From the Washington Times, 7/25/1912, p. 8, c. 1

PASSING OF THE RIVER QUEEN.

The dismantling of the steamer River Queen, which was burned to the water’s edge last spring, is not so vitally important as the raising of the Maine, and yet there are some tender memories which cluster about it for Washingtonians, especially those of the older generation.
Its chief claim to fame is the fact that it was used by President Lincoln. When her engines were new and its hull was a thing of beauty, he made a trip on board of her to City Point, on the James river, in the midst of war’s alarms.

But as one of the handsomest pleasure crafts of its day it has carried many happy parties up and down the Potomac. There are Darbies and Joans, proud fathers and mothers of prosperous families, who as sweethearts sat on its deck under the moon and the stars. They think of her destruction with a regret which has a touch of personal bereavement. Fraternal organizations have celebrated anniversaries and gone to picnics on board of her, and the members of those associations, also, look back upon the past with tender sentiments in which the River Queen was a distinctive part.

As she is carried to the junk heap she is greeted with “Hail and farewell.”

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