Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1902-04-24
ITS GLORY DEPARTED
From the Commercial and PASSENGER
Business of the Lower Miss.
issippi River.
A Few Steamers left. Railways
Have Stolen the Traffic
Everywhere.
GIimpses of Great Plantations The
Roustabout and His Hard
Life.

On Board Steamer, Natchez, April
9th, 1902.
A 45O mile trip from Nashville to
New Orleans, occupying about two
days, on one of the big river steamers
is journey Of the most intense inter-
est to a dwe,ler on the Dakota prairie
The majestic river sweeps along glim-
mering in the sparkling sunshine.
Now the distant shores are low lying
and indistinct. and now, as the boat
follows the erratic channel, the shores
are close by and the trees and flowers
clearly seen on the bank. The great
river is as beautiful as ever with it's
| verdure-cIad shores and swiftly NOV
ling current Of chocolate cOlOred Wa
| ter: it's unexpected eddies, is drift
wood, and its winding course. While
it's glory as a highway Of commerce
and OF passenger transportation has
gone forever yet the trip retains all
! lQo olA lldUul dl CIul LID. w l1lClI ll1uuO
the voyage famous The now deserted
wharfs OF st. Louis, and nearly all the
towns to the Crescent City, once saw
the daily traffic Of a great fleet Of
floating palaces and thousands of
planters, travellers and business men
made the trip frequently. Those were
spirited times on the river. The
wealthy planter with his family and
retinue of colOred servants. is own IL
quOrs served at the bar and charged
for, his own horses and carriages, his
own cotton, moasses and sugar and
his slaves as we'll, used the steam boats
many times year Now he goes by
rail and nearly all his products as
we'll. The same fascination of the
steamer trip is felt, as Of old, however,
with the mysterious sound Of the en-
| gineer's bells, the whirling OF the
pilots wheel, the hoarse commands
OF the profane mate to the deck hands
and the sharp directions Of the cap
tain at the landings.
Early morning on the great river is
picturesque and beautiful. The air is
| pure and soft and the birds sing loudly
from the green trees along the banks.
The darkies chant a negro refrain as
they gather at the gang plank, and
some big steamer coming up the river,
| wi h hnp 70 CT
streams Of black smoke behind her,
whistles deep bass salute
The river at present is 40 feet above
low water mark, and within three
feet OF the danger line at Vicksburg,
but the levees on either bank have
been greatly strengthened and i'm
proved and no fears OF an overflow are
felt this year. The last break in the
levees was IN 1897, when great deal
of land and property was injured and
the effects of the flood are yet to be
seen in places. The river practically
flows along ridge, as the land on
either side is lower than the surface
OF the water at present; and were not
the great banks of earth, from 20 to
30 feet high, there to protect the
towns and plantations, the entire
country extending back from the RI
yer for miles would be flooded.
The levees have cost millions and
are kept in repair by tax of 81 for
every bale of cotton raised in the
protected district and less tax on
cotton grown further back from the
river but still protected. The govern
ment has spent great sums to aid the
planters and the states have also given
freely. New and stronger levees have
taken the place of those washed
away, or built too near the banks.
The river changes its course often and
towns once on the banks are now from
half mile to a mile away, or have
been abandoned entirely. The de-
posit of sediment creates islands on
which willows grow like mushrooms.
The current crumbleS away bank
and leaves plantation headquarters
falling into the stream, and out side
the levees are to be seen remains of
several towns that the river has partly
swallowed.
The tax on cotton is advanced to
the officials in charge of the fund, by
the commission men and the bale is
~ =
made to the planter. Formerly the
commission merchants frequently rob-
bed the planter, but the latter is get