USA > Ohio > Jefferson County > Steubenville > Century History of Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, 20th > Part 29
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CHAPTER XIV
THE GREAT WATER TRAIL
Canoe to Keelboat and Flat-First Steamboat on the Ohio-Rise and Decline of River Trade-The Floating Palace and the Big Towboat-Proposed Big Inland Canal.
While interior settlers were dependent on Indian trails and primitive conveyances for methods of intercommunication, Jef- ferson County was fortunate in having along her entire frontage a stream that, except for a short time in midwinter, was practically navigable the year round for the small vessels then in use. We have seen how the Ohio furnished a natural highway for the war canoe of the Indian, and later was utilized by the military and the pioneers in the same manner. It was easier floating down the stream with the current than hauling the goods overland, and the return journey at first did not re- ceive much consideration. The needs of the country brought a development from the canoe into the keelboat, or barge, ronghly made, seventy-five to a hundred feet in length and a breadth of fifteen or twenty feet. They carried sixty to one hundred tons of freight and had a small cabin at one end for female passengers. Sails were used, but wind in the Ohio River curves is a very uncertain quantity, and poles were resorted to for motive power, and occasionally towing, the boatmen walk- ing along the shore, pulling the craft by means of a long rope. It was not until after the construction of Fort Stenben in 1786-7 that the river began to assume any com- mercial importance. Navigators and boat- men were obtainable at Redstone ( Browns-
ville) or Pittsburgh, but any person wish- ing to descend the Ohio must purchase or charter (generally the former) his own craft, and take his chances of being shot or wrecked. But the opening of the Seven Ranges for settlement, and the creation of small towns farther down the river pro- duced a demand for more systematic methods of conveying freight and passen- gers, and a reliable means of getting up the river as well as down. Accordingly, in the Centinel of the Northwestern Terri- tory, published at Cincinnati in 1793, we find this advertisement:
"OHIO PACKET BOATS.
"Two boats for the present will set out from Cincin- nati to Pittsburgh and return to Cincinnati in the follow. ing manner, viz. :
"First bont will leave Cincinnati this morning at 8 o'clock, and return to Cincinnati so as to be ready to sail ngain in four weeks from this date.
"Second boat will leave Cincinnati on Saturday, the 30th inst., and return to Cincinnati in four weeks as above.
" And so, regularly, each boat performing the voyage to and from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh once in every four weeks.
"Two boats in addition to the above will shortly be completed, and regulated in such a manner that one boat of the four will set out weekly from Cincinnati to Pits- burg and return in like manner.
"The proprietors of these boats, having maturely con- sidered the many inconveniences and dangers incident to the common method hitherto adopted of navigating the Ohio, and being influenced by a love of philanthropy and desire of being serviceable to the public, have taken great pains to render the accommodations on board the boats as agreeable and convenient as they could possibly be made.
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"No danger need he apprehended from the enemy, as every person on board will be under cover, made proof against riffe or musquet balls, and convenient port holes for firing out of. Each of the boats are armed with six pieces, carrying a pound ball; also a number of good muskets and amply supplied with plenty of ammunition, strongly manned with choire hands, and the masters of approved knowledge.
"*A separate cabin from that designed for the men is partitioned off in each boat for arcommodating ladies on their passage.
"Passengers will be supplied with provisions and liquors of all kinds, of the frat quality, at the most rea- sonable rates possible."
The time in each direction is not given, but presumably the up trip required three weeks and the down trip one week. The commercial possibilities of the river were pointed out as early as 1770 by an English engineer, and a French pamphlet along the same lines published in 1789 was effective in securing the French settlement at Gal- fipolis in the following year. The latter suggests that the capital of the nation be located in the valley, "which will be the center of the whole country." These docu- ments furnish most interesting reading, and we regret that want of space prevents their publication in full. General Wash- ington, to whom we owe more in regard to the development of this valley than is gen- erally supposed, wrote the following hint of improved navigation as early as 1784, saying, "I consider Rumsey's discovery for working boats against the stream by mechanical powers principally as not only a very fortunate invention for these states in general, but as one of those circum- stances which have combined to render the present time favorable above all others for fixing, if we are disposed to avail ourselves of them, a large portion of the trade of the western country in the bosom of this state irrevocably." Ramsey used steam as a motive power in 1786 to force a stream of water back from the vessel, which would have the effect of driving the craft for- ward, and had a controversy with John Fitch, who declared that traffic on these western waters would one day be carried ou by steam, but Fulton finally carried away the honors from both of them.
