The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-11-16
NAVIGATION OPENED.
AN ENTHUSIASTIC AssExRLAGE
Greets the Arrival Of the James G.
Blaine, the First Regular Steamer.
AN EVENT IN OUR LOCAL HISTORY.

AN EVENT IN OUR LOCAL HISTORY.
1t has just been 81 years since the
first efforts were made looking to the
Stacking of the Monongahela river
to this place. Last Friday, Novem-
Der s, in the year of our Lord Eigh-
teen Hundred and Eighty nine,
marked the contamination Of those eff
forts and the completion of the slack
water system when the James G..
Blaine, the magnificent steamer,
curved the bend and landed at our
wharf.
The day was dark, dismal, dreary
and drizzly, but the elements served
not to dampen the ardor and enthu-
siasm of our people. They lined the
wharf in hundreds and rent the air
in vociferous and enthusiastic cheers
as the steamer drew near, in answer
to her sonorous, bass voice heralding
her arrival The glad notes were
caught up by the throng Of officers
and excursionists on board, all join
ing in the chorus of greetings and
welcome. A brass band from Cali
fornia, Pa, lent its harmony to the
occasion and everybody was happy.
Captain Adam Jacobs surrender
ed the craft to the eager and enthus-
ed people when she landed and the
merry making still kept up on board.
The picture was inspiring and each
individual in that vast crowd seemed
to appreciate the propitiousness of
the event.
The bells of the schools and
churches and whistles of the factor
les and mills kept up the din and
had the day been at all favorable
thousands of people would have been
in from the country TO join in the
great demonstration. Only an hours
stop, however, of the steamer prevent
ed more formal demonstration and
proper celebration of an event
fraught with so much interest to our
people.
But the people used that hour to
good advantage in their enthusiasm,
and there were but few men, women
or children Of the town who were
not on hand TO see, to cheer and to
welcome.
We were all glad. We had wait
ed for this event with pent up feel
ings to do it justice as occasion
would require. The time had come;
we celebrated.
And for and on account of these
and other things, we record that at
10 o'clock on the morning of that
day, the whistle of the Blaine, the
first regular steamboat that passed
through the nine locks which make
the slackwater system of the Mon
ongahela, was heard by our citizens,
and answered by them in hearty
manner beftting the gladstone oc-
casion.
Morgantown had seen steamboats,
once in great while in other years,
but when the James G. Blaine blew
her whistle and steamed around
the bend of the river last Friday our
people received her as the herald of
a new era in our history. 1t meant
that an avenue Of communication by
water to the world was forever
opened unto us. 1t meant that the
whistle of the steamer was to become
an habitual and familiar greeting.
1t meant that the facilities for trans
portation thus opened made Morgan
town forever independent, and that
the commercial Importance of our
town had been increased ten fold;
that to our town the ports of the
world are now open and that our
citizen can step aboard at this
wharf, or ship his freight, and by an
line of water transporta
ton reach the principal sea ports
of the world. We have waited and
waited and now are extremely happy
that our hopes have eliminated at
last. Two splendid steamers, the
James G. Blaine and the Adam ia.
cobs, have begun to alternately touch
at our wharf daily. They offer an
attractive trip between this point
and Pittsburg They are finely
with elegantly appointed
interiors, attractive exteriors and are
manned by crews that are the pink
of accommodation and politeness.
Morgantown is proud of the dis
tinction which is insured by the
close connections she can now make
with the populous down he-river
country; she is proud of having both
river and rail communication with
the outside world and of the enhance
ment to our interests each brings;
she is proud to see an era of prosper
ity dawn with the arrival of the
boats, and in this pride she is proud
all over.
Saturday and Sunday boats were
hindered in their arrival to this place
byhigh water, but Monday the Jacobs
arrived at 6 o'clock in the morning
with many passengers and good
cargo of freight and each day since,
there has been a boat and every day
will see one, except for two proven
tives, high water and ice. The fare
to Pittsburg is So, or S. for the
round trip, including meals and
lodging. and already several persons
have made the excursion.
The Blaine was really not the
first boat to come here under the
new system, but was the first of the
regular boats of the navigation COM
pany. The first steamboat was the
steam launch BERTHE, from East
Riverside, Pa, on the Monongahela.
The BERTHE beat the steamer j. G.
Blaine several hours, having come
through the night before to the dis
comfiture of the Captain of that
boat, who had made arrangements
to have his boat come through the
first.
The BERTHE left East Riverside at
8 p. m. Thursday evening, and made
the run in IL hours. The Captain