Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-02-02
CAPT. HICKS OWNED
 FASTEST STEAMER Memphis River Man Tells of Speed and Capacity of
 Old Belle Lee. SHE OUT-RAN FEM ALL Was Great Freight Carrier and Finer Boat Than the 'katie"
SHE OUT-RAN FEM ALL

Among the famous Mississippi river steamers was the Belle Lee, built by a Louisville company fer uae Louls- vile and New Orleans trade, but bought by Capt. J. Frank Hicks after she made a few trips and installed in the Memphis an. New Orleans trade says the Memphis News Scimitar.
 It was in the early seventies that she became the property of Capt. Hicks. She was given royal recep- t.on when she landed at the Memphis wharf in command of Capt. Hicks for she was probably the most grt ce- full steamer that ever ran the Missis- sippi and was fast.
 Captin James Thompson, of Mem pAis, was clerk on her when she en- tered the trade. He said: I don't think Capt. Hicks knew how fast the Belle Lee was. She was never intend- ed, but she raced time and again with the NatcheZ from New Orleans to Vicksburg and was never passed Probably the best race she ever had, though, was with the John w. Can non from New Orlean: to Baton Rouge The Cannon attempted to pass her, but Capt. Hicks crowded on little more steam and held his usual dis tance ahead.
 There never wa sa finer steamer on the river than the Belle Lee," said Capt. Thompson, picking up plloto- graph of her. She glided over the water as graceful as swan.
 "Everyth ng about the boat was !, tif if,y1 s,t> >,,io of her cabin looked like a solid sheet of gold. All her ladies' s~aterooms were furnished wit hthe most expen- sive bedroom furniture money could buy, and her br dal chambers were fit for royalty.
 Beneath the woman's cabin was, another lot of stateroOms nicely fur nished; Nurses and mids slept in hem and in the rear of these was large, we'll ventilated playroom for children.
 I think the Belle Lee was finer boat than the Katie or any of those that ran in the lower r yer trade jus; after the Civil War.
 With all her finery, she was d great freight carrier. On one trip, Curing the latter part of the seven- toes. she carried in,o New Orleans 5000 bales of cotton. all of which was p cked up along the river between Memphis and Vicksburg.
 Capt. J. Frank Hicks, her com manier and owner. in his days was one of the most noted of lMississipr; rive captains. He was born in Western Kentucky, but made Memph' s his home almost all his life.
 ''He began life poor boy and died worth thousands of dollars. In fact, he made and lost dozen fortunes steamboating.
 His first work was for the John Cubbiny Brick company, an old Mem- phis firm.s Later he went on the riv- CT and after running on small boats that operated up Hatchie river.
 "Ih 1S47 Capt. Hicks became mas- ter of the steamer Pitser Miller, nam ed for prominent merchant of Bolil var, Tenn. Other boats he owned and built were the Joan of Arc. In the fifties he built the Julia for the Mem- phis and New Orleans trade. and also owned the John Simonds, a mammoth three-deck boat that was noted for her cotton carrying capacity.
 During the Civil war Capt. Hicks operated line of boats to carry cot ton down the Mississippi fo rocean-go- ing steamers and had many narrow escapes. At one time he hal over $125,OO0 in gold deposited in Mon-