The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-08-17
FORMER WHEELING GAYS.
A Boat Club That Was Formed
In 1S37-An Interesting Letter
from James T.. wharton.

A Boat Club That Was Formed
In lS37-An interesting Letter
from James T.. Wharton.
PoRrsMouTH, O., August IA, 1878.
Correspondence Of the Iutellsencer.
Some correspondent OF yours, a week
or two since, said the boat clubs Of
Wheeling originated with ClsrksOu an
Potter or some one else, a lew years ago.
The writer having failed in archaeological
investigations "a much as the Congress.
uional Clarkson has In still hunt on
false scent, propose to add few years
% bis extent Of information. 10 1887
Drury ]. Tallant, Daniel Lamb, james
8. Wheat, Henry P. Norris. John T.
Brown, james R. Baker, Frank Campbell,
Tom Gib.on, John Q. Eoff, J. q. Roberts,
J. E. Wharton, and perhaps some others,
formed boat club and sent to Philadel-
phla for boat, | forget the cost; but 1t
wss a round sum and beauty-some 40
feet long, 81 beam, with 10 row locks,
and light a. u cookie shell. TWAS brought
out by canal, and down from Pittsburgh.
We kept kept~it we'll locked on the
Island, where there was then but one
house-that Of D. Zane, Esq. The ordi-
nary passengers, stages, &c, were carried
across by swing ferry, which made lots
nj money: but we had skiff, and two
would go over and get the boat, leaving
the skitf until we returned. We had
many a row against time up and down
the river and around the Island, gener-
ally with parties OF ladies, sometimes
having picuics on the lower point Of
the Island, below West Wheeling, and
q up the creek. Pleasant times those.
F, Sometimes We did not return until the
full moon had passed the zenith and the
clocks, like peevish mothers, had begun
to strike the little ones. These late hours
might DO called improper now, but re-
member ladies did not think so In those
days. One evening, while out.
.'qa+ THE BOAT sPRuso LEAK
and was half full OF water before we
could get to good landing place. On
another occasion we had landed our
I ladies and part Of the crew, and going
.across fouad our skill was gone. The
d ferry had stopped and we had to return
/. IN our own boat. Capt. Tallant directed
The boat above the bows OF two steamers
that we're lying abreast at the wharf.
The current was strong anti carried us
down until our bow rested on one boat
and stern ON the other, while the big side
9 wheels Of the monster craft were turned
by the current, grooming like distressed
giants. There was momentary danger oil
our host breaking and drawing us under
the wheels. Tom Gibson wac equal to
the situation, jumped into the water up to
him armpits with our rope and soon tow
ed t,s ashore, As lie Strengthened him
self In the water Frank Campbell ex.
claimed from his fayorite Shakespeare,
"There be land rats and there be water
rata" The club was kept up until most
The members were all married and some
dead. Teere are but three or four liy.
ing now.
d" TIE WHARF AT WHEELING
Ia not now "a it FUSED to was" in those
days. There was narrow strip from
about Union street that sloped TO the
water, but from there to the creek mouth,
Ii consisted Of logs laid up sloping bacl!
little and fastened back into the ground
BY cross logs notched to hold them
These were scattered and at different
heights to suit the stage OF water. The
to,t ensemble was "unpretty" but 1t an
swered the purpose. The wharf was
, graded and paved about this time and the
., work was we'll done, having required
very little repairs for many yeare, al
though there was vast amount oil busl'
ness done on It. The checking Of the
current Of the Ohio by Wheeling creek
probably formed the island or aided in II
many ycars ago, and the island has thrown
the channel OF the river over towards the
wharf, which 10 no small advantage and
will always secure you q good landing
There are several landings on the river
, that are being gradually destroyed by the
, filling up Of the bed Of the river on that
side. f.a ' 80
- OLD MAN NEWLY.
,srI must tell another anecdote Of those
DAYS, although l believe all the parties
. 10 Il are dead except Mr.. Brady and my
. selt. Mr.. Clay was going from Washing.
a ton after an exciting session, and arrived
q nj tho Virginia Hotel, with his constant
i com panion, Hon. J. J. Crittenden. At
about s o'clock In the evening an I'm.
promptu meeting was held in the reading
room, and u committee Of ten appointed
70 invite them to public dinner the next
day. Mr.. Brady and Geo. W. Wilson,
" called Wash, for short, were on the COM
mittee which retired to the NJ. q NJ. Bank
10 write the letter and discuss other mat
tsrs. We returned near 10 o'clock with
the letter duly prepared, but MIR. Clay
had retired to his virtuous couch. There
+, was quaudary, Mr.. BetlEhoover said he
must know that night il he had the din
ner to prepare the next day. No member
. Of the committee would go 10 Mr.. Clay's
room. Things were getting serious, when
Nj. ]. L. Newby, an old bachelor Viz
Rinian, who was an ardent Wing, and
wished his name printed In every case,
and who was not on the committee, re-
lisyed us by offering 10 take II. 10 hall
an hour he returned with 4 written re-.
spouse, which Mr.. N. said Mr.. Clay had
cheeriully wrote In his night gear. The
next morning at breakfast Mr.. Tallant
called TO know what position Mr.. Newly
held on the committee. Ireplied "Cham.
bermaid." Newly was not at the table,
I believe; but he wrote out the pro-
ceedings for the next days paper
putting his own name third on the
committee. Brady and Wilson came In
the office, looked at the proceedings, and
Wilson, without being seen by either Of
rs, put 10. NJ" after Newbys name. The
next day Newly came to the office
foaming, to know who put the letters
there. | showed him that II was Accord
Ing to copy, and asked II it did not stand
for Chalrman7 mo, II II had been, his
name would have been Grst." Thought
modss.y might have made him sign It be.
low. No, either Brady or Wilson did Il.
30 went 70 Mr.. Brady, called him from
consultation with some Of the directors.
Mr.. Brady was at first very polite, but
finally told him to 60 about his business
.--he did not do It. He then went TO vii.