. James Bacon 1-25-1832 - 10-23-1878." The Washington Gazette reported that the steamer was not sea-worthy, that the natural life of a wooden hull steamship is from 8 to 12 years, and that the Empress was from 38 to 40 years old. She sat very low in the water, has an old fashioned square engine, with high counter balance, a type of engine obsolete 20 years ago. It was difficult to get 20 pounds of steam kept on her, so she did not have power enough to steam an ordinary gale. See Newspaper Article - see pg 23 at http://countytimes.somd.com/archive/2009/06-jun/2009-06-25.pdf
Daughter - Florence J BACON Coppage
SOURCE:
Sarah Fitzgerald
Parish Administrator
St. George's Episcopal Church
Valley Lee, MD
27 AUG 2009
Daughter - Florence J BACON Coppage
SOURCE:
Sarah Fitzgerald
Parish Administrator
St. George's Episcopal Church
Valley Lee, MD
27 AUG 2009
Inscription
OUR DEAR MOTHER
WIFE OF DR. JAMES E. BACON
1832 JAN 25
1878 OCT 23
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Children
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