{"id":5447,"date":"2019-04-29T16:57:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T20:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/?p=5447"},"modified":"2019-04-29T16:57:00","modified_gmt":"2019-04-29T20:57:00","slug":"back-time-brett-steamship-maple-leaf-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/mandarin\/back-time-brett-steamship-maple-leaf-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Back in Time with Brett: Steamship Maple Leaf \u2013 Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brett Nolan<\/span>
\n<\/span>mail@floridanewsline.com<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Laid to rest in a blanket of mud, eight feet under the turbid waters of the natural ribbon that cuts through the city of Jacksonville, the \u201cMaple Leaf\u201d saw life above the mighty St. Johns River for the last time 155 years ago. <\/span><\/p>\n

On the early morning of April 1, 1864, the sky was dark yet clear; the St. Johns River was still and smooth. The noise from the ship\u2019s paddle wheel, softly thrashing through the murky waters of the river, was calming like the ticking of an old clock. Air was dense with the fragrance from thousands of orange blossoms along Mandarin Point. Only 15 miles from journey\u2019s end at Jacksonville and under the direction of the revered river pilot, Romeo Murray, a former Kingsley Plantation slave, there was ease knowing they made it through Confederate territory. While threats from the shelling of rebel shore batteries remained, orders were issued for the entirety of the trip be made in darkness; only the binnacle light glowed from the pilot\u2019s house. Suddenly, at 3:59 a.m., tranquility turned to chaos as the \u201cMaple Leaf\u201d struck an underwater mine.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of 12, each a yard in length, the mines spanned from Mandarin Point to what is now Orange Park. Inevitably, a ship would encounter one, as planned. Five Confederates from the Second Florida Battalion partnered with intelligence operative, Captain E. Pliny Bryan, created these explosives for placement along the river. Each was filled with 70 pounds of cannon powder. When the \u201cMaple Leaf\u201d met her destroyer, the explosion roared with earsplitting clangor, thrusting those in the pilot house upwards, their heads hitting the roof. The bow caved in, the pilot house fell forward, the boat\u2019s timbers cracked and contorted. The aroma of orange blossoms was now choked by thick smoke; a wire stretched from the calamity setting off the craft\u2019s steam whistle and the \u201cMaple Leaf\u201d screamed in agony. <\/span><\/p>\n

Those on board scurried to gather their belongings; however, within six revolutions of her paddle wheel, the steamship sank into the depths of the St. Johns. A ship with her hull filled with 800,000 pounds of cargo now settled on the bottom of the river; only the uppermost levels of the deck and parts of the smokestack snorkeled above the surface. The commanding officer exclaimed it would be the \u201cbetter part of valor\u201d to evacuate before any Rebels roused by the thunderous commotion could approach. Fifty-eight passengers and crew manned the lifeboats; by 4:30 a.m. they rowed to Jacksonville, arriving four hours later. Four freedmen working as deckhands were killed instantly by the blast while sleeping. <\/span><\/p>\n

That afternoon, the \u201cUSS Norwich\u201d arrived on-site; the \u201cMaple Leaf\u201d and her cargo were deemed a complete loss. Soldiers in Jacksonville learned their wait would be eternal, their personal belongings and regiment equipage laid to rest in a watery grave. On April 2, Captain Bryan and his Confederate crew returned to burn the rest of the vessel to the water line.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the next century, parts of the ship were removed, easing navigational hazards. With the hull of the ship left intact, still filled with cargo, the rocking river currents nestled the craft deep into the river bed, encapsulating its contents in a complete anaerobic state. These artifacts remained in slumber for more than 120 years until a local dentist made the discovery that the \u201cMaple Leaf\u201d was buried under the mud \u2014 a thought nearly lost to time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 3 of \u201cBack in Time With Brett\u201d in the June issue of \u201cMandarin NewsLine\u201d will tell the story of excavation of this Civil War treasure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brett Nolan is a volunteer with the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society. Visit <\/span><\/i>www.mandarinmuseum.net<\/span><\/i><\/a> for more information about Mandarin\u2019s history.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rendering courtesy <\/span><\/i>Kevin McCarthy<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaple Leaf\u201d by artist William Trotter.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Brett Nolan mail@floridanewsline.com Laid to rest in a blanket of mud, eight feet under the turbid waters of the natural ribbon that cuts through the city of Jacksonville, the \u201cMaple Leaf\u201d saw life above the mighty St. Johns River for the last time 155 years ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5420,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[129],"class_list":{"0":"post-5447","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mandarin","8":"tag-back-in-time"},"yoast_head":"\nBack in Time with Brett: Steamship Maple Leaf \u2013 Part 2 - Florida NewsLine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mandarin NewsLineBy Brett Nolan mail@floridanewsline.com Laid to rest in a blanket of mud, eight feet under the turbid waters of the natural ribbon that cuts through the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/mandarin\/back-time-brett-steamship-maple-leaf-part-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Back in Time with Brett: Steamship Maple Leaf \u2013 Part 2 - 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