Stories are legion concerning the large bell in the center of the hurricane forward deck of the pilot house. The pealing and ringing of these bells, particularly packets, connote richness of tone, clarity of sound, lavishness of unstinted expenditure, silver used in their casting, and combined melody with harmony. Steamboatmen attached a great deal of sentiment with these bells and they were passed on from one boat to another at the end of a steamer's carreer. The bell of the Valley Belle came from the Science. That of the Fannie Dugan went to the City of Jacksonville... Great expense was involved in the casting of many of these roof bells and many were ornate in design. There was a lot of silver mixed in the metal of the big bell on the Chalmette to enhance it's tonal qualities. It was highly finished and an artistic decorative ornamentation extended entirely around it near the bottom. It is said that the silver toned qualities of the Hudson's bell was ruined after she was destroyed by fire at Cincinnati. Tapping the roof bell by the captain or mate as a packet approached a landing gradually fell into disuse. But the use of the roof bell at the time of departure still continues. Tapping the roof bell often caused the packet's cabin to even vibrate. Captain William Loyd had a unique system in ringing out the Columbia on the Upper Ohio...
Gives counties, U.S. land districts, roads, and mines. "Entered according to an act of Congress in the year of 1860, by Gray & Crawford... of the Southern District, of Mo."
Break in the Mississippi Levee near the canal at Vicksburg.-Sketched by Mr. Theodore R. Davis.-[See page 215.]; and Cutting away the dam at the head of the Vicksburg Canal.-Sketched by Mr. Theodore R. Davis.-[See page 215.]
Illustration of St. Louis levee along North Market Street. Steamboats docked in foreground. Warehouses visible behind steamboats. Manufacturing and office buildings visible in background.
The Wild Wagoner, a handsome sidewheeler, of the Civil War period was built in 1864 at the Knox boat yard of West Marietta, Ohio for the Cincinnati and Wheeling trade. She cost $155,000, a lot of money in those days and had a capacity of 700 tons. She was owned by Captain H. H. Drown of Marietta, Ohio and her dimensions were: 180 x 39 x 5.5 feet. She had three boilers and her engines were 25.5
Receipt of Shipping for Mr. A. Langenberg, for delivery of good aboard the Str. BUCK ELK, signed by John Heckmann, clerk. Goods shipped include 5000 bricks, rope, and a skiff.
Light on the River - August 18, 1880. The Steamer Chas. P. Chouteau, lying at the foot of Market street, attracted considerable attention along the levee last evening by its two electric lights, which shone forth with intense brightness. The Chouteau is the first steamer at this point on the Mississippi River to substitute an electric llight for the old fashioned pine-torch illuminators, and the
The J. D. Ayers is a steel hull, sternwheel towboat. She was built by the Midland Barge Company in 1929 at Midland, Pennsylvania. Her dimensions are: 151 x 34.7 x 6 feet. She has 4 boilers of the return flue type. The condensing engines are 15's - 30's with a seven foot stroke; 750 horsepower. The paddle wheel is ... - 4\" in diameter by 23 feet long working 13 buckets with a ... -inch dip. The
Passing along the levee at Cairo, with its dust, filth, and obtrusive drinking-saloons, gaping wide open for victims to trash within, ti would appear to a stranger, from the great number of such places, that the people of Cairo had powers not accorded elsewhere to ordinary mortals of resisting the effects of 'tangle-leg,' 'red-eye,' 'twist-knee,' and other brands peculiar to the locality. Outside of each place are gathered a knot of hard-looking fellows. There is a suspicious air of 'lying-in-wait' common to these frequenters of the levee which is not calculated to inspire confidence in a stranger.
A photograph taken by Marine Co. documented the damage in St. Louis from a severe flood on June 18, 1858. The streets were completely covered in water and make-shift planks provided a safe walking platform for people to safely cross from boats to the semi-submerged buildings. Two people can be seen assessing the flood damage from the rooftop of the tallest building on the left of the photograph