The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-01-23
The First Steamship.

Lieut.. Wright, of the southern DO
! lice district is one of the oldest ship
carpenters now living in Maryland. H,
worked on many of the clipper ship
which in the palmy days of the ship
building interests of this city made the
vessel built here famous in every sea-
Sometimes he gets to thinking about
the days when launch was a fire.
quent occurance at the numerous
yards in the basin and harbor, and
which attracted large crowds of inter-
.ested spectators. While speaking of
these things to Sun reporter he said:
"Did you know that the first steam
ship ever built in the United States
was built in Baltimorep Well it is a
fact. She was called the Natchez.
She was built in 1886 by Brown Rog-
ers d Culley, on Hughes street, at the
foot of what is now known as johnson
street. The Brown in the firm was
John S. Brown, who was for a long
time librarian at the city hall, and who
died few years ago. The ship was
not constructed exactly on the plan of
OF the steamship of the present day.
The Natchez did not have saloon,
but large cabin below in the stern.
She was a double-decker. Her ton
mage was nearly eleven hundred. She
was also different from the present
steamship in the way she was rugged.
ohe had three masts, and was rugged
exactly like full-r1gged ship, having
all the sails of a ship of that kind, |
even TO the royals. She was built for |
New York firm, and ran between |
that city aud Natchez, Miss, touching
at important gulf ports and New Or
leans. Her commander was Captain
Joe Swiier. She was Il side wheeler |
OF course, propeller being unknown
In those days. l helped to build her,
and L tell you it was big day here
when we launched her. All the BIG
men in town were at the launch.
everybody was proud of her, and
there were lots of headaches the next
lay after the jolliiicaiion. l don't
know if shoe horns were common in
hose days, but L suspect some gentle
men would like to have had them
when they tried to put their hats on
he next morning.
"This firm built many steamboats,
rom 1880 to some time in the fifties.
Among them were the Arrownette, e
little steamer which ran on the James
lver; the Paul Jones, for the Potomac
lver trade. This steamer afterward
lew up at Washington. The hulk 6
vas brought around here and the t
teamer rebuilt. She again blew up 1
4 the basin this time-and her hulk q
vas abandoned. The Merchant was
mother steamer built for the Missis- '
ppi river trade; the Monmouth for v
Philadelphia parties; the Cuba, for the f
mississippi river; the Cambridge, Kent, t
fedora, Juniata, Cecil, and Lancaster, C
'r Chesapeake waters; the Louis Led n
I'M, for New York, and the James
dams, for Charleston, S. c.. | a
orked on all these steamers except N
ent. The Medora blew up while at W
or wharfin the basin one day. Ofall II
lese steamers, and others, the names o,
which l cannot recall, the only lie
Gamers l now know to be in exist &C
ice, are the Kent, Juniata, and Ian
lster, which are still fine boats. The fo
st steamboat ever built in Baltimore az
as the Chesapeake. The Eagle was DR.
'Xt. They were built on Fell point. 70
John Sourhoif, who became a part 90
+ in the firm when Rogers and Cul- m
Y drew out, laid down mauv of ki
ese steamers. He was great We
ughtsman, and built some of tn nc
'test steamers which went out O ne
is port in his days of active work,
lich beat the fastest boats in Phila- 20
lphia and New York. He is still no
ing in South Baltimore, though his M m,
Us of active work are over. "-BaIti- of
re Sun. %