Archive for February, 2013

TC Collins ― Boatman

Monday, February 11th, 2013

I found a rare and fascinating book

 

            “The Adventures of T. C. Collins ― Boatman
               Twenty-four Years on the Western Waters
                                    1849-1873″.
 

The book, edited by Herbert L Roush, Sr, was published in 1985.  Like a limited edition print, I have signed copy number 10 of 750 copies.  The book is the compilation of four journals written by TC Collins before his death in 1907.  Those journals were given a place in the attic of the Collins family home for almost eighty years before the work was introduced to Rev Roush.  The book is the transcription and editing of 2,800 pages of hand-written work.

 

The reason I find the book fascination is the career of TC Collins paralleled the time of my steamboat men from Georgetown, PA.  He writes about the hardships of the life of a roustabout.  From his writing, I learned details about flatboating, floods, ice jams, and steamer wrecks on the Ohio River.  Born in Little Hocking, OH, TC Collins worked on the rivers that my ancestors worked.  He named some of the boats that my ancestors owned.   He did not name many of the captains of the boats, but he did identify people he worked with ― deckhands, pilots, and friends. 

 

This TC Collins autobiography presents a first hand account of the expansion of the young American frontier.  A wonderful read.

 

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