Buchanan County, Missouri - Chapter 20: The Days of the Steamboat. - St. Joseph As the Business Center and Distributing Point of River Traffic. - a List of the Boats That, 1900

Its Peculiarities

THE DAYS OF THE STEAMBOAT. - ST. JOSEPH AS THE BUSINESS CENTER AND DISTRIBUTING POINT OF RIVER TRAFFIC. - A LIST OF THE BOATS THAT CAME TO ST. JOSEPH AND WHAT BECAME OF THEM. - BOATS THAT WERE OWNED AND OPERATED BY ST. JOSEPH PEOPLE. - MOUNTAIN TRAFFIC AND OTHER VENTURES. - BOATS THAT WERE SUNK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. - THE RIVER AND ITS PECULIARITIES.

In early days a great fleet of steamboats "plowed the turbid current" of the Missouri, bringing settlers and supplies for this vast virgin territory. During the '40s, '50s, and half of the '60s the river was dotted with many boats. Beyond Main street were numerous large warehouses required for the immense river traffic. They were all washed away later by encroachment. Hemp, hemp rope, hides, tallow, furs, whisky and tobacco were the principal products shipped down the river. St. Joseph was the business center for the whole river district, and from here supplies were sent all over the Western mountains and plains. Here, too, most of the California pioneers of 1849, ^o, and 1851 were supplied with outfits for the long journey to the Pacific.

At times there would be as many as twenty steamboats at the wharves in one day. The city charged a wharfage of $5 for each boat, and the wharfmaster was an important personage in our early city government.

Many "mackinaw" boats would arrive about June of each year, loaded down with furs, mostly belonging to Joseph Robidoux. The cargoes would be reshipped here on steamboats if the terms were favorable, but if Uncle Joe thought the steamboat men were trying to "work" him, he would continue the trip to St. Louis with his mackinaws. Frequently these boats would be lost in passage. St. Joseph was practically the head of navigation, but in the early days a few boats would go up to the mountains each year, loaded with sup-

When the railroads were built there was little business left for steamboats, and they dropped out one by one, seeking other fields, until now they are a curiosity on this river.

Among the business men in the early days were Donnell & Saxton, Boyd & Moss, Tootles & Smith, Wm. Fairleigh, Powell & Levy, John Corby, Christopher Carbry, Ray & Sommerville, T. A. Fowler, Middleton & Riley, the Berry brothers, Edward Ray, Joseph Hulk John and Isaac Curd, William Riddle, D. & T. D. S. McDonald, and others.

When the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad was completed, lines of packet boats were established between St. Joseph and Kansas City, and from here to Omaha. They were all good boats and made rapid trips.

Citizens of St. Joseph and the county built and owned a number of the best boats on the river. Among them were Capt. Tom Brierly, Capt. Kercheval, and Capt. John E. Barrow. Among these boats were the El Paso, Polar Star, Fred Kennett, Morning Star, Ben Lewis, Silver Heels, Omaha, and Hesperian.

The earliest boats, as "the oldest inhabitant" now remembers, were mostly propelled by a single engine and were quite slow. Noise from the escape steam pipes could be heard a day before the craft came in sight. Among this class of boats were the John Golong, Boreas, Archer, Highland Mary, Nimrod (Captain Dennis), Only Chance, Last Chance, Algomar, Saluda, Zephyr, St. Ange (Capt. Tom Scott), Whirlwind, and Anthony Wayne.

During the '50s there was much improvement in the boats plying on the river. The El Paso, Capt. Tom Brierlys first boat, was quite fast for those days. The Saluda was another. Her boilers exploded at Sibley Landing and many people were scalded. Wm. Taylor, of St. Joseph, was pilot. Those saved remained aboard, and the women were afraid of another explosion when there was not a boiler on the wreck. The pilot was badly scalded. The Kate Howard, Capt. Joe Nansom, was sunk near the mouth of the Osage River in 1859. The Geneva, Captain Throckmorton, was sunk near Nebraska City. The Saranak No. 3, brought the first locomotive to this city, for the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad in 1857. The Washington City made a few trips ; was used as a hotel at Omaha ; then bought by Cap:. John Fisher of this city; was in local grain and wood trade here for a time, and was taken to St. Louis. The Kansas was sunk near Nebraska City in the '50s. The Arabia was sunk near Parkville in 1857.

It is said she had several hundred barrels of whisky in her hold, and many efforts have been made to recover this and remaining cargo. The Pontiac, named for an Ottawa Indian chief, was sunk at Smith's Bar, three miles above Doniphan, Ivan., about 1855* This boat is reported to have had 700 barrels of whisky on board, besides much other freight. Many attempts have been made to locate her wreck, but so far without success. She is buried in the sand nearly two miles from the present channel. There has been much argument as to the present condition of the liquor on these boats.

