The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-10-14
CENTENARY OF
RIVER TRAFFIC
Nicholas J. Roosevelt Ran Steamer on
the Ohio and Mississippi Riv-
ers in the Fall of
1911.
YEAR OF THE COMET
indians Thought That the Sparks
From the Steamer Was the Tail
of the Comet Floating Down
Stream.

It was due to sugg estIon made by
Rev. D. C. Garrett, rector of st.
Peters Episcopal church, and chap
lsin at the Business Mems league
breakfast at st. Louis that Colonel
Roosevelt was reminded OF the i'm
minence of the Mississippi rivers
steamboat centenary; also the clergy
man, with whom river navigation is
favorite hobby, reminded the ex-presi.
dent of distinguished relative his
great-great uncle, Nicholas j. Roose-
welt, who had been builder and own
er OF that steamboat. These matters
were mentioned by Col. Roosevelt in
his speech at the Jefferson.
In an interview Rev Mr. Garrett
said: 1.-The name of the first steam
boat was the City of New Orleans
Nicholas ]. Roosevelt, Col Roose
velt's great-great uncle, had patent.
ed and invented the vertical wheel,
which was adopted by Livingston and
Fulton. Fulton in turn helped Roose.
welt with the size and plan Of his
steamboat. 1t cost $4,000. was 116
feet long and 2o-foot beam The en-
CINE was 34-inch cylinder power.
THE City of New Orleans was
brought down the Ohio and into the
Mississippi river by Roosevelt in
1911, and the people stood for miles
on the banks of the river at Pitts
burg, hurrahing for Roosevelt, just as
they do today. Col. Roosevelt says
the earthquake at New Madrid caused
his ancestor to turn back But | want
to tell Col. Roosevelt that that Is a
mistake, according to my river rec
ords. His great-great uncle did not
turn back. No Roosevelt ever turned
back. He went on to New Orleans
and completed the trip. Also on this
boat, ninety-nine years ago this fall
was hauled the first cotton ever trans.
Ported on the Mississippi. Samuel
Davis of Philadelphia, who was then
in Natchez on business, sent a ship
ment of cotton on from Natchez to
New Orleans by this boat, although
all his friends told him he was fool
hardy and taking a tremendous risk.
Nicholas ] Roosevelt. consider,
in opening up the Mississippi river to
steamboat navigation, did more to de
velop the destiny of the west than any
other man of his time. Let me tell
you little of his invincible courage
and pioneer spirit. He and his wife,
two years before, in 1909, made the
voyage all the way down to New
Orleans in fatboat using a skiY, or
canoe, when necessary, IN order 70
survey the river to see whether 1t
was possible to run steamboat on
it. His wife was Miss Latrobe, a
very gifted and cultivated woman
who was the daughter of Samuel
Latrobe, the eminent architect who
planned the capitol building at Wash
ington. At this time Nicholas Roose
welt gauged the river and obtained all
statistical information in regard to It
Nicholas Roosevelt also purchased
ground and opened up the first Goa
mines in the middle west, in Illinois
He caused great piles of coal to be
placed all along the river for the flu
ture use of any steamboats, that might
follow after his initial voyage on the
City Of New Orleans
"The boat was launched at Pitts
burg the later part Of September, 1911
Mr.. Roosevelt and his wife were the
only passengers. There We're two
captains, one fore and aft The en-
gineer was named Baker, and An
drew Jack was the pilot There
were six deckhands and two female
servants, besides man waiter and ;
cook. An immense Newfoundland dos