The boatmen of the early days had their
characteristics quite as decided as those of the stage drivers. One of them, Mike Fink, has become notorious. He is said to have been a ruffian, bloodthirsty and revengeful and equally skilful with the knife and rifle. One of his accomplishments was to shoot a small drinking can of whisky, a la William Tell, from a man's head with a rifle. Such was his reputation as a marksman that his companions were willing, perhaps un-
der persuasion. to pose as targets. One day, however, having imbibed too freely. his aim was a little too low, and his com panion was killed. Mike displayed deep grief, either real or pretended, at the un- fortunate result, but one of the man's friends believed the killing to be inten- tional, and determined on revenge. He carefully concealed his purpose, for strat- egy was necessary, and some time after, when the boatmen were on a earousal, he boasted of Mike's prowess, and stood while Mike shot the can off his head. This was done several times, when he called on Mike to reverse matters by taking the can on his head while the other shot. Mike con- sented and the result was fotal, the bullet piercing his skull directly between the eyes. He died unlamented, his associates having been the Girties, Bill Harney, Joe Carpen- ter, Jim Stevens, Jack Dalton, and other noted freebooters, who had their headquar- ters on the river at a place called Cave-in- the Rock, about twenty miles below Shaw- neetown. Here was a veritable pirate home, where they planned their operations, collected their plunder and divided the spoils, not always withont bloody fights among themselves.
As early as 1794 a young man named Green carried the mail between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in a canoe, sometimes tak- ing one or two passengers and a little freight. The Wetzels, Fowlers and other Indian fighters of the early days took to boating before the end of their lives.
The sailing of a vessel direct from Pitts- burgh to Europe would be considered a novelty in these days, but such an event occurred over a hundred years ago. In
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1799 Louis Anastasins Tarascon, a French merchant of Philadelphia, sent two of his clerks, Charles Brugiere and JJames Ber- thond, to examine the course of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers from Pittsburgh to New Orleans, and ascertain the prac- ticability of sending ships ready rigged to the West Indies and Europe. They re- ported favorably, and Mr. Tarascon, as- sociating them and his brother with him as partners, immediately established in Pitts- burgh a large wholesale and retail store and warehouse, a shipyard, a rigging and sail loft, an anchor-smith's shop, a block manufactory, and, in short, everything necessary to complete vessels for sea. The first year, 1801, they built the schooner "Amity," of 120 tons, and the ship "Pitts- burgh," and sent the former loaded with flour to St. Thomas, and the other, also with flour, to Philadelphia, of course des- cending the Ohio and Mississippi to the gulf, from whence they sent them to Bor- deaux, and brought back wine, brandy and other French goods, part of which they sent to Pittsburgh in wagons, at a carriage of from six to eight cents per pound. In 1802 they built the brig "Nanimo," of 250 tons; in 1803 the ship "Louisiana," of 300 tons, and in 1804 the ship "Western Trader," of 400 tons. The construction of these and other like vessels gave an im- petus to hemp culture in the valley, which was not only worked into cordage for local purposes, but shipped eastward on these same vessels in considerable quantities.
