Rising Tide

March 10th, 2019

The book by John Barry, Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America, is required reading. The book provides an excellent explanation of the hydrology of the Mississippi River in flood conditions. The river becomes an unpredictably violent, almost a living thing consuming everything in its path. This catastrophe in 1927 was a struggle of man against nature, man against man, honor versus money, black and white clashes, and regional and national political conflicts.

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Str Clara Poe Impressed

March 5th, 2019

The str Clara Poe served the entire duration of the Civil War. From 18 Oct 1861 to 17 Apr 1865. Four years. Summer and winter. Transporting troops and supplies on all the watery highways of the western theater.

Capt Thomas W Poe was the master and Jonathon Kinsey was one of his pilots.

Pittsburgh Daily Commercial 5 Mar 1864.

One sentence in the article from the Pittsburgh Daily Commercial dated 5 Mar 1864 indicated that the str Clara Poe was “taken by the government”. The packet was forced into public service by the US Army. That was not unusual. During the war, whether the str Clara Poe was temporarily impressed into service or chartered is unclear at times.

There is no controversy concerning the destruction of the str Clara Poe. The packet was intentionally set afire by men supporting the confederacy. The dispute is whether the steamer was under government orders whether impressed or chartered.

The owners of the str Clara Poe petitioned the US government for compensation to no avail. They contacted their US representative, CC Townsend. The Deputy Quartermaster General determined that the vessel “had been engaged as a common carrier transporting public property”. That decision failed to address the fact that the str Clara Poe was transporting hay and military supplies in an active war zone.

The last of the signature owners of the str Clara Poe, Capt Jacob Poe, died on 13 Mar 1891. The struggle for compensation ended.

Then, in the Pittsburgh Daily Post dated 8 Dec 1903 p9, the claim for compensation, $100K, had been carried on by Capt Thomas W Poe’s heirs. What a shout-out for persistence in spite of the difficulty. Thirty-eight years of struggle.

Pittsburgh Daily Post 8Dec 1903 1.

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Tags: capt thomas w poe, civil war transports
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The Bark on the Ohio

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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Tags: ohio river steamboats
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Steamboats Built in Pittsburgh 1848

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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Tags: ohio river steamboats
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Philadelphia Interests

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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Tags: capt thomas w poe, str clara poe
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Commercial Record of the Port of Pittsburgh 1847

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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Tags: adam poe, capt george w ebert, georgetown, jacob poe, ohio river steamboats, port of pittsburgh
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The Columbian Exposition in 1893

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

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

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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Daughters Revered

January 28th, 2019

Capt Thomas W Poe with his two wives had three daughters and two sons. Clarissa was born in 1845 to his first wife, Phoebe Kinsey. Together they also had one son, John W, who was a clerk on his father’s packets. With his second wife, Martha Jane Troxell, he had two daughters: Amelia and Mary E. Little is known about Charles F who was born in 1855.

Capt Thomas W Poe honored his daughters by naming a packet after each. That distinction suggests the high regard Thomas W Poe had for his family. It denotes a fine sense of what is morally right in family matters.

That said misfortune visited each of the specially honored packets. The str Clara Poe was burned by rebels on 17 Apr 1865 on the Cumberland River during the war of rebellion, the str Amelia Poe was snagged on the upper Missouri River on 24 May 1868 and salvaged by Indians; the str Mary E Poe went up in flames on the Mississippi River on 17 Oct 1873 due to a boiler malfunction. All were total financial losses.

After the tragic death of Martha Jane on 18 Dec 1870 aboard the str Nick Wall, Thomas W Poe moved to St Louis to be near his daughter Clara. At his death bed only John W, Clara, and his two brothers, Jacob and Adam, were present. There is no record of the two daughters of Martha Jane.

The mystery of the confluence of these events and people bends my mind into curlicues.

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Rising Tide

Str Clara Poe Impressed

The Bark on the Ohio

Steamboats Built in Pittsburgh 1848

Philadelphia Interests

Commercial Record of the Port of Pittsburgh 1847

The Columbian Exposition in 1893

14 Nov 1855

Newspapers.com

Daughters Revered

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