The Colfax chronicle., 1900-06-23
STEAMBOAT NAMES.
4 Visitor to New York Docks Ex.
plains why an Old Missouri
Custom Ssbsided.

|
other day for the first time. He is
retired business man. lie never saw
On ocean liner until his visit here. He
was interested and asked many ques-
tionA The names of some of the big
boats pleased him, says the New York
Sun.
II am glad to see," he said, "that
there is some sentiment in the busi-
ness. am not a dreamer, but some
times think the age is too commercial.
We even name our children for some
body who Is expected to do something
for the honor. 1t has come to that in
my state as well as in other states.
We have few steamboats, now on the
Missouri river. but those few are named
tor individuals who presented a bell,
or piano, or a flag, or something in
consideration of his name having been
| painted on the warehouses of the
boat. But it was not always SO. There
was time when we named our boats
from sentiment; the same thing l see
has governed the naming of some OF
these big steamers-liners I believe
you call them, and one / saw was
pointed out to me as an ocean grey
hound.
"One of the first steamboats, I ever
saw on the Missouri was named High
land Mary. That was As years ago.
But know the owner called his boat
that just because the name struck his
fancy. don't suppose he ever heard
of Bobby Burns. Polar Star was the
name of a favorite packet and her
owner and captain was farmer named
Tom Briefly. He had farm in Blu
chanan county, 20 miles back from the
river, and he lived there in winter
He ran the Polar Star until she got
too old to be safe and then he built
another and finer boat and called it
the Morning Star. But somehow that
one was not as successful as the Polar
Star, and it nearly broke Brierly's
heart and he quit the river and retired
to his farm.
Zone of the fastest boats on the
river was the Minpehaha- She took
the horns for making the quickest time
between st. Louis and s. Joe. 1t was
some time,. though, before the people
OF the river towns lnew how to pro-
nounce her name. OF course after the
popularity of this boat somet ody built
the Hiawatha, but she was not the
favorite the Minnehaha was, and was
soon transferred to the Mississippi
trade. The Peerless was what her
name indicated and she beat the Min
nehaha's time and took the horns. We
had the Twilight, Cataract, War Eagle,
Reindeer, White Cloud and Silver
Heels.
Finally company of st. Louis men
built the James H. Lucas. The man
for whom that boat was named was
millionaire in st. Louis, and as the
Lucas was the fastest boat of her time,
Mr.. Lucas presented her with piano
and lot of silverware. That was the
beginning of the breaking up of senti-
ment in steamboat nomenclature on
the Missouri. Moneyed men in the river
towns invested in steamboat building,
and the richest man in the town was
usually selected to bestow his name
on the boat, and never knew one re-
fused. Then they got to naming some
of the boats for town, and the citizens
in that case bought the presents, and
they would patronize no other boat
if they could help it.
"Once in awhile some sentimental |
incident would govern the naming of |
the craft. As for example: There
was young woman in Glasgow who |
was universal favorite. and her hand |
was sought by many. A new boat was
building which was to be captained
by young man who was infatuated
with the young woman. He won her
and that was why the boat was named |
Kate Howard.
There was another instance where
sentiment named popular boat. The
captain of an old steamer was taken |
sick in one of the towns and was nursed |
by a widow who had a daughter. The
captain recovered and built a new boat. I
He was married man; but he named |
his boat Martha Jewett, for the wild /
ow's daughter, and because she used
to bring him flowers when he was
sick. That sort of sentiment didn't
bring in any piano, but it made the
boat mighty popular"
weather, Signals from shewbird.
The Shewbird mountain, four miles
south of town, is to us the strangest
thing in this whole mountain coun-
try, says the Haynesville On. CO. Cour-
ier. The mountain is full of large,
rough cliffs. and by its peculiar shape
and position serves as q weather sig
nal to the people for miles around, be-
cause. as the general saying is. "when
Did Shewbird begins to roar you may
prepare for rough weather." It gener-
ally commences about dark and com |