The Virginia operated in the Pittsburgh-Cincinnatti trade along with the Keystone State, the Iron Queen, the Scotia, the Carrollton, the Hudson and the Queen City. She was owned by the Pittsburgh and Cincinnatti Packet Company. Her career seemed to have been a hectic one. In 1910 high water from the Kanawha River left her stranded up in a field a hundred yards from the river, high and dry in Pomeroy Bend for a whole summer. The owner got tired waiting for another flood, and after three months set to work, dug a little canal, floated the old boat down to the Howard's repair yards. And in a few weeks she was going about her business as though nothing had happened. This was one of the best known accidents on the Mississippi system. Later her name was changed to Steel City; still later it was changed to the East St. Louis. Under her last name of Greater New Orleans she operated as an excursion steamer on the Mississippi, and fire finally destroyed her.
The August Knobbe family, circa 1917. Front row, from left: Vincent Knobbe, August Knobbe, Annette Knobbe, Florence (Sturm) Knobbe, Frances Knobbe, Anna Knobbe, and Alphonse Knobbe. Back row, from left: Harry Knobbe, August Knobbe Jr., Sister Salasia, Rose (Wilken) Knobbe, and Anthony Knobbe. Donated to the St. Louis Mercantile Library by JoAnne (Knobbe) Behm.
Photograph of a fleet of cars being photographed in front of St. Louis city hall., This is one of a sequence of photographs in the collection of an event in front of city hall to announce a new fleet of Model T cars purchased by the city. This photograph was taken from Walnut Street looking west towards city hall.
The sternwheel towboat Oakland was built at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1872. Her hull dimensions were: - 210 x 35 x 6 feet. Tonnage: 628, gross and net. Her horse power was rated at 1280. She was first owned jointly by Captains Tom Fawcett and William \"McKeesport Billy\" Smith. Shortly thereafter she was sold to the St. Louis and Mississippi Valley Transportation Company of St. Louis, Missouri. She was used to tow bulk freight between St. Louis and New Orleans. In 1881 she took down what was considered the largest tow of bulk grain handled by one boat from St. Louis to New Orleans - 263,000 bushels of corn, 90,000 bushels of wheat; all in eight barges. On March 14, 1897, the steamer C. O. in two of the Oakland, when passing Hickman, Kentucky, struck the Big Eddy and parted her headlines. She swung around, turned over and sunk in 100 feet of water, a total loss; valued at $3000. No one hurt and no lives lost. She aws taken into the Pittsburgh \"Combine\" in the early 1900's, and then towed coal from Pittsburgh to New Orleans. In May 1907, towing 28 pieces loaded with 21,000 tons of coal, she made the run from Pittsburgh to New Orleans in 15 days. On June 15, 1909, charges were preferred by James E. Culver, a licensed mate of river steamers, against Captain James Beazell, master, for leaving the port of Louisville, without having a licensed mate on board. After an inquiry the charges were not sustained and the case dismissed. In early 1914 her name was changed to the F. M. Wallace and the texas removed. She sank in the Mississippi River just south of St. Louis about 1921. Part of her was evidently salvaged as on January 5, 1924 the Barret Line offered for sale the hull of the towboat F. M. Wallace, formerly the speedy Oakland.
The Uncle Sam was originally constructed as the Jacob Richtman at Sterling Island, Missouri in 1898. Her dimensions were:- 160 x 32 x 5 feet; 469 tons. She had two boilers and her engines were 14 inches with a 6-foot stroke. She was a sternwheel packet. On April 17, 1903 while the Jacob Richtman was descending the Mississippi River with two loaded barges and a log raft in town she struck a span coming through a bridge. On account of a strong stern wind and the current she had become unmanageable; the damage was slight. In 1903 she was bought by Captain T. Adams and ran in the excursion business out of Quincy, Illinois. While lying in her winter quarters fire was discovered on November 17, 1904, and she was reported as buring to the water's edge, a total loss. She was evidently rebuilt as she was later owned by the Missouri River Navigation Company and ran out of Kansas City, Missouri. On May 18, 1901, while backing away from the landing at Kansas City, Missouri, she collided with a sand dredge owned by the Builder's Sand Company of that city. At the time, this dredge was navigated by a lime cable from shore to a steam windless on the dredge boat. The force of the collision caused the Uncle Sam to sink almost immediately after she was run ashore. At the time 95 passengers and a full complement of crew were aboard. She was a total loss, estimated at $20,000.
Two children examine jars of pickled vegetables on display beneath an image of Uncle Sam and a sign that reads, "This is what GOD gives us. What are you giving so that others may life? Eat less WHEAT MEATS FATS SUGAR Send more to Europe or they will Starve." Several jars bear the 4-H logo.