The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1921-05-05
PALATAL STEAMBOATS,
AGAIN ON MISSISSIPPI
ROMANCE OF OTHER DAYS RE
CALLED BY REVIVAL OF
RIVER SERVICE.

Memories of the old days on the
Mississippi when stately packets piled
in the passenger traffic are revived by
the resumption of traffic between
Pittsburg. 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
Tor their poker games.
1t used to be no uncommon sight to
see from IS to 30 passenger vessels
from the palatal packet to the wea-
Their beaten tramp leave the New Or
leans landings daily for up-river
points.
Coming Of the railroads with quick
service for pershable cargo. many
lines almost paralleling the river be-
tween the most important landings.
caused river traffic to lose its pres
tige. Shippers began sending cotton
and other -perishable freight by
rail and the stops of the river packets
We're fewer and fewer as the years
went on.
Plantation landings rotted away
planters began to buy railroad tick
cts instead of steamer passage and
made their plans to spend the differ
ence in time in New Orleans instead
of on the boats. Planters moved to
town. social life in the country began
TO wano in short. country dwollers
became farmers and plantations be-
came farms. It was romantic to be
planters, but much more profitable to
be a farmer All of this directly af-
fected passenger traffic
river voyage i'm the oldon days
was a pleasurable affair if the boilers
did not blow up or the vessel hit one |
OF the shifting sand bars mud Jumps
or hidden snags A comfortable berth I
wonderful meals dancing at 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 |
the negro rOustabouts all combined to .
make things pleasant for the trav-
eler
Coffee Served in Bed.
Coffee i'm bed was the rule. then a
breakfast of bacon, wanIes, pancakes
started off the day At noon there
was fruit fish, roast, vegetables the
ever present coffee and whatever des-
ser the cook had i'm mind for the
meal The feast of the day came in
the early evening with creole gumbo
df 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, dessert and small black"
coffee with brandy It wasn't variety
hut quantity that made the steamer
bill of fare famous.
In the heat of the afternoon. behind
shielding mosquito bars. the passen-
ger if he so desired could quar- mint
juleps or sip corn whiskey cocktails
not to mention the old nat-bottom
toddies, made with sugar, water pine
apples and orange juice, and, of
course whiskey The old-timers
here with scanty stocks of liquor and
facing the coming years with visions
OF nut sundaes, never tire of telling
the younger generation of the old
hard liquor" days of the river steam
boats.
The card games were for big stakes.
Veterans vouch for the truth of stor-
les of planter embarking in Miss
issippi worth "a plantation with goo
and discriminating at the
Canal street landing i'm New Orleans .
with only some bills of lading for
something he no longer owned
But those days are gone. If plans of ,
those interested in river traffic bear .
fruit the modern steamers win elm
mate gambling. carry we'll drilled
crews and furnish modern meals at y,
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 as good or bad by the man
aer in which they handled the roust-
lbouts. A meek man did not last
ong as first mate
Saturday Was Busy Day. O.
Saturday was usually the sailing q
lay for up-river packets from this %
bort There was great rivalry between / ~
BOAT owners and crews and usually j.
rom one to dozen boat races were %
pulled off as the vessels chugged mp .li
he river. 1t was then that boilers D.
'lew mp with marked frequency NJ
The most famous of these races n
vas run 10y the Natchez and the Rob s.
rt e. Lee, two of the largest of the nj
liver packets SO keen was the riv- u
Try that early in '70s il was planned O.
o have them race from New Orleans go
o st. Louis. No passengers or freight 81
we're carried and for weeks the COM