*** industrial revolution -- steam boats river boats








Industrial Revolution: Steamboats--River Boats

river boats
Figure 1.--Here we see boys playing with toy boats on the river's edge as a steamboat passes Rising Sun, Indiana, in 1919. This is a town on the Ohio River across from Kentucky.

Steam power changed the world, facilitating travel and trade. This begun with domestic commerce. Steamboats rapidly improved and became a amainstay in riverine waters before being widely used for ocean trade. This was especially true for the all important Mississippi River. Until the steamboat, rafters carrying goods down the Mississipi, but had to walk home. (A young Abraham Lincoln was one and he saw slavery along the way.) The Mississipi and its tributaries were one way highways. The steamboat made them two way highways, a huge contributor to the economic development of the United States. The stemboats enabled the South to effectively trade with the West quicker and more effectively. Before the steamboat there was trade with the Northeast by oceanshipping--sailboats. Trade with the West (what we now call the Midwest) was much more difficult. The Midwest could send goods south, but the South could not send goods north. The steamboat revolutionized the American economy by changing the way that river travel was conducted. It also opened up opportunities for canal trade. The first steamboat was introduced to the Mississippi (1811). The boat was the paddle wheel steamer 'New Orleans'. It was built in Pittsburg and sailed doen the Ohio and Mississippi tiver to New Orleans. The Riverboats are most strongly associated with the South. River boats anf railroads were imprtant to the South's cotton economy. The South did not have the industry needed to build riverboats and the rail system was much more limited than that of the North. them. Upon arriving in New Orleans, Captain Roosevelt invited the public to come aboard his boat for an excursion down the river and back. By 1830, there were 200 such steamers on the Mississippi, and 10 years later in 1840, the numbers had increased to over 500 boats. No where else in the world was there anything like the intensive steamboat activity and in an area that was just a few decades from wildreness. There were both stern wheelers and side wheelers. The South got rich on exports of cotton the steamboats carried to New Orleans. They also caried southern products north to the growing industrial cities of the Midwest. The North also benefittd bringing both agricultural and manufactured goods south. The steamboats riverine trade for most of the 19th century. This only ended when railroads began to offer even more efficient cargo transport by the end of the century. Steamboats not only moved goods, but provided luxury accomodations and entertainment. Steamboats also spread ideas and culture. They took New Orleans jazz from Storyville to the North. Samuel Clemments got his nickname from the riverboats. And his experiences led the Huckleberry Finn--the greatest American novel. The most famous and colorful steamboat commander of was Captain P. T. Leathers. He built the racer Natchez which conducted the most famous race of the steanboat era with the Robert E. Lee. There were also epic disasters. [Lloyd] And as important as the riverboats were to the economy of the South, a part of the river boat story is how the U.S. Navy during the Civil War used them to seize control of the Mississippi and sever the eastern Confederacy from western Confederacy. This was an important part of Federal naval operations.

Steam Power

Steam power changed the world, facilitating travel and trade. This begun with domestic commerce. Steamboats rapidly improved and became a amainstay in riverine waters before being widely used for ocean trade.

American Riverine/Inter-Coastal Waterss

The geography and hydrology of the United States is like that of no other country, The inland waterways create more than 25,000 mi (40,000 km) of navigable waters. Inland and intracoastal waterways touch on 38 states in the country's heartland as well as the states on the Atlantic seaboard, the Gulf Coast and the Pacific Northwest. This involves 630 million tons of cargo valued at some $75 billion annually. Much of the commercially important waterways of the United States consist of the huge Mississippi River System—the Mississippi River and its tributaries. There are other rivers along the Atlantic amd Pacific coasts. The most important along the Pacific is the mighty Colombia in the northwest. Along the Atlantic coast. The two most important rivers are the Hudson and the Potomac. The Udson was significantly extended by the Erie Can. The Potomac less so by the C&O Canal. The St. Lawrence in Canada opend American and Canadian Great Lake pofts to international shipping. All of this paled in imprtance to the Mississppi. The Appalanchins and Rocky Mountains meant that there was only narrow costal strips of land and short naviagable rivers areas along both coasts. Of greater importasnce are the inland coastal waters ways streaching ffrom the Gulf of Mexuici north to Maine. This hugely extended thr riverine systtem whuich was important because the cost of transporting goods is so much cheaper than by another system. Such was impofrtant even with the coming of the rail system.

