The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-11
THE PICTURESQUE OHIO.
A River Trip Whose Charms Are Not
Generally Understood.

Generally Understood.
| Travelling by river is a pleasure but HttIe
| known, especially here in the middle West
! to our present generation of rushers Even
those who live along the beautiful Ohio
when they go places are whisked across
country by the ubiquitous locomotive,
| though the river may run their way and as
a consequence the opportunities for the old
time leisurely romantic trips, with their
scenery and ever-shifting trains of incidents,
are surprisingly few. If one plans river
ride from Cincinnati to Louisville Louis
vile to Cincinnati he finds that pair OF
mail boats are the only ones to be relied
upon, and these, through the week, bOtn
travel by night. Below Louisville it is no
better; and so the uninitiated traveller who
| is out for pleasure and who wishes to en-
joy the charms of the Ohio will more than
likely suffer disappointments.
! There is, however, at least one regular
| daylight line which offers all the interesting
variety that belongs to river traffic and it
makes an admirable pleasure trip Each
morning the Big Kanawha a packet that
! plies between the mouth of Kentucky river
| and LOUSY lie, stops at the Madison wharf
! (the most convenient point from Indanap-
I olis) for freight and passengers and this is
the boat to catch The crew of the Kanawha
are a little world within themselves and
have small thought care seemingly, for
what is going on beyond the hills that
walks the deck. monarch of all he surveys;
the smaller lords are submonarchs over all
who do not happen to be over them, and
the most absolute autocrat of the lot is the
mate, who has immediate charge of the
roustabouts. The Gar of Russia would feel
abashed IN his presence The mate is
hard-fsted, hard-headed fellow with face
that would be fine design for a vinegar
cruet and staccato voice that prOds like
pike. There are no superf1uites-no -'frills"
| mate. language
trated energy and the amount of motion he
can stir up among a dozen sluggish negroes
| is incredible till one sees it, His miniOns, the
roustabouts, are especially piquant to a
Northern landlubber They are typical
tesquely clad in odds and ends OF
ancient garments stiff with dirt. Their
work is TO bring in the freight
about basking in the like so many croc-
odiles, grooming songs, perhaps, as only the
negroes can, or dropping off into snatches OF
slumber, the very embodiment of lazy lux
ury. Then signal from shore causes the
boat to head in; the mates voice rings out
about there, now! Get that plank out
and in a seconds time the roustabout corps
is imbued with sudden energy. The heavy
stageplank, suspended from its crane is
swung about and lowered as the boat sides
up to the shelving bank Before it touches
the mud clerk is out on It, pencil and
book in hand, with his dusky retinue at his
HEELS a swift inventory is taken of the
freight to be shipped, and the dozen sons
of Ham, keeping time to the music of the
mates voice, convey 1t frantically aboard.
1t is like a string of alarmed ants carrying
away pile OF eggs. In season much OF the
freight is fruit, and when peaches get loose
or a watermelon splits down the back, thus
making them legitimate diet for the car
riers, their desperate efforts to eat and stiH
preserve the mates schedule adds TO the
| liVeliness of the occasion
But the most novel entertainment con-
| tributed by the roustabout is his feat OF
loading live stock. Hogs. cattle, sheep and
hat ~ T1QfIC no hrO 1Ohf a
to their decided wills, and time can be
| spared for moral suasion. Hogs especially,
| do not take kindly to driving, but never was
| hog handled in more summary fashion.
| Fencing is attached to the sides of the
| stageplank and wings of the same set on
| the ground serve as guides to the cIute.
| Then a great strip of heavy canvas, perhaps
| three or four. feet wide by fifty long ana
| furnished at intervals with sticks for han
| dies is drawn in a semcircle about tne
| drove, and, with a man at each stick, tneH
| porcine majesties are simply seined like a
| school of fish, into the mouth of the chute.
| When they realize the indignity the run
| thickens. Hogs. squealing their shrill pro-
| test, climb over each other and strive 10
scale the canvas barrier. They are vigor-
| ously cuffed back, and few roustabouts'
jumping over among the ne, Struggling EI Iad -
| belabor them Justify till they are gao 70
| escape by way of the plank TO the ooat
deck and the pens there provided. re-
| fractory COW is apt to be treated with sun
| more contumely One end of a long rope IS
| fastened to her horns, eight or ten caplofS
| take her in tow like a canal boat the others
| fail and thus stiff-legged and stiff-necked.
she is brought aboard IN triumph sheep
| are handled yet differently, each one be-
| ing paired off with roustabout VINO,
! astride its back. with firm grasp of the
WOOL strives 70 guag ro III and eIld iorons aud
| rcalcitrant the conflict between them IS ~
exciting as that between cowboy and his
These landings are at all sorts of I'M
| likely places along the river. Sometimes
| little town is adjacent to the spot, nut
| oftener it is at the terminus of a country
/ road that comes winding out from among
| the hills and underground. Here the farm
! ers on either side bring their baskets or
| fruit or other produce and stack them con-
veniently or have their stock In waiting
! against the coming of the packet. So ire
quent are these loading places that some
| times the boat seems TO ZgZag from shore
| to shore and by the time Louisville IS
/ reached the whole lower deck is piled high
| with one jumbled mass of baskets. boxes
| and what-not, with hogs and other animals
in the depths mingling their aroma win
There are other features that make this
| trip interesting, not least OF which is the
magnificent panorama OF NILS tnat loIg ato
the Ohio as ia belle riviere' (the heautful
| Tiver.) These hills at times crowd closely
| up TO the winding stream In bold promon-
| tories or as long lines of cliffs where the
gray, inaccessible rocks show boluiy,
| framed around with greenery. Where the
/ slopes afford footing people OF the poorer
| classes have taken possession, planted tnelr
| primitive cabins there and devoted their III
| tie clearings to tobacco culture. Here they
| live in pioneer simplicity and isolation,
| heirs Of poverty presumably. throughout
| their days. and a sorry contrast 70 their
| thrifty neighbors who. where the hills re-
| cede. take possession or the proad. icn
bottom lands erecting there substantial
| spacious homes.
trip from Indianapolis to Madisoni
| thence by river to the cities at the falls OF
| the Ohio, thence back home affords more
| sightseeing and variety for the expense
| involved, perhaps. than any other launt tnat
could be commended. few side trips
| which viii allow of pleasant wheeling should
/ not be forgotten. From Madison one can
/ go TO Hanover and to Vevay by excellent
| river roads. From New Albany to Corydon
over the old state road is an ideal SPIN, aug
| IL you can stand few miles Of rough hlh
country the route from Corydon 70 WAN
/ dotte cave will offer scenic feast ana tne
1 wonderful natural curiosity at the END OF u
/ win amply repay all toll,
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