Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-08-19
THE NETTIE QUILL.
Details of Her Voyage From This Port TO
Mobile.


Messrs. \. J. Sweeney & Son have re-
ceivcd letter from Captain Jessie j.
Nichols, the experienced Cincinnati and
New Orleans pilot, who took the steamer
Nettie Quill, recently built at this port by
the firm, to the latter port, i'll which ne
gives the following details of the voyage of
the steamer from Cincinnati to the Gulf:
''The steamer left Cincinnati Sunday,
July p, at 7 p. M, drawing feet inches,
which put her guards in the water some
considerable distance, and was landed at
Louisville at $50 a. IN. Monday, which
YOU will see was excellent time, to be
drawing so murh of the six feet of water
there was in the river ut that time. OF
course, there were several places which ne
ceSSitated our working slow for fear of logs
or other distractions which could not be
seen in the night. Otherwise We never
would have pulled a bell on her, so easily
she steered You can form some idea OF
what she will do when give some of the
runs she made. Cairo to Memphis,
2iO miles in - hours; Memphis to Helena,
30 miles, 6! hours from Helena to Louis
ana and Arkansas State line, 235 miles,
% hours, including I Of an hour lost at
Friar'S Point, one hour at Arkansas City,
and half an hour ut Greenville. Actual
time, 20 hours and IL minutes. But when
we left NiCksburg our guards were out OF
water and she went from in sight of NiCkS-
burg to in sight of Natchcz in one watch
from breakfast to dinner | left Natchez
with her at 2:30 p. m, and was blowing
the whistle for Fort Adams at supper time
Is p. III. }, a distance of IS miles i'll ;!
hours. In all the trip she never escaped III
the chmneyS and burnt nothing but the
cheapest coal that could be found. As for
her handling qualities all that | can say
is. that when Il boat will back ,cih the wind
and can do anything with her that you
want, there is no room for improvement. The
same statement applies to her steering. She
is deserving of all the praise she gets for
her beauty
The Mobile Register of the 10th has the
following account of the arrival of the
Quill at that port:
At thirty-tive minutes to . o'clock Sun
day afternoon, the new steamer of Captains
Quill and Ncwmaster sailed gracefully up
the river and made her landing at the foot
of st. Michael street. Being Sunday there
were no demonstrations by steam vessels,
hut the pOpulace turned out as soon as the
whistle sounded, and the boat was soon
Ovclrun with visitors. Nearly three thou
sand persons visited the boat during the
afternoon and congratulated Capt. Quill
upon the safe arrival of the beautiful craft.
Capt. Quill stated that the trip from New
Orleans was made without incident, eN-
cept that owing to rough water the boat had
to lie some hours at Biloxi. The vessel
brought no load, and was a little light in
the sound waters, hut the Nettie Quill
made her voyage safely Notwithstanding,
and in very good time also.
As she passed the loot of Dauphin street
she made strikingly handsome appear
ance. Her rake aft is high and graceful,
her bow has handsome upward slant, and
her upper works have an appearance OF
strength and lightneSs which pleaSes the
eve and the Judgment as well. Her CHM
neys are on new and improved model, so
far as the caps are concerned; her pilot
house is topped with king cottOn's golden
crown; the texas is rOOmy, but not Obtru-
sive in size. The escape pipes are well
abaft. The wheel is large, and painted
red and white. The vessel has jackstaff in
front of the boiler deck, and two other flag
stats aft. All these carried bunting Sun
day. The iackstaff had long penant
bearing the name "Nettie Quill The
centre pole bore the Union Jack or starry
banner, while the flagpole carried the en-
blem of free America. The good steamer,
with her flags flying, with clouds of smoke
rising from her lofty chimneys, with
masses of steam shooting from the escapes,
with her great wheel churning the waters
into foam, presented brave spectacle, one
which the crowd admired exceedingly.
DESCRIPTION OF THE STEAMER.
The Nettie Quill was built by A. J..
Sweeney & Son for the Mobile and Mont
gomery Packet Company, and is especially
adapted to the cotton business. She is $50
feet long, SO feet beam, and depth of hold
Al feet. Her engines are of the best and
most approved make. She is supplied with
cylinders having 81 feet stroke, Is inches
diameter, and has two steel boilers, each
80 feet long, AZ inches in diameter, and
SIX 10 men HueS III eicn. her carrying Ca
pacity is about 1900 bales of cotton. She
will undoubtedly prove fast boat. She
has many improved features in her ma
chinery, and it is especially noticeable
that she has two levers for
the engines, one of which is
cut off. She has also n full line of
speaking tubes running into the engine
room. One set runs to the water-cocks of
the boilers, and the water can also be test
from the engine room by pulling cords at
tached to the cocks. BY this arrangement
the engineer can, without leaving his en-
CINE room, test his water and hear the
sound made by the escape at the water
cocks. Trumpets or speaking tubes run
from the pilot house to the bells in the en-
CINE room, so that the pilot can at all times
hear the signals he gives. This arrange
ment will be of great utility in cold and
wet weather, when the pilot house will
have to be closed, and will add to the safe
running of the boat. In the engine room