The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-10-23
A GREAT BOAT RACE.
How the Robert E. Lee Beat Her Riv
the Famous Natchez.

NOW the Robert Z. Lee Beat Her RtvalS
the Famous Natchez.
Up in the top of the post-ofice build
ing, in the room where the steamboat
inspectors are located, hangs colored
lithograph of one of the most famous
steamboat races that ever took place on
the Mississippi river. The race was be-
tween the United States mail packet
Natchez and the Robert E. Lee, and oc-
| CURED twenty years ago. They ran
from New Orleans to St. Louis, dis
| tance of 1900 miles, making little over
800 miles per day. The Lee won, her
exact time being 3 days, Is hours and 80
minutes.
On the evening of June 80, 1870, at
4:55 p. M, the boats swung off from
their landings at New Orleans and
headed up the river. Both of them
were Veritably floating palaces-the
finest examples of the boat-builders'
art-and were regarded as the two fast
est boats on the river. They carried no
freight and very few passengers. Every
unnecessary piece of rope and wood was
left behind, and the boats made as light
as possible. 1t was race to determine
| which boat was the fastest, and great
sums of money are said to have been
placed on the result. 1t is said fortunes
were won and lost on the race. 1t was
| q neck-and-neck race from the start.
! The old picture shows flames leaping
/ from the stacks of both boats, as side by
side they plowed through the water at
topmost speed. Captain ]. w. Cannon
had charge of the Robert E. Lee, and
Captain T. P. Leathers was in command
of the Natchez, which was carrying the
United States mails. Such incidentals
as way passengers were ignored. The
race excited the greatest interest every
where, from New Orleans to st. Louis,
and as the boats flew by spectators
gathered along the river banks and
cAeered Justify.
At 11:25 on the ,aorning of July 4 the
Lee steamed into the st. Louis harhor
amid the widest enthusiasm. Her
overs were overioyed at having broken
the record. The Natchez reached the
st. Louis wharf at 5:3S o'clock on the
eve of the same day, being six hours
and thirty three minutes behind the
Lee. The six hours had been lost
through detention by fog at DEVILS
Island. The best previous time had
been made by the Natchez, which made
the run in 3 days, 81 hours and So min
utus in the month before. This race
was perhaps the most remarkable that
ever occurred on American water ways,
both for its magnitude and the great
speed attained. Steamboats, of to-day
never come near the speed of 800 miles
in twenty-four hours.
Captain James Gilmore was in st.
Louis when the boats arrived there, and
speaking of the race last night said:
"The Lee and the Natchez were two of
the fastest boats on the river. When
they left New Orleans they were
stripped of every thing that might offer
the least resistance to the wind, one of
the conditions of the race being that
they could be put in the best travelling
shape possible. Not an unnecessary
spar was allowed to remain. | believe
that there was great deal of money
put up on the race by st. Louis parties.
The race was simply to test the speed
of both boats, as they were not running
in the ST. Louis and New Orleans trade.
TO give some idea of the speed OF
the boats can relate something that
happened at Cairo. Some parties wanted
to board the Lee there, and as she
would not stop they hired the Idlewild,
a boat that had somewhat of record
for speed. AS the Lee came steaming
along the Idlewild ran alongside, and
hoped to be able to lash on long enough
to allow the people to be transferred.
She succeeded in lashing on to the Lee,
but could not keep up with her, and the
big boat sped on, stripping bare the
decks of the Idlewild. Every guard
and railing on her deck was torn of. -
Pittsburgh Post.