Archive for February, 2019

The Bark on the Ohio

Friday, February 22nd, 2019

 

Sailing Shipp Built on the Ohio (The Pittsburgh gazette, 24 Jul 1865, p4.)

An original article from the Cincinnati Commercial was republished in The Pittsburgh Gazette on 24 Jul 1865.  The sailing ship Mary Belle Roberts had arrived in New York City loaded with sugar after sailing ten days from Havana.  The interesting part of the story is that the bark Mary Belle Roberts had been built on the banks of the Ohio River near Blennerhasett’s Island.   

 

The bark Mary Belle Roberts was built under the watchful eye of Capt Martin R Roberts of San Francisco.  Construction was interrupted when the rebels closed the Mississippi River.  It was not until the fall of Vicksburg that the bark was completed.  It was launched and floated to Cairo.  From there it was towed to New Orleans.  From New Orleans, the Mary Belle Roberts  sailed to Havanna.

 

The Mary Belle Roberts, built entirely of Ohio timber and covered for more than two years, was the largest craft constructed along the Ohio River.

 

 

 

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Steamboats Built in Pittsburgh 1848

Sunday, February 17th, 2019

 

All Packets Arrivals at the port of Pittsburgh 1848 (The Pittsburgh Gazettet 29 Dec 1848, p3.

A public list of the steamboats built and registered at the Custom House office at the Port of Pittsburgh was published in the Pittsburgh Gazette on 29 Dec 1848.  Fiftyt-three steamboats were built; three by Georgetown captains.

 

Date Steamboat Name Captain
26 Apr Euphrates J Calhoon
13 Jul Caledonia R Calhoon
12 Aug Tuscarora J Poe

 

 

 

 

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Philadelphia Interests

Wednesday, February 13th, 2019

 

The Philadelphia Inquirer published articles about the steamboat traffic on the Ohio River in 1860.  Interest in the Ohio River Transportation was a national business concern.

Arrivals and Departures Port of Pittsburgh (The Public Ledger 20Sep1860, p1)

 

The attached newspaper clip dated 20 Sep 1860 identifies the arrivals and departures at the Port of Pittsburg(h).  Business men in Philadelphia were probably transporting their goods via steamboats to the multiple ports identified.  Similar information was published in Philadelphia on the regular basis.  This particular clip lists a packet of interest, the str Clara Poe.

 

 

Mayor Ltr of Commendation (The Pittsburgh Gazette 20Feb1862, p3).

  Another article published in the Inquirer dated 20Feb1862 reprinted the complimentary letter from the Mayor of Pittsburgh to the steamboat captains who volunteered their boats and crews to steam to the Cumberland River and return with wounded soldiers.  Capt Way reprinted the same letter in the S&D Reflector, Dec 1969.   Two of the six captains credited with distinction were Capt Thomas W Poe master of the str Clara Poe and Capt Jackman T Stockdale master of the str Horizon.  Both masters and packets were from Georgetown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Commercial Record of the Port of Pittsburgh 1847

Sunday, February 10th, 2019

 

Commercial Record published in the Pittsburgh Daily Post 18May 1847.

A commercial record of the steamboat arrivals and departures was published every afternoon by the Pittsburgh Board of Trade in the Pittsburgh Daily Post.  The data entered included the steamer name, the master, the port to or from, and the river condition. 

 

On 18 May 1847, 11 boats arrived.  From Wheeling, VA, Capt George W Ebert docked the str New England at the Port of Pittsburgh. 

 

That same day, 13 boats departed.  Capt Poe was the master of the str Hudson bound for Wheeling.  Whether the Poe at the wheel was Adam or Jacob is unknown at this time.

 

Another Georgetowner, Capt Dawson departed the Port of Pittsburgh for Steubenville on the str Wilmington.   There were three Dawsons working on the river before 1850 as captains and pilots: Benoni, George, and Robert D.   The commander of the str Wilmington is a mystery.

 Observations of other daily reports from the Port of Pittsburgh show similar participation of Georgetown men.  Such statistics are unlikely to occur by chance indicating that Georgetown played a significant role in early  Ohio River transportation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Columbian Exposition in 1893

Wednesday, February 6th, 2019

 

Georgetown has another connection to The White City, the Columbian Exposition of 1893.  In addition to the entry pass for 9 Oct 1893 (designated Chicago Day), the Columbian Liberty Bell manufactured by Clinton H Meneely Bell Co, Troy, NY in 1893 has a Georgetown connection.  The bell was on view at Union Station in Pittsburgh on 31 Aug 1893.

