, 1860-09-25
FIRST STEAMBOAT AT CHICAGO
letter from Capt.. A. Walker.

r..u.p,r CHICAGO, Sept a, 1870.
The following letter is from Cspt. Il Walker.
Supervising Inspector Of steambosts fer the
Ninth District, and is sn account Of tie frss
SEedm3eat trip 10 Chicago. 1t MAJ interest
s'ne 0! your rea5ess- Il. G. BR1sroI.
-: Dr1AIo. scps.17th, ls,n :.
Carr. Il. C. DE1s1oL-D.ar Sir - hare but
just come in possession # ycur note left la ury
otlso when lest in the city, in which yot. .;e-iro
some information relative to my FIRST r1ysge 70
Chicsgo in 1889.
In rep:y Will briefly say, taa. 1ny bca:, (tho
Sheldon Thompsoa,) y rogethcr with the steam
cara Henry ClaJ, Superior, aod Vim. Penn,
were all chartered b. the United Sta1es GoTern-
Chicago 1r1ug the Black Hawk Wat. Each
boat WAS payed for the trip $5.501, though but
two (th~ Sheldon Thompson and Wn. Penn(
per:orntd rheiz voyage. The Superior cad
Henry Clay were Obliged to abandon their tri:.,
ia consequence Of the fearful ranges nude hT
the As's''c Cholera, which broke ont 80 violent-
Is on boar, ,:smong the troops and Ct xs of 1hc,e
hoats. They oaty went "a far IS For: Gratioe,
Tho3lenry Clay and Thompson sa.;ed from
Buffalo on the morning Of the 81 Of july, 1859.
each crowded to their u:mos: cu1ucity win
troops, equipments, and provisions; arrived at
Detroit tie mex: day almos: simultao oeonsy, tbs
Clay however sonle tour mites ahead, about The
game 4. whea they Itfs Buffalo. Gsneta! Sc3tt
aud staff were on board of he7 as {sF rs tha
font Of Hog ltlund Just abare Det1oi:; ;as which
place they transferred tht1uaelTea o. board nv
ooat, which then proceeded On her way, 1eayiur.
the Henry Clay Ut anchor 1t the lAand, but
which afterwards proceeded On her trip - far
as Fort Grahot, tacre she landed ber troops.
giving up the voyage. The Superior sailed 4
day or t1o later from Buffalo, and Weat as far
on her yorage as Fort Gf2.ior and like tho
Clay, was oliged also to abandon ier trip in
conne queEce Of the pestilenee that ragged with
such fearful destruction.
On my way up landed at Fort Gratiot one
company Of troops, sose fifty in number, in.
GLIDING few iuEal!de- As Aac1isaH, landed
fire others, threa OF my c.ew and two soldiers.
all Of whom died except one before the boat re-
turned to that port. From Mackinaw to Chica.
60 We were ,nadeE the painful necessity Of
casting overheard sixteen Of tho soldiers who
fell victims to this horrible ecourge. We ar.
rived at, or aoehored CO, tho o6iag sono dis.
tance from the mouth Of The river which Has at
the Tins very small, hardly depth Of water suf-
icient TO admit yawl boat, On tho erening Of
the Bib q July. sent the boat On shore 1t |
once with General Scott, Nsj. Worth and some
others. Next morning landed the troops
aud provisions, bnt before the task Was eceon. |
phshed, which had to be done in small batteau
that WAS tored by the Thompson from Macki- |
nav for that purpose, We had to commit three |
more Of these soldiers to the deep, where their
4iieless forms lay anchored to The bottom in /
plain view from cur decks, which created no
small degree Of uneasinen among the c!eE, aud !
which could only be removed By weighing |
anchor snd moving little distance from the un-
pleasant sight. I zemainsd at Chicago four