Public Conveyances. 243 



answered very forcibly, " True blue." Her captains were Caleb 

 Sprague, Calvin Gardner, Isaiah Whiton, and Nathaniel French. 

 The "Washington" was built by John Souther, in 1812. Her 

 captains were Wilson Whiton, Ezra Whiton, George Thaxter, and 

 Peter Hersey. The "Brilliant" was built at Middletown, Conn., 

 iu 1820. Her captains were John Lincoln, Leavitt Lincoln, and 

 Elijah Beal. The " Rapid " and " Brilliant " ran on the Repub- 

 lican line, and the "Traveller" and "Washington" on the Fed- 

 eral line. The " Escort " was built at Piermont, N. Y., in 1849. 

 Her captains were Elijah Beal, William Beal, Alexander G. 

 Rich and Alexander Olson. 



Long after the names "Republican" and "Federal" had 

 ceased to be the designations of the lines the " Washington " 

 and " Escort ' continued as packets. The " Washington " was 

 broken up in October, 1872, and the " Escort," the last of the 

 Hingham packets, was sold in November, 1881. 



The schooner " Bell," Capt. Joshua Higgins, ran about the 

 time of the " Washington " and " Escort," for one season, from 

 Nye's Wharf. 



The packets were occasionally in the coasting trade, and made 

 trips here and there as freights offered. For many years they 

 were the favorite means of transportation to Boston. Passengers 

 and freight came from the neighboring inland towns, as well as 

 from Hingham, and competition was often very active. Represen- 

 tatives of the Republican and Federal lines would station them- 

 selves on Broad Bridge and solicit patronage from the wagons as 

 they came into town with their passengers and merchandise from 

 the neighboring towns. 



The trips were sometimes long, when there was a calm, and 

 sociability was a distinguishing feature of them. Timorous old 

 ladies thought it necessary to be seasick when crossing " Bran- 

 try " Bay, and were much disappointed when the captain omitted 

 to tell them that they were in that dreaded locality. Often at low 

 tide the passengers were landed at Crow Point, necessitating a 

 long tramp home. 



The Hingham " Station Packets," which lay on the south side 

 of Long Wharf, at the head of the dock, where State Street Block 

 now stands, were for many years a well-known institution. They 

 were usually old vessels, housed over, kept as a sort of consign- 

 ment station for buckets, eggs, knit woollen stockings, and other 

 products of the industry of residents of the South Shore. Berths 

 were let and frequently occupied by South-Shore people who re- 

 mained in Boston over night, and meals were furnished to packet- 

 men and others. In short, they were a sort of floating hotel. The 

 Republican and Federal lines both had " Station Packets." The 

 " Friendship" and " Russell," and afterwards a schooner, "John 

 Moulton," were used for a number of years for this purpose. The 

 " Genet " was the last of the station packets. She lay latterly 

 at the foot of State Street Block. She was formerly a sloop, 



