The Republican journal., 1910-06-16
Down the Alabama in 1858.

My next trip on southern river was
down the Alabama from Montgomery to
Mobile, en- route to New Orleans with an
invalid relative. We sailed from New
York for Savannah in December in a
snow storm, but in less than "a hours
felt the balmy airs of the Gulf Stream
and discarded our winter wraps. Had
we encountered a storm Or rough seas
the voyage would have been uncomfort-
able, if not dangerous, for something
was wrong with the port boiler and
twice the water was let out of it and the
ship laid motionless with a list to star
board while repairs were being made.
Our ship was the Augusta and four other
steamers left their docks as we did, one,
the James Adger leaving us hull down at
dark, while the Huntsville, also bound
for Savannah, was we'll in the lead. We
arrived off the mouth of the Savannah
river in fog and after crossing the bar
the steamer anchored and the passengers
and their baggage were transferred to
tug and taken to the city.
1t was tedious and uncomfortable
railway journey from Savannah TO Mont
gomery. There were no Pullmans, no
dining cars, no fast trains in those days.
We stopped at cross roads, and once in
swamp, with no house visible, to put off
a young lady and her trunk, the conduc-
tor delaying the train TO enjoy a pro-
tracted conversation with the departing
passenger. We were so late in arriving
at Macon that we decided to spend the
night there and remain until the next
noon. When the journey was resumed
the train was crowded to suffocation
with people going to a hanging. But
will not take up further space with de-
tails of most uncomfortable experience.
We arrived at Montgomery at II p. M,
and went to the Exchange Hotel, and as
they were unable to give US anything to
eat we had to resort to a restaurant.
Next morning we went sight seeing and
admired the fine old State house, occupy
ing a commanding site, and some of our
party saw slave pens for the first time.
After dinner we embarked on tho
steamer LIE Grand. Our party consisted
of five, as on the train we had made the
acquaintance of three New Workers.
Two were travelling men and one was
accompanied by his wife. One was sell
ing hoop-skirts and the other caskets
Going on board the steamer we found
her cabins filled with motley crowd of
passengers. There were twenty-five or
thirty men in butternut-dyed suits of
homespun, wearing slouched hats and
armed with bowie knives and revolvers,
about the same number of women and
perhaps 80 children, 20 of them infants.
q am quoting now from letter written
and published at the time. AS we left
the landing burly, good-looking darkey
stood on the cotton bales in the bow and
sang good bye to Montgomery, some
twenty of the deck hands joining in the
chorus. The effect was pleasing-par-
ticularly pleasing to the singers, who
reaped an abundant harvest of silver
coins: One morning l saw number of
girls who were seated on the guard
chewing snuff, a common practice among
the lower classes in the south. They
bruise the end of small stick until it is
like broom, dip it in the snuff and then
rub it on their gums. l was even more
di sgusted at seeing young woman
smoking a cigar while engaged in g
game of euchre. A gentleman of our
party hearing violin on the lower deck
went down to see what was going on,
and heard some one remark: ''There's
one of them ID Yankees; what in
HI is he doing down here?" and
thought it wise to return to the saloon
deck.
The Alabama river is narrow, with
high, steep banks, but is free from snags
and easy of navigation. We stopped
one night by the side of bluff to- take
in cotton. In the bow of the boat large
pine torches were flaming, lighting uE
the bluff, which was fringed with dark
live oak trees from the branches of
which hung long streamers of grey moss.
One after another in quick succession
the bales of cotton came rolling down