KINDS OF BOATS USED ON THE MISSOURI.
[Sidenote: RIVER BOATS.]
The swift and turbulent character of the Missouri River led to
exaggerated accounts by the early explorers of the difficulty of
navigating it. Such navigation was at first considered wholly out of
the question except in the simplest craft. Tradition says that Gregoire
Zerald Sarpy was the first to introduce keelboats on the river, but the
date of this essay is not very definitely fixed. It would seem that the
French must have used large boats at the time they were established at
Fort Orleans. In any event the advent of the keelboat on the Missouri
in connection with the fur trade could not have been long after the
founding of St. Louis, and probably antedated it. Gradually these boats
made their way to points farther and farther up the river, until in
1805 they were taken by Lewis and Clark to the head of navigation. A
similar experience was gone through with in the case of the steamboat.
It was at first thought impossible for such boats to navigate the
river at all, but in 1819 the attempt was made, and the _Independence_
entered the Missouri on either the 16th or 17th of May, and ascended
the river two hundred miles. The _Western Engineer_, a government boat,
went as far as the old Council Bluffs in the same year. From that
time on steamboats remained on the river, making farther and farther
advances toward the head of navigation, which was finally reached forty
years after the first boat entered the river.
The principal craft which have been used on the Missouri and its
tributaries are the canoe, mackinaw, bullboat, keelboat, and steamboat.
The yawl, a very important boat, was not much used for independent
navigation, but rather as an appurtenance to the steamboats.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: THE CANOE.]
The _canoe_ was the simplest and most generally used of all the river
craft. It was the wooden canoe, or “dugout,” and not the bark canoe
which was so much used where the proper material could be found.
The Missouri River canoe was generally made from the logs of the
cottonwood, though frequently from the walnut, and occasionally from
cedar. The cottonwood in the river bottoms attained immense size, ample
for the largest canoes, for these boats rarely exceeded thirty feet
in length and three and one-half in width. The ordinary length was
between fifteen and twenty feet. A suitable tree having been found, it
was felled and a proper length of the trunk was cut out. The exterior
was straightened with the broad-ax, and reduced to a round log shorn
of all roughness and irregularity. The top was then hewn off, so as to
leave about two-thirds of the log. The ends were given a regular canoe
model, and were sometimes turned up on bow and stern with extra pieces
for purpose of ornament. The log was then carefully scooped out from
the flat surface so as to leave a thin shell about two inches thick at
the bottom and one at the rim. To support the sides and give strength
to the craft the timber was left in place at points from four to six
feet apart, making solid partitions or bulkheads. A good-sized canoe
was easily built by four men in as many days. They had tools especially
adapted to the work, the most important being the _tille ronde_, or the
round adz.
These log canoes made excellent craft, strong, light, and easily
managed. A full crew generally consisted of three men, two to propel
and one to steer. The paddle (French _aviron_) was always used. A mast
was occasionally placed in the center and rigged with a square sail,
but this could be used only with an aft wind, for fear of capsizing the
canoe.
Sometimes these boats were made with a square stern, and were then
called pirogues; but this name was more frequently used where two such
boats were rigidly united in parallel positions a few feet apart and
completely floored over. On the floor was placed the cargo, which was
protected from the weather by the use of skins. Oars were provided in
the bow for rowing and a single oar in the stern between the boats for
steering. Sails could be used with a quartering wind on these boats
without danger of upsetting. Dubé’s ferry, on the Mississippi, one of
the earliest ferries of St. Louis, used a boat of this kind.
[Sidenote: BEAR’S OIL AND HONEY.]
The principal use of the canoe was for the local business of the
larger river posts. Often, however, they were used in making trips to
St. Louis, even from the remotest navigable points of the main stream
or its tributaries. Many such a journey has been made with a single
voyageur running the gantlet of hostile tribes all the way from the
mountains to the Mississippi. A common use of the canoe was for sending
express messages down the river, and there are several records of their
having been used to transport freight. An example of this last use was
the shipment of bear’s oil, which was extensively used in St. Louis
as a substitute for lard in the early days when swine were scarce and
black bears plentiful. The oil was extremely penetrating, and would
rapidly filter through skin receptacles. Barrels or casks not being
available, the center apartment of the canoe was filled with the oil
and tightly covered with a skin fastened to the sides of the boat.
