Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-08-17
KING OF TIE MISSISSIPPI.
INCIDENTS IN TIE LIFE OF THE
MOST FAMOUS RIVER CAPTAIN.
His Great Race in the Natchcz With
the Robert E. Lce-Close Work in
u Fog Bank.

ully yCurS ne was famous
character, and men were proud to call
HIM friend. Captain Thomas P.
Leathers was king on the Mississippi
River. Ifs name was known far and
wide, but familiarly he was called "Old
Push" because Of his admiration for
Push ma ha, the Indian chief.
Leathers was intimately associated
with the rivers greatest glory in the
good old days when the steamboats,
that piled the stream were floating
palaces, when the rich planters, their
wives and daughters travelled by water
and when the professional gambler
thrived on the passengers.
Captain Leathers commanded the
Natchez in her historic race with the
Robert e. Lee, a race which was
watched with interest all over this
country and Europe. Captain Leath.
ers had the Natchez No. 6 built on
plans OF his own. She could carry
$500 bales of cotton and was magnif-
icent boat. When she was finished
at Cincinnati discussion ran high us to
whether the boat was not the fastest
in the world, and the heat of this con-
troyersy resulted in the greatest race
the world has known, challenging the
excited interest OF both the New and
the Old World. 1t happened in June
of 1870, the stretch being from New
Orleans to st. Louis.
Two things procipitatel the con-
test. though Captain Leathers had al
ways protested that rs far as he was
concerned he was not racing, anu cir
cumstances point strongly to the cor
rectness of this statement. On June
"a, of the year in question, Captain
Leathers, arriving on his Natchez in
st. Louis, wired Captain Perry Thorp
that he had made the trip to st. Louis,
IL distance OF 1878 miles, in three days
twenty-one hours and liEty-eight min
utes, thus smashing the record. The
announcement stirred up the greatest
excitement among the partlsans OF the
other fast boats, among which ranked
! foremost the Robert e. Lee, com
manded by Captain John W. Cannon.
| He determined to beat this record,
and to that end stripped his boat OF
all her doors and windows, to avoid
the winds resistance, and declined to
receive any cargo or passengers. The
steamboat Frank Pargoud was des
patched ahead to warn the coalipg
barges that the Lee would need coal
with as little delay rs possible, and
J every precnution was taken for the
swiltest possible journey.
On June 30 the Lee backed out from
the New Orleans wharf, and five min
utes later the Natche8 which had
showed up her date of departure,
backed out with her own cargo, sup
piemented with that the Lee was TO
carry, and the Lees passengers as
we'll. Along the river thousands of
people gathered to watch the exciting
race, and when the boats passed Mem
phis 10, 600 people collected to watch
them pass. The whole country and
Europe were kept posted on tue prog
ress of the race, and hundreds of thou
sands, maybe millions, OF dollars
changed hands on its result. The Lee
gained slightly every 100 miles, the
gam amounting to ten minutes in the
first 800 miles, but the Natchoz made
all her landings, and did not have the
coaling advantages enjoyed by the
Lee. The Natchez was caught in the
fog after passing Cairo, and ran ashore,
the Lee making st. Louis in three
days eighteen hours and fourteen min
utes.
Captain Leathers tool; all the Lees
freight and passengers, and from that
one trip paid more than $1,000 on his
boat So. although he lost the race,
he found it very profitable.
Leathers was a fine man physically,
and had rugged constitution. Had
it not been for an accident he would
probably have lived much longor. On
the day after he was eighty years old
IL bicycler riding rapidly through the
streets of New Orleans struck the Cap
tain and so seriously Injured him
that he lived only Il lew weeks.
The career of this foremost man OF
the river would fill several volumes
with interesting incidents. 1t is pos
sible that no Captain ever cherished Il
higher regard for the responsibilities
Of his post, or held in higher esteem
the men OF his calling who possessed
distinguished merit in this respect. A
little incident which the Captain never
tired of norrating, andwhlch striking
ly illustrates this point, imhedded for
ever in his heart the late distinguished
Captain Swan. Captain Swan was ono
night plowing down the river ON the
steamer White (the first oLe), which
he commanded, and Captain LeatherS
was beating up stream. 1t was foggy
and late, but it was not one of the
sort of fogs which appeared to be
general in its nature. Both Captain
were convinced that in IL short while
they would emerge from the murky
district, and they gave orders 10 steam
ahead u little briskly. In his nara
tive of the thrilling event Captain
Leathers said the log reached just 4
little above the hurricane deck and
was quite dense to the waters surface.
He felt uneasy and had remained up.
His boat was filled with souls ant
they were all asleep. He was kicking
: ,,,n of tho bior iniun'S rod ON Dly n