Steamboat Arabia: A Historian’s Blog

COLLECTIONS:

Archives, Libraries, historical societies and other people have helped me to get a handle understanding the Arabia Steamboat Museum's collection.

Welcome back to my blog. The image above is not a tintype, but a miniature of Henry Chouteau (painting on ivory) in a daguerreotype case from the St. Louis Photographic Gallery for Thomas Easterly.

I bet your perplexed why I am using the example above to make a point about the tintype of the child holding the flint lock rifle.

Often, there is question if the image was later put into a photographic case and that is why my tintype and clothing expert have different dates when this child was photographed. If you recall in my last 2 blogs, my tintype expert based her analysis on the mat was patented in 1861 and my clothing expert said the style was a passing fad in 1851-1854.

I am revisiting this topic again after receiving another email from Joan, who wrote,

Elizabeth-- 

That topknot hair thing really was quite a short-lived fad, and I lean more 

to a closer date for the tintype than to think the hair was done that way 

long after the fad had passed. 

I can see 1856 - 7 at a reach--but never into the '60's 

Did they never mount a tintype AFTER the fact? 

Joan 

I replied 

Hi Joan, 

Yes, Matthew wondered if the case was a later additon. The case had an 1861 mat. I see 1856-57 too....The good part is the date has narrow down to only a few years- very impressive! 

Elizabeth 

  And That reminded me of my query with the minature above. I've used this before in my early blog, Salesman's Journal: Glassware, Queenware, Chinaware and Pottery 10  where I wrote

Henry Chouteau (1805-1855) who was the Pacific RR Executive died [in the railroad accident at the Gasconade Bridge]- Fannie Deavers' (mother of Julia Deavers Chouteau- widow) took a trip to Paris in 1857 and had a mourning miniature dated 1855 made by Millet (famous for his haystack paintings) and once back had Thomas Easterly, a St Louis daguerreotypist [photographer] mount it in a daguerreotype case- (see below- miniature that included a note and copy of Fannie's passport dated 1857) 

"With the darkness closing in, we hoisted the day's final box from the cargo hold and gently set it on the main deck. When we lifted the lid, we discovered beautiful "Cathedral" bottles containing bright green pickles. Each bottle carried an oval label made of lead foil which read, "Sweet Pickles, Wells, Provost & Co. 215, 217 & 219 Front St. Wholesale Depot, New York."

Just how were sweet pickles made? For the answer I went to my library and pulled out my 1851 cookbook, Cook's Own Book and found the recipe below. Although this recipe was intended for the family cook, it was most likely the same as the mass produced jar above. Even then, people were looking for convenience.

The recipe calls for fine loaf sugar. Unlike today, when we buy granulated sugar, people then bought their sugar in cones or loafs. The recipe says to use fine loaf sugar, here's a refined white cone made of dark molasses (raw sugar cane).

I found another free google book The Chemical News and Journal of Industrial Science 1919 and although this book comments on the sugar industry in England factories in 1854, I learned sugar was made either from sugar cane or beetroot (better known as Sugar Beets that contain a large amount of sucrose). Many thanks to Wikipedia, I can show a stretch of the sugar beet and the sugar loaf.



I was happy to find out a little more about Wells, Provost & Co. too.

The California Digital Newspaper Collection has online newspapers dating as early as 1846 to present and in the edition Daily Alta California, Volume 6, Number 132, 25 May 1855 — COMMERCIAL. [ARTICLE] reports that this firm is importing goods into San Franciso before the Arabia sank.

"At private sale we report the following: 400 dozen assorted Pic Fruits, 100 cs hf gallon Brandy Peaches, 396 ct hf gallon Pickles, all on private terms; and at auction the following lots of fresh goods, packed by Wells, Provost &. Co."

Then on a free ebook from Google called The Seal of Safety: Year Book of the Max Ams Machine Co. published 1915 By Max Ams Machine Company, where I read their
Business was so good that Wells, Provost & Co. sent their product in kegs and barrels in 1858 and bottled there. By 1860, they opened their own cannery since the fruit trees were old enough to bear fruit (The Seal of Safety page 27).



Who would ever believe this glass jar holds so much history- So next time you're having a sandwich, you have lots to say to your friend about that pickle laying on your plate.