Honey was also transported in this way. In those days bee trees were
exceedingly plentiful in the Missouri bottoms, and large quantities of
honey were taken from them.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: THE MACKINAW.]
The _mackinaw boat_, as the name implies, was an imported design,
having already been used on the Eastern lakes and rivers. It was made
entirely of timber, and before nails were carried up the river all
the parts were fastened with wooden pins. The bottom was flat, and
was made of boards about one and a half inches thick. On these rested
cross-timbers, to which, and to the bottom, were fastened the inclined
knees that supported the sides. The boats were sometimes made as large
as fifty feet long and twelve feet beam. The plan was that of an acute
ellipse, and the gunwale rose about two feet from the center of the
boat toward both bow and stern. The keel showed a rake of about thirty
inches from the bow or stern to the bottom. The hold had a depth of
about five feet at the two ends of the boat, and about three and one
half at the center.
The central portion of the boat was partitioned off from the bow and
stern by two water-tight bulkheads or partitions. Between these the
cargo was loaded, and piled up to a height of three or four feet above
the gunwale and given a rounded form. Over the cargo lodge skins were
drawn tight and fastened with cleats to the sides and gunwales of the
boat, so as to make practically a water-tight compartment. In the bow
were seats for the oarsmen, and in the stern an elevated perch for the
steersman, from which he could see over the cargo in front, and give
directions to the crew in the bow or study the river ahead.
The crew of the boat ordinarily consisted of five men, four at the
oars and one at the rudder. The latter had charge of the boat, and was
called the _patron_. Only experienced, courageous, and reliable men
were chosen for this responsible work.
[Sidenote: CHEAP TRANSPORTATION.]
These boats were only used in downstream navigation, and the labor
of handling them was not arduous. The men found ample time for song
and gossip, and every hour or so, after a vigorous pull, would take
advantage of a good stretch of river to rest their oars (_laisser
aller_) and take a smoke (_fumer la pipe_). Then they would let fall
their oars (_tomber les râmes_) and bend to their work for another
hour. They ran from fifteen to eighteen hours per day and made from 75
to 150 miles. The boats carried about fifteen tons of freight, and the
cost per day was about two dollars. Transportation by mackinaw boat was
therefore inexpensive.
These boats were cheaply made, and were intended only for a single
trip down to St. Louis, where they were sold for four or five dollars
apiece. After the advent of the steamboat the mackinaws were frequently
carried back to the upper rivers on the annual boat, for even steam did
not absorb the peculiar field of usefulness of these craft. They were
quite safe and were preferred to the keelboat for downstream navigation.
[Sidenote: THE CHANTIER.]
The lumber for the mackinaws was manufactured where the boats were
built, or rather the latter were built where suitable timber could be
found. There being no sawmills, the boards had to be sawed by hand,
and for this purpose the logs were rolled upon a scaffold high enough
for a man to work underneath. They were first hewed square, and were
then sawed by two men, one standing above and the other below. At all
important posts there was a _chantier_ (French for boatyard) located
where timber was to be had. Here all woodwork was done. The Fort Pierre
chantier, always called the navy yard, was some fifteen miles above
the post, and was a very active place. The Fort Union chantier was
twenty-five miles above the post, while that at Fort Benton was three
miles below at the mouth of Chantier (now Shonkin) Creek. At all these
workyards skilled artisans were employed.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: THE BULLBOAT.]
The _bullboat_ of the fur traders, in distinction from the tubs
which were used by some of the Missouri River tribes, was an outgrowth
of the conditions of navigation on such streams as the Platte,
Niobrara, and Cheyenne. The excessive shallowness of these streams
precluded the use of any craft drawing more than nine or ten inches.
