The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-09-30
!. RATES OF FsUBsCRIrTIoN!iI
Wheelings Steamboat Interest.
Rise and Prosrc.s OF our River Trade
--.The 'Varipus Lines OF the Past ana

sI.s-.H "..
II Especially iUrittel for the IntelMOenocT.)
In the null tide Of prosperity we arc
prone to forget the day of small things,
and to look upon the present as though
1t had always existed thus. Yet moth
ing is moro pleasant or profitable to the
inquiring mind, than, to revert to the
carly days of any prominent Interest,
and from its little beginnings to trace
Its varying fortunes in its growth to its
present proportions. These thoughts
suggested themselves to us one day as
we occupied Il sent in trout, of Booth,
Battelle'S Co.'S boat-store, looking at
the bouts which we are proud to claim
as Wheeling's own, and we resolved
that an article on tho steamboat inter
est of Wheeling would be Interesting,
even TO the men who lIaye spent many
years and untold amounts of money in
building it up, as well as profitable to
those who, like ourselves, have little
idea of the time, and cost ut which our
present prosperous steamboat interest
has been secured. welooketl about us
for man whose head contained all
that we desired to know, and from
whom we could get the flcts necessary
fprour contemplated article. We found
gentleman whose connection with
this interest from his youth up was n
guarantee for his knowledge, nndMhose
well known obliging disposition war
Tanted us in trespassing upon his time
sufficiently to acquire the much desired
and necessary information. Our con-
versation with him soon opened. our
eyes to very large mistake, which we
find not only ourselves but others, who
llavc not n thousand years, have
enlaboring under. We have become
SO used to hearing comparisons inade
by the elders of the city between the
new and splendid boats now brought
out and those of the .sUnion Line, that
we had come to think that said line,
although a failure as 10 its original pur-
pose, was nevertheless the beginning of
wlint might be called the exclusive
steamboat interest of Wheeling. We
found, however, TINT its origin had no
such magnificent puremtage; thnt 1t was
not ushered in withany such flourish OF
trumpets, but anti-dated that time some
years. We shall, however, first speak OF
THE UNION LINE.
This, in its day, magnificent line of
steamers originated i'll the spring of
1858, simultaneously with the opening
OF the Baltimore Il Ohio railroad. Iii
inct, u was tho prospectlve freight and
travel OF this road, which was to find
the terminus of railroad transportation
west and south in Wheeling, That orig
limited tho company which built tiIe
line. The company was composed OF
tho shrewdest tinnnciers and most SUBJ
stantinl business men of the city in that
day, among whom were Capt. John
List, Capt. John M'Lure, Capt. Sam.
Mason, J. g. Acheson, Jacob Shriver,
w. w. Shriver, and james II. Baker.
with Thos. Sweeney as President or
the company.
There We're seven boats in the limo.
built expressly for the trade and travel
which Igds to be furnished by the lIal-
timore Il Ohio road. The names of the
boats were the EsIlks City, VfFgiaid,
Tom SIcdH, AtUit adams, baltimore,
DdUtd Waite and City Of HRseting.
These boats were built Mt IN average
cost of sixty thousand dollars each.
Many improvements In tho ma
chtnery of boats have been made since
the days of the Union Line, but we are
safe In snying that in size and equip
ment no such magnificent line OF
steamers WAS ever owned or run on
the waters of the upper Ohio. We arc
also safe in saying tint no other conl-
pany OF gentlemen comprising an un-
usual amount of sound business INTEL
ligence. and financial capacity, ever had
its eyes so completely snnded as did
this one by the representations of Mr..
Thomas Swan, the then President of
the Baltimore q Ohio railroad. That
gentlemen himself seemed, however,
70 have been as much. MS they the vic
tim OF his own sauguine Expectations,
MS on the occasion OF an ovation given
him ON bonrd the boat named for him,
and one OF tho largest of the line, In
reply TO question of Capt. John list
as to tho carrying chpncity of the boat,
he Is represented to have answered that
" the u. d o. road did. not furnish
freight and passengers for two such.
Doats per day, he would regard the
road MS n tailuro. Upon such t'grcat
expectations" were figured up massive
fortunes, to be accumulated in a very
Few years, for every member OF the
company.
In spite of the fnct that there was an
opposition line running from Pittsburg
mot 70 DO compared, however, in point
OF equipment with the Wheeling linS)
and the fare only six dollars from
Wheeling to Louisville, the lower ter
minus OF the line, II was nevertheless
figured up that without single pas
enger or u pound of freight on the nm
trip, the company could noe fail to re-
nlize very large per centage on their
capital. Amateur cooks, with whom
the culinary department OF steamboats,
was science, were. procured from
southern steamers, and had license to
purchase without stint all the tlelica-
cies ofcvery cline and season. Spring
chlcRens, not lnrger than partrfdEes.
We're bought Mt three dollars Ter dozen,
and II ls related thnt a certain woll.
known juggler who, with his wife. WINS
passenger on one of the Iip trips. nt
one meal, quietly deposited nine OF
them while his amiablo better hnlf made
n similar deposit of five, without appn-'
rent detrtment to the general health of
In short, that line of steamers was
bullt and run with u reckless regard of
cost which utterly astonishes mt this day
the very men who were most Dromf-
nently connected with tho enterprise. (,
Time, which as the proverb, goes.
proves nll things, wnS not long In sub
I1ecttng to tho eruOible of experience tho
1 tnuated theories which wore the EtoelSS
upon which TINT limo of gigantic steam
l ers was built. 1T Wns soon found TINT,
boats were running Mt a loss, and some
\ OF the original stoekholders sold; out al.
some loss, yet such was the strong hold
which faith in the ultimate suct2st ~
the nterprise had taken upon the niinds
OF our business men, that others were
readily found to take the places of those
who withdrew nom the company. De-
spite the united talent and energy OF the
company Individually and corporntely
the1osses became jfriShffni and fhonfh
they were bravely contended with tySo
sea Sons carved f6 bnF6E 7tlIn IfTI1EISTs, n