The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-05-07
THE WHEELING WEDNESDAY MORNING. 1879

first steamboat that ever foated on thu
Western waters made fast 10 the bank, fol
we at that time had no wharf, and during
the day she was visited and inspected b
the citizens Of the town. What q curiosity
she would be 10 the marine architects O
to-day. An awkward, clumsy craft Of 40(
tons burden, with long Enclosure built OF
her lower deck, this served as a cabin, FOL
Of that day the machinery was In the hold
Of the boat, itlie Washington, built by
Capt, Shreves In 1916, being the first boat
having her boilers and machinery on
deck. Tho pilot house was close 10 the
bow, single chimney doomed up In the
rear Of this structure, guarded on either
side by q tall mast for sails was consid.
cred at that day Indispensable 10 naViga,
ton.
From this year barges, keel.boats and
broadhorns, with their melodlous song
and horn music began to be seen and
heard less frequently, and finally 10 dis.
appear, and the last Of the pioneer boat.
men have been honored by the poets song
and the artists pencil. The first boat
launched from the COlumbiaship.yard was
q brig. She was towed TO New Orleans,
where masts were set and sails bent, and
she started for foreign port. On Decem.
Der 10, 1915, tho bark Missouri arrived di.
rect from Liverpool. In 1910 the Vulcan,
Tennessee and Missouri were built at Gin.
clnnati. The machinery at that day was
very clumsy and imperfect, The main
shaft was made with o clutch arrangement
for shifting the power from the single on.
CINE from one wheel to the other, when
desirable. The berths extended length.
wise OF the cabin. State rooms had not
then come into fashion, hut the hunks
were concealed by curtains. The General
Pike was the first steamboat designed espe.
cially for passengers. She was built TO ap.
ply between Cincinnati, Louisville and
Maysville, She had II state rooms. The
late Robert Buchanan was the Captain oil
the New Orleans packet Maysvlleso early
as 1921, and, like everything else that our
worthy deceased veteran undertook, he
was q successful steamboatman.
Boat building, like the iron business,
has sadly refrigerated at this point. The
Marine Railway and Dry Dock Company,
Startzman, Magill 4 Co., Alex. Temple,
Samuel Hambleton, Litherbury 4 Morton,
aud Startzman at one time had all they
could do. In 1871 there were FIVE ship.
yards, employing 800 hands, whose pro.
duction amounted to $592,500 In 1851
there were seven ship-yards, employing
554 men, whose product was $4sS, 900. In
1850 there were but three ship-yards, em.
ploying 400 hands, whose value OF pro.
duCtion was less than 100000. During
the year 1878 but eighteen steamboats,
were built at Cincinnati, six OF the same
being ferry boats OF light tonnage. The
estimated value OF all the steamers enroll
ed in the Cincinnati district Il loss than
two million dollars, a sad commentary on
the depreciation OF the steamboat inter
est. Steamboats, will always be used more
or less, but the halCyon DAYS when to be
q steamboat captain was to be next to a Pc
tentate, have passed away, and the great
steamboat days are thing Of the past
the days Of Haggerty, Summons, New
comb, Haldeman, Eckert, Harrison, Will
liamsons, Bughers, and many others who
have anchored in another port. i
GEORGE SulRLD.