Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-10-08
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REMARKABLE CHANGES.
Mississippi Steamboating Twenty Years
Ago and To-day.

Mississippi Steamboating Twenty Years
Ago and To-day.
81 tell you" he said, throwing him
self back in heavy armchair. 1.-The
Mississippi is no longer what it used to
be; the railroads have ruined it. There
will be no more such steamers as the K.
E. Lee, the Richardson, or others OF
their class built. The steamers used to
float all the cotton of the valley to New
Orleans. and were butt to carry from
5000 to 5000 bales. The week. how
ever, which it required steamer to
take it down. is now reduced to twenty
four hours bv rail. Railroads are fol-
lowing the coarse of the river, and rob-
bing il of its trade, and I look forward
to the day when the Mississippi River
will be abandoned entirely in favor Of
rail.
YES" he continued, in answer to 8
question, gamblers used to have q
picnic along the river; but that day, too.
is past. 1t is not because people have
grown better, but because they have
less money. l once saw two men in
a dispute over game. rise from theiI
chairs, place their pistols at each 9th
er's temples, and fire simultaneously
Their dead bodies were carried away,
and the game continued as if nothing
had happened. Those were wild days
and are not likely to return.
The mode of getting other peoples
money has merely changed in some re.
spects. With the exit of the honest
gambler who told his business, we wit
ness the entrance of the sneak thief.
But few days ago a rich planter
boarded this steamer off Natchez
While sitting right where we are now,
he purchased paper from newsboy
and was soon lost in its perusal.
g" Colonel said a bland young man.
a few moments after, you have just
dropped this handing him a fifty-dol
lar note.
Il reckon not said the old gentle.
man. as he overlooked his spectacles.
81 just picked it up under your
chair. replied the Young man, and see
no other way to dispose of it. How
ever, since it seems to belong to neith-
er of US, we might just as we'll divide
it.
1.-The plan worked we'll. The old
gentleman passed over 1926 in change,
and the young man sauntered careless
" out on land. A few minutes after
the vessel had taken to water the old
gentleman presented the $50 note to
the clerk in payment for his fare.
Counterfeit exclaimed the clerk,
and then for the first time the whole
truth dawned upon the old mans
mind.
1.-THE deckhands are ahard lot. They
work, as you see. with vim While In
port, and pass the time until the next
Is reached in playing craps They
are paid s.. so a dav. When they are
called up to get their wages, they d.
vide into little gambling parties at
once. and by the time port is reached.
of the fifty men paid off, about ten will
have all the money. This ten will take
one night on land. coming back to the
boats dead broke. and on the return
trin there will not be nickel in the
whole crew. And the way they can 60
through a stranger said the speaker.
growing warm, is a caution. A ne.
GRO got on board at Vicksburg the
Other day and fell asleep. 1t was no.
ticed that his undertaking was new.
Quietly the men went to work, stripped
him. divided out his undertaking,
mt him back into his old shoes, shirt
and pantaloons. and left him. When
that negro awoke and found the change
which had been made in him. he was
completely mystitied. He could not
understand how his underclothing
could have been stolen without touch
ing the rest ''-AtlaatG fGa. Coastst,t-
ton.