Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1882-12-07
Life on ~ Mississippi FIatbOat.

The malar1al districts IN the northern
part OF the city during the summer months
have large population that rarely figures
in the city directory. The persons refer
red TO are the aat-boatmen, who dot the
river bank during several months Of the
year. All of them live in the boats, most
of them have a large family Of small
children, and every boat has a contingent
force of dogs distributed In the ratio of
about three ours to every man, woman and
child on the craft. The men are mostly
sallow and ackly, and the women and
children scrawney and rawboned. A re-
porter made a visit 10 the neighborbood.
Just at the foot of the waterworks num-
Der Of flats were found tied up. Approach
10 the boats was cut off for some time by
yelping and NANCY pack Of hungry ours.
! A tall man made his appearance and in a
suspicious manner inquired what was wan
ted. lie said he was willing 10 tell what
he knew about fiatboatIng and seated him.
self on los. Six or seven of his children
of assorted sizes disposed themselves
around TO listen. The man was possibly
forty live years OF age and clad in gar
ments which were equally remarkable for
that he enjoyed his semi-maritime lite and
thought it as pleasant rs any other work
he could get.
show frequently do you make your
trips TO New Orleans2"
"Oh, not more than once in three years.
They do not pay, you see, and we rarely
make them"
what does 1t generally cost for trip
of that kind2"
"Well, hfty-five cents TO 81 per day.
what is your plnn on such runsl"
1--WE generally prepare for The trip a
month or Six weeks ahead, and cut loose
from here or wherever we may be three or
four weeks before the snow ana stormy
weather sets in.
"What Is your first landing place after
you leave this portf'
1--WE stop at Cairo to take observations
and lay in extra supplies. | tell you Cairo
Is the greatest of all places IN this country
for 1atboats. On the trip we work more
with the fishing tackle than anything else,
and sell our catch TO the towns along, and
sometimes trade in knick knacks."
chow long does it take you to make
one of your southern tripsf"
''Somotlmes four months and sometimes
only three"
''If the trip is successful what does 1t
pay your"
ION my last cruise south l made, clear
of expenses, 5000; but then | was gone
five months, The average is 500 for a
trip in the fishing business"
Are there many d ,tboats moving south
in the fall of the yearl"
II have known 200 or more golng south
at the same time. Some of the men are
single but many of them haye families,
like myself When we reach the end of
our trip we generally sell our boats and
come back on the deck of some steamer"
''What work do you do when you are
stopping here2"
when we get back our first work is to
build another fiat. In high foods we are
out in skIffs on the watchout for logs that
have got away from above. If tue owners
come we are always paid and return the
logs. We also catch driftwood, cut it into
cord wood leng and dispose of it to
glass factories, mills, etc.. at from 81. 80
to So per cord. When there is no wood
floating we 90 in sluffs fifteen or twenty
miles up the river TO some of the DRIFT
heaps, make wood RATS and tow them
down to St. LOUIS, and sometimes we pull
lumber out of the river; but most always
the lumber companies have their regular
men TO do the work, you know"
The man declared that he and his family,
who travelled with him, were not often
sick. He seemed TO think the life he
was leading as conducive 70 longevity as
any other. He said that he was sure
that there were as many as 1000 fat
boatmen in the western country, and at
least 500 made the southern trip every
year. He closed the conversation by say
ing that in places where be stopped he
paid considerable attention to the educa.
tlon of his children, and he knew he was
as prosperous and as happy as most men
who had to work for living.