The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-09-18
THE YELLOWSTONE.
A Steamboat Trip on an Une1pIored
River.
From the New York Tribune. ]


River.
From the New York Tribunel
1t seems not little singular, and
perhaps reflects somewhat on American
enterprise, that one of our largest and
most beautiful rivers, nearly three hun
dred miles long, and navigable for two
hundred mil from it's mouth, should
remain entirely unexplored by large
steamers until the year 1873. 1t is
seventy years since Lewis and Clark ex-
plored the Missouri to the Rocky noun
tains, and returned by way of the Yel-
lowstone, sailing in small boats from its
head waters to its mouth at the Mis-
souri,. Since that time hundreds of
steamers, i'll going up the Missouri, have
passed the mouth of the Yellowstone,
but none of them have ventured 10 turn
their prows up the river until this
spring. The fact that there are no set
Elements TN its banks except the camps
of hostile Indians, and its supposed un.
fitness for navigation, which had come
to be accepted as Il fact, no doubt
deferred Missouri captains from risk
ing their boats in its waters. 1t is
strange, however, that the government
itself did not undertake to settle the
fact of its navigability until this spring,
when Gen'l Forsyth, under Gen1 Sherl-
dams direction, made Il successful ut.
tempt to ascend.
FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH
FOR A STEAMBOAT.
Sailing up the river, as | now am, on
the very boat that first made the trip,
to all appearances we are navigating a
river as large as the Ohio, and greatly
resembling that stream i'll its flow and
aspect between Pittsburg and Wheeling.
II is difficult to realize that this is only
the second trip of steamboat on this
river. Finding that the engineers had
two days work to do on the river above
our camp, in which it would be neces-
sary to take the Key West, l gladly
availed myself of the opportunity to see
twenty-five miles of the river above a
point one hundred and thirty miles from
its mouth. The Key West, which has
made this river-trip SO successfully, is
one of the largest boats Of the Missouri,
measuring two hundred feet in length
and thirty-three feet in breadth. Like
all western river steamers, she is of
light draft, drawing only two feet, and
has a stern wheel. Captain Marsh, her
commander, is an experienced naviga-
tor, and has turned this new venture
into considerable profit. Five hundred
dollars day in government employ for
every day he remains in the Yellow
stone, whether active or idle, is no mean
compensation. Thirty days on this river
in the service of this expedition makes a
profit of fifteen thousand dollars-a
profit which, considering the risk, is
rather large, nearly large enough to pay
for his boat. Compensation at half of
this enormous rate would not have been
illiberal on one side or Improbable on
the other. Who had the honor of max
ing this bargain L do not know, nor
what exigency of the service or risk of
the steamer required it. The boat had
sufficient guard to protect it against
Indians. The practicability of naviga-
tion was assured by the previous trip.
The novelty of being the first boat to
carry freight up the river seems hardly
to require this immense insurance, since
the actual insurance on the boat was not
Cancelled or impaired by the bargain.
SCENES ALONG THE RIVER.
From measurements made by Genl
Rosser, it is found that the average
width of the Yellowstone is one thou
sand two hundred feet its rate about
six miles an hour. 1t is seven hundred
feet above the Missouri at Bismarck.
1t has fall of about two feet to the
mile, which gives it its r"pid current
Imagine steamboat sailing on river
nine times rs bioh as Trinity steeple,
and you have our height above New
York bay--about two thousand three
hundred feet. The average depth at
this point is about three and half feet.
Our boat proceeded up the river with
out much difficulty, though it is hard
tug'against, the current. Four miles an
hour against the stream is the maximum
speed. With the current we can make
sixteen to eighteen miles.