Archive for January, 2010

Georgetown Steamers File

Monday, January 11th, 2010

I have compiled a list of steamers owned and operated by Georgetown men between the years 1837 and 1894. My count is currently eighty-five (85) vessels – eighty-three (83) steamers and two towboats. To a high degree of confidence, the list for the Poe captains and pilots is complete. I feel less confident with the Calhoons, especially their early boats built before 1848. And my data on the steamboating Parrs is far less complete than the Calhoons because I have little Parr family history and source data. My Parr information has been discovered indirectly through the Poes and Calhoons. As I learn more, I will be updating the list.

The year 1848 is significant. Capt Way’s Packet Directory, the steamer bible, is dated 1848-1994. Packets built before 1848 are not included in the directory meaning data for the early boats is hard to find.  My list of Georgetown steamers included twelve (12) unlisted packets. My information on steamers built before 1848 was gleaned from Capt Ways articles in the S&D Reflector and from family histories of the Poes.  Adam Poe’s autobiography written in 1888-1889 and Thomas S Calhoon’s logs from secondary sources have been prime sources.

The steamer list is presented in two styles:
    (1) Simple list.
    (2) MS Excel 2003 spreadsheet.

Simple list. The first and simplest presentation added the steamer names and build dates to the page entitled Steamer Biographies. I have listed two build dates. The first date was provided mostly by Capt Way. The second date was found in a book celebrating the Allegheny County centennial — “Allegheny County’s Hundred Years”, by George H Thurston, published by AA Anderson and Son, Book and Job Printers, Pittsburgh, 1888. Chapter IX was devoted to “Boat Building in Allegheny County”. Two dates have been listed because dates differ between these two sources. Most of the inconsistencies are probably the result of the build process which was often performed in two separate boatyards. One yard would build the hull while the installation of the engines, boilers, and other hardware was finished in a Pittsburgh iron foundry.

Excel Spreadsheet. The second format, an MS Excel 2003 spreadsheet named Georgetown Steamer File, supports local search and sort operations. This format affords insight into the data. For example, each steamer is represented by a number of rows equal to its number of years in service. Sorting by column “Date” followed by column “Owner” will show that Jacob Poe owned three steamers in 1858.  Of course he could only be the master or pilot of one. A skillful analyst can construct a history of a captain or pilot by assembling the parts of his records. The spreadsheet format has cells for owners, captain, pilots, clerks, build site, participation in Civil War battles, tonage, sternwheel or side wheel type, primary trade route, anecdotes, Way’s Directory number, Gibson’s Dictionary check, and other data.  I will update the spreadsheet cells as I find more complete data.

Comparison of Two Journals

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

I am developing a page comparing, day by day, the two steamer journals of the 1869 Missouri River season:
 

(1)  Str Henry M Shreve by Nelson Green Edwards
(2)  Str Mollie Ebert by Nancy Poe Ebert

 

The following table compares their trips by date and position according to entries in their respective journals.  The Nancy Poe Ebert journal resolved conclusively the question of whether the Mollie Ebert  docked at Ft Benton.  The Mollie Ebert  did reach Cow Island, but could not navigate the Dauphin Rapids due to low water.  The Mollie Ebert  spent eight days at Cow Island while the clerk and captain arranged the transfer of their freight to two boats that had successfully negotiated the rapids when the water level was higher.   Emotionally and financially, the failure to dock at the Ft Benton levee was deeply disappointing. 

Position

Miles

Henry M Shreve

Mollie Ebert

 Depart      
St Louis

0

Apr 6

Apr 16

Kansas City

456

Apr 10

 

Omaha

807

Apr 17

 

Sioux City

1010

Apr 20

 

Yankton

1181

Apr 24

May 6

Bijou Hills

 

Apr 30

May 13-14

Ft Thompson

1441

May 2

May 16

St John’s Woodyard

 

May 5

May 18

Ft Sully

1520

May 8

May 20

Swan Lake

 

May 12

 

Cannon Ball River

 

May 15

May 23

Ft Rice

 

May 16

 

Ft Berthold

1985

May 19

May 27

Little Missouri River

2015

May 19

May 27

Ft Buford

2240

May 22

May 25?

Spread Eagle Camp

 

May 24

 

Milk River

2482

May 26

 

Ft Peck

 

May 26

 

Mussel Shell River

2678

May 29

 

Cow Island

2793

Jun 2

Jun12

Ft Benton

2965

Jun12

 

 

 

 

 

Return

 

 

 

Ft Benton

2965

Jun 15

 

Cow Island

2793

 

Jun 20

Spread Eagle Bend

 

 

Jun 24

Ft Buford

2240

 

Jun 26

Yellowstone River

2235

 

Jun 27

Little Missouri River

2015

 

Jun 27

Ft Stevenson

 

 

Jun 28

Cannon Ball River

 

 

Jun 29

Swan Lake Woodyard

 

 

Jun 30

Ft Sully

1520

 

Jul 2

St Louis

0

Jul 1

Jul 13