East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1859-06-16
RoMANcE OF REAL LIFE.


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/ ticulaTs of tho very first voyage of
steamer in the "West." The complete
success attending the experiments in
steam navigation made on the Hudson
and adjoining waters, previous 10 the
year 1869, turned the attention Of the
l principal projectors to the idea of It's APP
/ plication on the western rivers and in
/ the month Of April of that year, Mr..
/ Roosevelt, of New York, pursuant 10 an
arrangement with Chancellor Livingston
aud Mr.. Fulton, visited those rivers, with
the purpose of forming an opinion wheth-
or they admitted of steam navigation or
not. At this time two boats, the North
/ River and the Clcmont, were running
on the Hudson. Mr.. H. surveyed the
rivers from pittsburg to New Orleans,
and as his report was favorable, ii was
decided TO bald boat in the former
Town,
This was done, under his directions,
and in the course Of 1911, the first boat
was launched ON the waters Of the Ohio.
She was called the "New Orleans and
intended 20 ply between Natchez, in the
State of Mississippi and the city whose
I name il bore. In October she left Pitts
burg for her experimental voyage. On
this occasion no freight or passengers
were taken, the object being merely to
bring Che boat directly 60 her station
Mr. Hr., his young wife and family, Mr..
Baker, the engineer, Andrew Jack, the
pilot a4l s!E hnal>, with few doIaes-
tics formed the whole burden, Tb.re
were no wood-yards at thai time, and
constant delays were unavoidable. -
When, as related, Mr.. r., h.d zone down
( the river 10 rcconoitre, h. had discovered
+ two beds Of coal, about 100 miles below
the rapids at 10 .lsyille, and now took
tools to work them, intending to load the
vessel with coal, and to employ it as fuel,
instead oil constantly OBTAINING the boat
while w,od was procured from the banks.
La.c at night on the day after quitting
Pit,sburg, they arrived in safety at LOUIS
Vile, having been but seventy hours de
scoudiug upwards of seven hundred
miles. The novel appearance Of the yes
sci, and the fearful ropidity with which
she made her passage over the broad
reaches of the river, excited a miXtucr
of terror and surprise among many OF
the settlers on tine baul,-, whom t,o ro-
NOR of such an invention had never
reached; and it is related that on the sud
den arrival Of the boat before Louisville
in the course of fine, still, moonlight
might. the extraordinary sound which fill
ed the ar as the pcHtup steam was per
mittcd TO escape from the valves ON
rounding to, produced general alarm,
and multitudes rose from their beds to
ascertain the cause.
| have heard that the general impress
sion among The good Kcntuckians was
that the comet had fallen into the Ohio
but this does not rest upon the same
foundation as the other facts which | lay
before you, and which | may at once say,
= had directly from the parties themselves
, The small depth of water in the rapids
prevented the boat from pursuing her
voyage Immediately, and during the con-
sequcnt detention o. three weeks in the
b upper Ohio, several trips we're success
. fully made between Louisville and Gin
| cinnati Ia fine, the waters rose, and in
the last week in November, the voyage
was resumed, the depth of water barely
admitting their passage.
When they arrived about five miles
above the Yellow Banks, they moored the
boat opposite the first vein of coal, which
was on the Indiana side, and had been
purchased in the interim Of the State
government. They found a large guam
tity already quarr.ed to their hand, and
conveyed to the shore by depredator,
who had not found means to carry it off
and with this they commenced loading
the boat While thus engaged, our voy
ayers were accostcd in great alarm by
the sauattcrs of the neighborhood who
inquired if they had not heard strange
noises ON the river and In the woods IA
the course of the preceding day, and
if we did not perceive the shores shake
insisting that they had repeatedly felt the
earth tremble.
Hitherto nothing extraordinary had
been perceived. The weather was OBJ
served to be opprcssivcly hot; the air
misty still and dull; and though the sun
was visible, like a glowing ball Of cop
per, his rays hardly shed more than II
mournful twilight on the surface of the
water. Evening drew nigh, and with it
some indications of what was passing
around them became evident. And as
they sat on the deck, they ever and anon
heard a rushing sound aud violent splash,
and saw large portions Of the shore tear
ing away from the land and falling into
Che river 1t was, as my informant said,
an awful day; so still that you could have
heard a pin drop on the deck. They
spoke little, for every one appeared thun-
dcr-struck. The comet had disappeared
about this time; which circumstances was
noticed with awe by the crow
The second day after leaving the Tel
low Banks, the sun rose over the forests
the same dim ball Of fire, and the all
was dun, hot and oppressive, as before.
The portentous signs of this terrific nat.
ural CONFUSION continued aad increased.
The pilot, alarmed and confused, averrcd
that he was lost, and he found the clan
mel everywhere altered, and where he had
hitherto found deep water, there lay
nnmberless trees with their roots up
ward. The trees were seen waving and
nodding on the bank, without wind
but the advcntmers had no choice but to
co ltinuc thcir route. Toward evening