The Mississippi System

The Mississippi or Western River System drains some 60 percent of the United States. It consists of the Mississippi and tributary rivders. No country on earth has a river systemeven approaching that of the United States in term sof producing a transport system to promote economic development. The Mississippi is by far the country's largest drainage basin, something like 60 percent of the country's waters. The major tributaries are the Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, and Red Rivers. Given their flow volumes, major Ohio River tributaries (the Allegheny, Tennessee, and Walbash rivers are considered important tributaries to the Mississippi. Before the Mississippi spills out into the Gulf of Mexico, it runs into its distributary, the Atchafalaya River. Until the steamboat, rafters carrying goods down the Mississipi, but had to walk home. (A young Abraham Lincoln was one and he saw slavery for the first time along the way.) The Mississipi and its tributaries were one-way highways. Farmers in yhe northern sates built rafts/boats from the trees on their land tyo carry cargo. They floated down river to New Orleans to sell their cargos at high prices. The farmers could also sell the rafts/boats for its lumber. Amazingly, the entire Mississipi river sysdtem flowed down to New Orleans where it entered the Gulf of Mexico. Here there was access to the worl's oveabs. Comoare thus to to Russia wgere the rivers flow into interiior lakes or the Black Sea with very restructive access to wiorkd markets. New Orleans could be astopper in a in a jug and bottle up merican trade. It is no accident that the last major battle fiught betwwn Ameruca and Britin was fought iover New Orkeans (1815). It was abattle Bryain has firgiot and legendary in American histiory. Getting back home with gheir cash was a real problem .The bostmen had to walk or ride on horseback over the Natchez Trace. This could mean a thousand miles or even more. The Natchez Trace was as a result attracted highwaymen and an assembly of villians focused on killing gthe returning boatmen for their hard-earned monery. There were keelboats, bjut these were slow and involved hard work and were expensive. The steamboat revolutionized economic life. It made the Mussissippi nd its tributaries made them two way highways. Not only could cargo flow down the rivers, for the first time, cargoes and passangers could be brought up the rivers. This was a huge contributor to the economic development of the United States. There are also navigable inland waterways connected by artificial means including canals (Illinois Waterway, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway). Even after the coming of the railways and the end of stean power, this has continued ti be imprtant, especiall for bulk commodities. The Mississippi River carries U.S. grain shipments (60 percent), oil and gas (over 20 percent), and coal (20 percent). 【Greenblatt】

The Boats

The Golden Age of steamboats began (1830s). By that time what we all recognized as the Mississippi steam boat were operating throughout the Mississippi River system, playing a key role in the economic development of Ante-bellum America. The boats were steam-powered paddle wheels whicj could ply the River faster and more quickly and effectively than the early rafts and flatboats. They carried goods such as farm prodducts, whiskey, and livestock down the river. But the lifeblood of the rioverine traffic was cotton--whjite gold. It was the primary southern cash crop. The Riverboats were cengtral to the economic development of Ante-bellum America. And gradually swe begin to see industrial manufacvtured goods coming from the northern states. The first Mississpippi steam riverboat was the New Orleans, built for a company strarted by Robert Livingston and Robert Fulton (1811). 【Lloyd】 It has a low-pressure Boulton and Watt steam engine driving power train that was also heavy and inefficient. It was heavy side-wheeler with a deep draft. With this beginning, the riverboats developed in only a few years into palatial boats with large cargo capacity and comfortable passenger accomodations. Stern wheelers and relatively flat shoal bottoms became standard. Increasingly efficient engines began to appear. Two deck became common, three secks became standard. In addition to fine foniong, there was comfortable beds, gambling, and music. Meals rivaling great hotels were on offer. River boats trips were not speedy. Louisville, Kentucky to New Orleans took less than a month. Samed captains coukd do it faster, low by modern standards, but not by pre-rail standards Even nore important was the commfort in which the passangers enjoyed. No other form of travel could touch it. This explains why passengers were willing to accept the dangers involved, especially the boiler explosion. Boat operators were not required to carry any kind of insurance and were not held liable for accidents, and so had little incentive to improve safety. Only after a great number of tragedies did this situation change.

American Economy

The stemboats enabled the South to effectively trade with Northern and Western cities quicker and more effectively. Before the steamboat there was trade with the Northeast by oceanshipping--sailboats. Trade with the West (what we now call the Midwest) west of the Allegany Mountains was much more difficult. The Midwest could send goods south, but the South could not send goods north. The steamboat revolutionized the American economy by changing the way that river travel was conducted. It also opened up opportunities for canal trade. The first steamboat was introduced to the Mississippi (1811). The boat was the paddle wheel steamer New Orleans. It was built in Pittsburg and proceeded down the Ohio and Mississippi River to New Orleans. The Riverboats are most strongly associated with the South. River boats and railroads were imprtant to the South's cotton economy. But they also played a huge role in the earkly economic development of Mid-Western cities. The South did not have the industry needed to build riverboats and the rail system was much more limited than that of the North. Upon arriving in New Orleans, Captain Roosevelt invited the public to come aboard his boat for an excursion down the river and back. By 1830, there were 200 such steamers on the Mississippi, and 10 years later in 1840, the numbers had increased to over 500 boats. No where else in the world was there anything like the intensive steamboat activity and in an area that was just a few decades earlier had been virgin wildreness. There were both stern wheelers and side wheelers. The South got rich on exports of cotton the steamboats carried to New Orleans. They also caried southern products north to the growing industrial cities of the Midwest. The North also benefitted bringing both agricultural and manufactured goods south. The steamboats riverine trade for most of the 19th century. This only ended when railroads began to offer even more efficient cargo transport by the end of the century.

