Muskingum County, Ohio - Chapter 7: Boats and Boating, 1882

Chapter 7: Boats and Boating

Boating, for pleasure or profit, has always been a very enjoyable mode of travel. In "ye - olden time" it was often enlivened by romantic adventure. It has attractions to many who would dream life away, that no other mode of transit offers. Our beloved poet, Longfellow, has graciously told us of the materials and mode of boat building by the aborigines. Hiawatha exclaims :

"Give me of your bark, O birch tree! Of your yellow bark, O birch tree ! Growing by the rushing river, Tall and stately in the Valley ! I a light canoe will build me. Build a swift cheeman for sailing. That shall float upon the river. Like a yellow leaf in autumn. Like a yellow water lily !"

And how with boughs of cedar they made ribs to strengthen and hold it shapely, and bound them together with the fibrous roots of the larch tree, and with the balm of the fir tree closed the seams, that water could not enter, and with the quills of the hedge-hog made a necklace and a girdle for their beauty.

The successors of that ancient people took heed of their boats of birch bark, and other boats of pine trees, and being unskilled in working bark, imitated the ruder boat which white men called "a dug-out," and built them boats called "flat boats," and other boats called "keel boats ;" and in after years, when boat building became the art necessary for commerce, the majestic steam boat usurped the water courses. And not a few navigators have made to themselves an enviable name for skill and intrepidity, in the management of boats. Many, it is true, have acted well their part and passed from the theatre of their deeds, unhonored and unsung ; and again, some have made this a step to higher

Boats That Have Traversed The Muskingum Since The Advent Of The White Man

About 1822, Richard Reeves built a small boat, which was known as "Dicky Reeves' first steam boat ;" it, however, was propelled by horse power. Mr. Reeves subsequently built the boats that were called "Faith," and "Charity."

In 1829, Captain Wm. Scales built a keel boat which he named "The Rifleman of Zanesville ;" these boats ran between Zanesville and Pittsburgh, making the trip each way in from four to six weeks."

The "Hope," a flat bottomed boat, with a wheel at the stern, was the first boat on the Muskingum river that was propelled by steam ; it was built by Richard Reeves in 1827-8. The engine was made at the Richmond and Bostwick foundry, by Mr. Nicholson, a machinist from Pittsburgh. Mr. Reeves also built the "Walhonding," a twenty ton boat intended for low water on the Ohio ; and in 1828 he launched the "Mary Ann," a fifty ton boat, commanded by Captain Nicholson. She made her trial trip to Coshocton, was successfully floated over the dam, and, on that account, was called "Sam Patch." James Sprague owned this boat.

The "Zanesville," was built in 1833, by Captain Wm. Scales and John Alter, Jr.. Her machinery was constructed and placed by Messrs. Dare and Ebert. This was "a stern wheeler. Wm. Scales, Captain.

The "Belle Zane" was built a short time previous, and intended for the trade between Zanesville and New Orleans. During the night of January 8th, 1845, twelve miles below the mouth of White river, in the Mississippi, she struck a snag and sunk. Out of ninety passengers, only fifty escaped drowning, and a number of those who reached the shore froze to death. Munroe Ayers was Captain and David Hahn engineer of the ill-fated boat - they survived.

Blue and Robert Hazlett ("Black Bob"), at the foot of Second street, just below the Second street M. E. Church, and launched in the canal. It was a hundred and fifty ton boat. The machinery was made by Ebert and Loudan.

The "Jenny Lind" was built at McBride's ship yard, (located where the new power house of the city water works now stands), for M. W. Graham & Co. Ebert and Loudan made the machinery. Chas Gallagher was Captain.

The "Independence," the largest and most powerful side wheel steamer of that date - 1850 - was constructed for Beaumont and Hollingsworth. Geo. W. Graham was Captain.

The "Julia Dean" was built at Marietta, about the same time, and brought to Zanesville for her machinery, which was furnished by Ebert & Loudan.

The Geo. B. Reeves, White Cloud, Rainbow and Live Oak were also in the trade, according to Mr. EHas Ebert, to whom we are indebted for the foregoing data ; and from a journal kept by Mr. "Milt" C. McLaughHn the 'following additional names have been obtained, omitting such as were named by Mr. Ebert :