The Polar Star was built and owned by Capt. Tom Brierly, whose home was on a farm near this city. She was very fast, and made the run from St. Louis in two days and twenty hours. Across her forecastle was a streamer inscribed, "Beat our time and take our horns - St. Louis to St. Joseph, 2 days and 20 hours." Prominent citizens here presented Captain Brierly with a fine pair of elk horns, mounted with silver, with an appropriate inscription. That evening the society people attended a swell ball on the boat in honor of the occasion. This boat was used as a flagship before the siege of Vicksburg in 1863 and was afterwards burned in the Tennessee River.

The James H. Lucas was brought out and run by Capt. Andy Wineland, a very popular master. She beat the time of the Polar Star, making the run to this city in two days and twelve hours, the quickest time ever made. Andrew B. Symns, Atchison's wholesale grocer, was clerk on the Lucas.

The Morning Star was later brought out by Captain Brierly to make a record for speed. The run from St. Louis was made in two days and twenty-one hours, two hours having been lost by trouble at Smith's Bar, near Doniphan. Captain Brierly's other boats were the Ferd Kennett, burned on Yazoo River, and the Ben Lewis.

Among other steamers built and owned bv citizens of this city were the Silver Heels, Captain Silvers; the Hesperian, Capt. Frank B. Kercheval, burned at Atchison about 1868, John B. Nicely, clerk; Omaha, Capt. Frank B. Kercheval; the St. Joseph, Capt. Tom Scott, boilers exploded on the Lower Mississippi ; the Denver No. 2 (ferry), Captains Fleming and Blackiston, sunk by ice at Bismarck, N. D. ; the Elkhorn, Captains Fleming and Blackiston, used for a railway transfer before building of the bridge ; the A. Saltzman, built at St. Joseph by Augustus Saltzman, sold to a cooperage firm in Arkansas.

The D. A. January, Capt. Pat Yore, first brought a load of "balloon houses to Sioux City, and then ran to this city for several years. John B. W eaver and Tom O. Duncan were clerks. She was converted into a hospital boat late in the war. The Colorado, Captain

Waddell, was worn out on the Mississippi River ; the General Grant was sunk by ice near Belleview, Neb.; the Fire Canoe, Capt. Matt Morrison, was sunk below W eston in 1859; the Viola Bell. J. H. Sully, and U. S. Mail were sunk at Rushville Landing by the same snag before the war; the Waverlv was sunk near Keytesville, 1861. The Silver Bow burned near Miami in 1869; the J H. Lacey, Capt. Wm. Bell, Wm. Blair, pilot, was sunk above the mouth of the Nodaway in 1868. Captain Hell is reported to have suicided at Chicago from despondency. The Dan Convers, Captain Cox, was sunk above Amazonia about 1857; the Watossa, Capt. Matt Morrison, St. Joseph and Omaha packet, was sunk above Amazonia about 1858; the J. H. Oglesby was sunk on the Lower Mississippi ; the Joe Kinney was sunk by a collision with the Glasgow bridge about 1878; the Montana, Captain Keith, Wm. Massey, pilot, was sunk by collision with St. Charles bridge about 1877; the Bright Light struck the Boonville bridge and was sunk in 1879; the Alice was sunk at the mouth of Fishing River in 1881 ; the Emily La Barge, Capt. Geo. Keith, struck the St. Charles bridge and was sunk in the '70s.

The Twilight, Capt. Tom Scott, the first boat to arrive with a caliope, was sunk near Napoleon in the latter part of the war, and her hulk is now about a mile from the river. The wreck was recently located and the cargo is being recovered. It consists of consignments for many Western points. The Matamora, Capt. Lewis Lowman, was sunk below Boonville about 1871 ; the Cataract was sunk during the war near New Haven, Mo. ; the Admiral, the Alex Majors and the Sioux City were burned at St. Louis about 1866; the Denver was burned at St. Joseph about 1867, and her hull was converted into a ferry ; the Emilie was wrecked at St. Joseph about 1867 ; the Mountaineer was blown against the St. Joseph bridge in a storm July 4, 1873, injuring the bridge and delaying traffic for some time; the Fontanelle was sunk at Bon Ton bend and was afterwards raised.

The Spread Eagle, Capt. Ben Johnson, had painted on each side of the wheelhouse a large eagle, with the words "E Pluribus Unum." The "yahoos'' along the river bothered the captain not a little by asking him, "What them words meant." He told them the translation was, "Every tub stands on its own bottom."