The bullboat was probably the lightest draft vessel ever constructed
for its size, and was admirably fitted for its peculiar use. It was
commonly about thirty feet long by twelve wide and twenty inches deep.
[Illustration: THE INDIAN BULLBOAT
(After Maximilian)]
The frame of the bullboat was constructed by laying stout willow poles,
three or four inches in diameter, lengthwise of the boat, and across
these similar poles, the two layers being firmly lashed together with
rawhide. The side frames were made of willow twigs about an inch and
a half in diameter at the larger end and six to seven feet long. The
smaller ends were lashed to the cross-poles, and about two feet of the
larger ends were then bent up to a vertical position. Along the tops of
the vertical portions and on the inside was lashed a stout pole like
those forming the bottom of the framework. To this gunwale were lashed
cross-poles, at intervals of four or five feet, to keep the sides from
spreading. No nails or pins were used for fastenings, but rawhide
lashings only. The frame so constructed was exceedingly strong, and its
flexible quality, by which it withstood the continuous wrenching to
which it was subjected, was an important element of strength.
[Sidenote: METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION.]
The framework, being completed, was then covered with a continuous
sheet of rawhide formed by sewing together square pieces as large as
could be cut from a single buffalo hide. Only the skins of buffalo
bulls were used for this purpose (whence the name of the boat), for
they were the strongest and best able to resist abrasion from rubbing
on the bottom of the river. The pieces were sewed together with buffalo
sinew. Before this work was done the hides were carefully dressed by
the Indians so as to be free of hair and perfectly flexible. When the
covering was all sewed together it was thoroughly soaked and then
placed over the framework and the sides and ends made fast to the
gunwale of the boat. The hides would then dry and shrink until they
were drawn as tight as a drumhead.
The final operation in the work was to pitch the seams. The material
used was a mixture of buffalo tallow and ashes, and it was carefully
rubbed into all seams or cracks until the whole covering was
water-tight.
[Sidenote: NAVIGATION BY BULLBOAT.]
The boat so built was very light, and could be easily turned over by
two men. When in the water and ready for its cargo, a layer of loose
poles was laid lengthwise on the bottom so as to keep the cargo five
or six inches from the bottom and protect it from any water that might
leak in. The cargo nearly always consisted of furs, securely packed
in bales about thirty inches long, fifteen inches wide, and eighteen
inches deep. They were placed one bale deep over the bottom of the
boat, leaving space in bow and stern for the pole men. The bales were
always laid flatwise, so that if the water should reach them it would
injure only the bottom skins and not all, as it would if they were set
edgewise. The cargo rarely exceeded six thousand pounds.
The boat was handled by means of poles, and the crew generally
consisted of two men. The draft of the boat, when placed in the water
in the morning, was about four inches, but the boat hide becoming
soaked during the day, and possibly some water leaking in, it would
probably be as much as six or eight inches by night. Every evening when
camp was made the boat was unloaded, brought up on the bank, and placed
in an inclined position, bottom side up, to dry. In this position it
served as a shelter for both cargo and crew. In the morning the seams
were repitched, and any incipient rents or abrasions were carefully
patched. The boat was then launched and reloaded and the voyage resumed.
[Sidenote: FREAKS OF THE WIND.]
Low water, even on the Platte, was generally preferred to high water
for bullboat navigation, because in high water the current was too
strong. Every little while the boat would glide into deep pockets,
where the poles could not touch bottom, and it was then necessary to
drift with the current until a shallower stretch would give the men
control again. Sometimes in those wide and shallow expanses, which
give the Platte such a pretentious appearance in high water, the wind
would play vexatious pranks with the bullboat navigators. A strong
prairie gale blowing steadily from one direction during the day would
drift most of the water to the leeward side of the stream. The boat
would naturally follow the same shore, and the night camp would be made
there. If, as often happened, the wind changed before re-embarkation,
the river would very likely be wafted to the other side of its broad
bed, and the crew would find themselves with half a mile of sandbar
between them and the water.