Culture

Steamboats not only moved goods, but provided luxury accomodations and entertainment. Steamboats also spread ideas and culture. They took New Orleans jazz from Storyville to the North. Samuel Clemments got his nickname of Mark Twain, from the riverboats. And his experiences led the Huckleberry Finn--the greatest American novel. The most famous and colorful steamboat commander of was Captain P. T. Leathers. He built the racer Natchez which conducted the most famous race of the steanboat era with the Robert E. Lee.

Civil War

As important as the riverboats were to the economy of the South, a part of the river boat story is how the U.S. Navy during the Civil War used them to seize control of the Mississippi and sever the eastern Confederacy from western Confederacy. The story of the first ironclad naval engagement off Hamton Roads in the Allantic is well know, The role of the Union iron-clad riverboats is less well known. This was an important part of Federal naval operations and the Western part of the Union Anaconda strategy to destroy the Confederacy. Riverboats carried troops, provisions, and supplies. Iroin-clad gun boats providing powerful artilery support. Noth the Confederacy abd Union used riverboats. But the Confederacy could not begin to compete with the Union. The Union Navy operated these boats and turned the vital artery of the South into the major route of its destruction.

River Boat Disasters

The design of the boats and the nature of the of the rivers created many dangers. There were also epic disasters. [Lloyd] Power came from the boilers. They had to contain the huge presures needed neded to drive the boats at a time that that technology and design was not up to it. Boilers used in these river boats built using multiple riveted cast iron pieces. Only gradually was the technology needed to produce larger, stronger metal sheets developed. There was also faulty workmanship in the contryuction of many boilers. Thus failure meaning boilers blowing up and raging fires were all too common. And the situati was even more dangerous as a result of unsafe operation by the captains under intense competitive pressuree. Campains were prone to push the boilers past theuir design limits. The boats had engineers, but they rarely had the rechnical training we today associate wuith that term. A rivderboat enguneer was miore kike a lococimotive engineer. Without any kind of govermental regulatory oversight, mandating inspection and maintenance, catastrophic disasters were inevitable. 【Young】 Due to the vast superiority riverboats then held over all forms of land transportation, passengers were willing to accept the high risk of a boiler explosion. Boat operators were not required to carry any kind of insurance and were not held liable for accidents, and so had little incentive to improve safety. Only after a great number of tragedies did this situation change. In 1825, the explosion of the Teche killed 60 people. In addition, the Ohio and the Macon both exploded the following year in 1826, the Union and the Hornet in 1827, the Grampus in 1828, the Patriot and the Kenawa in 1829, the Car of Commerce and the Portsmouth in 1830, and the Moselle in 1838. There were no government agencues regulating this. Boiler explosion and terrible fires were a real danger. The explosion of the Teche killed 60 people (1825). Other boiler exposions included the Ohio and the Macon (1826), the Union and the Hornet (1827), the Grampus (1828), the Patriot and the Kenawa (1829), the Car of Commerce and the Portsmouth (1830), and the Moselle (1838). Other dangers were the rivers. The movement of the river created sand bars or brought logs down river that boats might run into to devestating affect. A problem here was the fierce competition between captains and the drive for speed. A CIH reader mentions the Sultana, a steamboat that operated on the Mississippi. It was the greatest maritime disaster in American history. One of her boilers exploded. The incident at the time was overshadowed by the death of Lincoln assasin John Wilkes Booth one day before. The ship was extremely overcrowded. It was designed to carry 376 passengers but held held approximately 2,200 that fateful day (April 1865). It was overcrowded because so many relaeased POWs were so desperate to get home after the War ended. Approximately 1,200 passengers were killed. It was also a tragedy in the sense that the accident could have been prevented.it was known that the boat had leaky boilers but to take time out to fix them would have resulted in a loss of revenue. Captains were in fierce competition for passengers. About 50 women and children were aboard. A couple of women survived but all the children perished. A new museum will open to commemorate the event (2023). Tragically, many were the surviors of the horific Confederate prison camp at Andersonville. 【Bishop】 Boat operators were not required to take safty precautions. Nor was insurance required or did they face liability for accidents. Thus here was little incentive to address safety. Many tragedies occurred before this would begin to change. .

Sources

Greenblatt, Alan. "Mississippi Blues: When The River Doesn't Run," National Public Radio (November 26, 2015).

Lloyd, James T. Lloyd's Steamboat Directory, and Disasters on the Western Waters (1856).

Young, David. "Roiling on the river". Chicago Tribune.







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Created: 1:38 AM 3/16/2018
Last updated: 12:44 PM 8/24/2023