, 1870-07-03
GREAT STEAMBOAT RACE.
The Stnrt from EcS| Orleans 1na-
n1cnAc Excittfncnt.
S,e O,ltans Jun< su> De*fufrh to the St. Lo"is r.

N.e D1ltans tJuM< 9U) L<*f,frh to the II. Lo"s r.
publieaH.
This afternoon. the appointed time for the
departure OF the steamboats, l. E.. Lee
and Natchcz, the 1eyeo in tho slcinl-
,y where shose boats lay was denseiy blocked
with masses Of people. viewing ~ best thay
could the preparations for tho race.
strong breeze prevailed from the south
into the facen OF the people. The excitement
ran very high as the timo passed and the c2-
rected hnur OF leaving approached.
About o'cotI, tie LaFourche packet Hen
yla,c, with tine tsass band on board and
her guards crammed with people, steamed out
into the stream for M excursion twcnty miles
up the coast, anufding passengers, Tor dol
lar head, 4 chance TO see the racers uutter
full healway. All The spare boats in por,, in
fact, have gone up With great thtungs on
board.
While the multitude wero waiting on shore,
preparations were going I'LL qniesly and almost
noieclersly on board b,tll steamers, Captain
Cannon, Of the Lee, seemed in excellent spirits
ard evidently very confident. emitting nothing
calculated toincteafe the speed Ct his boat- He
first engineer and pilot Who both aprearetl to
realize that much was expected Of them. Cap
tain Leathers, Of the Satchcz, looked the tn
umrhan; veteran Ill over. Some Of Ills friends
think he has been altogether too confident,
while otEcrs say that no one knows what lie
are about fuel, landings, &c.
Tho Lee 10 certainly III come respects in bet
| ter trim than the NateAcz- Neither takes any
freight except pine knota. Willie tits given
| tween here and Cairo, it is declared that the
| Lee ~ill 60 through without touching shore.
| getting her fuel frum steamers under way.
! The Lee ID thsco years oldcs than tho Nat
! cLGz. Her light i@ilrFs aro very large, aud
her ry.l:err forty inches in isiaraetcr, hare
ts1.fuot stroke, driving wheels Of tllrty-eis1.t
feet diameter. while the Satehezs whrels are
| foIty-ttrce feet. diameter Of cylinder thirty
four inches, and tesl-foot stroke. The Natciiex
il more than seven feet longer than tl,, Lee.
l The latter. ho~ ever. Aas a greater breadth Of
te4r by ii u1l, three feet.
| No such excitement has exist ed 10 New Or
leans for long t'tno III tho prospect Of this
f2eo has ctcated. Money ia piled up s'n:oa,l-
: taina Eisl at Hawkins club room, aud every
man and bog in the streets talks Of lhlliug
hut the contest between the two boats. The
Lee il the favorite at short odds on account Of
Icing better prepared, but Captain Lcathers
can. il necessary, improve the condition Of the
Satclez on the, run. The f1io1,tls Of cach
steamer are juLilant, aud nwalt the time ul
three dinncto Oil board to decide which is
t}ctsest.
1he scene at Canal street when tho boats
pushed out was exciting beyond description.
My hand trembles writing this Dispatch from
the nervousness il t'roluce1. Tha czowl SWAY
cd aud s~csted, stEainilts necks AMI opening
wide their eyes. The pilots wero aloft some
time before the departure. Engineers below
find new places for oil. The hoasse VOICES Of
the mates were ueiluWed somewhat in giving
orders to the crews, III tho furnaces the fires
cracked and runlble.i. and from the chimney
tops rolled dense vatumes Of black snoke- Tie
| Nlcels dashed and clattercd in the water like
The hoofs Of horses impatient, to be Oft. On
the hurricane tltchs paced the anxious Ca},-
ta1tts. neither u whom conid now c1,ncea! \
ePire of that e1citemlut which wa, visible
esery"lse1e asherc. There wss NOR, nervous
ncss showu aboard Of the Lee than on tho
Aatchex. The taps of tho bell, that indicated
chg Was atunt 10 cut loose, were followed by
s~ift nosen'tnts Oh the part OF tile negro
deck hnntlt. The fasteuings were quickly un-
loosed, The pilot s1okc through tls trumpet to
tie engineer, Tiers way n jingIing Of bells, the
great wheels rc.0lyetl, aud, At precisely two
minutes hefure s o'clock, the steamer 4. E.