Above: Levee in St. Louis 1857 Ballou Pictorial Drawing Companion

Today I am continuing my blog, "What if Arabia didn't hit the snag in 1856?" by posting from the Rail and River Transportation Report.



In order to read these- Click on the Chart and it will be largest enough to read.


This is only the first six pages with the rest (God Willing) on the next blog. Many thanks go to my dear husband who helped to photograph and resize the charts (he'll get a good dinner tonight!).


The List of boats destroyed on the Mississippi River and its tributaries: From May 1, 1861, to the surrender of General Kirby Smith's army, and the cessation of hostilities, June 2, 1865.

Above Civil War Hospital Steamboat on the Mississippi

Hello and Welcome to my blog. Since so many Civil War Reinactors visit the Arabia Steamboat Museum, I questioned: What if the Steamboat Arabia didn't hit the snag in 1856; what would have her life have been? 

It's a game or scholarly curiosity Civil Round Tables play. They ask questions....what if this & what if that...So, this blog goes out to the Civil War Round table of the District of Columbia who will be visiting Vicksburg in April 2013.  

So, let me expand the question today asking;

"If Steamboat Arabia was docked in St. Louis during the Union occupation, what might happen?" 

I'd love to be a fly on the wall to hear that conversation.

When the steamer sank she was last owned by two forwarding and receiving commission merchants who remained in St. Louis, and, like all merchants, their shipping business catered to the U.S. military (sending similar goods found in the Arabia Steamboat Museum).

Just look what I found- (click on the image to see the full image)





 This chart says it all and is a newly acquired pamphlet in my collection titled: REPORTS to the WAR DEPARTMENT by BREV. MAJ GEN. LEWIS B. PARSONS, CHIEF of RAIL AND RIVER TRANSPORTATION. St. Louis, Mo. George Knapp & Co., Printers and Binders 1867.



And read; "The amount of transportation furnished at St. Louis, Mo. during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1863, as per Report of Capt. Charles Parsons, A. Q. M. in charge of transportation at that post." The chart shows a comparison between trains and steamboats and steamboats transported more provisions and a third less troops than trains.

My own Great-grand father John Westly Duncan rode the side wheeler Sam Gaty north after the Battle of Shiloh. (April 6-7 1862). On his Iowa's unit trip back down the river, he had seen enough and was listed as AWOL in St. Louis. Thank heavens he did because many in his unit died from smallpox shortly after and I wouldn't be here. (This reports listed the Sam Gaty was lost to a snag in September 1863 at Island No. 62 near Vicksburg).

What would Steamboat Arabia's role had been (if she hasn't sunk) during the Civil War?

Which side would she be on- Union or Confederate?
Would she be transporting government troops, be a hospital or still in private hands?
Would she be burned to avoid being captured, sunk by enemy fire, commandeered by officers or would have survived the war?

I'd approach this, "What if," by finding a good source and I found one.



Above- In Memoriam- General Lewis Baldwin Parsons (he oversaw the western transportation in St. Louis during the Civil War.) His memoriam gives many details about St. Louis during the Civil War. Google Books has a copy on line (click on the cited book above & scroll up to page 1). Parsons had an interesting life, he lived near St. Louis where he was a lawyer and married there.

It is such a good pamphlet and when I read down the List of Boats Destroyed on the Mississippi River and its' Tributaries, I saw many steamboats that plyed the inland waterways with the Steamboat Arabia.

Here's some examples on the list-

Grey Eagle- May 9, 1861- Where: Rock Island Illinois- Collision with a bridge- Value $35,000- owned Galena, Ill.
New Era- June 22, 1861- Where: St. Louis- Burned accidentally- Value $6,500- owned St. Louis
Messenger- Dec 7, 1861- Where: 8 Miles below Rochester Ohio- Striking snag- Value $25,000- Cincinnati Ohio
Imperial, Hiawatha, Post Boy, Jesse K Bell- September 14, 1863- Where: St. Louis Levee- These boats were burned by Frazier and his accomplices, acting under instructions from rebel government.

In conclusion, I think Steamboat Arabia would have burned by the rebels. With that in mind, isn't it nice she hit the sang and sank so the merchandise ended up being artifacts in the Arabia Steamboat Museum.


My next blog will post the List of Boats Destroyed on the Mississippi River and its' Tributaries from  Capt. Charles Parsons, A. Q. M. Report. I had to be extra gentle with this because I didn't want to break the spine.