Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-14
Daily eagle
MOUNTAIN COMMERCE.
STREAMS ARE THE PRINCIPAL HIGH
WAYS IN EASTERN KENTUCKY.

STREAMS ARE THE PRINCIPAL HIGH
WAYS IN EASTERN KENTUCKY.
How the Mountaineer Gets His Supplies.
Tho Push Boat and the Method Of
Navigating It-Traveling Up Stream on
the Big Sandy.
Among the many novelties which tbs
stranger finds among the mountains OF
eastern Kentucky few will interest man
OF practical turn of mind more than tho
public highways. The mountain roads,
except where q mountain gap is to be
crossed, are the mountain streams. In
consequence there is scarcely cross road
or four corners in this county outside of
this, the only village In the county, but
wherever creek forks or brook enters
a creek the road forks
Under Kentucky law the county judge
decides where and how new roads shall
be laid out The ordinary mountain road
is laid out six feet wide, and the roadway
proper must be graded not less than two
feet wide. But Judge Wagner, Of this
county, Is an enterprising citizen, who
desires to improve the country. and In
consequence he has refused to issue any
order for year past for roads less than
nine feet wide. This may seem narrow to
northern farmers, who lay out private
lanes at least rod wide. but in country
where travelling is done on horseback, and
where the vehicles for Transporting goods
of any sort, even in summer, are narrow
sleds, the pine foot road is novelty
which has set the county to talking.
THE CREEK FED ROADS.
Of course there are necessarily wagons
wherever logging is done, but the log
wagon sticks to beds Of the streams,
which are invariably wide and hollow,
while the public highway winds along the
bank of the stream and runs in the actual
bed of the stream only where the con-
fguration Of the mountain sides on each
bank Of the stream makes it necessary.
When the logging is done no effort Is
mado to keep open the highway formed.
These creek bed roads are excellent in
warm weather and low water; in winter
and spring they are impossible for weeks.
The creek beds were originally selected
for highways because very little labor was
needed to make highway out of a creek
bed. There is not such thing in Pike
county as big niger head rock. The
beds of tho streams are of sand or sand
stone, and there Is never q rapid or water
fall of such descent ss to bother team.
Another very good reason for utilizing
the creeks as roads wos the fact that all
the imports and exports of the mountains
have been necessarily carried In and out
on the rivers. Tho mountaineer's supplies
have been brought up from the Ohio river
ever since there was any one on the Ohio
to sell them. AS all creeks run by the
easiest and generally the shortest route to
the rivers, it was natural for the mount
aineer to follow the creek down to it's
mouth to get his supplies at the stores
which were located along the river.
THE push BOAT"
The rivers are not very trustworthy
highways. The steamboats, on the Big
Sandy very often get started up for Pike
vile. the head Of navigation, only to get
stranded on bar, or to find themselves
left in pocket between bars by the sud
den fall of the water. Out of this uncer-
tainty regarding the length Of q steam
boats journey to and from the headwaters
of the rivers has grown the craft. very
novel to northern eyes, called the push
boat. No better craft for the water could
be imagined.
The push boat is a scow feet wide, 60
feet long and IS inches deep. At one end
is windowless house high enough for
man to stand upright in and silks feet in
area. This is the cabin. There is sort
Of q quarter deck abaft the house, and
above this sweeps the tiller end of long
steering oar, which the pilot yields by
- onI Shalf hu;1t hale
way up on the stern.
The merchandise is piled on three wide
planks that run, like keels, the length Of
the boat, SO as to cover q large part Of the
boats bottom; but a clear gangway of at
least fifteen inches in width is left along
on each side of the merchandise, no mat
ter how great the load. These gangways
are also foored by rlanks laid bilge-keelson
fashion.
A boat like this will carry twelve to
fifteen tons dead weight of goods on
draught of eight inches. There are over
100 Of them regularly employed on ths
Big Sandy, and tho cargoes carried up
consist chiefly of the goods kept in the
country stores. at certain seasons, par
in the fall, down cargoes can be
had.
SHOWING A BOAT.
When the boat is loaded tho skipper
climbs to his shelf and grasps the tiller.
The crew of four men cast off the ropes
and pick up their push poles. These
poles are about ten feet long and from an
inch and half thick at the upper end
swell to two inches thick at the bottom,
where they are shod with short pike.
Two of the crew stand on the starboard
bow and two on the port, one behind the
other, and facing aft, place the lower ends
of the push poles on the bottom of the
stream. tho upper ends against their out
board shoulders. and then, throwing their
weight against the poles, they walk aft.
As the poles cannot sEp along she bottom,
the boat is forced forward The push
boat is a horizontally acting treadmill.
OF course, the men walk aft on the bilge
planks, which are left clear of merchan-
disc. so that they can walk there freely.
1t is distressing to q stranger-it makes
him feel as If his own back was about to
to look at the men as they
shove tho boat slong; but the Big Sandy
boatmen are a hardy and cheerful race.
and not only Go not fret and chafe over
their tod, but even walk away to the
tune OF some rolicking love song or ditty
which they have learned from the favorite
artist of a travelling theatrical troupe at
Catlettsburg
The men get 81 day each and board.
The day runs from sunrise to sunset, and
In that time four men will shove a boat
from thirteen to fourteen miles up stream
on the Big Sandy. The pilot is usually
the owner Of the boat He gets seventy
FIVE cents hundred pounds for general
brought from Catlettsburg
to Pikeville, distance of 100 miles.
Flour he brings at 81 barrel 1t is only
when the boat has full cargo and pros