Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-12-21
To be Continued.
MISSOURI STEAMBoATiNG.
First Boat to Ascend the River-An
IIl-Eated Fur Trader.

| U-Fateo FuT ITdoeT.
| The first steamboat to ascend the
Missouri river was the Independent
John Nelson. master, says Phil Chap
pell in the Kansas City Star. He came
up as far as the mouth Of the Chari-
ton, Just above Glasgow, In May 1919.
A town had been laid out at that place,
which 1t was then supposed by the
boomers would become the metropolis
Of Missouri, and it is an historical fact
| that lots there were exchanged, foot
for foot, for ground in st. Louis, on
Fourth street, where the Planters no.
| tel now stands. But, like many anoth-
er Missouri river town, old Charlton
has long since disappeared from the
map.
There was no Kansas City here,
then, but only a steamboat landing,
called Westport landing. Old man
EKeiser captain Of the st. Peter, was
Ecne Of the best known steamboat COM
Emanders on the river in the 40s. He
came to Missouri at an early day and
located at Rocheport, In Boone county,
Mo. He was a skillful mechanic and
built the first mill in Boone county
McConothy's mill. Recognizing his
skill, Pierre Chouteau, then at the
head of the American Fur company,
induced him to remove to st. Louis,
and employed him to superintend the
h,,il nf 10 w
gagged in the mountain trade. He af-
terward went on the river as a captain,
and commanded several boats, among
others the Satan. Trapper and st. Pc
ter.
To recur to the st. Peter. the ter
rible results that attended the last
voyage of this ill-fated boat is one Of
the saddest pages in the annals Of
steamboating on the Missouri river.
The st. Peter was a single engine,
sidewheel boat, with a cabin in the
hold, built on the same lines as were
all other Missouri river steamboats, Of
that early period. She was built for
the upper river fur trade in 1885. and
Keiser was her commander.
She left ST. Louis on this unfortu-
nate voyage in the spring Of 1887,
bound for the mouth Of the Yellow
stone. She was loaded with a cargo
of Indian goods for the different trad
ing ports. Her deck crew was COM
posed of negroes, and before she ar
Black Snake river, the smallpox broke
out among them and one, who had
died, was buried there.
The cOntagion Immediately extend
ed to other members Of the crew. and
the danger Of communicating the dis
ease to the Indians. who were then
numerous along the upper river. be-
came apparent Runners were sent
them to keep back from the river
banks: but. Notwithstanding this pre-
caution. the terrible contagion spread
and was communicated to every tribe
east Of the Rocky mountains.
The fatality. as the Indians knew no
way to treat the disease, was appall-
ing, and among some tribes amounted
to annihilation. In the case OF the
Mandans, a tribe then seated near
where Bismarck. N. D., Is now located,
a population of LOO was reduced to 81.
Among the Pawnees, who were then
on the Platte, the death rate was so
great that. according to the official re-
port made to the government, they
were reduced within year from TO-
900 to 4,500-more than half of the
tribe had died.
Col. John Daugherty of Liberty,
Mo-. at that time an Indian agent for
the western tribes, wrote Of the Pan
nees during this epidemic: Judging
from what saw during the four days
/ spent with these Indians. | am fully
persuaded that one-half of the whole
number of this unfortunate tribe have
been or will be carried off by this cruel
and frightful distemper. They told
me that not one under thirty-three
years Of age had escaped the mon
strous disease-it having been that
length of time since il visited them
before. They were dying so fast that
they ceased to bury their dead"
Utter dismay pervaded all the tribes,
and they fled from the pestilence in
every direction. leaving the bodies of
their dead to be devoured by the
wolves