Early Steamboats On The Upper

              Mississippi River
                  By RUTH BRISTOW


DURING the height of the packet
   boat business the    side-wheel
steamboat was    most prominent.
This type of boat slowly gave way
to the stern-wheelers, which came
into use with the introduction of
raiting on the upper Mississippi.
Sthe  stern-wheel  steamboat, al-
though a little harder to handle be-
cause of the position of the wheel,
had more power and could be used
in lower water than the side-wheel
boats. The main difference between
rafters and packet boats was size.
Rafters were generally less than
one   hundred   tons, while packet
boats were much larger.
  Boats which were capable of car-
rying  cargoes  all summer were
money makers. Some of the larger
toats were unable to get over sand-
bars after the midsummer droughts
began. So a stern-wheel packet of
two to three hundred tons was a
boat which could handle   a  good
sized cargo on little water. It,
therefore, represented the highest
type of profitable craft.  Such a
boat would be about two hundred
feet long with a thirty foot beam
and a five foot hold. Three large
iron boilers and a fairly large en-
gine gave the boat a good speed
without excessive expenditure for
fuel. The fuel consisted of cord
wood contracted for ahead of time,
and picked up from the river banKs
as the boats passed.
  Some of the outstanding boats
on the upper river were: Alexander
Macgregor, 142.8 tons; Alexander
Mitchell.  512.08   tons;   Annie,
312,75   tons;   Annie   Johnston,
202.87 tons; Ariel, 120.44 tons;
Belle of La Crosse, 467.77 tons:
Flying Eagle, 373.82 tons; Hudson,
176.81 tons; Jacob Traber, 150
tons; Mollie Moher, 135.32 tons;
John Kyle, 1619.06 tons; Mose Mc-
Lellan, 398.3 tons; Northern Belle,
498 tons; War Eagle, 296 tons;
Tidal Wave, 479.09 tons.
   The speed of an average steam-
1oat handling freight and passen-


gers was .estimated at about eight
miles an hoar up stream, and eleven
mile' down stream.
  The side-wheel steamers all had
highly   decorated  paddle  boxes.
Pictures of people were frequently
used. The "Phil Sheridan" had pic-
tures of Sheridan on his horse on
its paddle boxes. The boats named
"Eagle" were decorated with eagles,
while the "Northern Belle" had a
replica of a woman. Often, though,
a sunburst and the name of the
boat was all that was used.
  The saloons of the boats were
especially highly  decorated with
brilliant if not always    artistic
paintings. Music was highly at-
tractive to the passengers. As brass
bands were too expensive a colored
stringed orchestra was usually to
be found in the main cabin. These
negroes also worked as deck hands
when unloading or loading the boat.
Six or eight negroes who could play
the banjo, violin and guitar, as well
as sing, and who were also barbers,
waiters, baggage hands, or even
firemen, were hired. These, during
time off, furnished the music, and
received a little extra pay for it. It
was about 1870 that the first steam
calliope was heard on the upper
Mississippi.
  Three good meals were served on
the boats each day, and the passen-
ger was welcome to eat all he
wished. This was quite a contrast
to the lower river where passengern
were expected to furnish their own
food.
  In the days of the keenest com-
petition all this and dancing was
offered at the lowest prices, each
company trying to outdo the other
in efforts to gain trade. They went
so far as to keep agents at the rail-
road stations to persuade passen
gers to take their particular boats.
  During the 70's games and danc-
ing were prohibited on the David-
son boats on Sundays by Cemmo-
dore Davidson, who was, after his
conversion, a strict Christian. On


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