The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-04-11
Day Packet Travel
Recalled by Graphic
Narrator

orics eft old days ON the Mississippi,
when stately packets pied in the pas
senger traffic, are revived by the re
sum- ton Of traffic between Pittsburgh,
Pa, and this city. by way of the Ohio.
Earges 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 tho Mississippi packets were cel-I
ebrated Tor their eats Their famous
| races. their pilots and even for their
poker games.
1t uesd TO be no uncommon sight to
see from 10 to 30 passenger vessels, from
the IalatIaI packet to the weather
beaten tramp, leave the New Orleans |
landings daily for up-riyer points.
!. Coming OF the railroads with quick |
! service for the pcrishable cargo, many |
/ lines almost paralleling the river be
! tween the most important landings, |
| caused river traffic to lose its prestige |
| Shippers began sending cotton and other
| non-perlshable freight by rail and the
! stops of the river packets were fewerl
and fewer as the years went on.
Plantation Life Changes.
! Plantation landings rotted away,
| planters began to buy railroad tickets
! instead OF steamer passage, and made
their plans to spend the difference i'll
time in New Orleans, instead of on the
boats. Planters moved TO town, social
| Life in the country began to Wane-in
snort, country jewellers became farmers
and plantations became farms. 1t was
romantic to be planter, but much
more profitable to be a farmer All of
this directly affected passenger traffic.
\ river voyage in the oldcn days was
a pleaSurahle affair, if the boilers did
not blow UP or the vessel escaped the
shifting sand-bars, mud Jumps or hidden
snags. \ comfortable berth, wonderful
parties, we'll 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 roust-
abouts, all combined to make things
pleasant for the traveller.
Coffee in bed was the rule, than a
! breakfast OF bacon, eggs, watties, and
pancakes started off 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, lif the cook
I happened to hail from New Orleans as
| most of them did, fried fish, roast
| 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.
High Life Is Recalled.
/ In the heat of the afternoon, behind
4 shielding mosquito bars. the passenger,
/ II he 50 desired, could quatf mint juleps
/ CE sip cOrn-whiskey cocktails, not TO
/ mention the old fiat bottom toddies
| made with sugar. water, pineapples 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
- STEAMBOATS,
The card games were for big stakes
- eterans vOUch for the truth OF stories
! OF a planter cmbarking in Mississippi
- worth "a plantation with 2O0 Negroes
i and discriminating at the Canal street
- landing in New Orleans with only some
: bills OF ladins for something he no
D. longer owned.
J. But those days are gone If the plans
- of those interested in river traffic bear
n fruit, the modern steamers will elmi-
~ nate gambling, carry well drilled crews
and furnish modern meals at modern
= pr'Ces.
o, In advertising saiIings of vessels OF
H. he OidRn days the name of the first
- mate always was given. The first mate.
n became known up and down the river
e. either as good or bad, Dv the manner il
7 which they handled the roustabouts. \
ut meek man did not last long as first
mate.
:, Saturday was usually the sailing day
~ for up-river packets from this mort
81 There was great rivalry between boa
owners and crews and usuallyafrom on,
p to dozen boat races were pulled of
to as the vessels chugged UP the river. /
ne was then that boilers blew up witt
p- marked frequency.
: Many Thrilling Races.
40 The most famous of these races wa
&c. run bv the Natchcz and the Robert t
.P- Lee, two of the largest of the rive
- Packets, So keen was the rivalry tina
le- early IN the seventies il was planned t
have them race from New Orleans [
IN, It. l.ouIs. No passengers or freight wer
rs. carried and FOR weeks the coming rae
we along the river. The Robert F. lie
OK. was in command of Captain Cannon
w. while Captain feathers was master {
St. the Natchez. No stops were made @,
w. cept for fuel. The trip to St. Lou
-. was made in Just Il few hours oyo
" three days, ~ unheard of record theI
= with the Robert +. Lee the winner !
an u small margin.
w Another famous race. between II
- White Rose of Memphis and the Graz
un- Republic, ended i'm disaster After ia
. ing upstream for hours in a neck al
'ck, neck contest the White Rose struC
ia snag and sank. Before the Graz
lar Republic could clear a nearby bend h
boilers exploded. killing a number of Il
no crew
After the war between the stat
~, steamboats, had been perfected to
more important. While most of &
= boats used wood for fuel. getting
''o from well established woodyards alo