Mesa free press., 1900-03-02
ON THE MISSISSIPPI.
Quaint Incidents of Travel Along the
Great River.


Quaint Incidents Of Travel Along the
Great 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 state-rooms equipped with
running water and spring mattresses.
Each steamer has long cabin extend
Ing from stem to stern, where the ia
bles are set for meals, and where the
passengers dance in the evening. There
are piano and sundry easy chairs. It
costs about as much on the boat per
day as 1t does at good lakeside hotel,
so that passenger virtually has the
pleasure Of travel for nothing. The
chief difference between the life on a
boat and that at 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 mo-
ment. The boat stops at every town,
so that the passenger may become IA
miliar with the urban as well as the
country life Of the valley. The freight
of the river is always taken to and
from the boat on the backs Of negro
roustabouts. There has been no ad-
vance in the manner of handling it
since the steamboats, first plowed the
river. AS soon as the boats nose touch
es the shore the gangplank Is lowered,
and seemingly endless procession of
negroes begins to move back and forth,
carrying on board the bags of -four,
which, on the northern portion Of the
river, often makes the bulk of the car
go. Plows, boxes, lumber and mer-
chandise are the other products. River
levees are much the same everywhere.
The cargoes, however, are varied. They
all present picture of a hundred years
ago. At Memphis, from the bluffs to
the waters edge, Is an immense in
clined plane of granite paving stones.
In the center, about two hundred feet
from the bluffs, runs wide road the
entire length Of the levee, and disap-
pears 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 there is steep descent. Above
the road come and go continually swift
stream of cotton loads and empty drays,
and great piles of small cargoes to and
from local jobbing houses; below it
there are, during busy hours, a con-
glomerate mass of drays, mules, cotton
bales, sacks of cottonseed, darkies, and
all sorts of freight. Beyond is the long
row of steamers that line the shore, and
in the background sweep the waters
of the Mississippi. The center of activ-
ity 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 cottonseed are being carried, one
piece at time, by a long stream of
lazy darkies, over the gangplank into
the bowels Of the big boat. There some
laborers, returning by way Of the stage
plank at the Prov, roll out before them
the cotton bales and pile 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 whistles, the creaking of
loading and unloading freight, and the
believing of overseers, who are, as
rule, active darkies, with monstrous
lungs and an inexhaustible supply of
big words, mingle in busy confusion
Ainslee's Magazine.