Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1914-01-29


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now me AoesFt = Lee neas me 10y
senez - Eees oP''reenss On -
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Neeo- III nl''s'oA Lss ~
ness. Is
IA friend of the Free Press b. the
following account OF the famous Flgei
race. stating that It is about the onlJ
really authentic account written, Ia
tor.
Did you ever hear a man get enthqss-
asttc when telling about race
/ Wen, when he gets throueH taiksn :.
this one VIII hold nm for Whtle u
Tins 10 the race Mark TWaiMde3agna.
TED AaShe greatest ever ran m AmeElea.
root racing horse racing are IN rs Isl
m their way hut nsne- - ta'si' q go
with seeamboat ractHgs tlias staams
boat racing OF the order OF thekind the
Natchez and the Robert =. Lee put on
1t was hack IN 1870 when the two
steamers left the levee at New Orleans
for st Louis to win the Mississippi
River Sweepstakes. The betsaon ea@h
side ran up into the hundreds OF thous.
ands-
Fer three days the Natchez and the
Lee were running almost neck and neck.
| the Lee from three to thirty minutes
in the lead. Finally the Lee plowcd
through the fog which the Natchez pi-
lots were unable to penetrate and the
Robert E. Lee unloaded at the st Louis
levee five hours ahead Of her tpponent.
The winFer showed her nose under
the wire just about half an hour be-
fore noon on the Fourth of July. Twen-
| ty thousand people were on the hanks
watching her come in-the winners
cheering and the losers paying out great
rolls of Rreenbacks.
A record trip of the Natchez was the
immediate cause of the race, although
thu two boats had been rivals for sever
al months. The Robert E. Lee. built
in 1866, ha made quite record for
speed. Capt T. P. Leathers in 1869
bu 1t the Match z. The boat was tonted
as tire fastest craft on TIE rive. Early
in 1870 it made the upstream run from
New Orleans to st. Louis in three days
tive nty-one hours and fifty-eight min
utes
NATcHEz BREAKS ALL SPEED REC 'RDs
/ was the fastest run ever made.
bea'ing the record of the J IN. White
by one hour and eleven minutes Ia.
j. M. White established that record in
1874. Proud of the achiev. ment. Leath-
ers advertised his boat as the swiftest
nf th"rn all. His advertising stung
Capt John w. Cannon of the Robert E.
Lee and challenge was issued for a
race. feathers readily accepted
Accordingly the two boats lined up at
the New Orleans levee July 80. They
were to leave the water front at 5 p. m.
or as soon after as they could get under
way The Lee got the jump on the
Natehez ard swung out in the stream
WIN hef nose pointing norm.
a second 20 the pooo may WIN the
,aee' sala eannon as ne 1oasoeo ms
Ooa' ~ 'he great race
-, = rev minutes ailer Inc Lee the
la'IlN was - Tue sefeaIn fenuibg ner
s.ouu - smose 20 'ne SKY. Inc Lee
passed. 'ne o. WARY Market at o'4
?. M me Na'cfez passed TIE same
POM eAac'.y 'nree minutes laeer. Near
'ne nv. - sl'y nnn.s oi New orleans u
was louno Inc Narchez nad gained
eisn' seconCs on the Lee. Inc. iact was
'eieg, apneo an over tne country and
inc ooos In tne Detling lor time were
TWO 10 one on tne Natcnez
among me river men VINO staked
nuhureos OF ooliars on the outcome OF
us race was eapt george helto, VINO
uleu las. May, accorolng 70 Colonel
nuhter pen Jenkins historian q the
rum nelen pet S4OO on the Na'cnez tpe
Jay me race began. lnac night ne
Dreamed 'ne Lee was gong 70 win
Inc next morning. win the papers
~, q no" ehe NatcDez had gained
signs SECONDS on the lee, helen nedgeo
ano pet On the Lee. ~ MS sec nd
Gay stroke ne won $5OO on the race
Natchez was the hrst point to which
the boats raced EVERYBODY N town
vas down at the river front watching
tnem come IN: As the boats game
around the benz they saw the Aatchezz
swallowing the smoke OF the Lee
II was Gay OF mourning Tor Natchez
Inc city nad PAR o. Elk horns 60 de-
hver 20 ner namslesake Wnen she returnl-
GU WluuSI VI Tie race. ne HOELS were