[Sidenote: NOTED BULLBOAT VOYAGES.]
Bullboat navigation, as here described, was most frequently resorted to
in bringing the trade of the Pawnees on the Loup Fork of the Platte to
the Missouri, but it was likewise extensively used on the Cheyenne and
Niobrara and other tributaries. There were some very extensive bullboat
voyages. A good many were made from Laramie River to the mouth of the
Platte, but generally it was impossible to find enough water to make
a continuous voyage. In 1825 General Ashley loaded one hundred and
twenty-five packs of beaver into bullboats at the head of navigation
on the Bighorn River, with the intention of conveying them in that
way to St. Louis. But at the mouth of the Yellowstone he met General
Atkinson, who offered him the use of his keelboats for the rest of the
journey. In 1833 the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, Captain Bonneville and
Nathaniel J. Wyeth, embarked all their furs, the product of a year’s
hunt, in bullboats on the Bighorn River, and together went downstream
to the mouth of the Yellowstone. Sometimes these boats were actually
given names, and we have a record of the bullboat _Antoine_, in which a
free trapper, Johnson Gardner, shipped his furs from the “Crossings of
the Yellowstone” to Fort Union in 1832.
The boats just described were quite different from the hemispherical
tubs used so extensively by the Mandans and other tribes of the upper
Missouri. These little boats had a circular rim or gunwale, and the
willow supports passed from one side entirely under the boat to the
other. The frame was generally small enough to be covered with a single
hide, and was designed to carry ordinarily but one person. A fleet of
these boats, numbering a hundred or so, was one of the most singular
sights ever witnessed on the river. The squaws often used them, on
occasions of buffalo hunts above the village, to transport the meat
downstream. In fact the women rather than the men were the navigators
of this picturesque little craft.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: THE KEELBOAT.]
We now come to the _keelboat_, the representative river craft of
ante-steamboat days. It was in this boat that the merchandise for the
trade was transported to the far upper river, and it was used on all
important military or exploring expeditions. It was a good-sized boat,
sixty to seventy feet long, and built on a regular model, with a keel
running from bow to stern. It had fifteen to eighteen feet breadth of
beam and three or four feet depth of hold. Its ordinary draft was from
twenty to thirty inches. It was built in accordance with the practice
of approved shipcraft, and was a good, stanch vessel. Keelboats were
generally built in Pittsburgh at a cost of two to three thousand
dollars.
[Illustration: MISSOURI RIVER KEELBOAT
(After Maximilian)]
For carrying freight the keelboat was fitted with what was called a
cargo box, which occupied the entire body of the boat excepting about
twelve feet at each end. It rose some four or five feet above the deck.
Along each side of the cargo box was a narrow walk about fifteen inches
wide, called the _passe avant_, the purpose of which will be explained
further on. On special occasions when these boats were used for
passenger traffic, as on expeditions of discovery or exploration, they
were fitted up with cabins, and made very comfortable passenger boats.
[Sidenote: THE CORDELLE.]
For purposes of propulsion the boat was equipped with nearly all the
power appliances known to navigation except steam. The cordelle was the
main reliance. This consisted of a line nearly a thousand feet long,
fastened to the top of a mast which rose from the center of the boat
to a height of about thirty feet. The boat was pulled along with this
line by men on shore. In order to hold the boat from swinging around
the mast, the line was connected with the bow by means of a “bridle,”
a short auxiliary line fastened to a loop in the bow and to a ring
through which the cordelle passed. The bridle prevented the boat from
swinging under the force of the wind or current when the speed was not
great enough to accomplish this purpose by means of the rudder. The
object in having so long a line was to lessen the tendency to draw the
boat toward the shore; and the object in having it fastened to the top
of the mast was to keep it from dragging, and to enable it to clear the
brush along the bank.
