The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-01-18
HOW GREATEST-RACE
!. IN AMERICA WAS run
Haf-miion Dollars Lost N Bets When the Steamer
Robert E. Lee Defeated the Natchez IN
Mississippi River Contest -

Did you ever hear a nan get enthusi-
when he gets through talking this one
will hold him for q while.
This is the race Mark Twain designated
as the greatest ever run In America.
Foot racing, horse racing are all right
in their way, but none of them can hoid
with steamboat racing; that Is, steam
boat racing OF the order Of the kind the
Nstchez and the Robert e. Lee put on.
1t was back in 1870 when the two
steamers left the levee at New Orleans
for ST. Louis to win the Mississippi River
Sweepstakes The bets on each side ran
up into the hundreds Of thousands
For three days the Natchez and the
Leo were running almost neck ana neck,
the Lee from three to thirty minutes IN
the lead. Finally the Lee ployed through
the fog which the Matches pilots were
unable to penetrate and the Robert e
Lee unIoaded at the st. Louis levee nve
hours ahead OF her opponent.
The winner showed her nose under the
wire inst about a half an hour before
noon on the 18th Of July. Twenty tnou-
sand peotge were on the banks watching
her come in-the winners cheering and
the losers paying out great rolls Oh
grcenbacks.
A record trip OF the Natchez was
,b. in,medis~e cause of the race, al
though the two boats had been rivals
for several months. The Robert Z. Lee,
built in 1866, had made quite record
for speed, Capt. T. P. feathers in 1865
built the Natchez. The boat was her
aided as the fastest craft on the river.
Early in 1870 it made the upstream run
from New Orleans to st. Louis in three
DAYS twenty-ope hours and fifty-eight
minutes.
speed Records Broken.
II WAS the fastest run ever made. beat
ing the record of the ]. NJ. White by one
hour and eleven minutes Inc }. M.
White established that record in ie4i-
Proud of the achievement, feathers adj
,ertisad his boat as the swiftest OF them
au.< His advertising stung Capt John
" Cannon. of the Robert E Lee, and
a challenge was issued for race Leatn-
ers readily accepted
Accordingly the two boats lined up at
New Orleans levee June 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 Natcnez
and swung out in the stream with her
nose pointing north.
"a second to the good may win the
race" said Cannon as he boarded his
boat for the great race. A few minutes
after the Lee the Natchez was in the
stream sending her cloud of smoke TO the
sky. The Lee passed the st. Marys mar
ket at 5.O4 D. m. The NatcheZ passed the
same point exactly three minutes later.
Near the north city limits OF New Or
leans il was found the Natchez had gam
ed eight seconds on the Lee. Inc rae,
was telegraphed all over the country ana
the odds in the betting for a time were
two to one on the NatchezS
Among the rivermen who staked num-
jreds of dollars on the outcome OF the
race was Capt. George Keith. VINO aieo
Iast Nav. according to Col. Hunter Ben
Jenkins, Historian of the run. heitn pei
s4N0 on the Natchez the day the race De-
gan. That night he dreamed the Lee was
going to win. ell,
The next morning, with the papers full
If how the Natchez had gained eight sec
ends on the Lee, Keith hedged ana pet
on the Lee. BY his second days stroke
he won 500 on the race.
All Natchez at Docks.
Natchez was the first point to which
the boats raced. Everybody IN Town was
down at the river front watching them
come in AS the boats came around the
bend they saw the Natchez s"aii0"ins
the smoke of the Lee.
If was a day of mourning for Natchez.
The CITY had a pair of elk horns to de.
liver to her namesake when she returned
winner of the race. The horns were
mounted at the water front ana were III
plain sight from the pilot house oil me
lee AS the Robert E. Lee steamed past
Capt Cannon shouted:
Lower those horns"
The horns were promptly lowered. on
he side of the Lee was banner bearing
he inscription: 'Shco, fly. don't bother
me-"
frantic old man on the shore went
pto mysteries as he read the sign and
,eard the captain shout to lower the
,orns. Several bands were at the wharf
o play Here the Conquering Hero
Comes" But all were bad losers They
,efused to play because the Lee was lead
ng. Silence greeted the Natchez as she
added past the city. Finally the oio
nan who had become hysterical over his
'ayorite running second shouted to- the
[atchez:
Get up in front What are you doing
pehind?"
capt. Leathers put his hands to his lips
md shouted back:
Never mind. Well scrape the flies
from the Lee before morning..
The Lee had made record TO Natcnez.
The Princess formerly had made run
rcrn New Orleans to Natchez in seven
II; horns were kept at the water front
: a Gift from the Princess to any boat
rn2t would beat her time. For fifteen
Ears the horns had been exhibited at
.-atchez. When IL was seen the Lee was
.-.,in- to win. a launch was sent out in
70 stream and the trophies were deliv-
rcd TO Can't Cannon. The Lees record
T., Natchcz was nineteen minutes better
Than the Princess.
The Lee Makes Gains.
From Natchez the Lee began to gain.
iu. her gains were SO slight that ex-
..tusIon trains were run from as far east
~; Cincinnati to see the racers. Both
eats were stripped of all equipment not
artraIly needed for the race. Arrange
uteuts were made for barges along the
liver TO bring them fuel for the trip.
Capt Fred VoltZ, now seventy-six years
old, was pilot on a boat plying between
Ncl- Orleans and Vicksburg. This boat
had 30 cords of pine knots for delivery
TO the Lee. voltz held his boat along
side the Lee for ten miles while the fuel
was being loaded on the racer.
After leaving Natchez, Vicksburg was
the next goal to race for, and the Lee
beat the Natchez there, showing a gain
in running time of eighteen minutes over
her rival. 1t was the end Of the first
day, the Lee passing Yicksburg wharf at
5:l2 understanding to the kouns rec
ord-on the afternoon Of July ], and he
Natchez passing a. sos O'Clock The Lee
ran up along the upper wharfboat and
: discharged a few passengers and started
off, picking up two coal floats in the
river Coal beavers swarmed over then