New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-07-05
THE RACING STEAMBOATS,
rHr pxc1TEMENT ELSEWHERE
Greeley on Captain Toms Victory


Natchez. People have generally made up
their minds as to the result, but appear no
less anxious for news.
LOUISVILLE, July 2-There is great ex-
eitement in the Western country over the
race between the steamers Lee and Natchez,
from New Orleans. Several hundred thou
sand dollars are staked ON the result in this
city alone. The quickest time on record is
expected. aa sd r., 7i.
The St. Louis Demoerat, of Friday, said; 1,
The interest in this race increases. The
Lee, it is understood, will come through to
this port in the attempt to beat the time OF the
Natchez to 1.-THE head Of the hollow" Pilot
Enoch King is engaged to 60 down to Cairo
to bring the Lee up from there. james
Homan will probably be his partner. 1t is
not probable that either boat will be able to
make her best time from Cairo to this port,
az they are said to draw at the stern from
six feet eight inches to seven feet light.
However, the channel at Liberty Island, the
worst place, whese there was only seven feet
four inches Of water, is reported deepening at
a rapid rate. The steamer Bismarck will
leave this port on Monday morning, intend
ing to go as far as Kennett's Castle, with ex-
cursiOnists to meet the racing boats
We find the following communication in
the same paper:
y.
! Captain Jonathan Warden, who was as
sistant engineer of the j. M. White when
she made her fast run, sends us the follow
ing letter from Independence, Missouri:
Editors Missouri Democrat:
As the trip Of the Natchez is all the talk.
will give you few points on the famous
j. M. White and her run, not generally
known. When the run was made the fact
was conceded by most of the st. Louis steam
boatmen that the }. NJ. White could make the
trip in sir hours less time than ii ,rds done in
That was the opinion afro of the officers OF
the boat, and in proof of the statement. she
did afterwards, when in the Vicksburg trade,
beat her own time something over two hours
| to Natchez on a business trip. when com
manded by Captain Swon.
First, the packing in use was cotton and
hemp, which had to be screwed up or re-
plenished every day, causing "A loss OF time
ON the trim of not less than two hours.
Secondly. no pumping engine but the old
style pumps, on two occasions during the
trip causing some loss of time by having
| partially to cool down. Thirdly. by getting
on a stump OF log at Hardeman's while
wOOding off the shore. causing cOnsidera-
BILE loss of time. As was at the engine at
| the time and busy. can give YOU no idea.
| except by guess, of the time that was lost
say thirty minutes. Filthy. as the water
| wheels at that time were constructed with
| out circls, and the river was full OF drift
| logs, the buckets or paddles were driven up
| to the braces on the wheel arms, leaving the
| buckets without sufficient dip. The subject
| was under consideration by the captain and
| chief engineer, Mr.. w. Few, to stop and
| shift the buckets to the end of the arms
| The conversation did take place between
! the towns of Randolph, Tennessee. and
New Madrid, Missouri. The boat at the
| time was falling off in her speed: the engi-
neer cOntending that we would make time
by stopping and shifting the buckets. but
! the captain would not take any chances. as
| We were certain to make the best time to
Cairo and ST. Louis that had been made, at
the rate of speed which we were then
making, without some accident occurring
If YOU will notice the run OF the j. nj.
White from point to point below Randolph.
YOU will seeat glance that the engineer
was right. and that better time would have
been made if the buckets had been shifted to
the end of the arms.
One other point on which there is some
mistake: that is as regards the points i'll
which the time was taken. The crew did
understand that OH the starting OF the
engines at New Orleans time commenced,
| and on the stopping of the engines at st.
Louis time was up, which would made diff
| ference in favor of the j. NJ. White OF some
| twenty minutes or more.
| The White did make from Cairo to st.
| Louis on a business trip the same season,
| two hours better time-a little short of 1t.
| The crew of the j. NJ. White at the time
would have bet every dollar they could raise
| that they could. on the next trip, have
come from New Orleans to ST. Louis. and
won their money on it. in three days and
| eighteen hours,
| We copy brief description of the Lee
l
journal:
| The Lee was built in this city and New
| Albany. and is three years older than the
Natchez. and has been kept in such
thorough repair that she may be said to be
as good as new. SHE is three hundred feet
1 long by fOrty-six feet beam. and thirty-six
/ feet floor, and nine and half feet depth OF
hold She has eight very large boilers
which make all the steam she wants. not
| withstanding the general opinion is to the
contrary. Her cylinders, the largest high
pressure ever built in the West. are forty
inches in diameter, with ten feet stroke
turning water wheel OF thirty eight feet III
diameter. with sixteen feet nine inches
4 length of bucket. twenty-siX inches wide.
The Natchez was built last year at Gin
cinnati. and is three hundred and seven
feet six inches long by forty three feet beam,
and thirty-eight and one half feet floor and
| ten feet hold. She has elgnI n1gn pressure
boilers. making all the steam she can
possibly work. She is propelled by two
high pressure cylinders, thirty-four inches
diameter by ten feet stroke, and works a
water wheel of fOrty-two feet and eleven
inches diameter, with fifteen feet seven and
half inches length Of buckets. which are
twenty-six inches wide.
Thus it will be seen that the Natchez is
seven feet longer than the Lec-has three
feet less beam and two and a half more
floor. She has five feet eleven inches more
diameter of wheel than the Lee. with fifteen
inches less of bucket, which are in both
| boats the same width. She has the same
length of stroke as the Lee. with six inches
less diameter of cylinder, and carries about
the same freight. Neither boat carries. we
believe, any more than their custOmhouse
measurement. which in the Lee is l4O7
tons. The Eatchez, it is claimed. carries
1900 tons.
The New York Tribune is facetious over
the recent triumph Of the Natchez. as the
subioined editorial will show:
! --- CAPTAIN TOMS VICTORY.
| Captain Tom Leathers. OF the steamboat
Natchez has been trying the little expert
ment of annihilating time and space by run
ming his craft from New Orleans to st. Louis
in three days, twenty7one hours and fifty
| piUbr minutes II aaems that in 1874 the