the paths of inland commerce-第22部分

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all。　He　must　navigate　his　craft　in　fogs；　in　storms；　in　the　face　of　treacherous　winds；　on　black　nights；　with　thousands　of　dollars'　worth　of　cargo　and　hundreds　of　lives　at　stake。

As　the　golfer　knows　each　knoll　and　tuft　of　grass　on　his　home　links；　so　the　pilot　learned　his　river　by　heart。　Said　one　of　these　pilots　to　an　apprentice：

〃You　see　this　has　got　to　be　learned　。。。。　A　clear　starlight　night　throws　such　heavy　shadows　that　if　you　didn't　know　the　shape　of　a　shore　perfectly　you　would　claw　away　from　every　bunch　of　timber　because　you　would　take　the　black　shadow　of　it　for　a　solid　cape；　and　you　see　you　would　be　getting　scared　to　death　every　fifteen　minutes　by　the　watch。　You　would　be　fifty　yards　from　shore　all　the　time　when　you　ought　to　be　within　fifty　feet　of　it。　You　can't　see　a　snag　in　one　of　those　shadows；　but　you　know　exactly　where　it　is；　and　the　shape　of　the　river　tells　you　when　you　are　coming　to　it。　Then　there's　your　pitch…dark　night；　the　river　is　a　very　different　shape　on　a　pitch…dark　night　from　what　it　is　on　a　starlight　night。　All　shores　seem　to　be　straight　lines；　then；　and　mighty　dim　ones；　too；　and　you'd　run　them　for　straight　lines　only　you　know　better。　You　boldly　drive　your　boat　right　into　what　seems　to　be　a　solid；　straight　wall　（you　knowing　very　well　that　in　reality　there　is　a　curve　there）　and　that　wall　falls　back　and　makes　way　for　you。　Then　there's　your　gray　mist。　You　take　a　night　when　there's　one　of　these　grisly；　drizzly；　gray　mists；　and　then　there　isn't　any　particular　shape　to　a　shore。　A　gray　mist　would　tangle　the　head　of　the　oldest　man　that　ever　lived。　Well；　then；　different　kinds　of　MOONLIGHT　change　the　shape　of　the　river　in　different　ways。。。。　You　only　learn　the　shape　of　the　river；　and　you　learn　it　with　such　absolute　certainty　that　you　can　always　steer　by　the　shape　that's　IN　YOUR　HEAD　and　never　mind　the　one　that's　before　your　eyes。〃*

*　Mark　Twain；　〃Life　on　the　Mississippi；〃　pp。　103…04。


No　wonder　that　the　two　hundred　miles　of　the　Mississippi　from　the　mouth　of　the　Ohio　to　St。　Louis　in　time　contained　the　wrecks　of　two　hundred　steamboats。

The　river　trade　reached　its　zenith　between　1840　and　1860；　in　the　two　decades　previous　to　the　Civil　War；　that　period　before　the　railroads　began　to　parallel　the　great　rivers。　It　was　a　time　which　saw　the　rise　of　Ohio；　Indiana；　Illinois；　Missouri；　Iowa；　and　Arkansas；　and　which　witnessed　the　spread　of　the　cotton　kingdom　into　the　Southwest。　The　story　of　King　Cotton's　conquest　of　the　Mississippi　South　is　best　told　in　statistics。　In　1811；　the　year　of　the　first　voyage　which　the　New　Orleans　made　down　the　Ohio　River；　Tennessee；　Louisiana；　and　Mississippi　exported　five　million　pounds　of　cotton。　In　1834　these　same　States　exported　almost　two　hundred　million　pounds　of　cotton。　To　take　care　of　this　crop　and　to　supply　the　cotton　country；　which　was　becoming　wealthy；　with　the　necessaries　and　luxuries　of　life；　more　and　more　steamboats　were　needed。　The　great　shipyards　situated；　because　of　the　proximity　of　suitable　timber；　at　St。　Louis；　Cincinnati；　and　Louisville　became　busy　hives；　not　since　paralleled　except　by　such　centers　of　shipbuilding　as　Hog　Island　in　1917…18；　during　the　time　of　the　Great　War。　The　steamboat　tonnage　of　the　Mississippi　Valley　（exclusive　of　New　Orleans）　in　the　hustling　forties　exceeded　that　of　the　Atlantic　ports　（exclusive　of　New　York　City）　by　15；000　tons。　The　steamboat　tonnage　of　New　Orleans　alone　in　1843　was　more　than　double　that　of　New　York　City。