It took from twenty to forty men to cordelle the keelboat along
average stretches of the river, and the work was always one of great
difficulty. There was no established towpath, and the changing
conditions of the river prevented the development of such a path
except along a few stable stretches. It was frequently necessary to
send men ahead to clear the most troublesome obstructions away. In some
places, where it was impossible to walk and work at the same time, a
few men would carry the end of the line beyond the obstruction and make
it fast, while the rest would get on board and pull the boat up by
drawing in the line. This operation was called warping.
[Sidenote: NAVIGATION BY CORDELLE.]
When the boat was being cordelled there stood at the bow, near where
the bridle was attached, an individual called in French a _bosseman_
(boatswain’s mate), whose duty it was to watch for snags and other
obstructions, and to help steer the boat by holding it off the bank
with a pole. There was selected for this place a man of great physical
strength, prompt decision, and thorough knowledge of the river.
The patron, or master of the boat, stood at the rudder, which was
manipulated by means of a long lever from the rear end of the cargo
box. This position gave him an elevated point of view, from which he
could overlook everything.
[Sidenote: NAVIGATION BY POLE.]
There were many places where the keelboat could not be cordelled at
all, as along sandbars where the water was too shallow for the boat
to get near the shore, or the alluvium too soft for the men to walk
in. At such times it was necessary to resort to the pole, as it was
called. This was a turned piece of ash wood regularly manufactured at
St. Louis. On one end was a ball or knob to rest in the hollow of the
shoulder, for the voyageur to push against; and on the other was a
wooden shoe or socket. In propelling the boat with these poles eight or
ten voyageurs ranged themselves along each side, near the bow, facing
aft, pole in hand, one in front of the other, as close together as
they could walk. The whole operation was under the direction of the
patron. At his command “_A bas les perches_” (down with the poles),
the voyageurs would thrust the lower ends into the river close to the
boat and place the ball ends against their shoulders, so that the poles
should be well inclined downstream. They would all push together,
forcing the boat ahead, as they walked along the _passe avant_ toward
the stern, until the foremost man had gone as far as he could. The
patron then gave the command “_Levez les perches_” (raise the poles),
upon which they would be withdrawn from the mud, and the men would walk
quickly back to the bow and repeat the operation. All steering was
done while the poles were up, for the boat could not change direction
while the men were pushing. It was always essential to give the boat
sufficient momentum at each push to keep her going while the men were
changing position. The _passe avant_ had cleats nailed to it to keep
the feet from slipping, and the men, when pushing hard, sometimes
leaned over far enough to catch hold of the cleats with their hands,
thus fairly crawling on all-fours.
In some places where the water was too deep for the poles and where
cordelling was impracticable, oars were resorted to. There were five or
six of these on each side of the bow. They often furnished assistance
also when the boat was being cordelled.
[Sidenote: NAVIGATION BY SAIL.]
A great reliance in propelling the keelboat, strange as it may seem
considering the nature of Missouri River navigation, was the wind. A
mast was rigged, with a square sail spreading about one hundred square
feet of canvas, which often gave sufficient power to propel the boat
against the swift current of the river. Unless the direction of the
wind were altogether wrong the sinuous course of the stream would every
now and then give an aft or quartering breeze. In some places the wind
seemed to follow the bends, blowing up or down the river clear around.
Thus Brackenridge relates that when Manuel Lisa’s boat, in June, 1811,
was going around the Great Bend below Fort Pierre, where in the course
of thirty miles the river flows toward every point of the compass, an
aft wind was experienced all the way, and the entire circuit was made
under sail. Some idea of sailing speed up the Missouri under favorable
conditions may be gleaned from the fact that, on the day of passing
the Great Bend, Lisa’s boat made seventy-five miles, a portion of
the distance being made at night by the light of the moon. And on
another occasion on the same trip Brackenridge records that “we had an
extraordinary run of forty-five leagues from sun to sun.”
[Sidenote: KEELBOAT SPEED.]
