Fifty years on the Mississippi

Front matter

k

FIFTY YEARS ON THE iSSISSIPPI:

OR,

Dedication

O THE MEMORY

AFTER STRUGGLING FOR YEARS TO OVERCOME THE EMBARRASSMENTS AND DANGERS INCIDENT IN THE LIFE OF A BOATMAN, HAVE BEEN WRECKED ON THE SHOALS OF TIME, AND WAFTED INTO A HAVEN OF REST ON THE SHORES OF THE BEAUTIFUL RIVER, WHERE THEY AWAIT THE ARRIVAL OF THEIR FRIENDS AND COTEMPORARIES, WHO ARE STILL CON- TENDING WITH THE ADVERSITIES OF THIS LIFE

before crossing the river that ferries but one way, this work is dedicated.

Preface

In compiling the following pages, the author is largely indebted to individual friends, newspapers, periodicals and historical works.

Notably J. W. Barker, H. H. Devinney, D. F. Barker, of Cincinnati; J. W. Bryant, of New Orleans Times- Democrat ; James Kerr, New Orleans Daily States; Austin R. Moore, Thomas H. Griffith, Joseph LaBarge, of St. Louis ; Missouri Gazette, 1808, its successors, Missouri Republican and the St. Louis Republic; Louisiana Gazette, 1812 ; Memphis Avalanche; Louisville Courier- Journal; Cincinnati Commercial- Gazette; Cincinnati Enquirer; Pittsburgh Dispatch; Hall's West; Internal Commerce of the United States, by Wm. F. Switzler ; Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi; Commodore Preble's History of Steam Navigation; Floyd's Steamboat Directory ; St. Louis iScrap-Book ; Sharf's History of St. Louis; Niles' Register ; Potter's American Monthly ; Columbia Magazine, and libraries in Washington, New York, Cincinnati, and St. Louis — also to Mr. T. Kytka, the artist who has furnished the illustrations, among which will be seen some fine

pe7i, and ink sketches from portraits.

Cv)

I N E) K X

Chapter I. Pages

Introductory roinarks 1

Chapter II

The various modes of early river navigation — Broadliorns on the Ohio — Time of keel-boats and barges from New Orleans to Falls of the Ohio — Pirogues on the Missouri — Lead mines at Galena opened — Steamboat Virginia the first to ascend the Upper Mississippi — First use of steamboats in towing keelboats — Robert tulton not the inventor of steamboats — John Fitch on the Delawareriver — Barnwell R. Grant — First vessel ever moved by steam — Fitch's second steamboat — His description — Her |)erformance — Sixth steamboat by Samuel Moroy — A screw iiropellcr — Eleven steamboats previous to 1807 2-6

Chapter III

Robert Fulton builds the twelfth boat — Clermont on the Hudson River — Fnlton's skill — Clermont rebuilt — Her trip to Albany — Cut of the Clermont — First steamboat race — Car of Commerce — Fulton's second boat — Other boats for Long Island Sound and the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers by Fulton 7-10

Chapter IV

Missouri Gazette, 180S — Trip of steamboat from New York to Albany — Fulton's letters to the " American Citisen" to his friend Joel Barlow — Account of his steamboat trip to Albany — Effect on the natives in seeing the Clermont the first time — Fulton's death in 1815 — Steamboat in Spain in 1543 — Watt. Fitch, Evans, Stephens, Morey, Rumsey and others antedate Fulton 11-15

Chapter V

John Fitch an American — His patent — Fulton's first experimental boat at Paris, France — Fitch's explanation of his machinery — His visit to France — Failure of his boats and his hopes — His death and burial — James Rumsey's boat on the Potomac — Second steamboat in the world — John Fitch's will and grave 15-20

Chapter VI

Robert Fulton — His father a native of Ireland— His place of nativity — His genius as an artist — His visit to England in 1793 — His residence in France — His experiments on the Seine — Bonaparte entertains his proposition to construct torpedo boats — His return to America — His first patent— Fulton and Livingston's exclusive right to navigate steam vessels — Injunction of the Supreme Court — First steam ferry-boats — Floating batteries — Pulton the first engineer — Samuel J. Morey's steamboat on the Delaware 21-27

