Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-01-25
A FAMOUS RACE.
Tho Contest Between the Natchez
and Robert f. Lee.
"A steamboat Race WhicI, Excited
Interest Throughout the Civil
lied World The Time
Cablcd to Europe.
fCincinnati Enu,lirer.l

cincinnati Enquirer
No steamboat race ever excited 80 much
interest through ut the civilized world as
that which took place between the Robert +,
Ice and NatchcZ i'll June, 1870 from New
Orleans 10 st. Louis. On the 9th of that
month Capt. T. T. Lcathers tclcgraphcd Capt
Perry Tharp, of this city, that the NatchZ
had arrived at ST. Louis, having overcome
the distance from New Orleans, 1,21S miles in
three days. twenty-one hours AM fifty eight
minutes From the time that she was built
at Cincinnati much rivalry in regard tn speed
had ls~n exhibited between her aud the Rob
crt f.. Lee which was bult Mt New ALBANY
during tn" war and was towel across the
river to thH Kentucky side to have her name
rant"l on her wheel houses, n measure of
safety that was deemed prudent at that cx
citing time Both boats had their Iicn Is and
admirers, as did the captains Of both. {. pit.
John W. Cannon, who died ut Fra TX
fort, Ky, about "A year ago, commanded tho
Lee, and Capt. Thomas r. leatllcrs, owner
of the present NatcheZ and her half dozen or
mere predecessors of the same name, com
manled the Natrhez of that time Both
were experienced stra,n!rsat'nrn. but, rs the
sequel rr we'd, Capt Cannon was the better
strat.Eist. While bath boats had their
friends, the name of the Robert T. Lee WAS
most holorcd AMI most popular along the
Mississippi river.
Before the return of the Natchez to New
Orleans Capt. Cannon had determined that
the Ice should lcat the record of her rival,
the fastest that had ever been made over the
course. lie stripped 80 Lee for the race; re-
all # hnr nrI:s Inn
celebrated tn catch the Wind, removed all rig
gng and outfit that c,ull tc dispensed WITH
to tighten her, rs the river was low in some
places; engaged the stcanlcr Frank Parsold
to prccrlc her n hundred miles up the river
to supply coal; arranged with coal yards To
have fuel flats awaiting her in the middle Of
the river ut given points, To De taken in tow
under way until the coal could he transferred
to the deck of the Lee, and thcn to lie cut
loose and float hack. He refused all business
of every kind, and would receive no pasSen-
gers.
The NatchcZ returned to New Orleans and
received few hundred tons of freight and
also few passengers, and was advertised to
leave again for st. Louis June :Dth. At -
O'clock IN the afternoon the Robert f. Lea
backed out from the levee, and five minutes
HiOti tiit lpiioNttt Dut
such elaborate preparation for a race hal
been made on the Lee, Capt Leathcrs feeling
confident that he could pass the latter within
the first one hundred miles.
a steamer had preceded the racing boats
! up the river many miles to witness all that
could Ike seen Of the great race that was to
bc. The telegraph informed the people along
both banks of the river and the world at
large of the coming great struggle for su-
premacy in point of speed, and the
world looked Oh with as much interest
rs it would had it becn IN event
local to every part of it. Wherever
there was human habitation the people col
lected on the hanks of the mighty river to OBJ
! serve ths passage Of the two steamers The
Ice gained slightly every hundred miles as
the race progressed, which gain at Natchez,
800 miles from the starting point amounted
to ten minutes, attributable more to landings
that had been male by the Natchez for fuel
than anything else. The people of the whole
city Of Nntchez viewed the race. At the
lend at Vicksburg, although tho two steam
ers were ten miles apart by the course of the
| river, the smoke Of each was plainly discern
ible from the other Thousands of people
were congregatel on the bluffs. At Helena and
other points it seemed that the population for
miles back from the river had turned out to
witness the greatest race of this or any other
| age
At Memphis 10000 people looked at tho
passing steamers, neither Of which landed,
the Natchez by this time having adopted the
Lees method of receiving fuel At every
| point where there was a telegraph instru-
ment the hour ami the minute of the passing
steamers We're ticked to all points of America
that could be reached, and newspapers
throughout the country displayed bulletins
denoting the progress Of the boats
Tho time of passing Memphis, Vicksburg
and Cairo was cabled to Europe. When
Cairo was reached the race was virtually
| ended, but the Lee proceeded to st. Louis, ar
irving there in three days, eighteen hours and
fourteen minutes from the time she left New
Orleans, beating by thirty three minutes tho
previous time of the Natchez. The latter
| steamer had grounded and run into fog be-
tween Memphis and Cairo, which delayed her
more than six hours
When the Lee arrived at St Louis &c, 900
people crowded the wharf, the windows and
| the housetops to receive her. No similar
| event had ever created SO much excitement
Capt. Cannon was rendered a banquet by tho
business men Of the city, and was generally
lionized while he remained there. 1t was
estimated that more than s., ,OOO, 900 had been
wagered on the race by the friends of the two
steamers. Many Of the bets were drawn on
| tho ground that the Lee had been assisted the
first 100 miles by the power Of the Frank
Pargoud added to her own; and men of the
coolest judgment have over since regarded
the Natchez as the faster boat. but outgen-
Grated by the commander of the other.
Neither the present II. f. Lee nor the pres
ent Natchez is the same Lee and Natclez as
engaged in the race, and neither Is rs rapid a
traveller as predecessor, although both are
fast steamboats,.
Newspapers throughout the civilized world
| condemned the Lee-Natchez race One east
ern pnrer, noting the arrival of the Lee at
Cairo, said that she had accomplished the dis
tance without an explosion, AMI presumed
| she would be able to reach st. Louis in safety