Those　who；　if　the　old　story　is　true；　ran　in　fear　to　the　hills　when　the　little　New　Orleans　went　puffing　down　the　Ohio；　in　1811；　would　have　been　doubly　amazed　at　the　splendid　development　in　the　art　of　boat　building；　could　they　have　seen　the　stately　Sultana　or　Southern　Belle　of　the　fifties　sweep　swiftly　by。　After　a　period　of　gaudy　ornamentation　（1830…40）　steamboat　architecture　settled　down；　as　has　that　of　Pullman　cars　today；　to　sane　and　practical　lines；　and　the　boats　gained　in　length　and　strength；　though　they　contained　less　weight　of　timber。　The　value　of　one　of　the　greater　boats　of　this　era　would　be　about　fifty　thousand　dollars。　When　Captain　Bixby　made　his　celebrated　night　crossing　at　Hat　Island　a　quarter　of　a　million　dollars　in　ship　and　cargo　would　have　been　the　price　of　an　error　in　judgment；　according　to　Mark　Twain；*　a　good　authority。

*Op。　cit。；　p。　101


The　Yorktown；　built　in　1844　for　the　Ohio…Mississippi　trade；　was　typical　of　that　epoch　of　inland　commerce。　Her　length　was　182　feet；　breadth　of　beam　31　feet；　and　the　diameter　of　wheels　28　feet。　Though　her　hold　was　8　feet　in　depth；　yet　she　drew　but　4　feet　of　water　light　and　barely　over　8　feet　when　loaded　with　500　tons　of　freight。　She　had　4　boilers；　30　feet　long　and　42　inches　in　diameter；　double　engines；　and　two　24…inch　cylinders。　The　stateroom　cabin　had　come　in　with　Captain　Isaiah　Sellers's　Prairie　in　1836；　the　first　boat　with　such　luxuries　ever　seen　in　St。　Louis；　according　to　Sellers。　The　Yorktown　had　40　private　cabins。　It　is　interesting　to　compare　the　Yorktown　with　The　Queen　of　the　West；　the　giant　British　steamer　built　for　the　Falmouth…Calcutta　trade　in　1839。　The　Queen　of　the　West　had　a　length　of　310　feet；　a　beam　of　31　feet；　a　draft　of　15　feet；　and　16　private　cabins。　The　building　of　this　great　vessel　led　a　writer　in　the　New　York　American　to　say：　〃It　would　really　seem　that　we　as　a　nation　had　no　interest　in　this　new　application　of　steam　power；　or　no　energy　to　appropriate　it　to　our　own　use。〃　The　statementwritten　in　a　day　when　the　Mississippi　steamboat　tonnage　exceeded　that　of　the　entire　British　Empireis　one　of　the　best　examples　of　provincial　ignorance　concerning　the　West。

On　these　steamboats　there　was　a　multiplicity　of　arrangements　and　equipments　for　preventing　and　for　fighting　fire。　One　of　the　innovations　on　the　new　boats　in　this　particular　was　the　substitution　of　wire　for　the　combustible　rope　formerly　used　to　control　the　tiller；　so　that　even　in　time　of　fire　the　pilot　could　〃hold　her　nozzle　agin'　the　bank。〃　Much　of　the　great　loss　of　life　in　steamboat　fires　had　been　due　to　the　tiller…ropes　being　burned　and　the　boats　becoming　unmanageable。

The　arrival　of　the　railroad　at　the　head　of　the　Ohio　River　in　the　early　fifties　brought　the　East　into　an　immediate　touch　with　the　Mississippi　Valley　unknown　before。　But　however　bold　railway　engineers　were　in　the　face　of　the　ragged　ranges　of　the　Alleghanies；　they　could　not　then　outguess　the　tricks　of　the　Ohio；　the　Mississippi；　or　the　Missouri；　and　railway　promoters　could　not　afford　to　take　chances　on　having　their　stations　and　tracks　unexpectedly　isolated；　if　not　actually　carried　away；　by　swirling；　yellow　floods。　The　Mississippi；　too；　had　been　known　at　times　to　achieve　a　width　of　seventy　miles；　and　tributaries　have　overflowed　their　banks　to　a　proportionate　extent。　It　was　several　decades　ere　the　Ohio　was　paralleled　by　a　railway；　and　the　Mississippi　for　long　distances　even　today　has　not　yet　heard　the　shrill　cry　of　the　locomotive。　So　the　steamboat　entered　its　heyday　and　encountered　little　competition。　Until　the　Civil　War　the　rivers　of　the　West　remained　the　great　arteries　of　trade；　carrying　grain　and　merchandise　of　every　description　southward　and　bringing　back　cotton；　rice；　and　sugar。