Chapter VII

Discovery of the Upper Mississippi — Father Hennepin in 1C80 — His voyage from Canada — His descent down the Illinois River — Indian name for Mississippi — The river described — Buccaneers infest the mouths of rivers — Cottonwood Creek and Grand Tower general rendezvous — Beausoliel, the merchant, and the freebooters — Barge transportation on the Mississippi and Ohio — First mall route across the AUeghanys 28-31

Chapter VIII

Mail-boats on the Ohio River — Indians attack mail-boats — Description of fight 32-38

(vii)

Vlll INDEX.

Chapter IX. Pages

First vessel to enter the Mississippi from tlie sea — M. rt'Iberville's arrival at Natchez — His return to Biloxi — First fort on the Mississippi — The English Tnrn — La Salle at Bayou Goulas in 16:^5 — First boat built on the Mississippi in 1541 — Death of L)e Suto, 154-2 — William Longstreet antedates Robert Fulton seven years on the Savannah River — St. Paul's ship — Gath in the " Cincinnati Enquirer" — Noah's ark — Egyptian mode of transport ing grain — Phoenician galleys — River Nile and its canals — 700,000 boatmen employed — Lighthouse on the Nile — Egyptian sailing vessels 420 feet long — '280 years B. 0. steam used at Alexandria — A. D. 540 steam apparatus constructed — Application of steam at different periods — Different inventors — First steam vessel across the Atlantic. 39^1

Chapter X

Ohio River— Col. Plug — Mike Fink, and others — Ben. Cassaday's history of Louisville — Barge men, their occupation — Audubon, the celebrated ornithologist 41-44

Chapter XI

The boat-wreckers on the Ohio — Col. Fluger, of New Hampshire, known as Col. Plug — A famous freebooter — A duel — Many flat-boats robbed and boatmen killed — Headquarters mouth of Cash — Col. Plug's death — Mike Fink, the famous outlaw — Indian spy — Became a flat-boatman and a terror to all — His habits and peculiarities 45-50

Chapter XII

Another story of Mike — His adventure with Carpenter and Tolbert in 1822 — Joins Henry and Ashley's company of Missouri trappers — Trip to the Yellowstone — Mike and Carpenter's quarrel — Carpenter killed by Mike — Mike killed by Tolbert — Mike's account of himself. . . 50-52

CHAPTER Xlir.

Boatmen described — Early navigators — First keel-boat on the Missouri- Kentucky flat-boats — Trial at Pittsburgh for sinking one yellow-bellied catfish... 53-.56

Chapter XIV

Danger to early boatmen from Indians and pirates — Crow's Nest, or Stock Island, a notorious resort — Many flat-boats and their crews sacrificed there — Their extermination in 1809 by mob law 57-59

Chapter XV

Annual exports from the Mississippi in 1802 — Advertisements of that date — Bill of lading from Kaskaskia in 1741 — Advertisements in Missouri Gazette in 1809 60-61

Chapter XVI

Hall's West — Published at Cincinnati in 1848 —Bark canoes — From the Gulf of Mexico to Falls of St. Anthony — Washington's first view of the Ohio — Indian attacks on early settlers, encouraged by British influence — Effect of steam navigation — Steamboat Washington —Trip to New Orleans and return in 45 days 62-67

Chapter XVII

Commerce in 1812 — Carried on 20 barges from Cincinnati to New Orleans and 150 keel-boats to Pittsburgh — Caravans from St. Louis to Santa Fe— Banking capital in the West — The name of Fulton to be cherished as Washington's —In 1776, Gibson and Linn — Trip from Pittsburgh to New Orleans and return for military stores — Introduction of flat-boats — McKenney's tour to the lakes— The bark canoe and the manner of its construction 67-76

Chapter XVIII

First passenger boats from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh —Time and regulations- Bill in Congress for transportation of mails on horseback from the East to the West- James Rumsey's steamboat in 1782 — Anecdote of Robert Fulton 77-81

