Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1873-12-04

aHo bhO Vi HdIOS
Y each boat? and what such boats ma
: be purchased for? Is there
e good box covered with tar and o
!, cloth, so as to make il water tigh
t fixed in the boat, from Gallipolis [
] the first lower station. and do 70
G understand that the mail is secure
:. in the same manner from hence [
Preston's? l wish you to be pal
e tieniar in answering these question,
l and will thank you for the carries
information on the subject.
| am, respectfully, sir.
Your most obedient servant,
JOS. HABERSHAM,
General Postmaster.
General Post Office, Philadelphia, %
June, 1877.
Hildreth says in his Pioneer His
tory, page 342: "In April, 1874
with the aid and advice of Col
O'Hara. army contractor. and Maj
Isaac Craig, of Pittsburgh, !.
plan was devised of transporting
the mail in'light strong boats on the
Ohio river; and put into operation
early in the following June. These
boats were about twenty-four fee
in length, built after the model of &
whale boat, and steered with rud
der. They were manned by fvC
boatman, viz: cOxswain and four
oarsmen. The men were all armed
and their pieces kept dry in snug
boxes alongside their seats. The
whole could be covered with tarpau
lin in wet weather. which each boat
carried for that purpose For cook
ing and sleeping they generally
landed on beach at the head of an
island, where they would be less ex
posed to surprise or an attack by
the Indians In ascending, as well
as in descending, the boat was kept
nearly in the middle of the river
The distance travelled against the
current averaged about thirty miles
a day, and double that down stream.
There were four relays betwes2
Wheeling and Cincinnati. The
mail was carried by land from Pitts
burg to Wheeling The stations
whore the boats met and exchanged
their mails were Marietta, Gallipolis,
and Limestone, now Maysvillc "
Hildreth further says in the same
history, page 322: "MOns. Gubbeau.
another emigrant, young man of
great activity and fine Waterman
In company with Piero La Lance,
Mrs. Thiery's son. they transported
the mail in 1898. from Marietta to
Gallipolis in large canoe. 1t was
made by Captain Jonathan Dcvol,
[af MarIetIa f.anl The trunk nf n
wild cherry tree, and finished as
nicely as any piece of cabinet furnI
tnre. The length was forty feet,
and would carry twenty men, but
was so nicely modelled for passing
through the water, that two men
could move her with poles or paddles
as easily as any other canoe of half
the size
1t was probably this last canoe or
dugout, to which Mr.. Habersham's
letter refers
In Sept. l6. 1895, F. d'HebecOurt
married Felicite Marret. The cere-
mony was performed and the certii-
cate given by John Meehan, Justice
of the Peace. In 1899 he was in
business at Marietta, and during
that year he entertained rs his
guests the Duke of Orleans, after
wards Louis Philippe, King of
France, the Duke of Chatres, the
Duke of BeaujoIais, and their oGm-
panIon, Mons. de MOnjOie. The
noble French exiles "were wander
ing in state of great penury and
distress" The author of the sketch
| have, says: 81 have yet in my
possession mathematical problem
solved by the Duke of Orleans whilst
q guest of my grand father. One
evening when the Duke of Orleans.
of Chatres and of Beau ujolals were
seated in the front room of the log
cabin, which was my grand-father's
dwelling in Marietta, my fathers
oldest brother came in holding in
his hands and tearing into pieces the
history of the Kings of Portugal.
The Duke of Orleans recognized the
book. which he had seen lying on
table few days previous, and re-
marked to my grandmother: "That
boy of yours evinces quite young
his dislike for Kings and their hlstO
rles. He will be q firm republican
D'Hebecourt was unsuccessful in
his business at Marietta. and removed
with his family to New Madrid,
Missouri, where there were many
of his countrymen, but he met there
with no better success, and in 1902
he petitioned Don Juan Manuel de
Salcedo, the Spanish Governor Of
Louisiana, for permission to open a
school for young men IN New Or
leans. Here he lived until his death,
which was on the 22d of November,
1882. He found in the education of
youth his proper career. He be-
came renowned as a teacher, and
from all parts of the Union pupils
would be sent to him. His learning
was exact and varied, his manners
perfectly courteous and gentlemanly,
and he always inspired those who
knew him with respect and admira-
ton. "Governors Roman, Mouton,
Derbigny, Mayor Prieur, of the city
of New Orleans. and host of other
distinguished Louisianians, received
from him their entire education.
At his funeral, which was held at
his house, four miles from New Or
leans, his old pupils refused to allow
his coffin to be placed in the hearse,
and carried 1t on their shoulders to
the burial place in the city. The
sum of $4,000 was raised to erect
monument to his memory, but
- m m forfnrata daco loafson