Lee started on her Journey, amidst the most
dsafe'ihg aud prolonged cheering ever heard
Scarcely WAS the Leo fairly in tie stream be-
fore another rlout rent the air, and LOOK -
"look tllcre!" uaa heard on al eides, aud
every eye Vac directed to wllete the S.tclcx,
tie moyemt ut- on boar1 Of which had been
tiuictsr, wa gliding from her dock. Now,
again. Arose s.Sifero,1s, tremendous. tllunder-
o's- llau1ts in which it seemed that every
,eict in the whole vast multitude ioiuetl, aad
it uas not fUr some nlomeAts that the luv7all-
ing ceased.
The progress Of the loats was watcllol as
I,ng at thu racers could liz seen. ard then. The
t1unEs tn the lcvee gradually dispersed. a1sd
; formed knot- upon tllu sidewalks Md streets
} to di-tuss tie event OF the Jag.
sEtoSl, nL%TA1tH.
Since the departure Of the boats tue betting
has letu more even, tho Satcl,cz coming Mi
rapidly in favor. This evening the interest il
intense, AMI The sa1oone atni public places arc
| full Of people. At the st. Charles aud st
| At INN Il Ha1rt
aud uLhcr club Io0n-, the Ituy1s..' utlicn, atlt
Ut!,tE cons cuuus rert'rte. the ihronEs arc i'm
n.lsc. = lrge czosd it now $ o'rlock) At the
lesee awaiting the return OF the Henry Tate
{ and Ike utf,rr hnatd which went up tho river
0 | to L1,,w which, OF the RACING steamer4 Wal
a | altah al the twenty -Ialle point
! Wages arr ssill lively. Men who were bet
4 ting -1GU to 81; this morning on the Lee arr
} On the time of the two boats to dideren
! places. 4 large number are fpr an3 AEains
the Lee beating the time Of the Princess II
Sa3cslez lu 1876.
: tIlis time WAS II hours and 30 ninutes.-
:. En-. Arp-
: Many tets are that the Natclez will not sc
I to Cairo inside Ct three days and six houTs
9 thas the Lee Mil make the hest time .o an
i given point over ;he time Of the Satchez, etc
c Dispatcher from Satchez aud Iick=bur
: morrow evening.
9 At the star, the Lee was three n,inute
r ahead At Carrolton, 3:45 ahead. NJ the nius
!, teen miles point. 4:i5 ahead.
4 s.s Orleans sJnnt SCI Di.pa,eh 10 .!st II. Lnu
q Ut7noe4ai.
r From one to two hundred thousand doIlal
deEelta On The result. Al least two theusau
|, e1curtionlsts started early on The steamer
e William $ Pike, Henry Tate, MayAower, sr
7 towtuat Mary Alice. to await the coming
9 the champion steamers.
u Thousands conEreg2ttd on the 1evees,
= | various points, and other thous>tlds wisnesss
u tue departure from the landing hero.
I, Gty:Eatr W=.mDath, who had returned te
q nainu.vn s'esose from she State Eniverei
Is | cuMneles mtnk, at BatOt Rouge, Joined
the excitement, and took passage On the lie
;. to leave her At Nstchez.
,, The Lee backed ont At four uinutes past
- - md the Natelsez foEE Minutea later Qpro4i
c@ Market street, 4 taiie shove the canal, tue Ii
70 was exactly four minutes ahead. Up5osi
u Cartollson the Lee had gained slightly. II
y speed vAs very tEen the drrt twenty miles, II
= when they passed the steamer May Alice Il
l5 Lee wa+ four and half minutes alea1. tho,c
q 1he Satchez gained eight seconds on the L
r between Two po,nss II observation from II
u ALICE. This gain BY the Satchtx excited r
4" pewed confidence IN her, and the odds we're
- - Der favor on the Nasr Alice. Five miles 4bot
- - The 1sst poins passing steamer ealcuIsst
- I about four nalnE:es difference t~etween Il
70 Lee and Satchcz, Both rteamers were stu!
~ ped for the race and carried all tse fuel the
y could stow.
10 ffu1n IL. St Louis Dt7aorre'. luty l.
~ The Lee, it "a understood. I'll come on thzoue
70 sa:s lsst IA the ssss'nps % osa.f ,bs e .ms
4. Eliot Enoth King i. engaged to 60 down
IN taifo 10 bring the Lee up from there. Jaunt
C. uor,sn r1ll probably be his partner. It is n
'e. nr,tabt. :l,at either boat wil he able to nal
OF her bes. tine from Cairo to this port. as th
IL are E.it to draw At the stern from feet
an fpat fpht- HhkaFar ha ~1,1 ry,