River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-06-25
To St. Louis and Return, by Water
An Enjoyable Excursion.


What to see, and how to see it are
foremost questions to one falling heir
to fortnight's respite from the cares
of counter or of farm. There is, after
all, very much Of this little sphere of
ours, and much of its immensely is
made grand by the upheaVal of its
crust by warning elements of old, or
rounded and smoothed by the kindly
fingers of Time, and painted by Ma
lures own artists, sun and rain, until
the whole landscape seems an emer-
aid Paradise. With such diversity of
beauty and grandeur, in rugged rocks
aud dimpling waters, the questions
where to go and what to see I! are not
always easy Of solution. To the writ
Ell, however, the questions presented
no such knotty problems. An old
time navigator of the big waters,
with memory of its sights and scene
ry refreshed by recent perusal of
Mark Twain sold Times on the Miss.
issippi," the answer came with the
opportunity will take with me my
family, and with them enjoy again
the beauties of the finest scenery in
the world.
1t was our good fortune that the
sailing day Of the Diamond Joe steam
Ell Mary Morton from ST. Paul AMI the
beginning of our holiday-time were
coincident. We found the Morton ly-
ing at her dock in st. Paul with steam
up, ready to sail at / | o'clock on Mon
day the l4th inst. Best of all the first
man who showed himself doomed up
six feet tall in the person Of Thomas
Burns, who was a lightning pilot
twenty years ago aod /. hose eyes arC
yet undimmed and whose hands have
not yet lost taeir cunning. With such
company The trip would certainly not
| lack for interest.
Promptly at IL o o'clock the steamer
| which for ten days is not only to be
| our means of conveyance, but is to be
| our home, backs out Into the stream,
'straightens up" down the river, and
the voyage of fourteen hundred miles
| is auspiciously begun.
As much of the pleasure of a sea or
river voyage is dependent upon the
officers of the craft upon which we
are embarked, the acquaintance of
the men upon which the safety OF the
vessel depends is u prerequisite TO
confidence. We find Captain Boland a
hearty gentleman or ample girth-a
riyerman who has climbed to the roof
from the watchman's duties on the
lower deck, who knows the place of
every man on his boat and his duties
there, and is watchful that every man
does the duty pertaining to his station
Second in command, Mr.. John Sween
ny stands watch with the captain, be
sides furnishing motive power &c
move forty colored deck hands and
''roustabouts, who load, unload, and
| stow away the cargo of the steamer,
in which he in turn is assisted by Mr.
Ed Murphy, second mate. Up in the
pilot-house Messrs. Thomas Burns an(
Henry A. Link hold the wheel an(
thread the intricacies of a VIGOROUSLY
tickle river. Upon their knowledge
Judgment, and nerve depends whethel
the Norton will make schedule time
or hang ANONYMOUSLY upon one o
the Thousand reefs and bars which be
set navigation on the "Father O.
Waters. In the office Mr.. Charlie
Mather receives the moderate amount
of currency which buys ticket be
tween port and port via the Diamond
10 line while Mir. Ed. Young receive
and delivers the freight with whicl
the lower deck and hold are loaded
Messrs. Frederick Buthman and Chas
Byrnes answer bells in the engin
room, while Thomas Manning stew
ara of our steamer, attends to the puT
chase OF our bill of fare, and superir
tends the thirty men who prepare
cook and serve the viands which tire
times per day load the tables whicl
stretch the length of the Morton
cabin. Such is the ensemble of on
craft, and under the guidance an
j command of the ''watcb on deck "
plough past Dayton's Bluff, bound TO
st. Louis.
detailed description or the scene
ry and towns along the river woul
require greater space than we feel TIL
JOURNAL can spare. Looking upOl
the landings with which we We're fa
miliar twenty years ago. and tn
strongest impression is that of deca
dence. Dingy warehouses, window
less and empty, greet the eye at man
u landing where III the palmy days be
fore the advent OF the railway steam
boat captain could count upon fiv
hundred sacks of wheat. Now h
thinks it Il lucky day if he gets hail
OF passengers there is seldom one
The business men take the train OF
the river road and the other deniZen
. of these sleepy h0lloWs never go ava.
from home at all. Of course there ar
, exceptions to the rule. OF such ar,
Red Wing, WinOna and Lacrosse. AL
the others have barely held their own
and some have perceptibly lost ground
The river itself has changed. The
everlasting hills, which change moi
are there; but the river bed has fol
lowed its hayward will, cutting chan
nels where none were known before
and leaving others which in old times
have lloated the commerce of a doz
en- states, The hand of man has beer
at work, and has curbed the current
here, across the head of a slough OF
there helped to divert the course of
the river by dykes and and dams
Miles of rip-rap hold the crumblng
banks, and greatly aid the pilot in his
arduous labor of finding and keeping
the "best water" On the points and
islands, and in the bends, opposite
| ugly LUIS diiu BllllNt tLOoolASSy Gdli
white posts with diamond shaped
boards by day, and burning lanterns
by night, make clear the channel
which in old times was sought for by
the aid of friendly bluffs and trees
and other marks which alone served
to guide the pilot in working his way
over Il bad crossing. let with all
these helps no novice need assume
that it is an easy matter to safely
steer deeply freighted craft through
out the seven hundred miles of crook
ed river which lies between st. Louis
and St. Paul. A few score of lights
is a great help over the worst places,
but the skill and knowledge must in
terpret them or they are as but Greek
to the unlettered reader. G.. b. NJ.