The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-07-29

Dodis IN the laHl1hs SteAuDOat -dtt
between the Natchez and. the. Lee
from New Orleans to 81. LYiiis. Which
started from New Orleans on the
evening of June 30 and finished al
ST. Louis on the Fourth of July.
From the time of the start until
the announcement Of the finish grea;
crowds had gathered about the tele
graph office in a quest of news con
corning the race
During the three DAYS that the race
was in progress the crowds that hung
about the telegraph office were as
great or greater than those usually
seen at the time of the presidential
election. and the news OF the final vic
tory of the Lee was received with az
great enthusiasm as is usually ac-
corded a political victory.
For more than a year il had been
loudly proclaimed by the friends Of
the steamer Natchez that she was the
feetest boat atioat in western waters.
This claim had been disputed ley the
! friends Of the Lee. and the victory IN
the final contest by the New Albany
boat wac the cause of much rejoicing
in the Indiana city
For weeks the race had been a mat
Ter of general discussion in the towns
along the Ohio and the Mississippi
rsers. and much int crest had been
awakened. The river columns OF he
newspapers were filed with preaic-
tons as to the result of the contest
and interviews with all the promiaeat
river men of the Ohio aud Mississippi
rivers were psinied from day T. day.
Zach boat had its friends In tae diff.
'erent towns and cities. ana he n
terest grew to be great and the bet
Ting was high Many enthusiastic Fit-
sr men staked all they possessed on
he result Of the confess. ana while
he amount of monev placed on the
ace will never be known. old stclr-
loat men declare It reached a hall
million dollars In the OLD Hawkins
Clubrcom in New Orleans. once pop
liar resort for steamboat men. ii i
laid that m5ney was piled mpunCa n
Ugh" and that at that place alone
he money placed on the race agsra
sated $260. 900 In the betting In New
Orleans the Lee was the favorite, aat
ihorf odds were givea, which were
promptly taken by the friends OF Ia.
Safchez
The steamer R0b9rt F. Lee wa
,ullt az the old New Albany ship
ard IN sGG for Captain John M. Can
! non, one of the moss prominent steam
loat men of his time, and was place
in the Mississippi river trade between
ST. Louis and New Orleans. She wa
built as passenger and freigh
steamer and in her construction n,
] 'pecial attention was given to the PFC
lnction Of speed, and she was bull
: more with a view OF being easil
/ handled. BUT when she was place
lfloat II was soon discovered she wa
much faster than the average steama
ii the Mississippi river. and her spec
began to attract the attention and t
n lrouse the envy of the managers {
Y lpporition boats. She passed wit
2 ease every craft afloar. ana Capital
W H. feathers, who was In comman
ii a competing steamboat in the Mi
siss. ppi river trade, declared he wou
rave constructed d boat that cou
jeat the Lee. With that end iii viey
e' awarded TO The Cincinnati shi
ards contract for q steamer thu
lad been especially designed to be,
he speed of tile Lee, ami tbs ne
raft was carefully constructed 4
he lines laid down by her designer
When she was completed She W,
,hristened the Natchez and was pls
d in the St Louis and New Orlea
trade against the Robert Il. Lee
The Natchez was completed in 1856
and 1t was then the rivalry betwe,
the two boats began. From the fir
he friends of the Natchez contend
tnat she was d faster boat than 4
Lee, ami II was finally agreed
ween Captain Leataers AMI CAPITA
NJ Cannon, the owners and comman le
81 the two boats, that race shot
take place to settle the much-moot
question of speed SO far as the ov
? ars were concerned, the champi'
ship was all that was ar stake WIN
he betting on the result Of the RI
vas high at all the cities and tow
along the river neither Of the o,
ars put up a dollar on the result b
there was no purse money.
4 The time for the start was fixed
n III the afternoon Of June 80, and on 1
day there was general suspens
~ OF bus ness in the nalghborhood
S#5l the river at New Orleans. CIR
mi crowds gathered at the wharf,
MI at 4 o'clock In the afternoon
, steamer Henry Tate, OF the
II Fourche Line, carried big excurs
up the river twenty miles to AFT
, the passengers an opportunity to
the race under full Roadway.
steamer was packed, and all boat!
port were pressed into service,
thousands Of people were carried
points up the river to watch progr
n Thousands Of people had gatht
"a on the wharf and In Canal stree
~ witness the start and every nj
I ment on board the magnificent sic
- ers as they lay at the docks NAL
--- NH tho final nronnrat iof1o far tho