Year: 1870

The Reisniug Western sensatIon-A Tack
Twelve Husdred miles Long and a Million
Spectators.


Inc Western papers are filed with accounts
of the great steamboat duel to the exclusion
almost of all other news. The Democrat and
Republican Of St. Louis, both mammoth sheets,
come to us with enough matter in each to fill
good sized volume. From the Democrat of the
9TH instant we extract as follows


At one minute to o'clock, June 30, 1870, the
Robert E. Lee left st. Mary's Market, immedi-
ately followed by the Natchez, and the great
race was commenced. For an instant each boat
staggered in the water like a race-hOrse that is
being brought to the scratch; and then darting
forward with an impetus such as they had never
felt before, sprang forward on .her courses.
And the Natchez and the Lee were
fyng Up from the excited thousands-as
from the earth, and air, and water-came
the thunderous applause. until the air was ''all
yell, and the earth as far as the eye could
reach-confusion. Words cannot describe that
scene-imagination cannot picture it, Even
to look upon it at a moment of such excitement
would scarcely enable one to comprehend it.
The contrast between the conduct of the popu-
lace on shore and the persons on board the
racers, at first sight, would seem strangely sim
gular to one unused to such scene-and who
is not? On shore it is one wild tumult of ex-
citement-on board, almost calm.


Far as the city limits extend, and beyond, the
banks were lined by shouting multitudes, and as
one of the five steamers which started up the
river with eXcursionists was passed, each cargo
of living freight lent its lungs to the occasion.





he the decks of the flying steamers.


The contribution of the populace to such a
contest is its expressions of JOY and sympathy,
its words of cheer and encouragement The
contribution of the crew on board is much
nerve courage, determination, energy and no
end to close watching and hard work Their
time for shouting is after the race


No one can imagine the terrible strain there
is upon the minds and nerves of those who have
in chargea boat and its machinery while making
such race as this. There is an eye upon her
every movement-upon every spot about her
at every moment Every stroke of her mighty
arm is followed by an anxious eye. The index
finger on the dial of her steam gauge can scarcely
move over fgure-her very breathings are
almost counted. And so it happens that there
is usually less danger in running races than on
ordinary runs.


On the wharfb boat at Natchez were the horns
of the Princess tastefully decorated and in wait
ing for the leading boat. On them in gilt letters
are the words Time of the Princess from New
Orleans 10 Natchez, II hours and 80 minutes;
why don't you take the horns?" The Lee touched
the wharf-boat and that question has not yet
been repeated.


on flew the boats, and at every bend of the
river, at every house, at every hamlet, excited
crowds awaited their arrival. Where can
non could be had it was used with will
and where it could not be produced, anvils
were substituted. Old and young, male and
female, white ard black, people from the river
shore and people from points within 80 miles
each way, focked to the shore to witness the
mightest race that ever lashed the waters of
the turbulent old river into fury.


Thirty-ive miles above New Orleans a supply
pipe on the Lee gave way, causing little loss
OF time, and forming one more drawback during
the rest of the run. No correct estimate can be
made of time lost by this accident in the aggre
gate, but it must have been considerable, as the
engineer had to cool her down to ninety pounds
of steam before he could fix it,


At 3 A. NJ. on the FIRST night out, leak was
sprung in the mud-drum, which, when noticed,
had contributed its little share to retard the pro-
gress OF the Lee.


All the way to Vicksburg the Natchez was
plainly to be seen, though losing ground steadily.
From thet point, arriving at the long reach at
Helena, where, as the Lee passed out, the bow
of the Natchez was observed just rounding the
point. From there on nothing but her smoke at
intervals was ever seen, and by that she always
seemed to be out in the country


Just above Vicksburg the Frank Pargoud was
OVerhauled, and the supply OF fuel sent aboard
from her was taken on board


At Memphis the widest enthusiasm prevailed
Although late at night her whole population
seemed 10 have gathered upon the river bank,
and bonfires were blazing everywhere. Unfor-
,tunately the first great beauty of the scene was
( lost to the Lee as the Thompson Dean, ahead OF
| the Lee, caused the Memphis people by mistake
10 touch off thei- fireworks and shout themselves
.hoarse.


At Columbus, crowds lined the wharf, streets
and houses, cannon were fired, and the cheering
deafening.


About eight miles below Cairo the Evansville
and Cairo packet Ldlewild, the lightning express





points on the Ohio, who had come down to wit
ness the great race, lay in waiting to secure the
Lees Louisville people.


AS the Lee approached she conceived the idea
that if size would gather large head of steam
and turn on a full head Just she came oppe-
Site she could keep alongside sufficiently long
TO allow passengers to get on board She did so
Z and ran as she had never run before, but she
learned in few seconds Ghat it was wildly idle
for the Idlewild to try to keep pace with the
Lee. Ringing ''slow bel +" tbe Lee allowed heI
10 come up and get the passengers.
Il From the moment of catching sight of Cairo
from the bend, round upon round of artillery
was fred by the excited citizens until long after
the Lee had passed the city. ThFongs of people
were congregated from the extreme point of the
sand-bar at the junction of the rivers, all the
way up to the city along Front street. over the
whaTf-boats, over the house -tops-egeTy place
from which view of the river could be OBJ
tained. \


At point seven miles from the confluence o.
the rivers, where the channel runs close 10 the
Illinois shore, hundreds OF Cairoites had Assem-
bled to witness the flight of the birds
During the night the river seemed one blaze
of light so numerous were the hon6res.
1t is interesting 10 summer tourists TO learr
that a trout has recently been caught in Lake
Winnepisseogee measuring thirty-fOur inche
81, 10 nd