Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-03
EARLY sTEANBOATING ON THE
TENNESSEE
KNOXVILLE Chronicle.

Capt. T. A. Chapman is one of our old
| est Tennessee river steambOatmen. he
was born and raised two miles above
Knoxville, and, we believe, now lives in
Roane county. He once gave us a graphic
account of early steambOating. He was a
well-grown lad when the first steamboat
"The Enterprise up the Tennessee
and landed at the foot of Prince street IN
this city. She was owned and run by
Capt. Conner, of Cincinnati. This was
about 1923 to 1925. George Wells, who
lived three or four miles below Knoxville,
piloted her on her first trip. After leaving
| the Muscle Shoals, the boat was several
weeks in reaching Knoxville. Although
the country was thinly settled the people
collected in large numbers, at various points,
to witness the prdigy Of a boat pro-
PEELED by steam. Some even came fifteen
or twenty miles and camped out on the
river bank. Where the crowd would justi-
| fy, Capt. Conner stopped his boat and
made excursions of a few miles FOR dol
lar the round trip. This taking consider
able time, the news ran on ahead like
wildfre, and by the time the craft reached
Knoxville, several thousand people had col
lected. Old gray-haired sires brought in
their entire families, including children
and grandchildren, and the population OF
the town, which then contained about one
thousand inhabitants, turned out en- msSse.
The time was passed in feaSting and drink
| ing and grand Publication. A small how
| itzer was also obtained, and the echoes OF
the artillery were added TO the general re-
! joicing. The boat remained at Knoxville
about three weeks making excursions. The
enterprise" was a small boat, not much
! larger than the late "MeTTy Kate" and
side-wheeler. Side-wheelers were the only
| kind of boats used for several years.
The second boat on the river was the
'tKnoxville," owned by King, BeardOn &
| Co., of this city. She was large boat, and
came on about 1S29-3O. The 'Guide,"
owned by the same parties, soon followed,
| and carried about two hundred tons, being
1 one of the largest boats eve; on the river.
At that early day Chattanooga was
/ known as Ross Landing, and contained
| only one house. The rest was q thick
| cane-brake. Where the Union passenger
| depot now stands the green bTamble briars
| grew nearly'as high as the trees, and so
| thick that it was almost impossible to
| crawl through them. The place was then,
and for several yeards afterwards, consid-
| cred a swamp. We believe Chattanooga
| don't call it so now. There were at that
| time only three towns King
/ ston and Dallas-between Knoxville and
| Chattanooga. The Cherokee Indians had
| not yet been removed, and though very nu-
merOus, they never interfered with the
| boats, but, on the contrary, ran of into the
woods with frightened yell at the escape
of steam from the touch Of the gauge-cOCk.
None of the boats then had steam-whistles,
! but regulated with bells. The Jefferson"
about lS45, was the first boat to introduce
| the whistle. Other great Improvements
! have been made over the pioneer speci-
mems.
Before the day Of steamboats,, goods were
wagoned into East Tennessee by way Of
| Lynchburg from Baltimore at a cost Of
| two and three dollars per hundred pounds.
| From Decatur to Knoxville by steamboat
| the price was seventy-five cents per hun
dred weight. A railroad was built at an
early day around the Muscle Shoals from
Tuscumbia to Decatur.
Other old citizens vary somewhat from
the above rs regards the sequence Of the
boats and the dates, but not more so than
might be expected from a difference Of
memory during so long a period.
Times have greatly changed since then,
and now we have weekly visits by large
steamers. They come and 60, and are
scarcely noticed, except by those having
freight to ship. Only the other day the
"City Of Knoxville No. 2 left the wharf
with the heaviest cargo Of freight ever
shipped from this point by steamer, being
loaded down to the guDwale, and more
freight was offered, but had to be refused.
Yet all this created no excitement. We,
/ however, like to see them come and go.