The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1857-07-11

| We 6ud some interesting particulars re
garliing the navigation Of the Ohio river b,
steamboa in "Wes,ern Annals. hy James
r. Alhach. Of Pittsburgh, from which it ap
pears that citizens of New York were chief,
" instrumental in promoting what was thei
considered an advantageous and doubtfa
experiment. The author quotes from Mr.
Latrohe:
s.The complete success attending the
experiments IN steam navigation on ,hs
Hudson and the adjoining waters. previous
to the year 1909, turned the attention of the
principal projectors to the idea of its ap-
plication on the western rivers; and in the
month Of April of that year Mr.. Roosevelt,
of New York, pursuant to an agreemen,
with Chancellor Livingston aud Mr.. Fulton,
visited those rivers with the purpose of for
ming an opinion whether they admitted OF
steam navigation or not. Mr.. Roosevelt,
surveyed the rivers from Pittsburgh to New
Orleans, and as his report was favorable, it
was decided to build boat ut the former
town. 81 s
In October, 1911, the sNew Orleans
was launched and sent out, being intended
to ply between that city aud Natchez--not,
as stated In the extract from Thurton's
book, between Piissurg and the falls Of
Ohio.
Latrobe again: Roosevelt, his young
wife and family, Mr.. Baker the engineer.
Andrew Jack the pilot, and six hands with
a few domestics, formed her whole burden.
There were no wood yards at that time, and
night. on the fourth day after quitting Pitts
bGrgh they arrived in safety at Louisville,
having been but seyenty-four hours descen-
ding upwards of six hundred miles" The
settlers on the banks, who had not ever
heard the rumors of such scheme were
struck with "surprise and terror" at the
appearance of the snorting monster. 81
have heard that the general impression
among the good Kentuekians was that the
comet had fallen into the Ohio. The small
depth of water in the rapids prevented the
boat from pursuing her voyage Immediately;
and during the consequent detention of
three weeks, several trips were SUCCESSFULLY
made between Louisville and Cincnnati.-
The water rose in November, and in the
last week of that month the voyage was
resumed" After being nearly overwhelmed
with the earthquakes, the ssNew Orleans"
.
1872.
Neither Mitchell nor his telescope was on
the banks of the Ohio in those days, and it
was no morestrange that the honest farmers
should imag inc the steamboat to be comet,
than the vague apprehension of the present
time, that we are in danger of collision
with one of those eccentric bodies. Sngu-
larly enough there was then, as now, a
widely spread story that the earth was to be
smashed" ike Hat hat, and "one-third
of mankind destroyed in the operation. A
thief in Virginia prison profcssed to have
been entranced, and to have had a revela-
tion foretelling the event, which was to take
place on the fourth of June, lSl2--a re-
coincident Of dates. \ pamphlet
was published and widely circulated,
''adorned with sundry Yankee pictures of
horrible sights, portraying the dire calami-
ty."
As counterpart Of this steamboat t-comet
story, we remember one that was told about
the people Of II certain village who assem-
bIed to see the first locomotive pass by on
the rails. Not one of them had the slight
est idea what sort of an animal it was. and
they were busy with all kinds of con lectures.
\ smoking and roaring monster was seen
in the distance, with an unacountablc long
tail behind it. Nobody supposed this to be
a travelling invention and as it approached,
the good people were confounded and des-
pcrately puzzled. Fortunately, there was
John Podgers' in the village, and be was
called Oh to explain it. John wiped his
glasses, and looked over his nose with
profound all-knowning gaze. After due
observation, "Oh!" SAID he, ''Yes. That's
it at last, gentleman; that is the thing that
has kept the Congress of these United States
in such a h-ll of a squabble for the last
three months. That 10 the tariff.