The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-10-25
Voyage on River Never Has Beer
Duplicated.
Steamer Carrying a Load Of Salt 10
Nearly Stranded In Failing
Stream, but Cargo Was Sold
for 81 a Barrel.

Clinton, Mo.--iIow a steamer once
naYlgated the waters Of the Usage rly'
er, delivered a cargo Of salt at Suns
Point, Kan, aud made a good profit on
the deal Is told here by Richard Flu
qua, a carpenter, who vas the boats
carpenter on the trip and for several
years after. Now the once nayigable
Usage river Is a prize sought by water
power men and promoters, and Kan
BaB, instead Of importing salt, Is 81
porting It.
The steamer that accomplished what
no other boat has ever done, the nav.
igatIOn OF the Usage river, was itself
named the Usage The hull was laid
and launched at Linn creek In the win
ter of lS5G.57 by the owners, who
were residents Of Linn creek The
hull was towed to St Louis, where the
boat was finished, 1t was 1870 feet
long. % feet wide and when loaded
to It's capacity OF 200 tons drew near
iy three feet Of water. It was pro
nounced the finest little boat aioat
In its day. with a cabin capacity of
seVenty-lVe passengers, double en-.
gines, double boilers and side wheels
1t was sold TO Capt Lambert OF New
YLCk. an old sailor and experienced
boatman, who later traded II to Mai
X H. Melton OF Warsaw, Mo, for Ben.
ton county land, the consideration be-
ing $4,000.
Mai Melton placed Elijah Melton.
bis brother, in charge as clerk and tho
Usage made regular trips for eight
months in the year from st, Louis up
the Usage river, often as far as Pap
tnsville in Bates county. Missouri, but
more frequently going to OsCeola, st.
Clair county. Those were boating
days on the beautiful Usage river, and
as many az eleven boats have been
tied up at Warsaw, Mo. at one time,
Before tho war the freight and pas.
eengor service made a profit o the
owner Of the boat and $1,000 was not
an unusual amount for the round trip
The crow ing feat in navigation waa in
taking a cargo Of 200 tons of salt
to Suns Point, in bourbon county, Kan.
The civil war had destroyed the
boating service on the Usage river and
salt was so scarce that a pound would
sell at times for 81. Maj. Melton found
plenty OF salt at st Louis in 1867,
which had come from Michigan down
the Mississippi. He knew II he could
get 1t to the western counties OF Mis-
souri, the people would pay n hand
some profit for II, With George Craw.
ford, an Usage river pilot, the boat
was loaded to its capacity with salt
In barrels and sacks and the voyage
begun.
At OsceOla the news came that
ECayy rains for a week at the head
waters Of the Usage in Kansas would
keep the river at high water mark;
and Crawford, the daring Usage river
pilot. said he would try for Suns Point,
or. failing, ho could try for Bell View,
a few miles below. Suns Point was
reached at 4 o'clock on the afternoon
of the following day, and the river was
bank full, but very narrow. 1t was
80 full that the presence of the boat
forced the water out of its banks on
to the low land. In an hour the wa.
ter began to fall, and all hands rolled
of the salt, Everybody who would
work was hired to help. The unload
ing continued all night without inter
ruptlon until 4 o'clock In the morn.
ing,
1t was then observed that the mar
row stream was not wide enough by
ten feet, to turn the boat around. Ey.
cry available tool was put into use by
deck hands and the bank of the river !
was dug down low enough to allow the
stern Of the boat to back into It; and
by the aid of ropes and capstan the
turn was made. The unloading was
completed and at 5 o'clock the race
for deep water began. The wood sup
ply was running low when a wood
yard was seen In the distance on the
bank, some thirty miles below Suns
Point. No time was lost in tying up
and apprOpriating all the wood In the
yard, and the little steamer was on