New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-12-08
River Intelligence.
OFFICE OF THE DAILY REPUBLICAN,
"WEDNESDAY EVENING, December Z. 1870.

clouded up during the forenoon, and a few
drops OF rain descended, but it soon cleared
off again, and at time Of writing it is
pleasant. Business on the landing was
active. The arrivals were pretty numerous,
and several Of them were deeply laden.
The Rapides, from Red river, brought in an
excellent trip. She had S62 bales Of cotton
and large amount Of sugar and molasses.
The c. H. Durtee had over 1000 bales of
cotton. The st. John, Pretender, Wild
Wagner and Jennie Howell were all well
laden.
Among the departures were: The South
western to Red river, with full cargo and
| an extensive list Of passengers; Olive
Branch to St Louis with a heavy trip OF
| sugar and molasses. She took about 900
| hogsheads OF sugar and a large miscela-
neOus freight; the st, John left with good
coast trip; the Wild Wagner, as usual, had
| o good trip to Natchez; the Trenton for
| Ouachita river was well laden. Cotton and
| sugar receipts are increasing daily, and all
| that is now desirable for a successful bust
ness season is a better stage OF water in the
. upper portion Of the Mississippi river and
| the Ouachita and Red rivers.
There is only four and a half feet Of water
at the mouth of Red river, and but low
water in the channel of Ouachita. Arkan-
sas river is at good stage. The Ohio river
is rising, and the canal, at Louisville, was
opened yesterday. This will be good news
to our merchants, and we may look for
numerous arrivals from the Ohio river in
the next fifteen days. There is n large feet
of boats on the Ohio river that have been
delayed waiting for the opening of the canal
at Louisville, and now we suppose they will
hurry to this port with tull cargoes.
The Cincinnati Gazette of the fifth says
that the river rose seven inches III the
twenty-fOurs ending at six o'clock last
evening, when there was thirteen feet five
inches water in the channel.
The St. Louis Republican of the fifth re-
ports as follows: The river here is now
nearly stationary. 1t is very low, and will
probably remain SO the remainder of the
winter There is now no more than six feet
OF water to Cairo, and it is even doubtful
whether that much can he found at Liberty
Island.
Rates are firm to all points.
MISCELLANEOUS ITENs.-Captain Henry
johnson, Missouri river pilot, was a passen-
ger on the steamer Olive Branch, that sailed
last evening for st. Louis.
CAPTAIN James Kerr. Jr., arrived yester-
day. at noon. from the North and East.
The steamer Belle of Alton was lowed to
retirement yesterday. She styling at upper
wharf, and will await a rise in Red river.
Captain Brener says that if the Red people
desire to see the Belle of Alton soon again.
they must pray for rain.
The Tidal Wave for to-day at ) p. NJ.
Era No. 8 Friday. and Charles II. Durtee
Saturday, is the programme OF the Red
River Packet Company" this week. This
line is now running in fun blast, and the
boats are leaving on time and in turns with
great regularity. The merchants and con
signees seem much pleased with the new
arrangements, and the boats OF the line
leave fully laden, daily at p. NJ.
Tho E,.;.lav opI ps,,1;pa "a
roll Saturday, are the st. Louis boats 10
leave this week.
The beautiful steamer City Of Quincy seems
to have made quite an impression on our cit
liens. Since her arrival here she has been
visited by crowds Of people, and ali seem
harmonious in the opinion that she is one OF
the most elegant steamers visiting our
wharf. Her peculiar style of cabin attracts
much attention, and Mr. William Brown.
chief clerk, has had his hands full in doing
the polite to the visitors. The opening of
the canal at Louisville yesterday will allow
the Quincy to leave with big trip for the
OHIO. She had large number Of passen-
gers registered yesterday, and when she
leaves, to-day, we suppose she will he full.
Captain Judd T. West, her commander.
looked exceedingly happy yesterday eve-
ming, occasioned, no doubt, by the fattering
reception orr merchants gave his steamer.
The steamer NJ. j. Wicks was over due
last night, and, no doubt, will be found ut
the landing this morning.
The Bannock City is loading az ST. Louis
for New Orleans.
The Richmond. en- route to this port from
St. L0his, added one hundred passengers
to her list at Memphis.
The Messenger is EN- route from P;ttsburg
to this port deeply laden.
The Mollie Ebert left Pittsburg, Friday,
for New Orleans. with good trip. 600 tons,
drawing four feet and half. Pilots, Cap
tain Ebert and Jacob Poe. The Granite
State also deDarted.
The Bodman and the John Kilgo3lr leave
Cincinnati to-day OF tomorrow for New Or
leans.
The Commercial says: Commodore ".
F. Davidson has expended over $3OO,OU0
among Cincinnati and Madison mechanics
and artisans in building the large and mag
niticent City OF Quincy, John hyle and
another superb steamer now in course OF
construction here, at James Macb's ship
yard"
A correspondent of the Cincinnati Conf
mercial makes these good points: There
are many other items Of exOrbitant charges
upon the cotton OF the Red river country,
when carried to the New Orleans market.
and from which it will he comparatively
free when transported directly from the
plantations to any of the Northwestern
cities. but will only mention one other at
tlfs time, and that one, all steamboat men
will agree with me, has long been IA crying
evil. allude to the Red river pilots wages,
and would ask in all honesty and sincerity.
can any man give q good reason why q Red
river pilot should get $500 per month for
steering q steamboat of 600 to 500 tons,
when for the same service in the Arkansas,
the YaZoO and White rivers, the pilots,
equally well skilled, work for about one
half tie money! When, also, the mammoth
steamers in the st. Louis and New Orleans
trade are plotted by the most sllillful hands
at a far less rate. Do the Red river pilots
work more hours out of the twenty four
hours than gentlemen engaged III the
same profession in other trades! Is the
Bed river "a harder river to learn
than the Mississippi. No man il his
senses will undertake to prove that it is So
and if he did, the proficiency which the
pilots of the Carter line have shown i'll
learning Red river in the last two seasons,
would give the lie to the whole theory.
Many q thousand bales of cotton have boon
carried from Shreveport to New Orleans on
which the pilots got more than One-half the
price of transportation for their wages; and
/ have known several instances where, from
upper Red river, the pilots wages amounted
to 50 per bale on the entire cargo, and the
price OF frelSnt not averaging o'oA VI ~ pr
bale. do not speak of $500 per month as
the maximum of pilots wages in Red river
By no means; for. they are no ways modest
in their estimate of the value sof their SER
vices. In 1865 for IA few trips the wages
went up to $500 per month, and $1,000,
$1,000 and $500 were considered moderate
demands in 1866 and 1867, and last season,
as much as 5000 was paid, and more than
one man who invested his capital in Red
stock last season has been
heard to saw in truth that but for the pilots
,,-,.r,..cr ~, xr-f,rlJ hava made a tolerab!e