INDEX. IX

Chapter XIX. Pages

The " Navigator" published in Pittsburgh in 1811 — Roosevelt, Fulton and Livingston at Pittsburgh — Trip of the New Orleans described by Latrobe, a passenger a part of the way — The New Madrid earthquake— Mrs . Roosevelt's description of the closing days of that memorable trip 81-89

Falls' pilot— McMurlry sketches of Louisville — Increase of commerce — Capt. Shreve — Cut of the Washington — Suit by Fulton and Livingston against Shreve 95-98

Chapter XXIII

Expense of steamer New Orleans— Annual profits — Value of the boat— First sea vessel — Henry Clay speech in Congress — No such place as Pittsburgh— New Orleans launched — Her voyage to New Orleans — Her destruction in 1814 98-100

Chapter XXIV

"Comet," second steamboat — Vesuvius, third boat— Capt. .John DcHart — The Enterprise, fourth boat — Zebulon M. Pike, sixth boat — The first to arrive at St. Louis — The Gnce«e's notice of the arrival — Her tonnage 36 tons measurement— Tenth boat, Washington, Capt. H. M. Shreve, 400 tons measurement- Two-decker- General Pike, thirty-lifthboat and first passenger boat— Independence first boat to ascend Missouri river— Western Engineer — Trip to the Yellowstone, 1819 — Major Long and corps of Government officers — Steamboats from one to sixty inclusive -Numerous histories 101-110

Chapter XXV

Notice of death of Capt. Shreve —His engagement at battle of New Orleans — Steamboat Franklin from New Orleans, thirty -two days, in 1818— List of boats in that trade — 3/isso«ri (7a,re«c — Maid of Orleans at St. Louis from Philadelr>hia, 1819 — First steam vessel at New Orleans from sea — Arrival of the Franklin at Boonslick — Log book of the steamer St. Louis from New Orleans, twenty-eight days— The Virginia at Fort Snelling, 1823 —First excursion trip at St. Louis. . . 111-116

Chapter XXVI

"Hall's West," published at Cincinnati 1848 — Cost of steamboats— Duration — Expense of navigating them in 1829 — Number of boats in various trades— Cost of transportation from the East to Pittsburgh — List of casualties from 1831 to 1833 — Imposition practiced upon travelers— Burning boats — Cost and tonnage of flat-boats in 1832 — More people killed by lightning than by steam — Loss on Ohio and Mississippi by snags from 1822 to 1827, $1,362,500 117-125

ICHAPTER XXVII.

Cost of wagon -load of dry goods — Number of steamboats in 1842 — Valuation — Employes — Number of steamboats in 1834 — Luxury of steamboat traveling — Two millions of passengers per annum — Comments of New York Courier and Ew^wirer— St. Louis settled in 1763 — Pierre Chouteau and other Frenchmen trading with Indians — First keel-boats on the Mississippi, 1751 — French Marines at Fort Chartres — Tonnage at St. Louis in 1844-1845-1846 — Daily arrivals of steamboats ., 126-133

Chapter XXVIII

Fulton's war steamer Demologus — Capt. David Porter — Dimensions of first war steamer — Three hundred cutlasses — Laid up at the navy yard in Brooklyn — .Afterwards exploded 134-137

Chapter XXIX. Faqb8

Reminiscences of Manuel White — Keel-boating in 1800 — Population of New Orleans — The Natchez Trace — Early steamboat history — Capt. John De Hart — Steamer Vesuvius — $900 per day claimed — Congress awarded Fulton $76,000 — Lafltte, the pirate — Louisiana Gazette, iSH — Gov. Claiborn — Lafltte's fleet destroyed — His escape — Wharf register at New Orleans — Arrival of steam - boats from 1812 137-141

Chapter XXX

Embargo on navigation — Second embargo — Steamboat enterprise, 1814 — Capt. Shreve gives bond— Constitution seized — Arrival of steamboat Washington — Third attempt to place embargo on the Mississippi — Memminger — Secretary of Confederate treasury — Custom House at Norfolk, on the Mississippi — Requirements of the officer — Contraband goods — Clearances — A case in point — Steamer Empress at Fort Wright — Confiscation of Chicago sugar 142-148

