Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-07-27
SMACK LIPS OVER BURIED WHISKY
Wreck of :sG Years Ago Shows
Up in the Missouri.
in the Cargo of the Alabama
and None Was Re-
covered, Etc.

Inc 1OllOWlnT special 1fOm Nermll-
lion under the above headlines, ap
peared in the Minneapolis Journal
recently, and as this writer is perhaps
the only one in South Dakota today
who attended the funeral of North
Alabama, it may be proper as a mat
ter of history, to state a few facts
and correct the Vermillion story.
The Vermillion correspondent says:
Thirty-six years ago this month the
steamer, North Alabama, which was
engaged in carrying provisions up
and down the Missouri river, from
Yellowstone to Sioux City, struck a
snag about six miles southwest of this
city and went to a watery grave.
Older residents remember the Incl
dent, but it had almost passed from
their minds until the news came this
week that the old craft was now
showing above water. 1t seems
strange that the boat should rise
again until the bow is plainly visible
from either shore. It's return to
sight is no doubt due to the fact that
the channel has been changing and
now runs on the opposite side Of the
stream. The sediment that gradu-
ally accumulated on top of the deck
has been slowly washing away, until
the front end is lifted upwards
The Alabama was loaded with pro-
visions and other stores valued at
several thousand dollars. Little was
saved from the wreckage, as the
boats crew had all they could do to
save themselves. For a long time
portions of the boat remained expos
ed to view, but the cargo went away
with the swift current when the dock
was swept with water. la the con-
signment was several Thousand
pounds of flour.
REMEMBER WITH REGRET
Old rivermen acquainted with the
sinking of the Alabama declare that
fifty barrels of whisky also went
down with the boat, and that none
was ever accounted for. Not even a
barrel of it could ever be found.
There are those who believe that
even at this late date q search would
locate some of the whisky, and with
the prospect of getting some of the
finest liquor in the land, it would be
no surprise if an attempt were made
to find the stuff.
Many SightSeerS have been hOcklng
to the Missouri River to see the old
boat which was stranded so long ago.
The above dispatch from Vermil-
lion reads well and will be taken for
gospel truth by those who don't know
any better. There are indeed few
living who know anything about the
wreck of the old North Alabama.
One Of her pilots, John Belk, was a
resident of Bismarck a few years ago,
and may be there yet. John as we'll
as the writer will always remember
the North Alabama, because John
shot wild turkey after the steamer
was run ashore and the writer trans
ferred the turkey to the steamer
Miner, and John hunted for that tur-
key many a day or rather for the par
ty who deprived him of turkey
feast.
1t was sometime in July 1870, when
Captain Fem Hawley Of the steamer
Miner, invited the writer, who was
the editor of the old 'Union and Da-
kotian," the only paper published in
Yankton at that time, to go down
the river, as he had been ordered to
go to the relief of the North Ala
bama, reported wrecked on the Ne
braska side, several miles below st.
Helena. I accepted the invitation
promptly, as it was to be my first
steamboat ride in the west. 1t was
late in the afternoon when we start
ed but we swung in alongside the
Alabama just as the deck hands were
lighting torches to work by. | stood
on the upper deck Of the Miner as we
swung alongside, and seeing great,
fine, wild turkey hanging by it's feet
alongside the pilot house and fearing
that the turkey might escape during
the night, / removed it gently to the
pilot house of the Miner where it re-
mained until the next morning when
it was turned over to the cook with
directions to have it ready for dinner