New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-10-15
Sslan O0rtaaaa aitg GresGspt.
MONDAY MORNING, OCTOBER Is, 1856.
giper sgntflligellte.

CRESCENT OFFICE, No. "a Camp Street,
Monday Morning, October Is, 1866

ping, and awaiting the arrival Of the noble
steamer Robt. Il. Lee.
BUSINESS as we predictedsswas quite active on
the ieFee Saturday; the departing boats had fair
Tips q passengers and freight.
me eteaner Irene, Capt. Harvey O, Heath, was
Detained but is still receiving freight
loF shreveport, and leaves positively tomorrow,
at i. u.
" 2 return our thanks for fayors to the officers
q ssesmsEs Lady Grace, Alone, Silver Spray, r.
=, lee ana Lizzie Tate.
Inc w 3. Arthnr from st. Louis, Grey Eagle
1sQEn SicksbnEg, and Nina SHINES for Bayou
$50 VIII be receiving this morning; also, the
Henry Vnn Phul. from Memphis and Cairo. e
The Nina SHINES and Grey Eagle take their
departure this evening, and the w. r. Arthur and
Won Phul to.lnorrow. evening,
1Ae next boats due from st. Louis are the
steamers ". e. Osborn and Lady Gay, and from
{ Red river the Elnora
Ihe new and most magnificent steamer Robert
la' Lee commanded by the popular and enter
pFising Captain John w. Cannon, destined as the
regular Tuesday afternoon packet TO Yicksburg,
arrived yesterday crowded with passengers and
freight The following graphic description Of her
capabilities and makeup, which we copy from the
louisville papers, is sufficient to commend her to
{ the vorable consideration Of the travelling and
business community. We predict that Captain
Cannon viii meet the success which he SO de-
ssrvedly merits. She is now dsehafgng at the
foot Of Common street. and viii leave on her first
trip morrow at 5P. NJ.
The R0BEgT B. I3EE--99,e Mean Orleans, F5cks-
4 oat'g and Bends Packet, Almost from tile first
INTRODUCTION of steam as promoter of commerce.,
and ever since cotton has been the great staple of
the South. the trade between New Orleans and the
pianiatlons along the great river the mighty Mis-
slsslppli mas been immense, and was growing
early up to the outbreak of the late war.
3etore the war the constantly increasing steam
marine was barely adequate to the commerce of
TIE aeWer Mississippi well known as the cotton
Irade and year BY year the boatmen Of that sec
ZION were Improving in the style and quality Of
Jhelrs boats. There was great rivalry for the
ltade, and the best, most costly, substantial and
sWlltesG steamers on the Western waters we're
built for the cotton trade of the Lower ssissinpi
Prominent among the boatmen in that trade was
Captain John#W. Cannon, who unaided and alone
first entered modest little craft for the accom- I.
Ifoflat tlon q the people along the line who were
ready and willing to travel with him, Business
increased as time wore On, and the next season he
Game 70 Louisville md built larger and better
= noat. This was followed by still another, and
tten anotleI each larger, finer, faster, and better
Inal It's predecessor. until just before the war lie
butt the famous Gen. Quitnan, the declared cham
pien Of the Southern waters
Dnfing the war the trade of the lower river Ian.
SuisHSus Was TOT a. HQ1le wholly Cut oil, and
most of the steamboats, were either worn out or
destroyed; hut now that commerce is revived |
again, aud bids fair to be greater than ever,
Gapt. cannon has come back to his old trade
and8H 8Has Just had completed tie masterpiece OF Il
the age-the Robert E.. Lee. La every respect
and all good qualities, like her glorious name
sake, she u the peer, nilriYaled and unequaled,
on the waters.
n The Robert q. Leo hitlt expressly for the
passenger and caTFysa agIa between New Or
teams, Vieksburg anF BeHds, distance of
upwards of 500 n9iIes ta make weekly trips
equal to travelling 1000 miles every week ineud-
lng her time IN port ana attending to way bnsi-
ness, receiving and diseharging carge. She was
constructed at q cost exceeding 500, ,000 and is
tha largest md VIII, We think, prove the fastest
boat eyer in the trade.