The reign of the keelboat lasted over twenty years, although as early as March 26, 1801, a notice appeared in the Western Spy announcing a meeting at Griffin Yate- man's tavern, corner of Sycamore and Front streets, Cincinnati, to take into cou- sideration the practicability of a new in- vention for propelling boats by steam, which had already been accomplished by John Fitch on the Delaware River, and who was planning to put a boat on the Ohio. At that early day he uttered the prophetic words, "The day will come when vessels propelled by steam will cross the
ocean! And I ahnost venture to prophesy that the same power will be utilized in mov- ing land vehicles !" But Fitch died in Ken- tneky without his dream being realized, and it was not until ten years later that Robert Fulton, who had succeeded to his inventions and his honors, constructed the steamboat "New Orleans" at Elizabeth- town, near Pittsburgh. It cost $40,000 and was intended to ply between Natchez and New Orleans. The boat was built under the direet supervision of Captain Roose- velt, grandfather of ex-President Roose- velt, who, with his wife and family, Mr. Baker as engineer, Andrew Jack, pilot, six hands and a few domesties, made the jour- ney down the river. The boat was a side- wheeler and her tonnage is given as 371.89-95, her owners being Fulton and Chancellor Livingstone, of New York. The boat was launched on Monday, March 18, 1811, and left Pittsburgh on Sunday, Oeto- ber 20, arriving at Steubenville that same evening. The steamer naturally attracted general attention as she rushed through the waters of this then quiet valley. It cou- tinned in business until 1814, when it struck a snag and smuk near Baton Rouge, La. Affairs moved slowly in those days, and the next boat, called the "Comet," was not built until 1812-13. She was sold in 1814, and her engine subsequently was used to run the first cotton gin. That same year the "Enterprise," a small sternwheeler, was built at Brownsville and placed in com- mand of Captain Shrieve, which was the beginning of a great boat-building industry at that place. That fall it was chartered by the goverment and loaded with mili- tary supplies for New Orleans, arriving there before the battle of January 8, 1815. But while several boats had descended the river. so far none had returned to give visible proof of their ability to stem the current, concerning which there was con- siderable skepticism. So one bright June day in 1815 the little city of Steubenville was excited by the circulation of a report that some kind of a steam-propelled water craft was ascending the river near Pot-
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ter's, now Mingo, Island. A crowd hurried to the river bank and in about an hour the "Enterprise" ran her nose into the bank, with the report that she had made the re- turn journey from New Orleans in 35 days ! The return of the Argonauts probably did not produce a greater sensation, and as the boat easily steamed np towards Pitts- burgh it was realized that a new era had dawned, not merely in river transportation, but in shore activities dependent on it. It must not be supposed that barges went immediately out of use. Considerable freighting was done by means of them to the lower rivers, but of course their pas- senger trade was over, and when reaching New Orleans they were generally sold for their lumber, as it did not pay to tow them back. Coal transportation belongs to a later era. The "George Washington" was built at Wheeling the next year, being launched on May 16th. But she blew up at Marietta while on her maiden trip, injuring some seventeen persons, the first of a long series of river disasters. Subsequently she was repaired and run as a packet be- tween Cincinnati and Louisville, and then in the New Orleans trade. In 1817 her captain challenged the "General Pike" to a race for $1,000. During this race the "Pike" blew up, but Captain Shrieve con- tinned his trip and took the stakes. While returning from New Orleans to Louisville Captain Shrieve was compelled to man his boat nine times on account of the ravages of yellow fever, and had nine dead on board when he reached the latter city. He after- wards took charge of the steamer "Ohio." built at New Albany, and engaged in gov- ernment work of cutting logs out of Red River, the town of Shreveport, La., being named after him.
Steamboat building now became a lead- ing industry, in which Jefferson County, especially Steubenville, took an active part. The first boat constructed here was the "Bezaleel Wells," and the order for her boiler and engine was given to Arthur M. Phillips, who had come from Carlisle, Pa., in 1807. He was originally a blacksmith
and carried on that trade until 1815, when he purchased the site of the present Means foundry and made hollow ware, grates, etc., adding a machine shop worked by horse- power. In 1819 he received his first order for a steamboat engine and boiler, and Elijah Murray established a boatyard be- tween Washington and North Streets, from which the "Bezaleel Wells" was completed in 1820. The accepted style of those early steamboats was sixty to ninety feet keel, fourteen to sixteen feet beam, three to four feet open hohl, in which the boilers were placed, sidewheeler, with a single engine, and cabin on the first floor. A peculiarity of the boat was a brick chimney, but after a few experimental trips in the neighbor- hood the objections to that kind of smoke- stack were so obvious that, on reaching Pittsburgh, it was taken down and one of metal substituted. It was then concluded to make a trip to Pittsburgh, and one of the passengers on that occasion furnishes an account of the voyage which is amusing, if the trip itself was not. This writer, among other things, says :
"The hour fixed for our departure brought to the beach (for we had no wharves in olden times) an immense con- course of people to see the new steamboat start, for really it was a phenomenon of no ordinary occurrence to see a steamboat running up the stream without the aid of oars, poles or paddles. We left Steubenville about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and made such rapid progress the first mile that the crowd on shore were (for they seemed unwilling to lose sight of us) at their best guit to keep up with ur. Here it became necessary to eross to the Virginia shore, where we found the current rather more Than a match for our steam-power, and in order to stem it at all, everyone who could pull a pound was re- quired to parnde on deck, and all exert themselves to the utmost of their power in the employment of bushwhack- ing, and although our progress was sometimes scarcely perceivable, still we remained in high spirits until we had overcome nearly another mile, when we were informed by The engineer that the force pump had given way, and that we must stop and repair before we could go any farther. This for a time seemed to throw a little gloom over our prospects, but no one appeared to doubt the practicability of our finally reaching the place of our destination, and we all agreed to put up for the night, and wait patiently until The pump could be repaired, which by working all night was accomplished by ten o'clock the next morning, when we again set out for Pittsburgh. The repairs made on this ocension did not increase our power so much as we had hoped it would have done, for, although we had become very tired of it, we were obliged to keep up our bushwhacking, or go down stream instead of up, whenever we met with stiff water.
