The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-12-10
A ReminisssneeI osT osa r,m.,.

ancient-loOking volume entitled Ex-
ploits and Adventures. contains a
quaint chapter which gives an excel.
lent. yet old fashioned, account of the
steamboat Ben Sherrod ON the Mis-.
sissippi many years ago. After sneak
ing % the preparations FIR departure
at some length, tke writer saws:
The cabin Of the Ben Sherrod was
on the upper deck. but narrow in
proportion to her build, for she WAS
what IL technically called aaFennessee
cotton boat. To those who have
never seen cotton i,oat loaded it is 4
wondrous sight. The bales are piled
up from the lower guards wherever
there is a Granny, until they reach
above the second deck, room be;no
merely left for the passengers to waiS
outside the cabin. You have regular
alleys left between tiers of cotton in
order to pass about on the first deck
Such Is a Gotten boat CARRYING from
800 to 1000 bales. The Ben.
finish and accommodations Of the
cabin were by no means such as world
compare with the regular passenger
boats. 1t being late in the season and
but few large steamers being in port,
the Ben got an undue number of pas
sengers: otherwise she would have
been avoided. for the accommodations
were not enticing. She had a very
heavy freight aboard, and several
horses and carriages on the forecastle.
The build Of the Ben Sherrod was
heavy. her timbers being Of the larg-
est size.
= :: : when a Steamboat j.
going off Oh the Southern or Western
waters the excitement Is fully equal to
that attending the departure Of a
Liverpool packet. About 10 o'clock
ON the morning Of Nav q. 1887, the
illfaied steamer pushed oil upon the
turbid current of the Mississippi as Il
swan upon the waters. In few min
ntes she was under wav, tossing high
in air the snowy clouds Of steam at
every revolution OF her engine. Talk
not of your Northern steamboats,! \
Mississippi steamer Of 700 tons burden,
with adequate machinery, is-one Of the
suh!imi.ies Of poetry.
'On Tuesday evening, the 9th of
Nav. 1881, the Steamboat Pruiric. ON
her way to st Louis. bore hard On tie
Ben. Sherrod. Ii was necessary for
the latter to stop ut Fort Adams,
during which time the Prairie passed
her. Great vexation was manifested
by some OF the passengers that the
Prairie should get to Naichez FIRST.
This subject formed the theme ofco
versation for two or three hours, the
captain assuring them that he would
beat her anyhow. The Prairie was a
very fast buat, and under equal cir
would have beaten the
Sherroi. 50 soon as the business WIS
transacted at Fort Adams for which
she stopped. orders were given to the
men To keep up the fires tn the ill.,
tensest heat. It was now q hsale past
IL p III. The captain retired to his
berth with his clothes on, and left the
deck in charge Of another officer.
Daring the evening barrel Of
whisky had been turne.! out. and per-
mission was given to the hands to do
~ they please. AS m v be supposed,
they drew upon the barrel quite
freely.
AS the Sherrod passed. on toward
the mouth of the HOmOchitta. the
wood piled up in from: OF the furnaces
several times caught fire, and was
once ortwice imperiectly extinguished
by the drunken hands. As the boat
went booming along. close to the
.hore, a negrO from the beach called
nut that the wood was on FIRE. The
reply was, Go To-, and mind
YOUR business :" from some half in
!oxicated hands. 'Oh, massa,
the negro. eff you don't
lake care you will be in hill befor l
will On, ON went the boat at a tre-
nendous rate, quivering and tremb-
ing in all her length ut every revoIu-
ion OF her wheels. The steam was
:reated 90 fast that il continued to es-
ape through the safety valves and by
t. sharp singing told a tale that every
prudent captain would have under
TODD. As the vessel rounded Oh the
var that marks as the HOmechitta,
,eing compelled to stand out into the
middle Of the river in consequence.
he FIRE was discovered. A little
presence Of mind and set Of men un-
could hive saved the boat.
passenger seized bucket and was
bout to plunge it overheard for water.
vhen he found it locked. An instant
more and the FIRE increased in volume.
The captain was now awakened.
lie saw the fire had seized the deck.
lie ran aft and announced the Ill
idings. No sooner we're the words
ut of his mouth than the shrieks of
,others, sisters and babies resounded
trough the cabin in the widest con-
,s,on. The pilot put the head OF
he boat shoreward. She had scarcely
ot under way when the tiller and
APE burnt asunder. Two miles at
asst from land the vessel took
,eer, and, bore upon by the current,
lade several revolutions, until she
ruck of across the river. A bar
rought her up for a moment. The
ames now extended fore and aft. At
he first alarm several deck passen-
ers made of in the yawl and we're
zen no more. Now came the trying
Iomens. Hundreds leaped from the
nrning wreck into the water. y
ever shall l forget that scene we're
} live till the memory shall forget all
&c that ever came Tn the senses.
he short half hour that plunged into
arv,s&v ON hssm,sv, hasns,.. h~e hoon en-