The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1880-11-26
River Navigation of Pittsburgh.

influence along the $1,000 miles of nav
igablc streams attainable by her river
steamers This influence she retains in
spite of the rapid growth of that great
destroyer of the river trade the railway.
On either side of the three valleys that
radiate from Pittsburgh are found the
omnipresent parallel lines of rails. six
arms of a great cutle-fsh, whose body is
the smoky city, and whose suction disks
are the station houses that draw the life
from the trade of each stream. On the
Allegheny this trade has long disappear
ed entirely; the Monongahela bears upon
its slack-watered current line of fine
boats that have existed since the earliest
days of steam navigation but whose bu-
siness begins t. feel railway encroach-
ment The Ohio is piled by "A line Of
Cincinnati and Pittsburgh packets, and
by smaller craft earning precarlous eX-
istence between way points, but the
glory of the river is departed.
And yet, at favorable stages of water
in the tickle Ohio, the lcycc at Pittsburgh
shows most animated scenes \ strang
or reaching the city during stage of
water favorable for boating-sav fourtO
eight feet of water in the channel
would be treated to a most interesting
sight on the Monongahca Wharf, be
tween that many -pered and venerable
structure the Monongahela Suspension
Bridge and the Point This scene is
especially characteristic when witnessed
from the upper or hurricane deck of
some big 100O-ton steamer. The obser-
yer is reminded of nothing so much as of
a freshly disturbed ant-hil. This simile
is borne out by the action of the
double stream of big black Tousters,
1. e., colored boat hands. AS these pass
in opposite directions over the gang
| plank, each bipcd ant bears, not milk
white egg, but fat sack of bran as to
the out-goers, or box of glass or bar
of steel rs to the incoming procession.
| This double process goes on until the
great hull has exchanged it's St Louis
freight for Pittsburghs products And
SO skllfully is this same hull fashioned
aud adapted to the precarious channels
| OF Western rivers. that, with thousand
tons of freight aboard will scarcely draw
four and half feet of water And in
/
of 1850, 10000 tons per month of the
varied products Of Pittsburg's fiery
| hearted furnaces were waited by steam
and current $500 miles toward the sci
ting sun Kindly showers thus washed
away 10000 tons of freight from the
railroads.
But the magic wand which most po
tently transforms the river-front of Pitts
burgh, which brings intense energy out
of apathy, which turns day to night and
silence into a Babel of sounds, is the
sudden advent of a coal-boat' stage of
water, !. e., anything over eight feet.
This occurs when othrivers, swelled by
rapid thaw or continued rains. send
down their quickened tides, so that both
freshets reach the Ohio at the same time.
About the mouth of the Monongahela,
or safely moored in its slack. k.water
pools, float hundreds of great clumsy
crafts that have the draught of a great
ocean steamer. These are laden deeI
with millions of bushels of the wonder
full bituminous coal and matchless coke
of Western Pennsylvania. The coal
in glistcning. irregular cubes, is fresh
from n hundrded colieries up the beauti
full Monongahela Valley, and the coke
nonb !. ,Lo ontnrt nf tbo adiooomt ra
a;on. whoro 5nno oolo oyoHS hIa,l,o,
fha f,;, l,nd and .Ly win thcir dnns,
SMOKE In $50 80 1oo onn In.boI, ~
cool and . 5no ooo husbnls of cola mss
al ,l,rou,,I, ,Lo l,cl,s nf ,bo Noron,r,Lo
b. ! Ia d.rnnI.rt f,. it, ,oi,,,, unnn tLo' -,
, nrico of Juritrr pIuyin. 1'Le.o ou.k
% nnr1lnol;nr hoot, w;th tbnr Iood -
. carbon NAV have lain Tins for month.
while thn n,;ca Of tho;r c,rcons Il,
/ douIIoJ i, tbo for &C ,,o,.l.oto Co.. ,,,L;,
, they were loaded, and their owners ar
; moved to profanity, or pray for the raj
to float off their waiting carroes.
- pi,tshrrc,h j. ,ho ho,oo nf ,ao tov
ho,ts ot - nottorn ;rnomnrebarsi,Io, y,
Ens,orn oyoi for thay dn not .tou.' h,
- unsb Tba;r bonnIirGSs i nut. waiubto
. h, tbon LnlI -dnr touo,it, of nnTnns
l Whom If comes to thn;r Ie,,itinatn Inns
| moss of b,rLo,. ,rd loro tt;, t,wip,,
Z cumbersome Act &c cooII Io6or nrof
!. These are loshcd in a solid fprt.
7 which tbe steama, i tba bindr,ost Lu'
e In cost these craft rance from thc me-
e fectlv onnoiuted monster renresenti,
: fo,tuna If $40 ooo md the no,yn,
1 100 horses down to the hottared =,
2 eron that micbt b,irr 81 ooo Th
motley Aaat ;S buddIed in mort ao,
t hoat reodv and onxious IN p,ovs the
Il coal craft over tba huudreds or tbousor,
t. of miles of tortuous Ohio or muddy NJ;
l. sissinu Their fres are laid and IA,
h boilers are filed. and when the coolbo
= stage comes at last it finds Piusbur,
e boots and tbeir cra,vs ,oIvoui1nd into
/ tense action
I.,,...., 7. 49,. 1-.--. -.
~ "' ao;, eFa' t"'s l'IIS 'N Np'ot't' !. -
II "iaht hamns dnno,;a ;ms "%s' " ~ NV ~, -;
/ ors &c p;ttshur,,h II', ,.;so ond fou III iI.n -
80. L.'I ''', nu 'i', "''u '''i' mn