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By one effort and nnother, however, against noon the second day, we hove in night of Brown's Island, the lower point of which is a little short of four miles above Steu- benville. Here we met with a current more powerful than any we had before encountered, and one, too, which in the end proved too great for us to encounter. We were, how. ever, slow to believe this fact, and apent the whole after- noon in efforts to round the point of that island. Some- times we acted very harmonionsly ; at others got into con- siderable brawla, charging each other with want of skill and discretion. Fortunately for us we had on board a venerable old gentleman (after whom the boat was named) whose well spent life had placed him upon an eminence among his fellow men, which gave him great influence, and whenever our discussions bore an angry aspect one conciliatory word from that good old man set all things right. Still, even with his assistance we were unable to get any farther up stream, and when night stole in upon us we were obliged to eable to the shore below the point of the island which we had so earnestly and untiringly struggled to pass. This for a time seemed to thwart our prospects and depress our spirits; but we were auon inade to forget our troubles by the many vis- itors with which in a few minutes we found our boat crowded. Tho news of a steamboat lying at the poiut of Brown's Island had spread far and wide and brought to that place the lads and lassies of all the hills round about. A dance was proposed, the cabin cleared out, the flutes and fiddler made to accord as near as was thought to be of nuy importance, and then went off such a jolli- fication ns was truly charneteristic of olden times. The good old gentleman referred to made no objectiona to our amusements until the proper hour of rest had arrived, when, at his suggestion, we all went quietly to bed, and «peut the remainder of the night in sweet forgetfulness. Next morning brought with it its troubles. Many wore in favor of returning home, anid it was silly nonsense to think of getting to Pittsburgh with such a boat, that this was the third day we had been from home, and that we could still hear the town bell ring for dinner, while our captain and others declared that they would rather build a machine shop on the shore and repair the machinery than submit to the mortification of returning. In this state of things and when the altercation became rather boisterous, onr good old peacemaker again interfered, and by his unbounded influence had bad carried unanimously a proposition that we should return to Steubenville for the purpose of repairing, with the understanding that no one should ask to have his fare refunded, und that we should all hold ourselves In readiness at a moment's warn- ing to embark again and accomplish our undertaking. This question being settled, we cut loose from shore, nnd in n few minutes found ourselves nt the plare we started from. "
THE SECOND TRIP.
This was made a week after the first. and of it the writer says:
"We got along finely for more than twenty miles, run- ning at the rale of from two to three miles an hour, and passing all the islands and everything else we came to without any trouble, or the application of any power save that of steam. We all felt highly pleased with onr situa- tion and prospects, and looked with disdain on the petty keel hoats as we passed them, and pitied the poor fellows who had to work their way by pulling and buahwhacking. Soon, however, an accident occurred, which convinced na
that after all this is a world of disappointments. We were informed by the engineer that the force pump Was broken all to pieces-that it could not be repaired, and that we could go no farther without a new pump. We felt that we could never overcome the mortification of again returning without seeing Pittsburg and after a long and sullen consultation we eatuo to the determination that we would go ahead without a force-pump-that as often as our boilers became empty, or so low as to cause dan- ger of explosion, we would lie to shore, open an avenue in their upper sides, introduce a funnel, and by means of buckets dip the water out of the river and fill them; and as this was considered nn expedient which would require considerable labor, it was agreed that all the male pas sengers should assist in its accomplishment. To this agreement some of the party mnde serious objections, alleging that their fine clothes would becomo so much sullied that they could not make a genteel appearance when they should reach Pittsburgh. A large majority were, however, in favor of It, and the influence of public opinion soon compelled the minority to yield. The matter of reaching water above our heads we found to be very fatiguing, and the tickling of the drippings down our coat sleeves by no means pleasant or agreeable; besides this, almost every time we landed to fill our boilers we got fast on bars, and to get off again generally kept us in employment while the water was boiling.