The　rivalries　of　the　great　lines　of　packets　established　in　these　days　of　the　steamboat；　however；　equaled　anything　ever　known　in　railway　competition；　and；　in　the　matter　of　fast　time；　became　more　spectacular　than　anything　of　its　kind　in　any　line　of　transportation　in　our　country。　With　flags　flying；　boilers　heated　white　with　abundance　of　pine　and　resin；　and　bold　and　skillful　pilots　at　the　steering　wheels；　no　sport　of　kings　ever　aroused　the　enthusiasm　of　hundreds　of　thousands　to　such　a　pitch　as　did　many　of　the　old…time　races　northward　from　New　Orleans。

The　J。　M。　White　and　her　performances　stand　out　conspicuously　in　the　annals　of　the　river。　Her　builder；　familiarly　known　to　a　generation　of　rivermen　as　Billy　King；　deserves　to　rank　with　Henry　Shreve。　Commissioned　in　1844　to　build　the　J。　M。　White　for　J。　M。　Converse　of　St。　Louis；　with　funds　supplied　by　Robert　Chouteau　of　that　city；　King　proceeded　to　put　into　effect　the　knowledge　which　he　had　derived　from　a　close　study　of　the　swells　made　by　steamboats　when　under　way。　When　the　boat　was　being　built　in　the　famous　shipyards　at　Elizabeth；　on　the　Monongahela；　the　wheel　beams　were　set　twenty　feet　farther　back　than　was　customary。　Converse　was　struck　with　this　unheard…of　radicalism　in　design；　and　balked；　King　was　a　man　given　to　few　words；　he　was　resolved　to　throw　convention　to　the　winds　and　trust　his　judgment；　he　refused　to　build　the　boat　on　other　lines。　Converse　felt　compelled　to　let　Chouteau　pass　on　the　question；　in　time　the　laconic　answer　came：　〃Let　King　put　the　beams　where　he　pleases。〃

Thus　the　craft　which　Converse　thought　a　monstrosity　became　known　far　and　wide　for　both　its　design　and　its　speed。　In　1844　the　J。　M。　White　made　the　record　of　three　days；　twenty…three　hours；　and　nine　minutes　between　New　Orleans　and　St。　Louis。*　Of　course　the　secret　of　Billy　King's　success　soon　became　known。　He　had　placed　his　paddle　wheels　where　they　would　bite　into　the　swell　produced　by　every　boat　just　under　its　engines。　He　had　transformed　what　had　been　a　handicap　into　a　positive　asset。　It　is　said　that　he　attempted　to　shield　his　prize　against　competition　by　destroying　the　model　of　the　J。　M。　White；　as　well　as　to　have　refused　large　offers　to　build　a　boat　that　would　beat　her。　But　it　is　said　also　that　an　exhibition　model　of　the　boat　was　a　cherished　possession　of　E。　M。　Stanton；　Secretary　of　War；　and　that　it　hung　in　his　office　during　Lincoln's　administration。

*　This　performance　is　illustrated　by　the　following　comparative　table　showing　the　best　records　of　later　years　between　New　Orleans　and　St。　Louis；　a　distance　estimated　in　1844　as　1300　miles　but　in　1870　as　1218　miles；　owing　to　the　action　of　the　river　in　shortening　its　course。

YEAR　　　　　　BOAT　　　　　　　　TIME　1844　　　J。　M。　White　　3　d。　23　h。　9　m。　1849　　　Missouri　　　　　4　d。　19　h。　　1889　　　Dexter　　　　　　　4　d。　9　h。　　　1870　　　Natchez　　　　　　8　d。　21　h。　58　m。　1870　　　R。　E。　Lee　　　　3　d。　18　h。　14　m。


The　steamboat　now　extended　its　service　to　the　West　and　North。　The　ancient　fur　trade　with　the　Indians　of　the　upper　Mississippi；　the　Missouri；　and　the　Arkansas；　had　its　headquarters　at　St。　Louis；　whence　the　notable　band　of　men　engaged　in