The St. Louis Republic., 1904-12-18
STEAMBOAT RACES
ON CUMBERLAND,
Thrilling Tales Now Told Of Early
Traffic and Contests on
the Stream.
HISTORIC WRECKS RECALLED.
One Disaster Back in the Twen-
ties Started the Rumor That
Lafayette Had Been
Drowned.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

RcA'I bl-l'~ St'EIjAIL
Nashville. Tenn, Dec. 17.-No more
picturesque stream flows through any
country than the Cumberland. winding
along a rock ribbed channel from tho
mountains Of Kentucky TO the Ohio,
draining With its tributaries the blue
grass region of Tennessee
II is intimately connected with the ear
lest history OF the Cumberland settle
rent. Up tho stream tho feet OF John
Donelson. bearing the women and child
rem and the simplest household goods Of
the pioneers, worked its way. Down its
current the Tennessee supporters OF George
Rogers Clark in his projected expedition
against the Spanish frontier drifted and
erected fo-t at the rivers mouth. Aaron
Burr fioated with its tide and dreamed
dreams of empire. A Prince OF the house
OF Bourbon, in exile. later to be n King
of France. journeyed along its banks. The
Prince. afterwards Louis Philippe, whose
father was guillotined in 1873. accom-
panied by his two brothers, Count de
Moinpensier and Count Beaujolans. ar
rived in Nashville on May 1e. where.
ownS to the large crowd in the city. 1t
being court week, they were forced to
sleep three IN bed.
The river IN the oldsn days vas the
snCst practicable route to NatcheZ and
New Orleans. parties going down by fiat
tpst ana returning over the old NatcneZ
trace When Mrs. Rachael Robards de-
cided 10 leavi nsr husband ana lom her
family in Natcnez she went thus with
Anursw Jackson. her future husband. as
an escort 10 protect her in case of an In
diau alta TX.
EARLY STEAMBOATS,.
The recent completion of Lock A. elimi-
rating Harpeth Shoals. marks a new era
IN the history Of navigation on the Cum
berand. the shoals being a historic OBJ
struction.
The first steamer ever operating on the
river was SUNK there seventy-nre years
ago. and an low water seasons the shoais
have continued manace to tran9 ever
since. The rrst steamboat to arrive IN
Nashville was the General jackson, puit
IN t1ttzburg and owned by Governor WIZ
liam Carroll and A. B. Whiting. she was
tho tventy-second steamer to ply the MIS-.
sissippi. and at the time she was launcned
was pronounced one OF the best poats
passing through the Ohio River country.
She was OF 10 tons. and arrived mere
about the first Of July. lbls. On her hrst
voyage she was commanded BY captain
h. hopkins. The General Jackson vas
followed in 1890 by the Rlrieman and the
General Robertson. Alter SIX months
running the latter blew up eight niles De-
Five neraons were killed by the explo-
and drowned and ole was badly scalde9-
Tho vessel however. was not destroyea,
and two years afterwards was snaSsSh
twelve miles below New Madrid ana SUNK;
Boon after the explosion on the deneiai
Robertson the Genera! jackson ran ot
Harpeth Shoals and sunk, though most "
her cargo was saved and no iiHes arc re-
corded as having been ics''
.ta raoneer craI. were Joined by olneF
.oats, among them the James ROSS, tae
'fayette. the Fe.iciana. the Cumoer.ainr.'
the 4eneral Greene and tho .Nashfnis.
Tho last named boat IN lezS rnads tne ti.p
of l,2Do miles from New Orleans IN Ioh.
teen days and half. the acniesefneh' w
ing uottn.e In the rivers history.
All tho vessels. however. were clumsy
craft As new boats were built tney we;n
deaigned on pretennouS plans; Il was ~
tho Ihirt!cr however, before the hoSts DC
Gan TO rise to the dignity Of noatns PAL
aces. =, .,,s
period we're the Tennessec, the John Ran
dolph and the Ellen KirkHan. Eaily IN
the forties some OF the most notao.e ooats
ever operated on the river went INTO com
mission Among them We're the NashHi.ie,
the TaIleyrand. the Old Hickory and the |
After tsem came still finer boats TO meet |
the demand when It became the fashion |
for Nashville folk to run down TO New |
Orleans to do Shopping and sec the opera. |
Amcnx the latter class were the Ienaes-
see, the Governor Jones, the Harry Hi.i |
and the superb America. - |
made the old time boats of the Nississspp! |
famous became the vogue on the Climber
land Tho races Of the Nashville and the |
Talleyrand against each other s time be-
tween New Orleans and Nashville were |
memorable. In May, ls42 the Nashville :