The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-12-24

the Missouri
Morning on the Levee.
If you want to see a pitiful sight, -
he went on, you go down 60 the levee
and see how dead it is down there. And
you take notice how the railroads have
insulted the river by putting elevated |
tracks along the street that parallels /
the levee, SO as to get everything away
from the boats they can. These elevated /
tracks are in addition to the two tracks 4
on the ground. I tell you the railroads /
are greedy lot -
The next morning did 60 down to
the levee, and the sight was not one !
likely to be inspiriting to a man wrap
ped up in a lively river traffic. There I
are many readers doubtless who have
never seen a Mississippi river levee, and /
for their benefit I will describe the fea-
lures that struck me as interesting. In
the first place, there is nothing that ap-
proaches a wharf or pier in appearance. 4
The river at a low stage of water is
many feet below the level reached at q |
high stage. Piers built out into tho
stream when the water is high would
be far inland when the water is low,
and any built for low water would be
far below the waters surface when the
stream is swollen
Accordingly the levee is built at q
steep incline. the work consisting mere /
" of a block stone pavement, which
prevents the current from washing It
away. At this time the stream Is at its
lowest stage, and the whole broad ex-
panse of the levee is high and dry. Ly-
ing in the stream at the foot of the levee
and moored by huge iron chains to
anchor blocks of stone, set in the leveo,
are great barges that serve in the place
of piers Upon these barges the boats 4
sol
they do their lading. The barges are
connected with the levee by movable
bridges, and when the stream rises the
barges and bridges are moved higher up
the levee. 1t is said to be an inspiring
sight this levee, when its length Of up
ward of a mile is lined with stately
steamers and its sloping surface is
swarming with rOustabouts and crowd ]
ed with heavy wagons bearing cargo to
and from the boats.
The morning that I devoted to the
1evee, however, there was little activity
visible of any sort. One big side wheel
boat only lay in the stream, and her
fires were dead, her cabins empty, her
wheelhouse deserted and her decks
bare. She had not been running for a
month. The lading barges were almost /
as empty and forlOrn-quite as much, SO
far as any actual business was concern /
ed-and but for the fact that the Offices 1
of the transportation companies are To- |
Gated thereon would have been absolute /
" tenantless. The only life to be seen |
anywhere was at the landing stage Of
the ferryboats.
Coal From Illinois.
These ferry boats are queer craft in /
the eyes of any one not familiar with /
them. Their smol1estacks are on one /
side, their exhaust pipes on the other, /
and they present a decidedly one sided ]
appearance when approaching head on. /
The engine Of a st. Louis ferryboat is /
of a type never seen away from western I
rivers, the cylinder being 8 or 10 feet /
long and not more than 20 inches or 2 /
feet in diameter. The engine is of the /
horizontal type, and the farm '-'scon-
Meeting rod it would be termed else
where's generally of wood and very
large and heavy. The hull of the boat /
is built double aft, and the single small /
wheel lies between the two parts aft of /
the bifurcation. The chief business of /
these boats Is the transportation of the /
soft coal of the Illinois mines to St. /
Louis.
This coal is loaded upon immense coal /
wagons on the Illinois side of the river /
and hauled to and upon the boats, /
which, when all the deck space is occu- /
pied, make for the Missouri shore. The /
horses that haul the wagons are heavy /
draft animals of a mixed breed, a pair /
Of which is capable of hauling an i'm /
mense load, but not powerful enough to /
haul one Of these big wagons up the /
steep incline Of the Ievee. Accordingly I
when the wagons are got off the boat 7
extra horses, sometimes one pair, some /
times two, are attached, and then with +
much creaking of wheels, swapping of
long, heavy whips, swearing Of drivers K
and occasional falling Of horses to their T
knees the heavy load IS dragged to the /
level of the street above.
There was nothing doing on the Ievee I
during the several hours ] devoted to it /
beyond the arrival and departure of these I
coal wagon laden ferryboats, but it
must not be understood that because the
river is practically idle just now it has
no traffic whatever. On the contrary,
its traffic is very large IN the aggregate,
only seeming significant because it is +
much less now than 1t was in the old
boom days.
Mississippi Tonnage at St. Louis.
I have not at command the figures of /
any of the rushing years, but IN 1898 I
the total was more than 1, 100, 900 tons.
In 1892 the total was l. 1S9, 415 tons: in I
1891, 1,O36, 3O5. It " ould take large /
feet of lake steamers to handle this
amount Of freight every year, and there
are now employed in the traffic some I
thousands of persons. 1t is, moreover, /
confidently expected that when the
operations at present under way for the /
Improvement of the channel shall be- /
come effective the total annual tonnage I