Her outfit ia undoubtedly the most costly and
magnificent that has ever yet been placed upon
western steamer, the owners being determined
thatfof the honor Of the trade, aa we'll as the
name, that she shall stand sans penr at sans re.
proehes and without an equal or rival in her
career. THE capacity Of the boat Is equal to the
bnrthen of 600 bales of cotton, or 1850 tons Ii
1t expected that she can carry 600 bales with
her guards clear Of the water, and notatier above
the second deck. In former times, 600 baleit
boat5was rarity, and 5000 bale II boat the
wonder Of the age yet the Lee can carry 6,000I
make railroad time.
The cabin and ontdt Of this great southern
steamer surpagses that of any boat that has ever
vet gracad Ehe trade, and her Accommodations are
She has eixty.one state rooms in the main cabin |
twenty four extra rooms in the texas for passen-
gers, q nursery for servants and children, and q
cabin for cclored people adjoining the nursery ia
which are state rooms for fifty passengers.
This gives her cabin accommodations for two I
hundred aud twenty persons in rooms and take
her OIL in all she is the most eommodious and com
plete packet that has ever been built, and a very
great improp6fne in all respects upon any h0aS I
that has pr8ee llers but whether her equal ever
can come mains to be seen. The main
cabin carp single piece, some III feet
wide and of 225 feet in length, aroyal
Wilton; vel ve sas ehased of a. T. Stewart of New
York and nfa Ia order. The furniture was also
made to order, all OF the modern style and costly
being in fact solid rosewood the chairs
sofas sociables, etc. most artisticaly and elabora
telY carved. The cushions of all the seats are
aayy crimson satin, and the style of the furniture
il ii new end original designs, all made in this
twenty extension dining tables III the main cabin
each To accommodate twelve guests; thus seating l.
I'M hundred and forty for dinner, with plenty Of
room fog extra side table.
Thisis the seventh boat built for Capt. Cannon,
and iii this magic number lies the charm, rs she is
the greatest and best of the fleet. First he COM
manded the GOV. Downea, then be built the w.
WI. Farmer, for the 0uachita, followed by the R.
w. MoRae, the Louisiana, the Bella Donna, the
VfoksbuFg. the Gen. Qnitman, and now the Robt
3. lee. The new craft combines all the requisite
proportions and outft to make her the best and
most serYieeabla boat ever in the trade. The di
1nensions are al follows: Length of hull 800 feet
beam 46 feet. hold % feet extreme width Sc feet,
or b feet wider than the new canal locks. The
guards are is feet vide, her decks very high, and
with her great depth of hold she can stow 5000
bales Of mississippi or Louisiana cotton without
at all encroachng upon the cabin ornpper guards.
When fully laden her capacity is equal to 1900
tons,
two main engines, the cylinders of which are forty
inches In diameter with ten feet stroke--the
Largest high pressure engines on the river. She
has eight boilers, each twentyeight feetn length,
ana fortystwo inches in diameter, making fire
surface Of oyer thirty feet, which win require a
hetacomb Of fuel to feed. Tie doctor engine. is
considered q trnmph5f Of mechanical art, being
3 IlesY style with the parallel applied. It
sunplies the boilers with wafer and can throw
"a immense volume. The boat il also furnished
sgith three separate pumping fire engines, with an
abundance Of hose TO lse in case Of tire. The
yater.Yleels are monsters being thirtysnine feeti
Ia diameter, with seventeen feet lengt of buckets.
she has wrought ironsshafts weighing 1850 lbs,
fie shafts being each twentY three feet in length,
With the journals eighteen inches in diameter.
Zach of the eTanks, which are also Of wrought
iron laseigh 5000 pounds They were all made
east 0f the AlIeghanies, and are the largest ever
constructed for q Western steamer.
1he model Of the R0bt. q. Lee is faultless, be-
In fasss aed and with