Thus, by means of the cordelle and pole, the oar and sail, the sturdy
keelboat worked and worried its way up the turbulent Missouri in the
early days. It was a slow and laborious process at best. A good idea
of its maximum accomplishment under rather unfavorable conditions is
furnished by Manuel Lisa’s voyage, already referred to. It was made
with an exceptionally fine boat, a picked crew, and the most untiring
and energetic commander that ever ascended the Missouri. There was
especial necessity for rapid progress, for it was of the greatest
importance to overtake the Astorian expedition, which was a long
distance ahead, before it should reach the dangerous Sioux country. The
difficulties from wind and storm were greater than the average, and the
rate of progress was not increased by any fortuitous aids. Lisa left
St. Charles, 28 miles above the mouth of the Missouri, April 2, 1811.
He overtook Hunt at 1132 miles, on the morning of June 11. He therefore
made about 1100 miles in sixty-one days, or about 18 miles per day.
This, however, was better than the average. A keelboat trip to the
upper river was practically an entire summer’s operation.
[Sidenote: LABORIOUS OCCUPATION.]
Above the mouth of the James or Dakota River keelboating was easier
than below, because the natural obstacles of all sorts were less; but
everywhere it was a very laborious process. Captain La Barge often
remarked that it would be wholly impossible in this day to get men to
undergo such exertions as were required of the keelboat crews. They
worked early and late, in water and out, and often to the very limit
of endurance. Their food was of the plainest description, consisting
mainly of pork, lyed corn, and navy beans. From this allowance, slender
as it was, meat was cut off as soon as the game country was reached.
The cooking was done at the night camp for the following day. On top of
the cargo box there was sometimes placed a cooking stove, in a shallow
box filled with ashes or gravel to protect the roof from fire. The
men’s baggage was stored in the front of the cargo box, where there
was also a place for anyone to lie down who might fall sick. It was,
however, a very poor place to be sick in. There were no medicines, no
physicians, no nurses or attendants, and nothing but the coarsest food.
The prospect itself was enough to frighten everyone into keeping well.
The hired laborers who did the work on these river expeditions were
called voyageurs, and were generally of French descent. They were an
interesting class of people, and presented a phase of pioneer life
on the Missouri which has become wholly extinct. They were a very
hard-working class, obedient, cheerful, light-hearted, and contented.
It was a marvel to see them, after a hard day’s work, dance and sing
around the evening campfire as if just awakened from a refreshing
sleep. The St. Louis Creoles were regarded as more desirable boatmen
than the French Canadians. The American hunter was not so useful in
river work as the French voyageur, but was far more valuable for land
work and in situations involving danger or requiring the display of
physical courage.
* * * * *
[Sidenote: DECAY OF ROMANCE.]
[Sidenote: NOTEWORTHY SCENES.]
[Sidenote: THE FIRE CANOE.]
Washington Irving, whose love of the romance of early Western history
was ardent and sincere, beheld with unfriendly eye the introduction of
the _steamboat_ upon the Missouri. He lamented the “march of mechanical
invention,” which was “fast dispelling the wildness and romance of
our lakes and rivers,” and “driving everything poetical before it.”
However well-founded this fear may have been in the general case, we
are inclined to think that the exact reverse was true of the Missouri
River steamboat. This remarkable craft introduced romantic features of
which the old keelboat and its Creole crew never dreamed. The incidents
of a single steamboat voyage from St. Louis to Fort Union would make
an entertaining chapter in any book of adventure. As to impressiveness
of appearance, certainly no craft on our Western waters, if upon any
waters of the globe, displayed more majesty and beauty, or filled
the mind with more interesting reflections, than these picturesque
vessels of the early days in the boundless prairies of the West. The
very surroundings lent a peculiar attraction to the scene. In every
direction the broad and treeless plains extended without water enough
anywhere in sight even to suggest a boat. Winding through these plains
was a deep valley several miles broad, with a ribbon of verdure running
through it along the sinuous course of the river. Everything was still
as wild and unsettled as before the advent of the white man, and there
was little or nothing to suggest the civilization of the outside world.