The inscriptions on the bell are detailed in the attached images.  One of the relics used to construct the bell was a shell fired into the str Silver Wave, the first civilian packet to successfully pass the Vicksburg batteries during the Civil War.  The str Silver Wave was owned and operated by Capt John Smith McMillin of Georgetown.

Columbian Exposition Liberty Bell ( The Pittsburgh Daily Post, p6)

 

 

 

Columbian Exposition Liberty Bell (The Pittsburgh Daily post, 6cont)

 

Other relics used in the composition of the bell were the keys of the residence of Jefferson Davis, 250K pennies donated by public school children, and souvenirs from battlefields where struggles for freedom took place.      

The Columbian Exhibition was a fitting and glamorous way to enter into the coming Twentieth Century.

 

 

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14 Nov 1855

Tuesday, February 5th, 2019

 

 

One day in the Golden Age of Steamboats at the Port of Pittsburgh.  Think glass chandeliers in the parlor, oil paintings in every stateroom, thick carpets, steaming foods piled high.  Life was at its best on the river.

This specific Wednesday,14 Nov 1855, was documented in the Pittsburgh Daily Post on page 3.  First, the column ”News for River Men” described the weather – clear and pleasant.  The river level mark was 5ft 11in, and falling.  The disposition of seven steamboats was described.  Three of the packets hailed from Georgetown.  The destinations of the other four packets were Wheeling, St Louis, and two for Cincinnati. 

 

 

 

 

News for River Men (The Pittsburgh Daily Post 14 Nov 1855, p3)

 

 

 

Georgetown Packets.

Steamer Master Destination Date of Depart
Washington City Capt George W Ebert New Orleans Today
Clifton Capt Jacob Poe Nashville Today
JC Fremont Cat Jackman T Stockdale St Louis Today

 

 

 

In the same column of print was a series of information , or advertisements, for regular packet service to various river ports.  In addition to the three packets cited above, the str Silver Wave in its advertisement was listed for departure at 10:00AM on Wed, 14 Nov 1855.  The str Silver Wave was commanded by Capt John S McMillin Georgetown who later earned fame for his service during the Civil War.  

 

From the ”News for River Men” and the advertisement the complete view of Georgetown’s contribution to Ohio River transportation on that Wed.  The clerks names are included in the ads.  All are well known Georgetown men, excluding M’Cance. 

 

 

Steamboat Advertisements ( The Pittsburgh Daily Post , 14 Nov 1855, p3)

 


 

 

 

 

Georgetown Packets on Wed, 14Nov1855.

Steamer Master Clerks Destination Date of Depart
Washington City Capt George W Ebert S Peppard New Orleans Today
Clifton Capt Jacob Poe M’Cance Nashville Today
JC Fremont Capt Jackman T Stockdale A Stockdale St Louis Today
Silver Wave Capt John S McMillin Wilkins St Louis Today

 

 

That day other Georgetown captains, such as Jacob Poe’s brothers (Adam and Thomas), Jackman Stockdale’s nephew (Thomas S Calhoon), and the Calhoon brothers (John and Richard) were no doubt plying the watery highways to faraway ports with the hope of being home from the Christmas holiday.

 

 

 

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Newspapers.com

Friday, February 1st, 2019

 

The Pittsburgh Gazette Times dated 5May1909, p3.

Much of my time in recent days has been spent searching Newspapers.com.  Simple search requests on the names of Georgetown captains and their steamboats have provided a substantial amount of information.  And by no measure do I qualify as an advanced researcher.  Anyone could follow the movement of a packet or the actions of a captain.  While researching the str Mollie Ebert , I copied 23 articles from 10 newspapers covering a period of five years.  Advanced searches from other geographic regions will provide more.  Depending on the paper and the specific columns, such as River News in the Pittsburgh Daily Commercial, information such as arrival and departures and the cargo and number of passengers carried are documented. 

 

The article above is a general history of the steamboat era.  Taken from The Pittsburgh Gazette Times dated 5May1909 the article is a tribute to the men who steamed on the Ohio River.  Two of the portraits are Georgetown captains: Jacob and Adam Poe.  Two partial columns of print are devoted to Georgetown and the men who worked the river from there.  Capt Thomas S Calhoon is described in detail.  Others such as George W Ebert, Standish Pepard, Thomas Poe, Richard Calhoon, George Laughlin are documented in a phrase.  Even Capt John S McMillin was included with Georgetown even though he had moved to Grandview Ave in Pittsburgh in 1857. 

 

One can never brag too much about Georgetown.  Or can they?

 

 

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