The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1883-11-08
LIFE ON A KEEL BOAT.
A Lady's Trip Down the River Fif-
ty Years AGO.

W Years Ago.
The following interesting histor,
of a keelboat trip in early times
was written for the Franklin Week
ly by lady nearly eighty year
old, well known in Pulaski:
Four weeks after we were mar
ried we went to Crawford county
Ark. twelve hundred miles by wa
ter from Nashville-with the in
tention of remaining only two years
my husband lived there two years
before we were married but cir
cumstances prevented our return
ing until 1887, when we came and
settled a mile from where 1 was
raised.
The summer and fall of 1928 was
unusually dry, so much so that the
Cumberland river was not naviga
BILE for steam boats, and scarcely
for keelboats. Ny husband being
anxious to return home, went to
Nashville and bought nice new
keel-boat, had new cabin fitted up
in the stern, and stove, table and
berth were the furniture.
After ceiving my patrimony
from my father-a cook and other
servants, furniture for house, etc.,
also provisions-bacon, beef and
lard, etc., we added luxuries in
Nashville, and laded the boat, and
manned it with six oarsmen to row.
Just as we were ready to leave,
two young men, Mr.. Pannell, broth
er-in-law of Bishop Otey, and Mr..
Marable presented themselves and
requested toIbe taken as passengers,
They said they had been waiting in
Nashville for conveyance to
New Orleans, and meeting with
none, requested to go with us until
they would overtake steamboat.
We received them, and launched
out for new era of my life.
1t was with great difficulty we
managed to get out of the Cum ber-
land on account of the scarcity of
water. When we came to the Har-
peth shoals, all hands, the young
men with them, got into the water
and priced the boat over. 1t was
all fun to me; / had left my home
behind, and not knowing exactly
where was going, l was not in a
hurry. However, we managed to
get out safely on the Ohio river,
and down to Cairo, where we found
the first steamboat 1 ever saw. l
suppose it had been aground there
for some time. Our boat landed,
and soon afterwards the steamboat
"United States moved out. l
thought L never had seen anything
move so majestically, but it was of
short duration, for as soon as she
got out into the channel she stuck,
and there we left her. Our passen-
gers, Marable and Pannell, took
passage on her, and l suppose after
a rise in the river they reached
New Orleans, for 1 heard a good
while afterwards that Mr.. Pannel
was seen there.
Soon after the "Unit ed States"
left the wharf at Cairo, we attempt
ed to leave, and found the boat had
lodgeg on log. All hands got out
and nsed their poles to get her
loose, and after while we set sail
again.
In the mean time saw my hus-
band slip off the log over his head
in water. had seen such acci-
dents occur so often and no harm
done / didn't feel the least alarmed,
believing he would soon rise Iagain
which he did. 1t is astonishing
how soon persons will become in
ured to such things.
We had a skiff attached to the
stern of our boat and, for recrea-
ton we would get in it and run far
ahead of the boat and get out on a
planter, "a large log lying in the
river and wait for the boat to take
us on again.
We stopped on the shore every
night and stayed till morning. The
hands would make large fire and
1 suppose camped there. They
would set their hooks and lines for
fish, and caught the largest kind of
oatfsh-as tlarge some of them as
half grown hogs. We salted
and packed them like pork,
and Jared sumptuously every day.
Onr cook cooked for US and the
hands cooked for themselves. 1
Considered it real housekeeping.
When the wind would be too high
for the boat to run with safety we
would land and wait for a calm. On
such occasions we would get into
the skiff and ride the waves, as he
called it. Sometimes the waves
would run high enough for the skiff
to dip water, and strange to say,
was not at all alarmed. 1 was
sdunce" enough to think he loved
me too much to run any risk of los
ing me- have laughed since and
told him perhaps he wanted tc
drown me.
We soon reached the mouth oi
the White river, which we ascend
ed, that being the nearest way tC
Little Rock. Little Rock received
that name because of its being the
place of the first rock from the
mouth of White river, there being
a larger one just above.
1t was not many miles before we
reached what is called the ''cut off, y
which runs across to the Arkansas
river, a distance of five miles
When the Arkansas is the highest
it flows into the White river, and
when the White river is the highest
it flows into the Arkansas river.
After getting on the Arkansas we
had to move slower, as on thai
river there is a sand beach alter
nately on each side; So instead o
towing the boat like they do OF
canals, with horses, our boat wa
towed with smen. They attached
a large, strong cable to the bow oi
the boat and stood on the beach
one took the end of the cable OF
his shoulder, in front and another
Just behind him, holding the cabl