In the midst of this virgin wildness a noble steamboat appears, its
handsome form standing high above the water in fine outline against the
verdure of the shore; its lofty chimneys pouring forth clouds of smoke
in an atmosphere unused to such intrusion, and its progress against
the impetuous current exhibiting an extraordinary display of power.
Altogether it formed one of the most notable scenes ever witnessed upon
the waters of America. Naturally enough the wild Indian viewed with
feelings of awe this great “fire canoe,” whose power to “walk on the
water” had subdued the intractable current to its own will. It is said
to have been the advent of the steamboat which finally turned the scale
of the Indian’s favor toward the Americans as against the British.
In truth, the Missouri River steamboat was a most attractive-looking
craft. Unlike an ocean vessel, which is in large part buried beneath
the waves, the river boat drew only three or four feet of water, and
was therefore almost entirely above the surface. This gave it a great
apparent size compared with its actual dimensions and tonnage. Its
architectural design was pleasing to the eye. Its successive decks,
surmounted by the texas and pilot-house, all painted a clear, even
white, made it look like a veritable floating palace as it moved
majestically among the groves of cottonwood and willow, or through the
parched plains of the ashen-colored sage brush.
The criticism has been made that the river steamboat is one of the
few modern mechanical contrivances which have shown no particular
development, but remain to-day as they were long ago. The criticism
is a mistaken one. If comparison be made between the first river
steamboats and the best of to-day it will be found that progress in
this development is quite up to that in other lines, and it is doubtful
if any other machine is more perfectly adapted to its peculiar work.
In very recent years there has naturally been but little development,
for the steamboat business on Western rivers has largely passed away.
[Sidenote: THE FIRST “YELLOWSTONE.”]
The earlier boats were usually of the sidewheel pattern, with only one
engine, and an immense flywheel to keep it from stopping on the dead
point. Unlike the modern boat, most of the accommodations for freight
and passengers were abaft of the wheels. The stages for getting on
and off were located there. The forward part was mainly taken up with
machinery. The men’s cabins were in the hold. The shape of the boat was
ill adapted to its work. It had a model keel, which gave it fully six
feet draft with half of the load which has since been carried on three
feet.[12]
[Sidenote: THE MODERN STEAMBOAT.]
Far different from this early boat was that used in the later years
of business on the Missouri. The first-class modern river steamboat
was about 220 feet long and 35 feet wide, and would carry 500 tons.
It was built with a flat bottom, so that it would draw, say, thirty
inches light and fifty loaded. It was propelled by a stern-wheel, a
most excellent arrangement, which had become practicable through the
invention of the balanced rudder: that is, a rudder with a part of the
blade on each side of the rudder post. There were two engines of long
stroke, one on each side of the boat, communicating directly with the
wheel shaft and thus avoiding all loss from the friction of gearing. A
proper distribution of the weight required that the boilers be placed
well forward. This left a large space between them and the engine room,
which was well aft.
[Sidenote: FIGURATIVE DESIGN.]
The forecastle was equipped with steam capstans and huge spars, which
served a purpose similar to that of the poles on a keelboat in pushing
the boat over sandbars. Steam hoisting apparatus was used, and in the
hold were light tramway cars to convey the freight from the hatchway
to its place of deposit. Enormous stages, swung from derricks on
either side of the bow, facilitated communication with the high banks
of the river. The quarters of the crew and steerage passengers were
on the boiler deck. On top of the hurricane deck was the texas--a
suite of rooms for the officers of the boat. Above the texas stood the
pilot-house, high over the river--a very important consideration, for
the more directly the pilot could look down the better he could see the
channel. The hurricane deck, and particularly the pilot-house, were
favorite resorts for the passengers.
High above all towered the lofty smokestacks, carrying the sparks
from the wood fire well away from the roof of the boat and giving a
strong draft to the furnace. Between the two chimneys the name of the
company generally appeared in large initial letters, legible for a long
distance.[13] One or more flags displayed their colors to the breeze,
and a light armament, consisting of one or two small cannon, answered
the double purpose of firing salutes and terrifying Indians who became
too defiant.