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The Buckeye State

Mississippi River Packet (1806)

Romance has passed from Mississippi steamboating, but we can preserve a bit of it in our homes by building a model of one of the picturesque, speedy and in many ways amazing old stern wheelers that contributed largely to the upbuilding of the middle west.

The Mississippi steamboat is an entirely American product, evolved for the particular conditions under which it had to work - shallow treacherous waters and practically no docking facilities. The requirements for a Mississippi boat were - and still are - an extremely shallow hull capable of carrying a heavy load without drawing more than a few feet of water. As the beam had to be narrow, the hull, though sharp-bowed, were given straight sides and flat bottoms. The cantilever principle, as shown in the use of "hog" chains, was employed to prevent the ends from sagging. High speed and the ability to turn quickly were also needed, hence the use of powerful engines, large, strong stern paddles, and triple rudders.

As there was little space below the water line, the engines, cabins, and everything had to be piled on deck, but this had the further advantage of making the boats light and airy.

In their heyday before the railroads were built, competition among the boats for passengers was keen. They accordingly were made as attractive as possible; in those days that meant a lot of scroll woodwork, most elaborate saloons and cabins and gilding and gingerbread.

Because of all these factors, a type of vessel evolved which, although lacking the stately grace of the deep-sea sailing ship, had a beauty of its own in fitness for its purpose. Some of the side-wheelers, it is true, were the fastest and best known in their time, but their reign was short and the stern-wheeler antedated them and is again the more prevalent.

The "Buckeye State" (Ohio) was built in 1878, a wooden hull vessel with a length of 235 feet, depth of hold 5 feet, beam 36 feet, high pressure engines, diameter 18 in., stroke 7 feet, with Rees adjustable or variable cut-off; four boilers, diameter 41 inches, length 26 feet, capacity 900 tons; draft light 28 inches, speed 15 miles an hour in dead waters.

The stern-wheeler river packet represents what has been called America's most typical boat. It is a real native, like the American Indian canoe. Some called it an engine on a raft. Clyde Fitch described it in his characteristics style when he wrote: "The steamboat is from 100 to 300 feet long and from 30 to 50 feet wide. It is from 40 to 70 feet high above water, but it does not extend more than 3 feet into the water. This is because that's all the water there is. A steamboat must be so built that when the river is low and the sand bars come out for air, the first mate can take a keg of beer and run the boat four miles on the suds."

Steamboats were once the great beasts of burden for the middle west, and a city that could not be reached at low water by a steamboat with 2 large hot stacks, 25 Negro roustabouts on the bow end and a gambler in the cabin withered away and died in infancy. But the railroad, which runs in high water or low, does not stab itself in a vital spot with a snag, came along and cleared the steamboat out of business. There are only a few left now, which is a great pity, for the most decorative part of a great river is a tall white steamboat with a chime whistle and a flashing wheel in the far foreground.

This type of boat, however, has not vanished by any means, most of those now in use are entirely up-to-date for their purpose. They have steel hulls, steam machinery to handle cargoes and gangways, electric lights and everything of the latest design. There are not many of the boats still "running passengers", but there are showboats, excursion boats, and an ever increasing number of freight boats. Moreover, this type of boat is built and shipped to many parts of the world where similar river conditions obtain.

Incidentally, the term "stateroom" originated with these boats. Each room had the name of a state on the door and was therefore called a stateroom. The Texas had no state's name and was the officers' and pilots' quarters. Texas, the Lone Star State, was at the time the name originated an appendage to the United States as the officers' cabins were an appendage or addition to the steamboats. It may have been for this or similar reason the name Texas was used for the officers' quarters.

Little provision was made on old river boats for small row boats. The Buckeye State had crude boats so-called "Ohio skiff" built from four boards with practically no framing. They were used in the fast river-packet days for soundings (finding the depth of the water). They could be pulled onto the machinery decks by the deck hands and launched from the guards almost instantly. The sounding boat was manned by four rowers in the seventies and later by a crew of 3 and a pilot's cub. It was said these boats drew about as much water as a mallard duck.

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