The following is a further list of boats that came to St. Joseph and their fate: The John L. Roach was sunk near Frankfort, Mo., in 1886; the Sallie West, sunk above Iatan about i860; the Cornelia, sunk by ice above St. Louis in the '60s ; the McDowell and the Columbia, burned on the Missouri River; the Portsmouth was sunk below Weston about 1861 ; the Ebenezer (ferry), built by Captain

Blackiston, converted into a gunboat, 1862; the Alonzo Child, Capt. Joe Holland, converted into the Confederate gunboat "Arkansas' and captured by the United States fleet on Uower Mississippi in 1863 ; the A. B. Chambers, Captain Bowman, sunk above Atchison ini859; the A. C. Bacon, sunk in Missouri River; the E. A. Ogden, sunk near Claysville, Mo., in i860; the Sunset, sunk near Omaha in 1867; the Louisville, sunk above Omaha in 1864; the Ontario, sunk near Nebraska City in 1865.

The C. W. Sumbard sunk at the mouth of the Saline River in 1859, and her remains are now below the surface of a large farm, covered by the sand. Besides a cargo of merchandise, she had a large sum of gold and silver money on board which was never recovered. The Cora, Capt. Tobe Weaver, was sunk above Omaha in 1865; the Colossal, Captain Hickman, was burned at Carondelet; the Pocahontas sunk above Sioux City in the '60; the J. B. McPherson (government boat) sunk near Sioux City in 1897; the St. Mary, Captain Campbell, sunk in Upper River in 1858; the John B. Eaton sunk above St. Charles in the "big eddy" during the war; the T. L. McGill burned at Memphis; the Martha Stephens, Capt. Henry Mc- Pherson, capsized and sunk near Boonville in 1881 ; the Matamora sunk at Kinney bend in 1873 ; the Gold Dust, Captain Gould, blew up on the Lower Mississippi in 1875!

The steamer Stonewall, Capt. Tom Scott, was burned fifty miles below St. Louis about 1869 and many of her crew and passengers lost their lives, including the captain. When the fire was discovered the pilot held her for the shore, but an obstruction prevented. Most of those not burned were drowned, the river being full of floating ice. Capt. John Lynds, of White Cloud, Kan., an engineer, was one of the few survivors. Captain Scott was a brother-in-law of Thomas O. Duncan of St. Joseph. The David R. Powell was also burned on the Mississippi in 1887; the Peerless No. 2 (towboat) was sunk near St. Charles in 1879 ; the Tymour No. 2 blew up at Jefferson City in 1852; the Bertha struck a St. Joseph bridge pier and sank in 1872 ; the Florence, Captain Throckmorton, sunk near Sumner, Kan., in 1864; the Island City sunk at the mouth of the Yellowstone River; the M.ollie Abel sunk near Rock Port.

The Keystone, during high water, in 1854, started up Kansas River for Fort Riley. The water was over some of the bottoms and the boat strayed from the channel and got aground. The water subsided leaving her high and dry on the prairie. Later the Indians set fire to the grass and the boat was burned. The Sully was sunk above

St. Charles in 1882 and the Mollie Dozier and Spangler were sunk at Berry's Landing in 1865. The Thomas Stephens, a mountain boat, was worn out and wrecked; the James Watson was taken South in 1879; the Aggie, Capt. Perren Kay, was wrecked at Kansas City in 1878 ; the Bartram, a mountain boat, was sunk above Omaha in 1864; the Meffew was sunk during the war ; the Ida Reese, a mountain boat, was sunk by ice at Yankton in the 70s; the Amaranth was sunk at Smith's bar in 1868.

The Golden State, Captain Gonzales, burned at St. Louis wharf about 1857. Col. Wm. M. Shepherd came up the river on this boat in 1855. The Keystone State was burned at St. Joseph in 1849; the Daniel Boone, too large for this river, left it after making one trip ; the Nymph blew up at Nemaha bar, was repaired and sank at Sibley; the Ned Tracy was used as a hospital boat in the war; the Peoria,

1 apt. Dan Silvers, was burned on the Mississippi River; the Octavia, c aptain La Barge, was sold to the government and was wrecked ; the Sutton was sunk in the Missouri River; the Paul Jones was sunk below Independence Landing; the Lacon, Capt, John Lynds, was sunk near Arago, Neb., about 1883; the Missouri blew up near Evansville in 1866.

