The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-05-04
Travellers, Register.
Rscollecttons OF an Old wheeling
Firm The Steamer Virginia.
Redick Mckee.
CINoINNATI, April %, 1874.

CINCINNATI, April %, 1874.
To the Rditor Of the Commercial.
have been reading with much inter,
est in last Saturdays Gazette, q bit o
steamboat history copied from the 81
Paul Press, in which the name of thu
steamboat Virginia figured prominently
and as every authentic item OF early
steamboat history is worth preserving
allow me, if you please, to add my mite
The steamboat Virginia was built and
owned BY the mercantile firm OF Knox
& Mckee (Oharles D. Kox and Redick
Mckee,, Of Wheeling, Virginia. Her
hull was built at Wheeling by Scotch
man named George White, and her en-
glnes by James Benny, subsequently, OF
OF the engine building firm OF Benny s.
Warden, Of Pittsburgh. She was flu-
ished in the winter Of $1,000; WAS a
sternwheeler, with cabin on the lower
deck, and the upper works, not even a
pilot house. She was steered by tiller
In the hands oil the pilot, the same as are
canal boats at tho present time. She was
1lS feet long and twenty-five feet beam
and drew six feet when moderately
loaded.
On the trip referred 10 in the Gazstte,
when she went pioneering in the Upper
Mississippi, in May, 1928, she was COM
manded by Captain William Crawford;
pilot John Nesbitt, and was under charter
70 Robert PEBBLES and John Mckee, oil
Pittsburgh, contractors 10 furnish Gov
eminent stores at Fort Crawford, now
Prairie du Chen.
The Virginia was the second steamboat
built at Wheeling (he first was the
Washington, and she was among the first
to navigate by steam the Northwestern
rivers. One Of her original owners, Col.
Redic Mckee, is still living. He is pass.
ing the closing years Of long and event
full lie In the city Of Washington, engaged
In . business not unlike in many respects
that Of steamboating in the present day
HeisproseCuiing various Southern claims
against the United States, a business full
OF delusive hopes and sad disappoint-
ments, but win or lose" he has the con-
ISOLATION oil having done his "level besn in
all his undertakings. But am diverging.
Many interesting Incidents OF the voyage
Of the Virginia In May, 1898, when she
wentto demonstrate the feasibility OF nav.
igating by steam the Mississippi river
from st. Louis to It's junction with the
Minnesota fort Smelling are related by
passenger on that memorable trip. Here
allow mo 10 quote from an eye witness
After the steamer had passed the
mouth Of the Upper Iowa q grand Il.
Illumination greeted tho great fire canoe
as 1t glided along the confines Of Mime
sofa It was perfectly dark, and we saw
Of q great distance all tho combined i'm
ages Of the Internal regions in full periec.
ton. was on the point OF exclaiming
with Michael Angelo; How terrible, but
yet how fair ,-..,
Great Eagle Sank chief, who was
then returning to his village from q con.
ference with Governor Clark, was one
among other iluslrious passengers on
the Virginia, and Tor the time being q
companion Of Count Beltrami, q political
refugee from Italy; and to make up the
assortment, q lamily Of omigrants from
Kentucky, with children, guns, chests,
cats, dogs and chickens, ali so necessary
to help along the settlement at GalenS,
which was then the extreme frontier. Al
Dubuque the Indians still held possession
Of the mines, and guarded them Iealously
from the white intruders. H. ~ :
Now let some competent pen among
stesmboatmsn draw a truthful picture Of
steamers and steam boating on the Upper
Mississippi to-day, and we can realize
the progress madein half century. But
lot him not attempt to look very far into
the future, or | fear he will be forced to
write "othello's occupation's gone"
OH MAN.