Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-05-02
THE CHASKE.
That IL the Name of the New Upper Mis-
souri, River Packet. ,

That il the Name of he New Upper Mis-
souri, River Packet
The steamer Chaske, better known down
the river as the Abner O'Neal, with Cap
tain Talbot in command and H. Brandt,
clerk, is steaming up the Big Muddy and
is expected to arrive at the river landing
in a few days. The Sioux City Journal
says:
The Chaske arrived yesterday morning
from Pittsbnrg, having made the run In
eighteen days, exclusive of the time she
was tied up at st. Louis, L~eavenworth and
Omaha. The boat is owned by the Missouri
River Transportation company, of Mandan,
N. D., and will make ~semi-monthly trips
between Bismarck and Sioux City, carry
idg freight to and from all intermediate
points.
Her captain, R. A. Talbot, has been on
the upper river for the past seven years
and both he and her pilot, big Nels Todd,
have friends in every river town from Ben
ton to st. Louis.
The Chaske discharged her last freight
at Omaha, and Capt. Talbot will make no
The channel is in bad shape just now,
owing to the recent rise having washed a
good deal of sand into it, but the captain
says it will be cut out again before their
next trip. At one place below Sioux City
they had to spar the boat over nearly two
milers of a bar.
Regarding the prospects for Missouri
be greatly revived in the next year or two.
The merchants in all the larger towns he
had passed had spoken to him about the
possibilities of carrying heavy freights up
the river, and for his part he is confident
that boats like tho Chaske, built expressly
for this class of work, can be operated with
profit both to the owners and their patrons.
had brought from Pittsburg tor a merchant
of Leavenworth, who told him he could
sell the goods 20 per cent. cheaper than if
he had got them by rail, and still make a
larger profit. Merchants along the river,
he said, were waking up to that fact. and
ing between st. Louis and Kansas City.
The heavier freights he hopes to secure
here are such as are consigned to the reser-
vations and government points. The
Chaske, he said, was the fastest boat he
had ever handled, and with good water, he
and the pilot were agreed that the trip
from Bismarck to Sioux City could be
made in two days and the passage up
would not occupy more than eight at any
time. Passengers will be carried at the
rate of 8 cents a mile. including board and
state rooms, and Nels, the pilot, said
they would charge nothing extra for
curves.
The only passenger on board was Miss
Amelia Brandt, sister of the boats clerk.
who came on board at LeavenwOrth and
will make the trip to Bismarck. The young
lady said she had enjoyed the trip i'm
mensely and would like to spend the whole
summer on the river. Our e~nterprising
photographer, Charlie Taylor, was on hand
with his camera and secured al excellent
negative of the interior of the Chaske's
cabins and engines: When the boat had
visions she skinned away up the river
before sunset, as lightly as if there was no
such thing as a seven-mile-an-hour current
III the Big Muddy.
1t is understood the Chaske will arrive
here Thursday or Friday and will have on
board a number of officers and their fami-
lies from Fort Yates and the celebrated
Fort Yates band.