Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-01-10
STEAMBOATS, AND THE MIsSIS.
SIPPI.
what Charles Dickens Thought OF
the Big muddy, an Ohio River
Steamer, Cairo and sunsets.

In 1912 Charles Dickens paid a visit
TO this country and came West as far as
St. Louis. From Pittsburg he travelled
by boat, the Messenger, which he des-
cribes in bis American Notes as follows:
In the first place it had no mast, cord
age, tackle or rigging. or other such boat
like gear; nor had it anything in its
shape at all calculated to remind one of
a boats head, stern, sides or keel. Ex-
cept that it was 10 the water and dis.
played a couple of paddle-boxes, it
might be intended for anything that ap-
peared 10 the contrary to perform some
unknown service, high and dry upon a
m%ountsin-top. There is no visible deck
even-nothing but a long, black, ugly
roof covered with burned-out feathery
sparks, above which tower two iron
chimneys, and a hoarse escape-valve,
and a glass steersge-house. Then in
order, IS the eye descends toward the
water, are the sides and doors and win
dows Of staterooms, jumbled as oddly to-
gether as though they formed a small
street built by the varied tastes Of a
dozen men; the whole is supported op
beams and pillars resting on a H''''
barge, but q few inches above the Aaser 8
edge, and in the narrow space between
this open structure and the barge's deck
are the furnace.fres aud machinery,
open at the sides to every wind that
blows and every storm Of rain it drives
aleng its path. Passing one of these
boats at night and seeing the great body
OF FIRE exposed, as | have just
described, that RACES and wars be-
meath the frsil pile Of painted
wood, the machinery not warded of
or guarded in any way, but doing its
work in the midst Of a crowd Of idlers
who throng the lower deck; under the
management too of reckless men whose
acquaintance with its mysteries may
have been Of elk months standing, one
feels doubly that the wonder is not that
there should be 90 many fatal accidents,
bat that aRy journey should be safely
made. Within there is one long narrow
cabin, the whole length Of the boat, from
which the state-roomS open on both
sides. A small portion Of it at the stern
ia partitioned of for the ladies, and the
bar is at the opposite extreme. There
Is 8 long table down the center aud at
either end a stove.
The above is q tolerable accurate pho
tegraph Of a Western steamer, but listen
to his neers at the great Father of Wa.
ters;
At the junction Of the two rivers, on
ground so fat hat at certain seasons Of
the year it is inundated to the housetops,
lies q breeding place Of fever, ague and
death, a hot bed Of disease, an ugly
sepulchre, q grave unchanged by any
CLEAN of promise, a place without one
single quality, in earth, or air, or water,
to commend it. Such is this dismal
Cairo, with the hateful Mississippi cir.
cling and eddying before it and turning
of upon its southern course, a Shiny
monster hideous to behold. But what
words shall describe the Mississippi,
great father Of rivers who (praise be to
heaven has no young children like him.
Ap enormous ditch, sometimes two OF
three miles wide, running liquid mud,
six miles an hour, its strength and frothy
current choked and obstructed every.
where by huge logs and whole forest
trees Dickens must have struck a rise
in April, now twining themselves to.
gether in great RATS, from the interstices
Of which a surgy, lazy foam works up,
to ioat upon the water top, now rolling
past like monstrous bodies, their tangled
roots twiniDg like matted hair, now
glancing singly by like giant leeches,
and now writhing round and round 10
the vortex Of some small whirlpool like
wounded snakes. The banks low and
trees dwarish, the marshes swaruing
with frogs, the wretched cabins feWpend
tar apart, their inmates hollow-cheeked
aud pale, the weather very hot, mos
quitoes penetrating into every crack and
%crevics of the boat, mud and slime on
everything, nothing pleasant in its as.
pect but the harmless lightning, which
fuckers every night upon the dark hori
zon. For two days we toiled up this fouI
stream, striking constantly against float
ing timbers, or stopping to avoid those
more dangerous obstacles, the snags OF
sawyers, which are hidden trunks OF treel
that have their roots below the tide.
The above is a very eloquent descrip
ton Of the weird but great Mississippi
when it is on the rampage, roaring on
ward to the sea. The following bit O.
scenic description is worthy Of notice:
The decline Of day here was very gor.
geous, tinging the armament deeply with
red aud gold, up to theivery keystone Of
the arch above US. AS the sun went
down behind the bank, the slightest
blades Of grass upon it seemed to be
come as distinctly yisible as the arteries
in the skeleton Of a leaf, and when, 40 ii
slowly sank, the red and golden BARI
upon the water grew DINNER, and dim.
mer yet, as il they we're sinking too, and
all the glowing colors Of departing day
paled, inch by inch, before the somber
night, the scene became q thousand
times more lonesome and more dreary
than before, and all its influence dark
ened with the sky.
OF Mississippi river water as a beyer
age, he gives the following unprejudicet
opinioal
We drank the muddy waters Of thil
river when we we're upon it. 1t is con
sidered wholesome by the natives, and i
something more Opaque than Cruel.
have seen water like it al the Filter shops
but nowhere else. trust to see the Mis-
sissippi never more, saving in trouble,
|, dreams and nightmares.
Gas Pipes, Pumps,