Robert E. Lee (steamboat)

Robert E. Lee (steamboat)

The "Robert E. Lee", nicknamed the "Monarch of the Mississippi," was a steamboat built in New Albany, Indiana in 1866. The hull was designed by DeWitt Hill, and cost $200,000 to build. [http://www.boathouse.ch/mississippi_river_steamers/robert_e_lee/robert_e_lee_drawings.html The Drawings of the Mississippi River Steamer 'ROBERT E. LEE' ] ] It was named for the great Confederate general Robert E. Lee, and gained its greatest fame for beating the then-current "Natchez" in an 1870 steamboat race.

Description

Its capacity was 5741 bales of cotton. [ [http://seagifts.com/robertelee.html Robert E. Lee, Riverboat ] ]

A local newspaper in New Albany described it:

The cabin and outfit of this great southern steamer surpasses that of any boat that has yet graced the trade, and her accommodations are on the same scale of grandeur and magnificence. She has sixty one staterooms in the main cabin, twenty four extra rooms in the texas for passengers, a nursery for servants and children, and a cabin adjoining the nursery in which are staterooms for fifty passengers. … The main cabin carpet is a single piece 17 ½ feet wide and upwards of convert|225|ft|m in length, a royal Winton velvet purchased of A. T. Stewart of New York and made to order. The furniture also made to order, all of modern style and costly materials in fact solid rosewood, the chairs, sofas, sociables, etc., most artistically and elaborately carved. The cushions of all seats are heavy crimson satin, and the style of the furniture is of new and original design, all made in this city at the manufactory of John Sim. She has 20 extension dining tables in the main cabin, each to accommodate twelve guests; thus seating 240 for dinner with plenty of room for extra side tables. … The machinery of the ROB'T. E. LEE consists of feet stroke, the largest high pressure engines on the river. … The doctor is considered a triumph of the medical art, it being a new style of with the parallel motion applied. It supplies the boiler with water and can throw an immense volume. The boat is also furnished with three separate pumping fire engines with an abundance of hose to use in case of fire. … She was wrought iron shafts weighing 18,750 pounds, the shafts being each convert|23|ft|m in length, with the journals convert|18|in|mm in diameter. Each of the cranks, which are also of wrought iron, weigh 6,000 pounds. These were all made east of the Alleghenies and are the largest ever constructed for a western steamer. The texas is convert|140|ft|m in length, with 24 passengers rooms in addition to the accommodations for officers. She also has two immense baggage rooms, all under guard. … to obviate the necessary of carrying baggage in the cabins or on guard. … The cabin with its rich garniture and splendid furniture, dazzling chandeliers, arched and fretted ceilings, etched with gold, stained glass skylights, immense mirrors, the velvet carpet, the pure zinc white of sides, the rosewood state room doors, and the imitation Egyptian marble stills, all combined to make it bear an appearance of Oriental luxury and splendor seldom conceived an never before seen floating the wild waters of this so-called semi-barbarian western world. … [New Albany Ledger October 6, 1866]

History

In 1870 it won a famed steamboat race against the "Natchez VI", going from St. Louis, Missouri to New Orleans, a distance of convert|1154|mi|km, in 3 days, 18 hours and 14 minutes. John W. Cannon, the captain of the "Lee", ensured victory by removing excess weight, not allowing passengers, and prearranged barges to increase the speed of refueling. The "Natchez VI" finished the race with the speed of 3 days, 21 hours and 58 minutes, but was delayed by a sandbar for six hours, and had numerous passengers to weigh it down. [ [http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/rivers/river5.htm The Great Mississippi Steamboat Race ] ] To this day no commercial boat has beaten the speed record set by the "Lee" during the race. However, the "Bogie", a 1929 motor boat built by Leroy Craft, beat the "Lee's" record. ["The Atlanta Constitution" July 26, 1929]

It usually ran between New Orleans and Natchez, Mississippi. However, during spans of bad business, it would forsake Natchez and instead go to St. Louis or Louisville, Kentucky.

