The Springfield herald., 1899-03-31
BUFFALO STOPS BOAT
UNUSUAL SIGHT ON THE MIS-
SISSIPPl.
The Animals Plunged Over Blum.
Failing Into the Boat and River
Dinappenrancc of the Herds-frimitive
Navigation.

1t seems scarcely credible that with
in the past twenty-five years buffaloes
could be counted by thousands within
400 miles OF ST. Paul, but 1t Is true.
About the time that Jay Cooke began
building the Northern Pacific railroad
west from the western boundary of
Minnesota there was not a railroad
west of Fargo to the Pacific coast, and
there was but sixty miles of railroad
within the territory embraced in the
two Dakotas. The great thoroughfare
for passenger and freight traffic to the
far northwest was the Missouri river,
then teeming with life and activity
from St. Louis to Fort Benton, dis
tance OF 1900 miles. over which the
sternwheel steamboats, were fortunate
II they were able to make one trip in
single season.
1t was in the summer Of 1872, when
the old Kountz line steamer Peninah.
Capt. Tom Mariner, left the terminus
of the railroad at Yankton, laden with
through freight for Fort Benton, and
grading outfit and crew, under Con-
tractor w. A. Burleigh, then delegate
in congress from Dakota territory, to
work upon the Northern Pacific grade
east from the Missouri river from
where Bismarck is now located.
The Peninah had been Obliged to lay
up for repairs under a bluff a few miles
above Standing Rock agency for
couple of days. About noon Of a day
in the latter part of May the passen-
gers lounging about the deck of the
boat heard noise resembling the
rumbling of distant thunder. Every
man instinctively sought shelter.
"Indians!" was whispered throughout
the ship. and even the old-tlmers grew
pale as they realized what a war party
of this size meant for them. The noise
came closer and closer, and resolved It
self into a wild roar. and then hun
dreds of buffaloes came tearing over
the bluff at a mad pace, falling into the
water like sheep. The landing place
OF the Peninah was close under the
bluff, with scarcely more than dozen
feet Intervening, and a majority OF the
animals plunged over the boat into the
river. Some fell on the deck. aud
many lay along the narrow bank.
MANNED and bleeding from broken legs
or internal injuries. Still they came
tumbling over the bluff. The sandbars
were covered with the big. shaggy ami
mails, who began to climb up the op-
posite bank. where they stood exhaust
ed. 1t was nearly an hour before the
last of the herd had plunged over the
bluff. Then the deck hands set about
providing the boat with fresh meat aad
themselves with buffalo hides, which
they sold at good figure. When the
Peninah pulled out next day the buffa-
loes were seen spreading out over the
hills on the eastern side OF the river.
An average estimate placed the num-
ber Of buffaloes in this stampede at T.,
600.
1t may have been the same herd or
another one of similar size that COM
PEELED the steamer Miner to tie up to
the bank for two hours Just below Fort
Buford. This was in the fall of 1874.
and while there was no precipice at
this point to jump from. the buffaloes
were swimming the river by thousands.
The Miner was in midstream coming
down the river like race horse, when
she ran into the herd. and being fear
full of an accident. the captain turned
her shoreward and tied up. while the
crew laid in a good supply OF fresh
meat. Some idea of the vast herds
that ranged that country may be
cleaned from the fact that on one trip
down the river about that time the
entire cargo of the steamer General
Meade was made up of dried buffalo
tongues and hides.
From 1877 to 1879 were the palmy
days OF steamboating on the upper
Missouri, no less than sixty-five boats
being engaged in the service at that
time, but during these years much
business was gathered at Bismarck, the
Northern Pacific having reached the
Missouri The Kountz line, owned by
Commodore Kountz of Pittsburg, op-
Grated the queerest craft that ever
plowed the waters of the Big Muddy.
Everybody along the river got to know
the long, low. single smokestack. pi-
ratlcal-looking steamers. They would
coming wheeling up the river like
great monster in the last stages of
asthmatic convulsions. and 1t seemed
to require the attention of the entire
crew to keep her boilers supplied with
steam to breast the current. They
were slow and to cover the distance
between Pittsburg and Fort Benton in
single season they were obliged to
run during the night, and 1t was said
of them thai they invariably arrived
at the landings along the river In the
dead OF night. when all other vessels
were tied up The Durfee & Peck line,
the Benton line, and the Missouri Riv-
er Transportation company were all
frst-class The latter company put Oh
ty,D sidewheelers in 1876-the Montana
and the Dakota. They proved an ex-
non siya luYurY one heing wrecked by