The Red Cloud, Capt. Ben Howard, was sunk at the mouth of Milk River in 1868 ; the Council Bluffs, Capt. Sam Lewis, went South in 1859; the West Wind was burned at Glascow by the Confederates during the war; the Platte Valley, Captain Throckmorton, was used as a government transport during the war ; the Bishop was sunk near Peru, Neb., about 1865. Andy Goff, the mate, and a few others, being drowned ; the Gem, Captain Beabout, was sunk near Nebraska City about 1868; the Fannie Barker, Captain Hall, was sunk below Leavenworth in 1873 ; the New Sam Gatv was captured by Confederates at Sibley Landing about 1864; the General Brady was sunk near Hermann ; the Amelia Poe was sunk near New Haven ; the Anthony Wayne was sunk near Blair, Neb. ; the General McNeil was sunk above St. Charles, and the John Baird was sunk below Waverly.

The General Gaines, an old side-wheel steamer, brought here for a ferry by Captain Thompson, Louis Dillon and others, sank about T857 at Elwood Point. It is said this boat ferried wer Missourians to vote at Wathena during the early troubles in I an^as. The Blackhawk was sunk below Weston; the New St. 1 au) above Chamois; the Robert Emmet near Portland; the D. A Crawford and John Anil near Arrow Rock ; the Princess on the Lower Mississippi ; the General Meade below St. Charles in 1892; the A. C. Bird, Captain Burris, above Lexington in 1879; the Nebraska City (ferry), Captain

Blackiston, was sunk above Amazonia in 1869; the Tidy Adula (ferry), Captain Blackiston, was sunk at Elwood Point in 1868; the Bellemont (ferry), Captain Walker, was sunk opposite Charles street in midriver in 1861 ; the Eutaw, Captain Larzalere, built by John Corby for a ferry, failed to get license, was sold and taken away about 1852.

Among the fleet of boats which plied between St. Joseph and the mountains, to Fort Benton and Yellowstone River, were the Wyoming, Dakota, J. H. Peck, E. H. Durfee, Great Western, Silver Lake, Jennie Brown, Bighorn, Rucker, General Meade, Benton, Yellowstone, Bannock City, Colonel Parr, Hiram Wood, Antelope, Effie Dean. Perhaps all were sunk or worn out long ago.

The Peerless was a popular and swift little packet during the 50s. The New Lucy was also a great favorite, and made extraordinarily fast time from St. Louis.

Many other boats are recalled, some of which were first-class in every way: The Edinburg, Captain Blount; the Martha Jewett, Capt. "Dandy" Jewett; the Hiawatha, the Fannie Ogden, Capt. Joe La Barge; the Glasgow, the Wm. J. Lewis, the Fannie Lewis, the Post Boy, the Emigrant, Capt. Wm. Terrell; the Sovereign, the Sultan, the Minnehaha, Captain Baker; the E. M. Ryland, Captain Blount; the Mansfield (St. Joseph and Omaha packet); the White Cloud, the Robt. Campbell, Captain Eades; the War Eagle, the Jacob Sass, the Hensley, Captain Ford; the Star of the West, the Emma, the J. H. Dickey, the New Haven, the Mollie Moore, the F. X. Aubrav, Capt. Ben Glinn ; the Lucy, the Golden Eagle, the Bunker Hill, the Tompkins, the Marcella, the Prairie Rose, the Caliope, the Welcome, the Kansas Valley, the Choteau, the Asa Wilgus, the Keokuk, the Prairie State, the Isabel, the Paragon, the Kate Kinney, the Tempest, the Monsoon, the J. H. Raymond, the Elvira, the Southwester, the Batchelor, the Colonel Crossman, Captain Cheever; the Evening Star, the Wm. Campbell, Capt. Tom Scott; the Montauk, the Diadem, the Meteor, the Hannibal, the Thos. E. Tutt, Captain Tutt; the D. A. Russell, the Ben Johnson, the John D. Perry, the David Tatum, the St. John, and the J. S. Springle.

Notwithstanding the turbulent and "treacherous" character of the Missouri, with its rapid current, its eddies, sandbars and snags, there have been comparatively few lives I4>st in its navigation. Sinking or burning boats could easily find a landing place for those on board to escape to shore.

It is a fact not generally known that a loaded steamboat will draw about two inches less water in the Missouri than in the Ohio River, on account of the former being heavier.

Pilots and engineers, in the early times, were paid $200 to $350 per month. One season many boats came from the Ohio River to compete for the trade. In order to "head them off*' the Missouri River men hired all the licensed pilots, paying them, for a time, $1,000 a month, work or play. One pilot contracted for a mountain trip, which was made in very quick time, and was very successful, and was paid $2,100.

Mountain traffic was very profitable for some years, and the Twilight paid for herself in one trip. Among old river men may be recalled the Blossoms, the Doziers, John E. Barrow, Joseph Holland, Erank Hernandez, Mordecai Withrow, Robt. Riley, the La Barges, Tobias Weaver, John B. Weaver, Andrew J. Svmns, Albert Albertson, John Lynds, Hunter Ben Jenkins and others.