The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1878-11-14
For the Eagle.
NAVIGATION OF THE ARKANSAS RIVER
A Letter from Practical St.s1ssst Ma.
LITTLE Rock, Nov. 5, 1873.

LITTLE Rock, Nov. 5, 1873.
EDITOR EAGLE Il wish to correct
an error that it seems made in q let
ter written by me TO Thos. o. Hoss, Of
your county, dated, Little Rock, Ark
ansas, September IS. and published in
your issue Of October sd, 1873.
IL speaking Of a suitable boat for
the upper Arkansas river, the letter,
Is published, says: give hundred
dollars will build one" II should have
been five thousand d.llars. As the
letter was not intended for publica-
ton presume made the mistake as
it was written in some haste.
While on the subject should like to
make few remarks:
In 1866 l was Superintendent Of the
Little Rock and Fort Smith Packet
Company. We had q Government
contract to transport all Government
supplies from Little Rock to Fort
Smith aud Fort Gibson, and to carry
out that contract We had two boats
built, the steamers Fort Smith aud
Van Buren,. The Fort Smith was 128
feet long, "a feet wide, 8 feet and s i'm
chcs depth Of hold no main deck ex-
ccpt under her boilers and engines
was what is called open hold. She had
a hat boat bow, and gunnel sides, and
oak bottom, two-and-a-h half inch plank
forward aud one-and-a-haif inch aft.
Her power was: two boilers, thirty
six inches in diameter, twenty feet |
long, with two fiucs in each two CYL |
indcrs, ten inches in diameter, with |
three aud half feet stroke of piston.
Her draft Of water, when lighu, was
nine inches aft and five inches for
ward would measure 1875 tons, aud
carry SO tons OK fifteen inches Of water.
She run we'll and handled well, end
could tow 3 fat boat near as large as
herself with but little trouble. Orig
inal cost at that time, 1866, $l4, 900.
4 uC Y Oh DutCu WINS AcV lCCt SOuS, ~
feet wide, three and-a-half feet depth
IF hold model bow, plank sides aud
bottom, with a regular framc-what
is called framed boat. Her power
was: two boilers thirty-six inches in
twenty-five feet long, with
wo Hues each. Her cylinders [two)
we're ten inches in diameter, and
hree and-a-half feet stroke Of piston
Her draft Of water, when light, was Il
leven inches at the deepest place
would measure iSs tons, and carry SO I
ons on sixteen inches Of watcs.
The above described boats are the
lind to nlvigate the upper Arkansas
liver.
Nv preference would be for boat
Ike the Fort Smith.
The original cost of the Van Buren,
ras $4,000 at the time she was built,
n the fall Of 1866.
A boat the size of the Fort Smith
ould be bIilt now At cost OF about
5 200. and one similar to the Van Blu
EN- for about So. 900.
II l was going to build boat for
iyself to navigate the upper Arkans-
8 would have her about $50 fact long C
nd IS feet wide, with three aud a-haif
eet depth Of hold. fiat boat bow and -
uunel sides, made Of the very best
white pine. from what is ..
slled the shoe at the knuckle mp, and
18th about tire same power that was
ut iu Van Buren, Such . boat z
'cnld not draw over ten inches Of
'atcr. light. and would carry about
m tons to the inch. or about one hum
red tons on twenty inches of water
would say not less than eighty tons ~
'rtain on twenty inches Of wster.
II you think this worthy . place in
bur columns please insert il for the
.nefit Of oil those In favor Of naviga.
~ the Arkansas river ~ far up as
,ur city. Respectfully.
W. H. FULrox,
Little Rock, Arkansas.