The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1921-09-22
RIVER PACKET
IS RETURNING
Old Times Recalled with Resumption
of Transportation by steamers

4 ~ ana scores OF other boating palaces
that ran up and down the waterways
Of the lower Mississippi valley a third
Of a century ago. the river steamboat
better known as the packci-has come
back. Confirming the faith Of the old
river captains. some of whom have
died i'm the faith. but most Of whom
have held on 10 life in New Orleans. ~
Louis and other river ports. the day OF
the stern wheeler has returned. And.
oddly enough. most Of these revived
packets Of other days. as well as tn.
new ones. are commanded by those men
who have been waiting. uncomfortable
and cramped In their shore quarters an
these years for the steamboat o. come
into it, own.
Within the hast eighteen months.
since January. 1920 foriy-seven of
these packets have returned 20 work
on the Mississippi. the Red. the Atcha-
falaya. Bayou Ia FOurche. Bayou Ter
rabonne. the Warrior. the Tombigbee
and other streams Of the south. wher-
ever there il water sufficient 20 float
their Hat barge like hulls. or TO give
their slowly revolving paddles grip
enough to drive them ahead. That
they are here every town along these
rivers knows. but where they came
from not even the oldest river man can
tell Some of them have been laid up
for fifteen, twenty. thirty years I'm the
ports of missing boats idle. but below
ell and hopeful; some have been work
ing i'm desultory fashion on small In
land streams. eking ont an existence In
competition with motor boats. and a
number. possibly one-third Of the mum
Der. have been built new for this revi-
val
The Interstate commerce act Of 1857
giving the railroads the right 20 charge |
less for n long haul. provided the haul
was IN competition with water curriers' |
put the packets ont u Business Tia 4
act ~ the Interstate Commerce Com
mission Of 1920. allowing the rail |!
roads to new. high levels. brought back /
the packets into a more profitable bust
ness. mile for mile. than they had 80
years ago. The federal government.
with its barge lines on the Mississippi /
and Warrior rivers. showed the way 10
the owners and builders and operators
of packets. and the old river captains.
many Of whose names had been forgot
ten. suddenly stood once more in the
glass fronted cabins. just beneath the
twin gilded eagles and squarely be-
tween the towering smOkestacks. head
ing once more into the stream.
Today the New Orleans water front.
which has been bare of these packets
for many years. so bare that the incom-
ing Of one was described In all the
holds from three 20 a doz-
en- or more every morning. and by af
ternoon. on most days. this fleet has
been replaced by newcomers alike. save
for size-so much alike that only by
looking for the name engrossed on
lt.a ~ hs.. f.f |
one tell which Is which nj the Bienville
street landing. No boat I'm the history
Of the world ever had the romantic ca
reer of the old river packet. with its
sturdy hull, its gingerbread" super
structure. its blazing furnaces fed by
soOty blacks. its belching stacks. its
gilded bathrooms and it's stater0oms
lone In blue and pink and yellow. 20
suit the tastes Of the rich rice and SUI
gar and cotton planters and cattlemen.
The races Of those boats are matters OF
history and thousands of dollars chang
"a hands on contests such as those OF
The Robert r. LeeNafchez from New
Orleans to st. Louis. or the Liberty and
he First America from Memphis to
New Orleans. nearly half century ago.
But with the return of the packets.
he romance has gone from their serv-
~. AldNt tbiu' bdth lot WOFhs
md not for play; they are freight car
-iers. with passenger traffic only an in
.ident With railroad freight rates 20
"a 400 above those at which freight
an be handled profitably by these
those who have watched
he trend OF transportation ia the Unit
"A States have seen that the money Is
n freight The men who have brought
Jack the packets realize that while they
an make 175 miles a day against the
abroad average of % miles. they can
Tot compete with the 800 to $50 miles a
lay of the passenger train. and so the
must seek the packet. for
he packet does not care for the passen-
,er.
The cost OF one OF the packets OF me-
lium size Is about $4,000; of the larg-
n packets up to 100000, while fuel
oday Is coal or crude OIL No longer
; IL wood cut from the river bank
While the passengers held picnic on the
hore. But IL the romance Is gone
rom the packet itself. il still remains
n the men who brought IL back. for
hey are the river captains who once
'efore operated the steam boats. and
heir sons and their sons sons. all ex-
,erats In rivercraft. a class OF water
men peculiar to themselves. the best OF
he type who have survived the vicissi-
udes Of time very largely ON the
strength Of the hope that their ancientI
profession or their fathers trade would