THE OHIO RIVER TRADE
1788-1830
CHAPTER I.
BOATS AND BOATMEN.
With the opening of the great West, the Ohio River became the main route of immigration and commerce, and it is in a careful study of the various forms of craft which floated upon "La Belle Riviere" that we catch a glimpse of the rapid and almost marvelous economic development of the Ohio Valley.
The Indian canoe, though sometimes used by travelers, was entirely inadequate for the purpose of commerce, and was never used, in any regular branch of trade.[1] The earliest improvement upon the canoe was the pirogue, an invention of the whites. Like the canoe this boat was hewn out of the solid log, the difference being that the pirogue had greater width and capacity, and was composed of several pieces—as if the canoe had been sawed into two equal sections, and a broad, flat piece of timber inserted in the middle, so as to give greater breadth of beam to the vessel.[2] These boats were occasionally used by the immigrants for the transportation of their goods and furniture.[3]
The canoe and pirogue were succeeded by the barge, the keel, and the flat-boat. Of the first two, the barge was the largest, had the greatest breadth, and the best accomodation for passengers; the keel was longer, had less depth, and was better fitted for the navigation of narrow and shallow channels. "They were navigated by a rude and lawless class of men, who became distinguished as well for their drolleries, as for their predatory and ferocious habits. In the thinly scattered state of the population, their numbers rendered them formidable, as there were few villages on the rivers, and still fewer settlements, which contained a sufficient number of able bodied men to cope with the crew of a barge, consisting usually of thirty or forty hands; while the arrival of several of these boats together made them completely masters of the place. The large rivers whose meanders they pursued formed the boundaries of States, so that living continually on the lines which divided different civil jurisdictions, they could pass with ease from one to the other, and never be made responsible to any. It is a singular fact, that lawless and wild as these men were, the valuable cargoes of merchandise committed to their care, and secured by no other bond than their integrity, were always carried safely to their destination, and the traveler, however weak, or however richly freighted, relied securely on their protection."[4] Navigating long rivers, whose shores were still infested by hostile savages, the boatmen were armed, and depended for safety upon their caution and their manhood.[5]
The barges, but rarely using sails, and receiving only an occasional impulse from their oars, descended the stream with a speed but little superior to that of the current. About the year 1795, seventy or eighty days were consumed in making the long and monotonous voyage from Pittsburg to New Orleans,[6] while in 1802, Michaux says that "the barges, in the Spring, usually take forty or fifty days to make the passage, which two or three persons in a pirogue make in twenty-five days."[7] The return voyage was not effected in less than four months.[8] The heavily laden boats were propelled against the strong current by poles, or where the stream was too deep to admit the use of those, drawn by ropes. The former process required the exertion of great strength and activity, but the latter was even more difficult and discouraging.[9] The first improvement in the navigation of the West, and in her commercial operations, was the introduction of barges moved by sails, when the wind permitted, and at other times, by oars, and setting poles, as the state of the water might require.[10] These vessels were constructed to carry from fifty to one hundred tons. In wet seasons, if properly manned, they could make two trips, between Cincinnati and New Orleans in a year. The increased quantity of cargo they carried, reduced the price of freight, and enabled them to transport from New Orleans to Cincinnati at from five to six dollars per hundred, which was below the average charge of carriage across the mountains.[11] From that time most of the groceries and other imported articles used in the Territory were brought up the river by those barges, and as the price of freight was reduced, the quantity of produce shipped was proportionately increased. The project was suggested and carried into operation, by two commercial houses in Cincinnati. The vessels continued in use until about the year 1817.[12] Previous to this year, the whole commerce from New Orleans to the "upper country" was carried on in about twenty barges, averaging one hundred tons each, and making but one trip in the year.[13] In 1811, the barge Cincinnati, arrived at Cincinnati. This was the first rigged vessel that ever arrived at this town from below. "She is 100 feet keel, 16 feet beam, rigged sloop fashion, and burthen 64 tons. She was warped over the falls by eighteen men in half a day."[14] At this time, 50 days in ascending to the mouth of the Ohio was considered a good voyage.[15]
The flat boat was introduced a little later than the others. It was a rough strong boat with a perfectly flat bottom, and perpendicular sides, and covered throughout the whole length.[16] Being constructed to float with the current, they did not usually return after descending the river, though as early as the year 1789 they were in use for traveling up as well as down stream.[17] Burnet describes the flat boat as being "made of green oak plank, fastened by wooden pins to a frame of timber, and caulked with tow, or any other pliant substance that could be procured. Boats similarly constructed on the northern waters were then called arks, but on the western waters, they were denominated Kentucky boats. The materials of which they were composed were found to be of great utility in the construction of temporary buildings for safety, and for protection from the inclemency of the weather, after they had arrived at their destination,"[18] These boats were much used by emigrating families to transport themselves down the Ohio.[19]
In the year 1794, four keel boats, carrying probably not more than twenty tons each, were supposed to be sufficient for the trade between Cincinnati and Pittsburg.[20] The boats were advertised as having "cover made proof against rifle or musket balls, and convenient port holes for firing out of. Each of the boats are armed with six pieces carrying a pound ball, also a number of good muskets, and amply supplied with plenty of ammunition." "Tables accurately calculated for the rates of freightage, for passengers, and carriage of letters to and from Cincinnati to Pittsburg ... may be seen on board each boat, and at the printing office in Cincinnati."[21] Previous to the year 1817 the number of keel boats on the Ohio had increased to about one hundred and fifty, of about thirty tons each, which made the voyage from Pittsburg to Louisville and back in two months, or about three such trips in the year.[22]