Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-06-19
The Danbury Man on the Misslssip-
nj

Ae,0S mas gone on journey west
and here is his description of til
Father OF Waters and steamboatin,
thereon
At Quincy 1 got my first view o
the Mississippi river. believ
there is not an American but ha
some sort Of an idea what the Miss.
issippi river looks like, and has
vague impression that some time Of
other before he dies he will be per-
mitted to see it. The Mississippi
what word it is to chew ink,
an institution by itself. 1t is full O.
associations both tragical and com
lc, and it is also full of mud. 1t has
no banks to speak Of Ii is full Of
bars, and has narrow and very un
certain channel. These are matters
we all hear at school, and see repeat
ed in the papers, but we don't rca-
lie them until we get on the river
itself.
The steamboats, are fiat bottomed
and many of them carry the wheel
at the stern. think it is the stern.
1t is that part Of the boat where, if
It was house, the slops would be
thrown. The wheel is a cumber-
some looking article, and TO the cas-
ual observer the boat appears to
have just climbed over it. | would
give you a picture of the two were
| not engaged in painting a view of
the Rocky Mountains at sunrise.
The river is much broader at this
point than | expected to see it, but
we cannot always have things our
own way in this world. The chan
mel is about three feet deep opposite
this place | don't know the exact
width of the river, but there is no
doubt that the water is as thick as
it is broad! The traveller should
turn it over with his foot and so
look at both sides Of it. All was
hustle at the dock when 1 got there.
The boat was taking on its freight,
and about thirty lively negroes and
one very excited and awfully pro-
fame white man was doing the bust
nees. That white man was a study.
lie was the mate of the vessel, and
what he.didn't know about rhetoric
could be held on the point of knife
blade by nervous man. The thir-
ty negroeslhad all they could well
attend to to keep up with his new
oaths, and roll on the casks. With
out any cessation they bobbed from
the boat to the shore, and from the
shore back to the boat, and all the
while that Mississippi elocutionist
danced around and swore. When
got on the boat | sat down on nv
baggage and watched that man.
Being a resident of New England
L thought | knew something of
but I was mistaken
The negroes were uniformly dressed
in pants, shirt and hat. Some of the
hats were ornamented with different
colored ribbons others again con-
tanned but simple brass pIate-the
trademark of retired fruit can.
Beauty unadorned is adorned the
most. They were driven like sheep,
first to the shore, then back to the
boat. The least hesitation, the slight
est misstep, was noted by tho orator
and promptly incorporated into his
discourse. lie couldn't have been
more familiar were they his own
fathers, which it is not likely they
were.
After getting through at the dock
the boat moved up to the coal yard.
The coal was brought on board in
boxes with handles at each end.
Each box contained p bushels, and
was carried by two men. Six hun
dred bushels were thus taken out.
The same amount OF hustle and We
hemonce occurred In this transaction.
The men sweat like April, and APP
pared to be ready to drop at every
trip, but the mate hurled tonics at
them and kept them up. When his
throat got tired he used his boot.
and used it in that wholc-soled way
peculiar to the Mississippi boat men.
The negroes received 81 day and |
their victuals. | should think they
would go to some city and get into
D store.
Through the courtesy of the clerk
helped to occupy the pilot house,
and in this lofty perch got a splendid
view of the river and the climbers.
The shores are fat and covered with
forests. There was a boat ahead of
US which the captain was bound to
Dvertake. The pilot didn't believe
it could be done, because the boilers
on our boat were old and weak, and
could not possibly stand the pressure
This made me sick to the stomach,
and so | climbed down out of the pi-
lot house, and Immediately placed
between me and those boilers all the
territory | could get together
Shortly we came to cleared place
on the west shore, in the middle of
which stood single house, the last
survivor of Marion City. 1t was
the ground work for city, and new
er did city look fairer on paper.
People came there and built places,
and soon after the water in the river
overlooked that point, and the inhab-
itants got up and busted. No, not
busted, exactly but they got up.
They said they weren't naturally
advocates of irrigation.
Only this house | speak OF now
stands to mark the ruins of the city.
Where the former inhabitants now
are | cannot tell. | have not sworn to
keep their whereabouts secret, but
it is understood, of course, that L am
not to speak of it, and with a gen.
tleman this is sufficient. But not
with lady.
There was no dock at Hannibal.
There are very few docks along the
Mississippi. The boats are so con-
structed as to run close up to the
shore, and even upon the shore, and
over q fence if necessary. This