Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-02-19
ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
Quaint Incidents of Travel Along the
Great Western River.

Passenger service on the Mississippi
river is in fairly satisfactory condi-
ton. Between ST. Paul and st. Louis.
and from there to New Orleans, there
are large and well-built craft, with
comfortable staterooms equipped with
running water and spring mattresses.
Each steamer has a long cabin extend
ing from stem to stern, where the
tables are set for meals, and where the
passengers dance in the evening.
There is piano and sundry easy
chairs. 1t costs about as much on the
boat per day as it does at a good lake
side hotel, so that a passenger virtu-
ally has the pleasure of travel for moth
ing
The chief difference between the life
on boat and that at a summer hotel
is that, instead of viewing the same
prospect day after day from a. piazza,
you have a new view from the boat
every moment. The boat stops at ev-
cry town, so that the passenger may
become familiar with the urban as we'll
as the country life of the valley The
freight of the river is always taken to
and from the boat on the backs of ne
gro roustabouts There has been no
advance in the manner of handling it
since the steamboats, first plowed the
river. AS soon as the boats nose
touches the shore the gangplank is
lowered, and seemingly endless pro-
cessiOn of negroes begins to move
back and forth, carrying on boards
bags of -four, which, on the northern
part of the river, often makes the bulk
of the cargo. Plows, boxes, lumber
and merchandise are the other prod
ucts.
River levies are much the same every
where, The cargoes, however, are va
ried. They will present a picture of a
hundred years ago. At Memphis from
the bluffs to the waters edge, is an i'm
mense inclined plane Of granite paw
ing stones. In the center, about 200
feet from the bluffs, runs a wide road
the entire length of the levee, and dis
appears among the compress factories
and oil mills, whose great bulks and
tall chimneys appear in the distance
Between this road and the bluffs the
levee is nearly level: from here to the
river is a steep descent.
Above the road come and go con-
tinually swift stream of cotton loads
and empty drays, and great piles of
small cargoes to and from local pob-
bling houses; below it there are, during
the busy hours, a conglomerate mass of
drays, mules, cotton bales, sacks of cot
ton seed, darkies and all sorts of
freight Beyond is the long row of
steamers that line the shore and in the
background sweep the waters 0f the
Mississippi The center of activity
may be one boat, such as the Big
Sandy Of the Memphis and Cincinnati
Line, just arrived, bringing a cargo of
1000 cotton bales that have been
picked up along the river mouth. The
huge pile of boxes and furniture and
bags Of cotton-seed are being carried,
one piece at time by a long stream
OF lazy darkies, over the gangplank in
to the bowels of the big boat. There
some laborers, returning by way of the
stageplank at the prov, roll out before
them the cotton bales and file them in
rows some distance up the levee
Above the din of wheels rumbling
over the rough pavement. drivers
shout to their stupid mules. There are
picturesque oaths and snatches of
melody. Escaping steam, shrill whist
les, the creaking of loading and I'M
loading freight and the Following of
overseers, who are, as rule, active
darkies with monstrous lungs and an
ineNhaustible supply Of big words,
mingle in busy confusion.-
Magazine