Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-07-31
Waterproof, La, July 20, 1914
Editor Tensas Gazette,
CT Tosaph To

Editor Tensas Gazette,
St. Joseph, La.
Dear Sir:-I am enclosing lit.
tie clipping from a newspaper sent
me by my sister, Mrs. Emily T.
Scott, who thought it would inter-
est me. am sending you for pub
LEGATION, if you think same will be
of interest to your readers. How
ever, | note one mistake made in
the story of the bell. The article
states that the Hollywood bell
was aboard the second Natchez when
she sank and was recovered by div
ers. The writer is in error as re-
lates to the fate of the second Nat
chez, which instead of sinking, as
evidently believed, was remarkably
free from accidents her entire life,
and after a long and useful career
was finally sold to the owner of the
public landing at Rodney, Miss,
and by him dismantled and used as
a wharf-boat. If the bell every real
Iy had the experience recited, |
think it must have been used on the
Inflated steamer General Quitman
when she struck a snag at New
Texas landing, carrying five thou
sand bales cotton, and which / think
occurred in October, 1868. Feel
quite sure it was about this time, as
was managing "Hole-in-the- Wall"
plantation, in Concordia parish, for
Mr.. VIM. F. Ogden, that year, and
had shipped twenty bales cotton on
the Quitman on this unfortunate
trip, and would have shipped hun
dred more could have gotten it out
to the landing, but luckily for every
body interested, the negroes were
having a big picnic in the neigh
borhood that day and rather than
interfere with their pleasure on such
Il momentous occasion, decided to
withhold the bulk of the shipment
for the next trip, and but for which
perhaps the entire crop, then ginned,
would have been lost. The follow
ing year Capt. feathers landed Just
below New Texas landing and took
aboard stick of live oak timber,
cut off place then owned by a
Mr.. LaCour, and which was shipped
north and because of its remarkable
hardness used as tow piece i'm the
construction of the Natchez-the
great Natchez-which made the
memorable race with the Rob't. E..
Lee.
AS will probably be remembered
by many of the old-timers who were
familiar with river travel and ac-
quainted with river men of that day
the steamer General Quitman was
ornamented with life-like statue
of the great soldier and chivalrous
gentleman whose name she bore,
dressed in full uniform and i'm COM
handing position. The statue was
recovered along with the boat when
the latter was raised and was includ-
ed in the purchase when she was
sold. At that time the Rodney land
ing was operated by Mr.. Eugene
Oubre. (and whose grand son, by
the-way, married Miss Efiie Moore,
of st. Joseph | recollect all of this
just as clearly as if it all happened
yesterday.
Only two of Capt. feathers boats
sank, viz: the General Quitman,
which, as stated, went down at New
Texas landing. and the T. P. Leath-
ers, which sank mt Bougere landing,
in Concordia parish. | do not recall
his having boat to sink by name
of Natchez. | do remember, how
ever, that he operated a steamer
Natchez in 1858, for on June 10th
of that year took passage for New
Orleans, where | sailed on a coast
wise steamer for Maryland, making
the trip from New Orleans to Har-
ford county, (now Baltimore) by
sea, and where | was attending
school, it being my plan at that
time to enter Princeton in 1861, but
man proposes and God disposes,
for alas! when that year rolled