The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1880-07-15
FIRST STEAMER on TIE OHIO.

"reminiscences Of the Orleans and the yesta.
Judge A. @. W. Garter, Of Oincin-
natl, in two columns Of "reminiscences
Of the Ohio river contributed to one OF
the Cincinnati dailies, says: The first
steamboat on the Ohio river Of which
we have authentic record was called the
"0rlesns," go named, perhaps, because
il was designed and proposed by her
builders that she should make the first
voyage to the city Of New Orleans,
down the Ohio and down the great Mis-.
sissippi from the city OF Pittsburg,
where she was built. She sailed from
Pittsburg in the month OF December,
1912, and arrived at New Orleans, the
French city OF the South, in the latter
part OF the same month, making the
trip inside Of four WEEKS rapid and
speedy trip indeed for the experiment
Of the first steamboat on the western
waters. From New Orleans she came
back to the City Of Natchez, and thence
for two years afterward she piled regu-
larly between NatcheS and New Or
leans, carrying freight, md passengers
who wanted to take passage, and max
ing her voyages from city to city in
about seventeen days and nights
quick trip, to be sure, for those early
days, when We consider the dangerous,
shaggy and sand barry condition Of
navigation, in o river not at all accus-
toned to be navigated except by broad
horns and keelboats. This steamboat
this first steamboat 0rleans-was finally
the victim Of the perils OF before untried
and new navigation, and she was
wrecked and sunken In the Mississippi
river by striking-and it being driven
into her hula ~snsg.sawyer, near the
town OF Baton Rouge. She was coming
up the river from New Orleans to
Natchez when she saw the sawyer by
which she was sawed in two, and cover.
ed by the muddy and murky waters Of
the Father of Waters. Alas, for hel
fate She was the first-the beginning
Of the steamboats, in successful naviga.
ton Of the Ohio and the Mississippi
rivers, and her disaster was q warning
to all hat followed her OF the dangers
Of navigation Of the western waters.-
She began and she soen ended-her be.
ginning was most useful; her ending
was equally 80 to all the steamboats,
that came after her. The one showed
the glory Of accomplishment; the other
manifested the dangers attending it.
There il a tradition, and there may
be truth in it, that there were steam.
boats on our Ohio before this one Of
Fulton's, and there is q pioneer about
here who says that he saw a steamboat
on the river, near North Bend, in the
year 1911, He may not be mistaken il
his eyes or his years; but we have nc
such authenticated account as that Of
the steamboat "Orleans" being the first
genuine regular steamboat of any i'm
portance which ever navigated the Ohio
and the Mississippi rivers. Other boats,
large and small, followed the Orleans.
These were variously built at Pitts
burg, Brownsville, Pa. Wheeling, Va,
and other places up the Ohio, until We
c0me to the steamboat "Vesta," which
was the first regular steamboat built al
Cincinnati. She was a vessel of loo
tons 5urthep, and Yves built out OF an
old barge, in the year 1917, and was
owned by Bosom, Oowdon & %. She
was designed rs a packet for freight and
passengers between Cincinnati and
Louisville, and she piled to and fro fol-
a long, long time.