The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1885-11-18
REMARKABLE CHANGES.
Mississippi Steamboating Twenty Years
Ago and To-day.


at tell YOU" he said, throwing him
self back in q heavy armchair, 1.-The
Mississippi is no longer what it used to
De; the railroads have ruined it, There
Will be 20 more such steamers as the K
E. Lee, the Richardson, or others OF
their class built The steamers used 70
float all the cotton of the valley to New
Orleans. and were built TO carry frori
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- Z
lowing the coarse of the river. and rob-
bling it of its trade. and / look forward
TO the day when the Mississippi River
will be abandoned entirely in favor OF
rail.
YES he continued. in answer TO q
question, gamblers used TO have a
picnic along the river; but that day. too.
IS past. 1t is not because people have
crown better, but because they have
less money. l once saw two men m 2
dispute over game. rise from their
chairs, place their pistols at each 9TH
er's temples. and fire simultaneously
Their dead bodies were carried away.
and the game continued as II nothing 9
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 a few days ago rlch planter
boarded this steamer OF Natehez
While sitting right where we are now.
he purchased a paper from a newsooy
and was soon lost in its perusal sss
| Colonel said bland young man.
a few moments after, you have Just
dropped this handing him fifty-doi-
lar note
81 reckon not said the old gentle
man. as he overlooked his spectacles-
IL inst picked it up under YOUR
chair replied the vcung man and see 8
no other way TO dispose of It. How
ever. since il seems to belong to Meth
or of US, we might just as well divide
it.
.!The plan worked well. The old
gentleman passed over s25 in change
and the Young man sauntered careless
Iv ont 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.
THE deckhands are ahard lot They
work. as YOU see. with vim while IN
mort. and pass the time until the next
Is reached in playing craps. They
s are paid $3.50 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 oil. about ten VII
have all the money. This ten will take
one night ON land. coming back to the
boats dead broke, and on the return
! trip there will not be nickel in the
whole crew And the way they can 20
| through a stranger" said the speaker.
growing warm. is caution me-
! gro got on board at yicssburg the
: other day and fell asleep. IL was no
: ticed that his underclotning was new
, Quietly the men went 70 work. stripped
nm. divided out his undereiotbing-
nut him back into his old shoes. sh rt
/ and pantaloons. and left m. When
! that negro awose and found the change
which had beer made in Inn. he was
completely mystiied- he could net
: understand how his underciothiag
1 could have been stolen without touch
. ing the sIr--AtloHta Co. t'ossssts
1 tioR