Chapter XXXI

Walt and Bolton — Low-pressure engines — Boats built at Brownsville — Washington built by Capt. Shreve — First steamboat — Louisiana Gazette, ISIO — Oliver Evans on the steam engine — His description — His prediction in 1794 149-152

Chapter XXXII

Steamer Western Engineer — Consternation of the Indians — Hamlet's speech — Longest steamboat on the Mississippi— Her arrival at St. Louis in 1841 — A mammoth steamboat — Steamboat United States — liuilt 1819 — Watt and Bolton's low-pressure engine — Steamboat enterprise, 1814 — Pressed into service by Gen. Jackson — Livingston and Fulton exclusive navigation to the Mississippi River — The Enterprise, a remarkable boat — Built by Capt. Shreve, 1817 — 500 barges — 1500 flat-boats — Steamboatarrivals at New Orleans in 1821 — Receipts of cotton, sugar and tobacco — Population of the city in 1822 — Building Fort St. Philip in 1700 — Second steambDat New Orleans — Steamer Vesuvius burned at Natchez — Walking 1,000 miles on the Natchez tracj — Aaron Burr's expedition in 1807 — Arrest of Col. Burr — Vessels of war anchored otf Natchez — N ew Madrid Earthquake 153-161

Chapter XXXIII

Floyd's Steamboat Directory — Western rivers — Earliest account of navigation—Father Joliet, a Jesuitambassador — 300 years ago — Ferdinando De Sotj— The first discoverer— First vessel built — Purchase of Louisiana — Fulton & Livingston's ship-yard at Pittsburgh — The second steamboat— Capt. Shreve's steamboat Washington- First flue boilers by Capt. Shreve — W^ashiugton arrives at Louisville — Public dinner to Capt. Shreve — Trip from New Orleans to Louisville— AVashington attached at New Orleans — Hartupee & Wolt — Evan's safety valve — Mrs Koosevelt — First trip to New Orleans — Louisville canal opened — Steam engines, 1812 to 182(5- New Orleans 'Times -Bemoci-at — Capt. Jos. Swagar — Enterprise ascending the Falls, by cordell 1814 — Opposing the canal by citizens— Str. Manhattan from New York — Capt. Benedict and tlie Diana, 1830 — Growth and exportation of cotton — Bienville and cotton in jNlississippi, 1735 — Cotton-seed oil in 1799— Cotton gins in 1796at Natchez — Cotton-seed from Jamaica — Dr. Rusk Nutt 162-176

Chapter XXXIV

Kramer's navigator, 1812 — 22 children, one mother — 28 children, one father— Earl of Hillsborough, 1770 — His predictions— Six epochs — French and Spanish Dominion — Buffaloes at Baton Rouge in 1699 — Settlement of Lower Louisiana — First shipment on the Mississippi— Profitable adventure in skins and furs- 1705 — The French Western Co., under Crozat— Exportations — pjxports from New Orleans, 1795 — 20,000 volunteers to open the Mississippi — Petition from Kentucky to Congress, 1798 — President Jefferson settled the question by the purchase of Louisiana — Products of Louisiana, 1801-1S02 — Trade of the Mississippi — Freight passing Falls of Ohio, 1810 and 1811 176-195

Chapter XXXV

Steamboat New Orleans- Her cost — Expense of running— The Washington left New Orleans 1816 — The Vesuvius at battle of New Orleans — Fourth boat Enterprise — River traffic in 1814 196-200

INDEX. XI

Chapter XXXVI. Pages

Emigration to Mississippi Vailey — Receipts of product- at New Orleans, 1816 — Increase of receipts in 16 years — Steamboat building — The first boat lost — Number of flat-boats — Use of pirogues — Arrivals at New Orleans, 1825 — Capt. Shreve and the snag-boats— Trade in New Orleans from 1813 to 1841 — Steamboat disasters — Rapid growth of New Orleans — Shipment of cotton — The flush time in river commerce — Boats in different trades in the South 20^-223