CHAPTER THREE.
THE "BELLE OF THE WEST."
I was on board at the advertised time; but punctuality on a Mississippisteamboat must not be expected; and I found myself too early, by acouple of hours at least.
The time was not thrown away. I spent it to some profit in examiningthe peculiar craft in which I had embarked. I say, _peculiar_; for thesteamers employed upon the Mississippi and its tributary waters areunlike those of any other country--even unlike those in use in theAtlantic or Eastern States.
They are strictly "river-boats," and could not live in anything like arough sea; though the reckless owners of some of them have occasionallyrisked them along the coast from Mobile to Galveston, Texas!
The hull is built like that of a sea boat, but differs materially fromthe latter in depth of hold. So shallow is it, that there is but littlestowage-room allowed; and the surface of the main deck is but a fewinches above the water-line. Indeed, when the boat is heavily laden,the waves lip over the gunwales. Upon the deck is placed the machinery;and there rest the huge cast-iron boilers, and the grates or "furnaces,"necessarily large, because the propelling power is produced from logs ofwood. There, also, most of the freight is stowed, on account of thelight capacity of the hold; and on every part, not occupied by themachinery and boilers, may be seen piles of cotton-bales, hogsheads oftobacco, or bags of corn, rising to the height of many feet. This isthe freight of a down-river-boat. On the return trip, of course, thecommodities are of a different character, and consist of boxes of Yankeefurniture, farming implements, and "notions," brought round by ship fromBoston; coffee in bags from the West Indies, rice, sugar, oranges, andother products of the tropical South.
On the after-part of this deck is a space allotted to the humbler classof travellers known as "deck passengers." These are never Americans.Some are labouring Irish--some poor German emigrants on their way to thefar North-West; the rest are negroes--free, or more generally slaves.
I dismiss the hull by observing that there is a good reason why it isbuilt with so little depth of hold. It is to allow the boats to passthe shoal water in many parts of the river, and particularly during theseason of drought. For such purpose the lighter the draught, thegreater the advantage; and a Mississippi captain, boasting of thecapacity of his boat in this respect, declared, that all he wanted was_a heavy dew upon, the grass, to enable him to propel her across theprairies_!
If there is but little of a Mississippi steamboat under the water, thereverse is true of what may be seen above its surface. Fancy atwo-story house some two hundred feet in length, built of plank, andpainted to the whiteness of snow; fancy along the upper story a row ofgreen-latticed windows, or rather doors, thickly set, and opening outupon a narrow balcony; fancy a flattish or slightly rounded roof coveredwith tarred canvas, and in the centre a range of sky-lights like glassforcing-pits; fancy, towering above all, two enormous black cylinders ofsheet-iron, each ten feet in diameter, and nearly ten times as high, the"funnels" of the boat; a smaller cylinder to one side, the"'scape-pipe;" a tall flag-staff standing up from the extreme end of thebow, with the "star-spangled banner" flying from its peak;--fancy allthese, and you may form some idea of the characteristic features of asteamboat on the Mississippi.
Enter the cabin, and for the first time you will be struck with thenovelty of the scene. You will there observe a splendid saloon, perhapsa hundred feet in length, richly carpeted and adorned throughout. Youwill note the elegance of the furniture,--costly chairs, sofas, tables,and lounges; you will note the walls, richly gilded and adorned withappropriate designs; the crystal chandeliers suspended from the ceiling;the hundred doors that lead to the "state-rooms" on each side, and theimmense folding-door of stained or ornamental glass, which shuts in thesacred precinct of the "ladies' saloon." In short, you will note allaround you a style and luxuriance to which you, as a European traveller,have not been accustomed. You have only read of such a scene in someOriental tale--in Mary Montagu, or the "Arabian Nights."
And yet all this magnificence is sometimes sadly at variance with thestyle of the company that occupies it--for this splendid saloon is asmuch the property of the coarse "rowdy" as of the refined gentleman.You are startled by the apparition of a rough horse-skin boot elevatedalong the edge of the shining mahogany; and a dash of brown nicotianjuice may have somewhat altered the pattern of the carpet! But thesethings are exceptional--more exceptional now than in the times of whichI write.
Having satisfied myself with examining the interior structure of the"Belle of the West," I sauntered out in front of the cabin. Here alarge open space, usually known as the "awning," forms an excellentlounging-place for the male passengers. It is simply the continuationof the "cabin-deck," projected forward and supported by pillars thatrest upon the main deck below. The roof, or "hurricane-deck," alsocarried forward to the same point, and resting on slight wooden props,screens this part from sun or rain, and a low guard-rail running aroundit renders it safe. Being open in front and at both sides, it affordsthe best view; and having the advantage of a cool breeze, brought aboutby the motion of the boat, is usually a favourite resort. A number ofchairs are here placed to accommodate the passengers, and smoking ispermitted.
He must take very little interest in the movements of human life, whocannot kill an hour by observing it upon the "Levee" of New Orleans; andhaving seated myself and lighted my cigar, I proceeded to spend an hourin that interesting occupation.