The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-17
RACING ON MISSISSIPPI
TESTS OF SPEED AND RECORDS
MADE IN THE FIFTIEs AND LATER.
A Veteran River Mans Vivid RecoIIec-
lions OF the Strenuous Days be-
fore and After the War.
st. Louis Globe-pemocrat.


The idea Of making an old-fashioned Mis-
the worlds fair is significant. Apart from
the sporting feature of the enterprise, it
might lead to a revival of the commerce of
this long-neglected stream and thereby
prove OF permanent value to the whole
country. 1t Is certainly great misfortune
that there is not line of steamers plying
between st. Louis and New Orleans to-day.
The scenery of the Mississippi is we'll worth
seeing, and no doubt would be abundantly
sought by tourists were adequate means of
transportation provided.
AS the object Of the fair is ostensibly to
perpetuate the memory of great events, it is
meet that the steamboat, as factor in the
marvellous development of the West, should
not be overlooked. The hardy pioneer boat
men laid the foundation for all that has
followed.
In consideration of the fact that Nicholas
j. Roosevelt, our worthy Presidents great
uncle, was the first to survey the Missis-
sppi for the purpose Of navigation, might
not our chief magistrate be induced to take
special interest in the proposed enter
prise? 1t is a matter of history that Mr..
Roosevelt, with his young wife, made the
voyage down the turbulent stream In 1903,
to prepare the way for the coming of Full
toms first steamboat, which he later con-
structed and operated. She was named the
New Orleans, and ended her career in the
New Orleans and Natchez trade.
1t was not until four years after the ap-
pearance Of the New Orleans that any real
effort was made to establish a record for
Enterprise made the trip from New Orleans
10 Louisville in twenty-five days, two hours
and forty minutes. The seconds are not
given by the historian.
The experimental period, which began
with Fultons craft, was long and tedious.
Boats OF every conceivable model and man
ner OF equipment were constructed and put
In commission. Some with square bows
and square sterns, others with a single
wheel set in a recess and hidden from view,
and SO on, until finally the prevailing style
OF river boat was settled upon as the most
practical But every season some startling
announcement would be made that kept the
people on the Qui vive.
After the novelty OF the "double-engine
Mail Steamer" then the '1ow-pressure
steamer" and to cap the climax came the
iron steamer" which was thought to be
Nearly every town had boat yard, and
so rapid was the growth of inland COM
merce that as early as 1s43 no less than
40 steamboats, were afloat on the navigable
rivers of the valley of the Mississippi New
Orleans was at this time the third city of
the Union, and contained, during the winter
season, a floating population of $1,000 AS
many as i, 800 fiatboats sought the town an
nually, loaded with produce from the West.
AS a shipping point until after the intro
duction of railroads, the Crescent City was
one or the largest in the world
THE EARLIEST BOATS.
The earliest boats had very crude ma
chinery. The boilers were simply plain iron
tubes and contained no flues. and the en-
but one lever instead of four, as now, to
regulate the passage Of the steam through
the cylinders. The invention Of the pocket
valve engine and the flue boiler marked a
new era of steam navigation Again, the
early boats had only one engine, which was
placed amidship, and the gearing was so
arranged that the wheels could be discon-
nected at pleasure. In other words, one
wheel could be unshipped and allowed to
remain idle, while the other was worked
ahead or back, as the requirements de-
manded; Again the wheels could both be be
pumping UP the boilers. In order that the
machinery might not get caught on the
center, the boat was supplied with an i'm
mense fly wheel made of cast iron, which,
being once set In motion, was not easily
stopped These may yet be seen in many
factories, but have long since disappeared
engine boats vanished some fifty years ago.
The Robt. Fulton, Capt. Billy Forsyth, was
one of these. She ran for many years on
the Ohio river and ended her days by be-
ing sunk in the Missouri. There were also
one or two sinsle-engine boats running In
the St. Louis and New Orleans trade in the
eos.
In the early days of steamboating a ma
jority Of the passengers were fiatboatmer
returning west after disposing OF their
wares at New Orleans and points along the
river. From West to South the travel was
comparatively light. Cottonwood was then
| the only fuel and, as IL burned rapidly, q
| good deal Of time was lost In taking it on
board. To obviate, as far as possible, this
| delay, the boat owners hit upon a plan OF
issuing two kinds of tickets to deck passsn-
| gers. One read Ito wood" and the other
| mot to wood" AS the former tickets
were considerably cheaper than the later
great many of the fatboatmen awaited
| themselves of the reduction, so that il was
| no uncommon thing to see hundred or
more of these sturdy men rush out and lay
| hold on the wood, and ten twenty cords
would be rushed on board in as many min
| utes. Sometimes, when race was In prog
ress. even the cabin passengers would vol
unteer to lend q hand. Later the fuel was
| loaded on fatboatS, which the steamers
would take In tow, dropping them and leav-
| ing them to float back to their mooring
| places when unloaded. When the J. M
| to take her wood from the bank but In the
ments were made with coal yards whereby
|