The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-04-08
RECALL OLD RIVER DAYS.
MEMORIES OF MISSISSIPPI
ARE REVIVED
Stately Passenger Packets Were
Operated; Celebrated For
Their "Eats"
Associated Press Dispatch. ]

Senger traffic are revived by the re-
sumption of traffic between Pitts
burg, Pa, and this city by way of the
Ohio.
Barges have carried freight traffic
on the great river for many years
since the packets were driven out by
railroad competition. In the days OF
Mark Twain the Mississippi packets
were celebrated for their "eats", their
famous races, their pilots and even
for their poker games. 1t used to be
no uncommon sight to see from fif-
teen to thirty passenger vessels, from
the palatial packet to the weather
beaten tramp leave the New Orleans
landings daily for up river points.
Coming of the railroads with quick
service for perishable cargo, many
lines alm1t paralleling the river be-
tween the most important landings.
tige. Shippers began sending cotton
and other non perishable freight by
railroad and the stops of the river
packets were fewer and fewer as the
years went on.
Plantation Landings Rotted Away.
Plantation landings rotted away,
planters began to buy railroad tickets
instead of steamer passage and made
their plans to spend the difference in
time in New Orleans instead of on the
boats. Planters moved to town, So
cial life in tie country began to wane
in short, country jewellers became
farmers and plantations became
farms. 1t was romantic to be plant
er, but much more profitable to be a
farmer All of this directly affected
passenger traffic.
A river voyage in the olden days
was pleasurable affair, if the boilers
did not blow up or the vessel hit one
of the shifting sand bars, mud dumps
or hidden snags. A comfortable berth,
wonderful meals, dancing by night,
watermelon parties, well stocked bars,
stud and draw poker games for the
patrons of that form Of amusement,
and last, but not least the antics of
make things pleasant for the traveller.
Coffee in bed was the rule, then a
breakfast of bacon, eggs, waffles, pan
cakes started the day. At noon there
was fruit, fish, roast, vegetables, the
ever present coffee and whatever de-
sert the cook had in mind for the
meal. The feast of the day came in
the early evening with creole gumbo
Gf the cook happened to hail from
New Orleans as most Of them did
fried fish, roast fowl, with baked
or candied yams, beef or pork fruit
in abundance, desert and small
black" coffee with brandy. 1t wasn't
variety but quantity that made the
steamer bill of fare famous.
Sip Mint JuIips.
In the heat of the afternoon, be-
hind shielding mosquito bars the pas
senger, if he SO desired, could quaff
mint julips or sip corn whiskey cock
tails, not to mention the old fiat bot
tom toddies, made with sugar, water,
pineapples and orange juice and, of
course, whiskey The old timers here,
with scanty stocks of liquor and fac
ing the coming years with visions of
nut sundaes, never tire of telling the
younger generation of the old "hard
liquor" days of the river steamboats,.
The card games were for big stakes.
Veterans vouch for the truth of
stories of planter embarkingin Mis-
sissippi worth "a plantation with 200
negroes" and disembarking at the
Canal street landing in New Orleans
with only some bills for something
he no longer owned.
But those days are gone. If plans
of those interested in river traffic
bear fruit the modern steamers will
eliminate gambling, carry well drilled
crews and furnish modern meals at
modern prices.
In advertising sailings of vessels
of the olden days the name of the
first mate always was given. The
first mates became known up and
down the river either as good or bad
by the manner in which they handled
the roustabouts A meek man did not
last long as first mate.
Saturday was usually the sailing
day for up river packets from this
port. There was great rivalry be-
tween boat owners and crews and u.s.
ually from one to dozen races were
pulled off as the vessels chugged up
blew up with marked frequency.
hatcher Lee Race.
The most famous of these races was
run by the Natchez and the Robert e.
Lee, two of the largest of the river
packets. So keen was the rivalry that
early in the seventies DIT was planned
to have them race from New Orleans
to st. Louis. No passengers or ff0ght
were carried and for weeks the COM
ing race was the chief topic of con-
versation along the river. The Ro-
bert E. Lee was in command of Capt
Cannon while Capt. feathers was
made except for fuel. The trip to st.
Louis was made in just few hours
over three days, an unheard of record
then with the Robert E. Lee the win
ner by small margin.
Another famous race between the
White Rose of Memphis and the Grand
Republic ended in disaster. After
racing upstream for hours in meek
and neck" contest the White Rose
struck snag and sank. Before the
White Rose could clear nearby bend
her boilers exploded, killing num-
per of the crew.
After the war between the states
steamboats, had been perfected to a
higher degree and river traffic be-
came more important. While most
of the boats used wood for fuel, get
ting it from well established wood
yards along the river, still they made
good time and business was flourish
ing
Some of Passenger Boats.
While as general rule the boats
were operated independently by their
owners even as early as 1870 there
were several lines operating many
large passenger vessels. The Sargest
and best known was the Anchor line,
which operated between New Orleans
ond CT o,,ic N, roo,,lo,. c.,h