The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-02-11
WhesIins's Steamboat Interest.
Rise and Progress Of Our River Trade
1.-The Various Lines Of the PaSt
and Present,

| 'AASep AAhVu VI INC Eub
and Present.
Especially written for the IntelliROaesr.l
In the full tide Of prosperity we ar
prone to forget the day Of small thing
and to look upon the present as though
had always existed thus. Yet nothiuI
is more pleasant or profitable to the in
quiring mind than to revert 10 the earl
days Of any prominent interest, and from
Its little beginnings TO trace its varying
fortunes in its growth 10 Its present pro.
portions. These thoughts suggested them
selves to US one day as we occupied posi-
ton in front Of Booth, Battelle &Co.'s boa
store, looking at the boats which we are
proud to claim as Wheelings own, and
we resolved that an article on the steam
boat interest Of Wheeling would be inter-
esting, even TO the men who have spent
many years and untold amounts Of money
In building 1t up, as well as profitable to
those who, like ourselves, have little idea
Of the time and cost at which our present
prosperous steamboat interest has been
secured. We looked about US for man
whose head contained all that we desired
to know, and from whom we could get
the facts necessary for our contempt ated
article. We found a gentleman whose
connection with this interest from his
youth up was guarantee for his knoWl.
edge, and whose well known and obllp-
ing disposition warranted US In tresspass.
ing upon his time sufficiently TO acquire
the much desired and necessary informs.
tion. Our conversation with him soon
opened our eyes TO q very large mistake,
which wetind not only ourselves, but 9th.
ers, who have not lived thousand years,
have been lSboring under. We have be.
come so used to hearing comparisons
made BY the elders Of the city between the
new and splendid boats now brought ont
and those Of the "Union Line" that we
had come to think that said line, although
q failure as to It's original purpose, was
nevertheless the beginning Of what might
be called the exclusive steamboat interest
OF Wheeling. We found, however, that
its origin had no such magnificent paren-
tage; that 1t was not ushered In with any
such flourish OF trumpets, but ante.dated
that time some years. We shall, however,
first speak Of
THE UNION LINE.
This, in its day, magnificent line of
steamers originated in the spring of 1858,
with the opening of the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. In fact, II
was the prospective freight and travel OF
this road, which was to find the terminus
Of railroad transportation west and south
In Wheeling, that originated the company
which built the line. The company was
composed of the shrewdest financiers and
most substantial business men oil the city
In that day, among whom were Capt.
John List, Capt. John M'Lure, Capt. Sam.
Mason, ]. G. Acheson, Jacob Shriver, ",
w. Shriver, and James R. Baker, with
Thos. Sweeney as President of the com.
pany.
There were seven boats in the line
built expressly for the trade and travel
which t'aS to be furnished by the BRlti-
more & Ohio road. The names Of the
boats were the Falls City, Virginia, Tom
Scan, A!UIn adams, Baltimore, Ddvid
White and City Of Wheeling. These boats
were built at IN average cost of sixty
thousand dollars each.
Many Improvements In the machinery
OF boats have been made since the days Of
the Union Line, but we are safe in sayinp
that in size and equipment no such mag
nitiicent line Of steamers was ever owned
OF run on the waters Of the upper Ohio.
We are also safe in saying that no other
company OF gentlemen comprising an IN.
usual amount Of sound business intelli-
gence and financial capacity, ever had
theiS eyes so completely sanded as did this
one by the representations Of Mr.. Thomas
Swan, the then President Of the Baltimore
q Ohio Railroad. That gentleman him
self seemed, however, to have been as
much as they the victim of his own san.
guine expectations, as on the occasion Of
an ovation given him on board the boat
named Tor him, and one Of the largest of
the line, in reply to question Of Captain
John List as to the carrying capacity OF
the boat, he Is represented 10 have an
swered that If the B. & o. road did NOT
furnish freight and passengers for two
such boats per day, he would regard the
road as q failure. Upon such "great ex-
pectadons" were figured up massive for
tunes, to be accumulated In o very few
years, for every member of the Company
In spite Of the fact that there was an
opposition line running from Pittsburgh
not to be compared, however, in point
of equipment with the Wheeling line)
and the fare only six dollars from Wheel.
ng TO Louisville, the lower terminus Of
he line, It was nevertheless figured up
hat without single passenger or a pound
II freight on the up trip. the company
,ould not fail to realize very large per
;entage on their lcapital. Professional
looks, with whom the culinary depart.
nent Of steamboats, was q science, were
procured from southern steamers, and had
icense to purchase without stint all the
lelicacies Of every cline and season:
3ripng chickens, not otlarger than partridges,
we're bought OF three doIlara per dozen,
md It Is related that certain well known
uggler who, with his wife, was q passen.
ger on one Of the up trips, at one meal,
quiely deposited nine Of them, while his
Amlaole better half made similar deposit
y ~ nye, without apparent detriment to
me general health Of either.
In short, that line oI steamers was built
and run with q reckless regard Of cost
which utterly astonishes at ihis day me he
very men who were most prominentlv.
with the enterprise.
Time, which. as the prove,b poes
proves all things, was not long in subject.
ing to the crucible OF experience the infiS.
led theories which were the stocks unon
which that line Of gigantic steamers Was
built II was soon found that boats were
running at o loss, and some Of the oripi-
nal stockholders sold out OF some loss, yet