The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-07-04
The First Steamboat ON the Ohio River.
(From the N. Y, Evening Post1

We lind some interesting particulars re-
gardlng the navigation of the Ohio river by
steamboat in Western Annals" by James
X. Albach, of Pittsburgh, from which it APP
pears that citizens of New York were chiefly
instrumental in promoting what was then
cons dered an advanta geous and doubtful ex-
pertinent. The author quotes from Mr.. La
trobe:
The complete success attending the en-
perlnents in steam navigation on the Hud-
son and adjoining waters, previous to the
year, 1909, turned the attention of the prin-
clpal projectors to the ideas of its application
on the western rivers and in the month { f
April of that year Mr. Roosevelt, of New
ork pursuant to an agreement with Chan
celior Livingston and Mr.. Fulton, visited
those rivers with the purpose CT forming 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 deci-
ded p build boat at the former town.
In October, 1911, the "New Orleans" was
launched and sent ont, being intended to play
between that city and Natchez-not, as sta
ted in the extract from Thourston's book, be-
Latrobe again: Mr.. Roosevelt, his young
wife and family, Mr.. Baker the engineer, An
drew Jack the pilot, and six hands, with a
domestic formed her whole burden. There
were no wood yards at that time, and con-
slant delays were unavoidable. Late at night
on the fourth day after quitting Pittsburgh
they arrived in safety at Louisville, having
been but seventy-four hours descending up
wards Of six hundred miles," The settlers
on the ban s, who had not ever heard the ru-
mors of such scheme, were struck with sssur-
prise and terror" at the appearance of the
snortlng monster. 81 have heard that the
general impression among the good Kentuck-
lans was that the comet had fallen into the
Ohio. The small depth of water in the rap
ids prevented the boat from pursuing her
voyage Immediately; and during the conse-
quent detention OF three weeks several trips
were successfully made between Louisville
and Cincinnati. The waters rose in NOvem-
Der, and in the last week of that month the
voyage resumed" After being nearly over
whelmed with the earthquakes, the "New
Orleans reached Matches the first week in
January, 1912.
Neither Mitchell nor his telescope was on
the banks Of the Ohio in those days. and it
Was no more strange that the honest farmers
should imagine the steamboat to be comet,
than the vague apprehension of the present
time, that we are in danger of collision with
one OF these eccentric bodies. Singularly
enough there was then, as now, widely
spread story that the earth was to he ''smash-
ed' like flat hat, and some third of man.
KIND" destroyed in the operation. a thief in
the Virginia prison proiessed to have been
entranced, and to have had revelation fore
telling the event, which was to take place on
the 4th of june 1874 remarkable conci-
dent of dates. A pamphlet was published
and widely circulated, "adorned with sundry
Yankeee pictures of horrible sights, portray
ing the dire calamity
AS counterpart of this steamboat-comet
story, we remember one that was told about
the people of a certain village who assembled
to see the first locomotive pass by on the
rails. Not one of them had the slightest
idea that sort Of an animal it was, and they
were busy with all kinds of conjectures. A
smoki 6 and roaring monster was seen in the
distance, with an unaccountable long tail be-
hind it. Nobody supposed this to be tray
cling inveTtiOn as it approached, the good
people were confounded and desperately puz-
zled. Fortunately, there wss q John Pod
gers" in the village, and he was called on to
explain it. John wiped his glasses, and look
ed over his nose with profound all-knowing
gaze. After dug observation, "Oh!' said he,
"Yes, that's it at last, gentlemen; that is the
the thing that has kept the Cong ress Of these
United States in such squabble for the last
three months That is the tariff!