Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-07-30
Steamboat Arrival from HutchinsOns
Mcleod County!!

Wonders will never cease. We were as
tsnished yesterday 70 greet our old friend,
mir. Hiram Chapman, from near Hutchinson,
in Mcleod County, who announced that he
had arrived by the small steamboat Eureka,
built by himself and E. E. johnson, from that
distant interior point, situated on Crow Riv-
err, which stream the Eureka descended safe
ly to the Mississippi, and thence to Minneap-
oils, at which point the boat is now tied up.
From Dayton, at the mouth of that River,
to Hutchinson, by the windings of the Crow,
Mr.. Chapman computes the distance to be
about 100 miles. The boat was commenced
last fall, and was finished this spring. Pow
er was furnished by six-horse engine and
locomotive boiler, which had been brought
to Hutchinson for manufacturing purposes
The boat is so feet long and IA wide, with
only one cabin-the craft being built some
thing like q fat-bottomed canalboat. 1t
draws only 8 inches of water, without freight.
of which it will carry, however, 20 tons.
The boat started from Hutchinson on the
2Sth of June, and reached Minneapolis on the
2Oti of July, being delayed by overcoming
the Instructions of the river. Eight or ten
miles below Hutchinson, just above Kaniska,
they entered the Big Woods. Here their
troubles Of navigation first commenced. A
dam at Kaniska compelled them to warp the
boat down mill race. Then logs, and brush,
leaning trees and food wood, compelled them
to do some hard work, in removing them as
distractions to their progress. In this work
they were largely assisted by the people
along Crow River, who seemed quite wild
with delight at the prospect before them of an
outlet being opened for their immense crops
to reach market Mr.. Chapman reports
the crops in all that region as very fine,
At Rockford, % miles above the junction
of the Crow with the Mississippi, another
mill liam obstructed their progress, and com
PEELED a weeks delay in making portage
around the dam, by putting the boat on roll
lers, and relaunching her below it. Here
they took ON quite lot of freight, and de-
scended to Dayton in three hours and half
At Dayton they stopped two or three days,
took on board more freight, corn and pota,
toes, and arrived safely at Minneapolis ON the
Doth
Mr.. Chapman tells US he is satisfied that,
with little labor for the removal of obstruc-
tons, Grow River may be regarded as
amongst the navigable streams of Minnesota
AN important fact, truly, for the great agri-
cultural country which it waters. A few
cheap locks, he says, must be built around
the dams. The people along the stream in
tend, this fall and next winter, themselves to
10 this work of removing all the distractions
in the River.
The engine of the boat is to be replaced at
Minneapolis with one of Is horse power, and
will then ply on the Mississippi between the
Falls and ST. Cloud, the present season; and
in the spring, when the Instructions are re-
moved. will resume the navigation of the
Crow, as a permanent business.
We congratulate the people of the Crow
River on this successful experiment in navi-
eating their stream; and we think the thanks
of the whole community are deserved by Mr..
Chapman and Mr.. johnson for their enter
prise in thus opening up the wilderness to
settlement and cultivation, by rendering
available one of Gods own canals for trans
portation and transit through the power OF
ubiquitous steam. The navigation of Red
River by steam is great event +; but the
steam whistle on Crow River is q more move
and unexpected circumstance to record.