Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1845-01-24
From the Saint Louis Organ.

From the Saint Louis Organ.
Progress Of the West.
How almos. next to impossible it is for
one of the rising generation out in this
Far West TO conceive that the whole
counlry-now filled with wealthy, popu-
lous and refined communities. was, not
forty years ago-just abou, half hale,
healthy mans lifellme-a mere desert -
Even the few who are left among ussand
came here in the early day-who have
seen the progress of the country, stride by
stride-mus. have difficulty in realizing
it. The recolleciions Of the scenes of
their youth must appear to Them more like
delusion and dreams, than cool reminis
| cences Of actual reality. How hard to be-
leve, for example, that no longer ago than
July, 1907. the following advertisement
appeared in New Orleans paper Of that
date:
For Louisville, Kentucky, the Horse
| boat, John Brookhart, master. She is
completely flled for the voyage. For
freight of few tons, (having greater
part of her cargo engaged,) apply to the
master on board, or TO X
SANDERsON q WHITE.
| If it were possible that any body in
New Orleans ever proposed to go up the
Mississippi in . horseboat, we say moth
ing of 'keels' )-admi,ting this, we say-it
is not difficult to believe Of The Hore-
boat what was really the fact. that she
used up dozen horses before she reach
ed Natchez. and gave up the trip before
she accomplished the tenth part Of it. Blu!
no doubt the horseboal started, and no
doubt that it was thought TO be at the time
a most improved mode Of locomotion-
something tina! beat the keel-boats all TO
sticks And we shall begin to realize
that such may-and nay must have been
the fact, when we turn our eyes to anoth-
er statement, which excites a mixed fee
ling of incredibly and wonder-even tho
we know the statement is true. 1t is as
follows, and first appeared in print at New
| York, on the 10th of August, 1907:
Mr.. Fulton's ingenious steamboat! in
vented with view to the navigation OF
the Mississippi, from New Orleans, up
rarde, will ,nuvu Oh MONDAY from the
North river near the State Prison, to AL
bany. The velocity of the steamboat is
calculated a. four miles an hour; and tits
said ,ha! it will make a progress of two
against the curren, of the Mississippi; and
if so, i. certainly will be a very valuable
acquisition to the commerce OF the West
ern States
Well, on the promised Monday. Mr.
iFulton's ingenious steamboat did move.
] ~; opi On, Tho O0tu
: August, 1907, we have the following &C
: count of the experiment from N. lorf
paper Of that day:
Aug. 20, 1907 Mr.. Fulton's steam
: boat left the North river, on Monday, be
:, tween one and two o'clock in the after
IL noon at ten o'clock in the evening sh
s. was opposite Tappan; between two AM
: 3 O'Clock the following morning she wa
e seen six miles beyond Newburg; and a
six o'clock she was seen by the Cornelia
opposite Poughkeepsie, performing he
e VOYAGE without sails, and in Opposition
IL to the wind and tide
'r 1.-Two miles an hour, against the cur
rem: of the Mississippi; and if so, YER
W valuable acquisition to the commerce
\ the Western States y How modest. an
how almost mean, seem these an,icipa
e lions and calculations, now that we fin
10 these boats which were invented with
A. view to the navigation Of the Mississippi
but sending up its cloud by day and pill;
h. Of fire bv night in every navigable rive
i. bav. staff, and ocean of the worldwide
we see the pit,iful two miles an hou
=, stra,ch ont to ten-and when we see Til
5. steam navigation has not been merely
= valuable ACQUISITION 10 the commerce
If the west--but has actually spoken tn
i. west into being Compared with Ii
v. lightning speed of our crack steamer
=, how plodding seems the way of the FIR
90 steamboat And yet what an advant
60 was that steamboat !-how far beyon ar
is older competition! For ON, on she wen
~ steadily on upright keel, against DO
- wind and tide The world has new
- witnessed such an achievement. AT al
rh rate there was. we are not sure there IS,
o. this day-no. even since old Egypt n
no been buried-any record Of such fea'.
=: Who can blame the anticipators OF IN
he day for so modesily limiting the speed
nj tho new continuance to two miles an no.
~ aa,;nst the stream ? Why, to their eye
- - was next TO a miracle that the boat mac
~ -, anu motion. in defence of these obstacle
w '"y 80, N miracle that like other boa
~ in the same predicament she DID no'
~ with the wind and tide They are TO
y, nardoned then for not fore-seeing that,
We the period of their life. time; the CONNER e,
~ of the ives, would rival the whole tht
~ commerce of America that the empire