Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-05-21
wolf River ana surroundinrs.


d Wolf River aud SURROUNDINGS.
I The arrival Of a full-rigged vessel
above the mouth of Wolf river induced
our reporter to visit the craft last even
ing. Reaching Wolf River, Commodore
Porter, of the yacht squadron, conveyed
the reporter across Wolf, the modern
Styx, after the manner of Charon, the
tabled oarsman OF the ancients. On
that side of the sluggish stream the over
flow has subsidized, leaving the aquatic
inhabitants high and dry. Few people
in Memphis know anything Of this local
ity. 1t is inhabited by coal-boatmen,
wreckers, drifthunters and fishermen,
and contains probably two hundred
souls-women, children and goats pre-
dominate. Here the houses are built on
piles and stand six feet above the
ground, SO as TO be far above the over
flows which take place at least four times
year. Not only the houses, but the
chicken-coops, dog kennels and goat
huts are placed on piles. One house is
constructed of part of steamboat
cabin, which suggests the idea that it
had been lifted from the hull and the
latter permitted to drift down stream,
leaving the cabin as last resort for the
passengers Coal barges, wood boats,
trading fats and skiffs abound in this
neighborhood. Bb1t fFt rr
George Wilson, an accommodating
owner of pleasure skiffs, conveyed Mr..
Porter and our reporter to the side Of
the " Sweeper Of Chicago" for such was
the name of the schooner. Hailing her,
an Irishman answered in true nautical
style, and invited all aboard. Reaching
the main deck, our representative dis
covered that she was full-rigged. Her
spars had been taken down, but her can
vas lay unreefed on the booms and bow
spirit. The skipper, Mrs. Maloney, in
formed our representative that her hus-
band, John Maloney had purchased the
Sweeper y at the port of Detroit, Mich,
last fall. The vessel is of forty-four
tons measurement, and capable of car
rying about three hundred tons of freight
She left Lake Michigan last November,
but was ice bound for several weeks in
Green Bay, Wisconsin. Getting clear
of ice they aoated into Fox river,
thence by the canal into Wisconsin
river at Portland City, and through
said river into the Mississippi, six
hundred, miles above st. Louis.
In the Mississippi the floating ice de-
tanned them for several weeks. Two
weeks ago they passed St. Louis, and on
last Saturday reached Memphis, having
sailed one hundred and fifty miles on
that day. The female skipper added
that.the vessel was intended for the gulf
coast trade below New Orleans. The
crew consists of skipper Mrs. Maloney,
her husband and two sea.faring men.
The owners would like to secure a cargo
for New Orleans before she shipsanchor.
Another strange craft in these waters
lisa sidewheel hand-power boat, owned by
Messrs. Burch 4 Holden, of Cincinnati,
and intended for the cotton trade in the
upper St. Francis and its tributaries.
The Whoop Up" is the name of this
craft, and she can tote two hundred bales
of cotton over eight inches of water.
Our reporter found these nautical people
good-natured and accommodating, ready
at all times to aid the press-gang in the
pursuit of information. To those in
search of out of-the-way and odd excur-
sious our reporter recommends skiA-
riding among the coal barges and along
the Wolf river coast, where children,
dogs and goats gambol on the decks of
boats and on RATS, needless of the dan
gers that surround them.