Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-16
Trav a Pleasure Then.

Few people appreciate the fact that
between 1850 and 1860 an enormous
traffic was al'ried on by steamboat on
| the Missouri river between St. Louis
and Kansas City" said an old timer to
a reporter for the Kansas City Times,
| the other day 1T will probably sur
| prise you when l tell you that there
were 50 packets regularly plying be-
tween St. Louis and Kansas City, and
| some even as far north as Council
| Bluffs. This does not include the tram
| sients which, during the summer
months. went sometimes as far as the
Yellowstone.
| Those were great old days then"
| continued Mr. Bernard. as he heaved a
| sigh. as if he regretted that they We're
gone forever. Nowadays people trav-
| cling think it is a great hardship if they
| do not make the trip between here and
| St. Louis in II hours, but in those days
| it was different. Travel was truly a
| pleasure. and time was no particular
| object The packets | speak of were
veritabe floating palaces, as far as the
| passengers comfort was concerned
| Their capacity averaged from 300 to 400
| passengers. and each had a band OF
| musicians aboard. On summer nights
| the passengers would dance, and you
| can imagine that such pleasure under
| the conditions would be entrancin@
| The packets We're not as large as those
| used on the Mississippi. but they were
! just as fine.
How much freight could be carried
| on an average boat" was asked.
Il should judge that 400 tons would be
an average load. You see. at that time
| Westport was the QUILTING point for
| the entire Southwestern country. even
as far down as Chihuahua, Mexico, and
| there was a great deal of freight billed
through from the East by way OF ST.
| Louis. Along the river there We're
| quite a number of live, busy little
| towns. which We're notable landing
| points for hemp. tobacco and the like,
which are now either gone out of eX-
istence or are mere villages. For in
| stance, there is Rocheport, which is
nothing but memory; Sibley, of no
| Importance whatever, and ParkViile
| and Weston are of the same sort. Glas-
gov, Boonville, Waverly and LeXing-
ton were prominent river points
What was the passenger fare
charged between here and st. Louis?'
From $40 to s12 one way. Not 50
very much, when it is taken into con-
| sideraton that on the down trip three
| DAYS were taken and the passengers
were fed upon a fare that would cost at
least 81. 80 day at any st. Louis hotel
Coming back, it took four days. The
service on these packets was most eX-
cellent. A small army of trained ser
| wants waited upon the tables; which
| were furnished with the finest linen
and service. The quality of the cook
| ing was proverbally good. In this day
of rapid living I doubt that such excel
lent mode of pleasant travel would be
appreciated Travel then meant pleas
ure whereas today the object is largely
to make fast time
| What has become of all those
boaes?' inquired the reporter.
Il really don't know. Probably gone
the way of all other things perishabla.
| see by the papers that they are min
ing for the whiskey supposed to be in
the hull of the old Arabia. which went
down near Parkville. That disposes of
one. Then there is the Twilight. which
went down near Napoleon Perhaps
the most serious and shocking fate
which befell a Missouri river packet
was that of the Saluda. which blew up
at Lexington in the spring of 1850. The
river was rising rapidly. and west of
Lexington there is bend in the river,
and after several Intellectual attempts 20
round it the boat fell back and put on
full head of steam, only to be blown up,
completely destroying it and killing 200
Mormons, who We're on their way to In
dependence. The safe. perfectly intact.
was blown to the crest Of the HILL $50
feet away. What has really become Of
all the boats / cannot say, but these
three fatal ones furnished the most
notable of packet traffic mishaps."