Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-09-09
LIFE IN A FLAT.


From the St Louis Post Dispatch.
The malarial districts in the northern part of
the city during the summer months have a large
population that rarely figures in the city direct
DRY. The persons referred to are the flatboat-
men, who dot the river bank during several
months of the year. All of them live in the
boats, most of them have large family of small
children and every boat has 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 salOwed and sickly
and the women and children scrawny and raw
boned. Post Dispatch reporter made visit
to the neighborhood this morning. Just at the
foot of the water works number of flats were
found tied up. Approach to the boats was cut
off for some time by yelping and NANCY pack
Of hungry ours. A tall man made his appear
ance and in a suspicious manner inquired what
was wanted. He said he was willing to tell
what he knew about fatbOating, and seated
himself on q log Six or seven of his children
Of assorted sizes disposed themselves around to
listen. The man was possibly forty-ive years
of are and clad in garments which were equally
remarkable for patches and varieties of color.
He stated that he enjoyed his semi-maritime
life and thought it as pleasant as any other work
he could get.
"How frequently do you make your trips to
New OrleanS?"
oh not more than once in three years They
do not pay, you see, and we rarely make
What does it generally cost for trip of the
kind?'
"Well IS cents to 81 per day.
"What is your plan on such runs?"
"We generally prepare for the trip month or
six weeks ahead, and cut loose from here or
wherever We may be three or four weeks before
the snow and stormy weather sets in :"
''What is your first landing place after you
leave this pOrt?"
ave stop Cairo to take observations and
lay i'm extra supplies. l tell you Cairo is the
boats. On the trip we work more with the fish
ing tackle than anything else, and sell our
catch to the towns along, and sometimes trade
in nick-nacks."
"HOw long does it take YOU to make one of
your southern trips?"
sometimes four months and sometimes only
three"
'If the trip is successful, what does it pay
you?"
ION my last cruise south made, clear Of ex-
penses, $500; but then was gone five months.
The average is 500 for a trip in the fishing bust
ness
Are there many fatboats moving south in
the fall OF the year?'
II have known 200 or more going south at
the same time. Some of the men are single,
but many of them have families like myself
When we reach the end of our trip we geper-
ally sell our boats and come back on the deck Of
some steamer"
what work do you do when you are stop
ping here?"
when we get back our first work is to build
another flat. In high floods we are out in skiiis
on the watch0ut for logs that have got away
from above. If the owners come are always
paid and return the logs. We also catch drift
wood, cut it into cord-wOOd length and dispose
OF it to glass factories, mills, etc, at from 50 50
to s3 per cord. When there is no wood floating
go in skiffs fifteen and 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"
Have you ever made run on the Missouri
river?"
mo. nor I suppose no other fatboat man
ever has. That river is almost as dangerous for
a tlatboat as it is for steamer"
The man declared that he and his family. who
Travelled with him, We're not often sick. lie
seemed to think the life he was leading as con-
ducive to longevity as any other. He said that
he was sure there were many as l 800 flat
boatmen in the western country and at least 500
flats made the southern trip every year. He
closed the conversation by saying that in
places where he stopped he paid considerable
attention TO the education of his children. and
he knew he was al prosperous and as happy
most men who had to work for living.