The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-12-30

the bay Before reaching Hair Moon light
house the engineers OF the Farmer, seeing
the steam decreasing and not being apis
to keep UP the quantity they desired with
the pine wood, they ordered the negro
fireman to open big hogsheads OF bacon
that was part of the freight Of the boat.
Breaking In the heads OF the hogsheads
they thrust whole sides OF fat bacon into
the furnaces until the heat was almost
unbearable. when the Farmer was opposite
and Just to the north Of Pelican Island
the boilers could not stand the strain any
longer but burst and the brave Captain
Webb and most of the crew and passengers
were thrown. mangled and bleeding. into
the waters OF the bay. More than thirty
boat. The Neptune came along and picked
up all the survivors OF the Farmer Ths
boat and cargo were q total loss, with the
exception of the floating cotton saved
Some years after this disaster our we'll
known butcher, Mr.. william Miller, picked
up the spy glass of the Farmer on Pelican
island. This disaster put stop to steam
boat racing for many years.
Captain Joe Boddeker, one OF our oldest
pilots, was raised on Galveston island and
when quite small boy he shipped on the
steamboat A. s. Ruthven as cabin boy and
through merit and faithfnlness worked his
way up the ladder until he became sub
pilot and then chief pilot and finally cap
tain OF this splendid steamboat.
Captains d. p. Cooper, Joe Rodgers,
James McGaryey and John f. Carr are the
Oldest Trinity river captains that are
alive today to recount the early days OF
steamboatng on the Trinity river.
or the old-time captains Of the Calves
ton and Houston boats we have left among
us Captains l.. C. Herschberger, Dave
Conner, Joe Boddeker and Pat Christian
In about the year 1880 the fine passenger
boat Lizzie was the last boat to make the
trip in the Galveston and Houston trade.
She was commanded by Captain Joe Bod
deker and after taking big cargo from
Galveston to the Neches river was laid up
and her machinery taken out and the hull
made into a barge, which afterward be-
came one of the freight towg for the Hous-
ton Navigation company
From the early days of steamboats, ply
ing in the waters of Galveston bay all the
Western produce, such of Hour, lard. ba-
con, wines, liquors and canned goods came
down the Mississippi river to New Orleans
and was transported by the Morgan aud
Vanderbilt line of steamships to Galveston
and thence by the Houston and Trinity
river boats to the interior of Texas.
In 1877 and 1875 when the Missouri,
Kansas and Texas railroad and the Atchi-
son. Topeka aud Santa Fe railroad later
on laid their roads through the Indian Ter
ritory and penetrated our great State, the
whole volume of trade took change and
instead of getting our flour. bacon, lard
and other Western products from st. Louis
by the Mississippi river they came direct
through by rail from Kansas City and this
rail connection eventually killed the
steamboats, plying in the bays and rivers
emptying into Galveston bay.
The finest and largest steamboat that
remember that ever piled between CAL
weston and Houston was the j. H. White
law. The boat was commanded by Captain
Pat Christian. with our we'll known steve
dore, John Morrison, as chief mate.
OF the old time pilots few are alive to-
day. Louis Falk is still turning the wheel
on the government tug Annie. Captain Joe
Boddeker is on the dredgc Comstock. Joe
Rogers is ashore nursing an invalid wife.
Joe Rodgers is the hest known Trinity
river pilot alive at the present day. He
took the famous steamboat Harvey to
Dallas in 1890 from Galveston. Billey Egg.
CERT is on the tug Hygeia. He is the old
est Brazos river pilot.
OF the old mates of the Trinity river
and Houston packets few remain to talk
over early days. William Gunard. Bill
poole, John Morrison and Bill Cloud I be,
lieve, are all that are left of the Jolly old
time steamboat mates
The old time steamboats, are thing of
the past in the present age of economy in
freight CARRYING. The regular passenger
and freight packets plying between Gal
weston and Houston carried crew of
about thirty-nve hands all told
At the present day a light draught tug
with good steam power can easily tow six
barges carving the same freight that
would tax the capacity Of three ordinary
cid time steamboats,. The tug would only
require about seven hands all told
The committee on resolutions reported
as follows:
Whereas. the present necessities and
rapidly increasing demands of the com
merce and trade of the States and Terri
tories west of the Mississippi river and
the Republic of Mexico and particularly
of the State of Texas-the largest in area,
the fifth in population and with the great
est seacoast frontage Of any State in the
Union-require of congress adequate and
immediate appropriations for the improve
ment and extension Of the harbors and
waterways of Texas.
Nov. therefore, be 1t resolved, That
our senators and representatives in con-
gress are earnestly requested and urged
to use every effort to secure adequate APP
preparations to at once construct, en-
large and complete such improvements of
harbors and waterways as have been rec
commended by government engineers and
to make preliminary surveys estimates
and reports on such other harbors and
waterways as are deemed capable of sue
cessful improvement pursuing a general
policy of development having in view the
relative merit and utility of the several
improvements.
"2. That We favor the continuing con-
tract system that is that contracts be
made by the secretary of war upon the
reports and recommendations Of the gov
eminent engineers and appropriations be
made by congress to continue the work