"In the evening of the third day we renched what is called the Deadman's Ripple, and after filling our boilers discovered that our coal was nearly exhausted, that it would be folly to attempt to encounter such a current without a better supply of fuel, und npon inquiry learned that there was no coal bank within less than six or seven miles, nor was there any cordwood in the neighborhood to be obtained. This state of things ocensioned mneh dis- untisfaction and murmuring on the part of the passengers and drew upon the head of our worthy captain many curses for his want of forecast. As night was approach- ing. however, it was agreed upon as our only expedient that we must lay over until morning, and in the meantime procure fence rails and prepare for the fines such quanti- ties as would enable us to reach a coalbank some six or seven miles ahead. Accordingly we all took off our coats, and went to work and cut and carried rails until a Inte hour in the night, that we might be able to make an early start in the morning. but being much fatigued, we overslept ourselves, and were quite late getting off the next day, and when we got under way, to our great dis- appointment and mortification we found that with such rails as we had procured for fuel we could not overcome the current we had to encounter. We tried it again and again, but whenever we would reach a certain point in the ripple, like the Irish captain we found ourselves advancing backwards. This perplexing predicament pot us all out of humor, and drew upon the head of the captain a fresh volley of complaints and rebukea, and the pilot, who waa altogether dissatisfied, began to threaten to leave the boat. The captain, who seemed unwilling to bear the blame, alleged that the helmaman was in fault, that he kept too far from shore, and although the captain was warned of the consequencea, he compelled the helmsman to approach so near the beach, that before we knew what we were about a heavy current struck the bow of the boat and swung her with tremendous force on the bar below, leaving un almost on n dry beach.
" This seemed to bring our voyage to an almost insup- portable crisis; ull was uproar and confusion, some de- clared they would return home, while others said they would walk to Pittsburgh. The pilot and captain got
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into a real jangle, while some of the passengers and crew began to hunt up their baggage, and all gave indi- cations of abandoning the boat. At this eritieni and most discouraging juncture our worthy old friend, who had quieted our disturbance on our first voyage, again interfered, and by his kind and conciliatory demeanor, aud great influence, soon reconciled all parties, and effected an agreement that the captain should procure a toain, and have brought from the nearest coal bank # load of coal, and that the passengers aud crew should in the meantime loosen the boat, and set her afloat again. With this understanding we all went to work in good earnest, for by this time our fine cluthes had become so much sullied that no one any longer thought it of any importance to keep his work at arm's length, aud about 2 o'clock P. M. we succeeded in getting our boat off the bar, and as good luck would have it our captain hove in wight with bis load of coal. Our prospects, which looked dark inderd in the morning, now begun to brighten up, and we were all cheerful and happy in view of the pros. peet of again successfully prosecuting our journey. We had raised steam pretty high, so that no time should be lost after we should get our coal aboard, and from np- pearances we had every reason to believe that we should be under way again in a few minutes; but unfortunately at the very point of time when our captain had bis teamster back in his wagon with end gate off to the brink of a precipice immediately above the boat, some one, to amuse himself and probably for the purpose of startling his next neighbor, let a puff of steam escape from the safety valve, which frightened the poor horses so that they snorted and ran like wild animals, scattering our eval over a ten acre cornfield. This threw un ngain into great confusion, and a terrible hue and ery wax raised against 'the fool' who had done the mischief ; the cap- tain declared if he could find out who had frightened the borses he would akin him, for he had ngain and again forbidden anyone to meddle with that safety valve. For tunately for the aggressor, we were never able to find out who he wnx. Ax soon as this Hurry was over we all turned out nud gathered up as much coal ax took us over the ripple, and then with the aid of our rails got up to the coal bank, where we received a fresh supply."
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