Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-11-20

"reminiscences of a Trip to New
Orleans In 1888.
A Frenchman Incog interest
ing Incidents, etc.

A Frenchman IIicog-Interest-
ing Incidents, etc.
To tho Editors of the Union and American:
From the arrival of the first steamboat
at Nashville, in the year -, up to the
year 1888, there was very few boats OF
that kind plying between the then town
of Nashville and the city of New Orleans.
At the latter date there w9s but three that
could be denominated regular packets.
The Pacific, Tennesseean and Nashville,
all owned at Nashville, and built expressly
for the New Orleans trade, each carrying
about 5000 bales of cotton, the only COM
modify then produced by Tennessee for
the Southern market, with the exception
of corn and small quantity of bulk meat,
which were conveyed TO that market in
square built tiatboats; and, by the way,
voyage in that kind of craft, about that
date, or from 1880 to 1910, was rendered
precarious by the frequent raids made
upon them by band of outlaws that in
habited the interminable forests along the
lower Mississippi, nor were they rendered
secure until these robbers were hunted
down and caught, and taken to the river
and compelled to walk ''the plank, a pro-
cedure which rendered them entirely unfit
to prosecute their old avocation.
1t was in the spring of 1888 that d
company of gentlemen, composed of
Thos. Gowdey, Micajah Barrow, Mai.
Robt. B. Turner, DR.. d. T. McGavock,
Dixon Horton, and myself, concluded to
visit New Orleans, and the April trip of
the steamer Pacific was selected for our
departure. All of the above names will
be remembered by many of the older
citizens of the city, and all of whom, to
the best of my knowledge, have gone to
their final resi-, except the narrator. Pre-
vious to our departure, it occurred to me
that | might prepare some commodity for
the Orleans market, by which might re-
alize a suf1ciency to cOunterbalance my
expenses for the fare to New Orleans and
back, which was then just one hundred
dollars. Consequently l conceived the
idea of sacking 400 bushels of corn.
There had been none shipped from here
In sacks, and the main obstacle that pre-
sented itself was the procuring of 200
sacks. There were no gunny bags then
brought here, nor sacks of any kind, so
l concluded to purchase hemp bagging,
which was plenty and cheap, and from
Jos. w. Horton, who was then manufac-
turing it In the town, procured enough
for my purpose, and had them cut off
and distributed among my neighbors to
make up, and, with what we made at
home, coon had them ready. The present
spectators in corn would like to purchase
at the prices then demanded, to-wit:
twenty cents per bushel, delivered. The
sacks, ready made, cost me fifteen cents,
making the sack, containing two bushels
when filled, cost in. the aggregate IS cts,
and freight at 1915. per bushel, increas-
ing the delivery in New Orleans to 80
CTS. per sack. have been thus explicit,
that your readers would be able to make
their own comparisons between the trade
at that date and the present.
My corn was ready when the majestic
steamer Pacific rounded to receive it.
One could scarcely realize that she was
steamer, except by the smoke-stacks pro-
jecting up through the cotton, Tor she
was so enveloped from bow to stern that
you could scarcely see any portion of her.
My wonder was where she would stow
any more cargo; but in short while she
received the whole in her capaciOus stom-
ach and turned her head for the Crescent
City, about the 10th of April, 1888.
Having beer engaged in the delivery of
my corn, l had not had time to inspect
my travelling companions, but soon after
our departure | found the before-men-
toned gentlemen aboard, and about one
hundred Others, very few of whom were
known to me, but soon discovered, on en-
tering the cabin, that they were sporting
men, for the whole length of the cabin
was occupied by them and their parapher-
MALTA.
The boat was so crowded that it rem
dered the travelling very irksome and dis
agreeable, until we got beyond the con-
fines of the State, and descending the
Father of Waters, when our sporting
friends began to drop off at every town
until very few were left; some remained
and continued with US to New Orleans.
At that date towns and villages on the
Mississippi were few and far between.
Smilhland, at the mouth of the Cumber-
land, was an important shipping point,
but always considered point where you
could be relieved of any valuables about
your person as readily as at any other;
nor did they stand upon the method of
doing it. Paducah, at the mouth of the
Tennessee, then had barely name, but
now 8 thrifty town of fifteen thousand
inhabitants; and then in rounding 10 at
Cairo, ''the grand" if you wished to find
the hotel, you would take small boat
aud long pole and search for it. The
first inhabitants of Cairo had been so ac-
customed to Inundation they had almost
become amphibious, and might have been
seen on sunny day perched upon the
roofs of the houses like turtles on log.
l once read an editorial written by the
conductor of newspaper on the roof of
his office. They have made some i'm
provement there since then, There were
very few improvements on the river from
Cairo to Memphis. No palatial residences
nor wide, extended farms greeted the eye
of the traveller on the mighty river, but
one continued wall of cane and huge for
est trees on either side. The monotony
was broken occasionally by the sudden
plunge of an acre or two of the rich sllu-
vial into the river. leaving the tops of the
trees barrel visible; now and then huge
sawyer would elevate his threatening head
above the water, just in front of the boat,
apparently for the purpose of getting up
8 little excitement, which he generally
succeeded in accomplishing; then a deer
would be seen crossing our boat, and oc-
casionally a squad of Choctaw Indians
would appear on the bank of the river
where an opening could be found. s.
Memphis at that time was barely re-
spectacle village, located on the bluff,
just below the mouth of Wolf river, and
the battuer on which the Government
subsequently erected extensive buildings
for navy yard had just began to form,
and almost every steamer that put her
prov to the shore and remained few
hours, had trouble to Withdraw it, so
quickly was the heavy alluvial floating
through the water precipitated.
Having traversed the widest, unim-
proved aud least interesting portion of
the country escaping snags, sawyers, sand
bars and storms we approached Vicksburg,
then small village, occupying about a
hill and half and aspiring to be a mart of
supplies for densely populated interior,
but regarded as tie He'll pot of the whole
country on account Of the-dissolute habits
of majority of its inhabitants. We
rounded to and stopped short while at
the landing, to discharge some of our
live stock. 4 little incident occurred,
which gave US ocular demonstration of
the hospitality and iberality of some of
its denizens, though early in the morning,
the devotees of barley corn had been at
worship and several came staggering down
the hill The passengers from Nashville
had collected in knot on the shore con-
versing with a gentleman by the name of
Cain, formerly of Nashville. Our atten-
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