The Hartford herald., 1885-06-24

McMasters History-l
Yet journey down the river was
quite as hazardous az on the day when
the first white man entered the valley.
II the traveller We're a settler coming
from the East with his family and his
goods, Inc would repair to Pittsburg, lay
in stock ofpowder and ball, purchase
provisions for a month, and secure two
rude structures which passed by the
name of boats. In the long keel-boat
he would place his wife, his children,
and such strangers as had been waiting
at Fort Pitt for chance to travel in
company. In the fist-boat, or the ark,
would be the cattle and the stores.
The keel-bOat was hastily and elumsi-
ly made The hold was shallow, the cab
IN was low. Over the stern projected a
huge oar which mounted ON a swivel,
was called sweep, and performed all
the duties off rudder. The ark was Of
rough plank intended to be used for
building at some settlement where
saw-mills were scarce. The shape was
rectangular. The width was fif-
teen feet, the length was forty. In
these craft, If the water were high and
swift, il they did not become entangled
in the branches Of overhanging trees, if
the current did not drive them on an
island or dash them against the bank
in a bend, if the sawyers and planters
were skillfully avoided, and II no fog
compelled the boatmen to lie to and
make fast TO tree, it was possible
to drift from Pittsburg to Wheeling in
twelve hours. Wheeling was a place
of fifty log and frame houses, boasted of
a stOckade, and, in troubled times, of a
garrison OF one hundre and fifty troops.
Below it, near the Muskingum, was
Marietta. In the official language OF
the time il was described as being in the
territory Of the United States northwest
Of the river Ohio. But the phrase was
too long for the boat men and settlers,
and, as they expressed it, Marietta was
on the Indian side of the Ohio. Two
hundred wooden houses Of boat -planks
or of logs made up the town. The in-
habitants were lazy and given to drink,
cultivated little land, and lived chiefly
ON venison, wild turkeys, and bread
made Of Indian corn. Food, therefore,
was scarce and dear; nor was il always
that the owner Of few bushels Of"red
potatoes" or half-dozen barrels of
Hour could be induced to part
with one even for money. Many
fiat-boat man who stopped at the place
to buy food went disappointed away.
Still farther down the river, and just
opposite the Little Kanawha, lay Belle
Pie. Fifteen miles beyond was an
other cluster of cabins; but thence to
the mouth Of the Great Kanawha the
country was forest of "sugsr-trees"
and sycamores. All day long fiocks Of
wild turkeys Uttered the trees overhead,
and at times a bear or an elk might be
seen swimming the river. At night
the woods on every hand Iesound with
the bark of wolves. Then was it that
the lonely emigrants were tormeuted by
all manner of fear. To go on in the
dsrness was to expose the boat to being
caught upon a planter or stranded up-
on an island. To tie fast to the bank
WAS, in all likelihood, to become a mark
for Indian bullets before day. II the
dread of being wrecked overcame the
dread of being shot, the fires were put
out, the sides of the cabin protected
with blanket and beds, and while some
tried to sleep within, others stood upon
the deck axe in hand, ready to cut the
ropes at the first sound of the approach
ing foe.