Fate

At 3:30 am on September 30 1882, the "Lee" caught fire thirty miles north of New Orleans, at Point Pleasant, with 21 people killed. It had left Vicksburg, Mississippi heading for New Orleans, on its first voyage since being repainted. The fire started at the pantry. It landed at Louisiana's Yucatan Plantation. Property destroyed included the ship's book, mail, and 500 bales of cotton. The captain was W.S. Cannon (son of James), and he was credited for saving many lives. The survivors were rescued by the "J. M. White", and taken back to Vicksburg. ["The New York Times", October 1, 1882]

Three chandeliers originally on the "Lee" are currently at the First Presbyterian Church of Port Gibson, Mississippi. [ [http://www.steamboats.org/ Home | steamboats.org ] ] Another chandelier is in the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. Additional items originally of the "Lee" are at the Howard Steamboat Museum in Jeffersonville, Indiana. [ [http://www.steamboatmuseum.org/howardmuseumoverview/ The Howard Saga ] ]

References

External links

*(1882-10-01) PDFlink|1= [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C03E4DF1F3EE433A25752C0A9669D94639FD7CF "A River Steamer Burned; Twenty-One Persons Known To Have Been Lost"] "The New York Times"


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Robert E. Lee (disambiguation) — Robert E. Lee may refer to:* Robert Edward Lee (1807 – 1870), American Civil War general * Robert Edwin Lee (1918 1994), writer * Robert Emmett Lee (1868 – 1916), Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania * Robert… …   Wikipedia

  • Robert E. Lee — This article is about the Confederate general. For other uses, see Robert E. Lee (disambiguation). Robert Edward Lee …   Wikipedia

  • steamboat — /steem boht /, n. a steam driven vessel, esp. a small one or one used on inland waters. [1775 85, Amer.; STEAM + BOAT] * * * or steamship Watercraft propelled by steam; more narrowly, a shallow draft paddle wheel steamboat widely used on rivers… …   Universalium

  • Stagger Lee — Lee Shelton (also known as Stagger Lee, Stagolee, Stackerlee, Stack O Lee, Stack a Lee and by several other spelling variants) was a black cab driver and a pimp [ [http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2007 06 27/news/the story of stagger lee/ The Story …   Wikipedia

  • Brian Lee — This article is about the professional wrestler. For other uses, see Brian Lee (disambiguation). Brian Lee Ring name(s) Brian Lee The Undertaker Chainz Billed height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Billed weight 290 lb (130 kg) …   Wikipedia

  • Sechelt (steamboat) — The steamship Sechelt operated from 1893 to 1911 on Lake Washington, Puget Sound and the Strait of Georgia.. For most of the ship’s career, she was known as the Hattie Hansen .. The vessel became well known following her unexplained sinking with… …   Wikipedia

  • Steamboats of the Mississippi — GeographyThe Mississippi is one of the world’s great rivers. It spans 3860 miles of length as measured using its northernmost west fork, the Missouri River, which starts in the Rocky Mountains in Montana, joining the Mississippi proper in the… …   Wikipedia

  • United States — a republic in the N Western Hemisphere comprising 48 conterminous states, the District of Columbia, and Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the N Pacific. 267,954,767; conterminous United States, 3,022,387 sq. mi. (7,827,982 sq. km); with… …   Universalium

  • King Ranch — Infobox nrhp | name =King Ranch nrhp type = nhld caption = King Ranch logo the running W brand nearest city= Kingsville, Texas locmapin = Texas area = built =1852 architect= Unknown architecture= No Style Listed designated= November 5, 1961cite… …   Wikipedia

  • Natchez (boat) — The SS. Natchez in New Orleans Natchez has been the name of several steamboats, and four naval vessels, each named after the city of Natchez, Mississippi or the Natchez people. The current one has been in operation since 1975. The previous… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”