The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-05-13
STEAMBOAT
NAVIGATED
ARKANSAS
In Early Days More Water
Than Now
WAS ONCE A BIG RIVER
Steamboat Built by MIlers---
Not a Success
WAS ONCE A BIG RIVER

Ralston, o. T., May 12-The Arkansas
river is the only watercourse in Okla
homa ever navigable By steam. But the
ma ajestic flood that twenty-five years ago
moved in ever-increasing volume from
the Rock mountains to the Mississippi
has diminished year after year, pouring
its life-giving waters into the irrigating
bitches of arid western plains, till often
in the summer solstice il is possible for
pony TO pass from bank TO bank without
wetting saddle-girth. The river. even
in its decadence, still retains the mystery
and solemnity that awed the lonely trap
per who passed in his pelt-freighted boat
on his way TO a trading post of a Bent
or a Chouteau.
Except when flooding, the Arkansas in
Oklahoma is not a formidable stream.
IL gains in magnitude after passing the
Indian territory, and in the vicinity of
Fort Gibson becomes stronger and deeper.
Time was when steamboats, ascended reg
ularly to Fort Gibson, often loaded with
military supplies. In a large stone at the
landing in Grand river at Fort Gibson
may still be seen fastened a heavy iron
ring to which the boats that came out
of the Arkansas made fast.
The river is so often unfordabe that
the maintenance of ferries is a profitable
business. Its quicksands are treacherous
at all times. The ferryman, as a rule,
charges Is cents for foot passenger and
25 cents for a mounted horseman and
50 cents for d vehicle with its passengers
At Ralston, o. T., a week or two ago
a ferryman said that his earnings in less
than a half day were more than SO.
These ferries are primitive affairs. A
strong wire cable is stretched tightly
from shore to shore and fastened usually
to a large tree. The boat is simply 4
barge about thirty feet wide, with a rail
ing on each side. y pulley with a
grOoved wheel travels the cable and is
attached to the ends of strong rope
that passes over a windlass on the boat
BY turning the windlass the boat can
be put at an oblique angle to the cur
rent. The force of the latter against the
side of the boat moves it across the river.
This cannot be done, however, when the
wind is dead against the boat. At such
times a team of horses is hitched to
wire cable which has been dragged across
on the leeward trip and the boat pulled
across.
The Arkansas is not the river it was
fifteen years ago." said L. a Wismeyer.
for nearly thirty years an Indian trader
at Gray Horse, in the Usage nation.
High water began coming in March and
the river was full till July, augmented in
June by the snow water from the noun
tains. 1t may seem like fiction, but 1
once received from Arkansas City, Kan,
a cargo of flour by steamship which was
unloaded near where the Santa Fe rail-
road crosses the Arkansas above Rails
ton. 1t was a sure enough steamboat,
too, but the Arkansas traffic was unre-
munerative and was abandoned"
The boat was the Kansas Millers, and
was owned at Arkansas City. Its history
was told a few days ago by Mr.. c. II.
Seaving of the Arkansas Milling com
pany, who said:
The idea of building this steamer orig
mated with James Hill, who built the
canal here. two roads and was interested
in one of the mills. Mr.. Hill's purpose
in building the boat was to distribute
the products of the mills down the Ar
kansas rived He succeeded in interest
ing the Bliss-Wood Milling company Of
Winfield, V. n Ayres Of Arkansas City
and Soaring & Mead of Arkansas City.
besides his own mill. Each agreed to pay
oue-fourth of the expense of building the
boat, which was a very good. fat-oot
toned stern-wheel iron steamboat, about
200 feet long.
1T was built at Carondelet, No, at
cost of about $4,000 After using it
awnue it was thought best TO get two
steel barges, which was done The whole
outlay was about $4,000 1t was paid
for equally by the four mills interested.
THE boat was named the Kansas MILL
ers. and made. as I remember. one trip
to Little Rock and to Fort Smith and
several other shorter ones. which were
not profitable. It lay idle for a while
and then was sold TO an old steamboat
captain. who ran it down the river The
last I ever heard of it was ten or twelve
years aco. when il was said to be In the
lumber and wood trade on the lower Ar
kansas. The people who put up thsir
money in the boat lost IT all. and natu
rally are not very enthusiastic as to nav
igating the Arkansas river this far up
But I would state that at that time there
was certainly several times as much
water in the summer season as there IS
now. as no water was taken out for IL
rigation in Colorado