The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1898-02-26
BIG MUDDY WRECKS.
No Less Than 273 Steamboats, Have
Sunk in the Missouri River.

Captain NJ. NJ. Chittenden of the
Missouri river commission, says there
are 273 steamboat wrecks in the sands
of the channel and banks of the Mis-
souri,, says the Jefferson City Tribune.
From Its mouth TO Kansas City, the
wrecks are like milestones. Since navi-
CATION began on the Big Muddy, III
boats were lost below st. Joseph and
I53 below Kansas City Out of the
entire 273 lost, 2O4 were wrecked on
snags and ROCKS. Two hundred lives
were sacrificed.
In 1850 the Saluda struck a snag
and sank five miles below Rpckport.
Her hull was dug out of the bar and
taken to st. Louis, where she was
rebuilt. She started to Council Bluffs
with d full load of Mormon emil
grants, and arrived at Lexington,
when her boiler exploded, killing
twenty-seveu persons. Captain Belt,
master, and Charles LaBarge, pilot,
we're killed. Peter Conrad and the
office safe were blown 200 feet on the
bank. The surviving children of the
passengers who were killed were
adopted by cltizens of Lexington, and
some of them have grown up to be
among the foremost people of the
place.
The Thomas Jefferson was the first
steambuat wrecked in the Missouri. Ii
was one OF the fleet of steamers In the
Longs Yellowstone expedition 10
ascertain whtther The Missouri was
navigable tor steamboats,.
The West Wind brought troops down
- 49,. - l.,A.I ham nj Gnl.,TnUu
II day or two before the town was
attacked by Gen. John D. CLARK, Jr.,
and Gen. Joe o. Shelby. The town
was cap ured Saturday, October 10.
1864, after II days figh'Ing. The boat
was burned the following night.
BY COL w. F.
The appalling disaster TO the steamer
| Saluda, laden with Mormons destined
for Utah, occurred at the Lexington
landing on Friday, April 9th, 1852
be river WAS swollen from spring
rains, and the current thickly studded
with floating ice. For two or three
days the steamer had fruitlessly
attempt. d to stem the food and round
the point at Lexington About nine
O'Clock In the morning, the captain ot
the Saluda, Francis T.. Belt, impatient
of the delay, ordered An extra pressure
of steam for Il tinal effort. The fur
nnces were flied with glowing inf1am-
mables; the guards crowded with pas
srngeIs eagerly watching the result.
The sigma, was given for starting the
engine; when, at the second revOlu-
ion OF the wheels, both boilers ex-
I-aI i,,lfal NTH fAa rfDl
ef-ct, tearing away AL the boat for
ward OF the wheels, Causing her To sink
immediately. Captain Belt and J"na-
than F. Blackburn. the second clerk,
were standing eIwee the chinIneyS
III the hurricane roof, aud were blown
over the warehouse on the shore and
half way up the bluff. Both were
killed outright. The iron safe, weigh
ing $40 or GU pounds, and with II dog
chained tn it, was blown from the
office over the warehnuSe, and fell near
he body of Captain Belt. Josiah
CLANCY, con engineer, was also
blown ashore aud died. Charles La
Barge and Lewis Garrett. pilots. were
blown in au opposite di' ection mo the
river and killed or drowned. Heavy
I agments of machinery fell at incred-
Ible distances from the bOat. II was
never known how many lives were lost
ny the explosion, but ~eignty-three per-
sons were buried from the wreck at
Lexington. Among the lost was Jas
N McAlister, II sol of Brightbrrry Me-
Alister. aged eighteen, II son of Bright
berry McAlIster, of Columbia (whO is
still II resident of that p'Rce). EN- route
from Columbia TO Liberty, Mo-, with
the household goods and carpenters
tools of his fathers, who had con-
tracted 10 aid in the erection of Will
liam Jewell College.