Questions about a Texas steamboat

The Uncle Ben's full designation was the CSS Uncle Ben. She was a part of the Confederate Navy and was known as a "cotton clad" boat because of the cotton bales they used as armor. Google "Steamboat Uncle Ben" and you will find several entries.

You can start with this one.

Articles related to THE BATTLE OF SABINE PASS
Steamboats Josiah Bell and Uncle Ben were piled high with cotton bales as armament, thus to become known as "cotton-clads". The thick, heavy bales of cotton ...

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Paul

Lytle-Holdcamper lists three Uncle Bens. Two are obviously not the one you are seeking. The other one is listed as a sidewheeler built at Pittsburgh in 1845 and abandoned in 1860. 106 tons. Nothing else is given.
This may help you eliminate some possibilities. At 106 tons this was a very small boat and could have gone up a Texas creek.

Lexie Palmore;9093 wrote: A local historian who writes articles for a newspaper mentioned a steamboat that I cannot find in Way's. He said it was built in either Jeffersonville in 1853or Louisville in 1856. It was called the Uncle Ben, was a 171' sidewheeler, and ran on the Sabine River as far north as Brazoria (no longer exists) which is just north of my home town of Tyler. This is an unbelievably long way inland for a steamboat in Texas, but they did do it. These Texas rivers nowadays hardly seem big enough for a canoe. Is there a resource in the Louisville area for finding documentation of this boat? The boat was snagged and lost in 1867.

Lexie,

Based on the following quote, the CSS Uncle Ben is the boat you're looking for.

"In the fall of 1865, it appears that the "Uncle Ben" was auctioned to persons unknown, and the steamboat soon returned to the Sabine cotton trade. By then the sidewheeler was approaching a relatively old age for the river boats of that era. During one of her many successful voyages made during the post-bellum years, the "Uncle Ben" struck a snag and foundered in the river near East Hamilton. And apparently, the hull was considered a total loss from the beginning for no attempt was ever made to raise it. Thus was ended what was perhaps the most illustrious career of any vessel in the history of East Texas steamboating."

Paul

Lexie-
The Uncle Ben is mentioned in "Sandbars and Sternwheels, Steam Navigation on the Brazos" as having been one of the two CS cottonclads at the Battle of Sabine Pass. In "The Neches River Cotton Steamboats: A Romantic Interlude of Frontier Days", W. T. Block. There she is given as a 135 ft. sidewheeler who made five trips to Belzoria, near Tyler, in 1857. She belonged to a Robert Patton until the war when the CSA took her over. She was probably sold at auction in 1865 and snagged and sank in the Sabine at East Hamilton in 1867. She may also be listed in the volume of "Forgotten Texas Ports" that covers the Neches/Sabine.

Here is a link to an article about the Uncle Ben.

http://www.wtblock.com/wtblockjr/uncleben.htm

Thanks for that info. Now I just have to find out where East Hamilton is or was. Could there still be a wreck buried in the mud? Good possibility. I hope to find the time to talk to the author of the article and learn of his sources. This would be a good wreck for the Institute of Nautical Archaelogy to dig up as the others they have dug up were from a different period of time and construction. Maybe I'll go check out that bell.

Here's a link to info on East Hamilton:

http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/EE/hre1.html

Lex, it looks like you'll have to break out your scuba equipment for this one!

About ten years ago in a correspondence with Jim and Virginia Lasworth, I received a little bit of information on the UNCLE BEN. Here's a recap: Built in 1853 at Jeffersonville, IN and a sister vessel to the JOSIAH H. BELL. Sidewheel/wooden hull. Named for "Uncle" Ben Granger of Sabine Pass, TX. 171' x 30' x 6.7' 412 tons. Owned by Robert S. Patton, 1856. Sold to John G. Berry, 1857. Sold again to Otto Ruff (of Beaumont) and C.H. Alexander (of Sabine Pass), 1858. Operated on the Sabine River. Carried 5,000 cotton bales annually (one-third of the cotton export from Sabine Pass) down the Sabine River with five voyages in 1857 and 1858, On two of the voyages reached 800 river miles to Belzoria (sp?), TX. Taken into Confederate Army military service, 1861-65. After the war returned to operate in the Sabine River trade. Hit a snag tree the Sabine River town of East Hamilton, TX in 1867 and went down.

Jerry

WOW! What a great job of research Jim and Virginia Lasworth did on Uncle Ben. We need more from them. And good for Jerry to save it.

More on UNCLE BEN - I dusted off my list of Texas Steamboats last night and found notes on TWO steamers named UNCLE BEN. One as discussed herein. The other is a sidewheeler of 106 tons built in 1845 at Pittsburgh, PA. Operated for a while in the Pittsburgh area and then taken to Texas to operate on the Neches and Sabine rivers around 1860. According to my notes was taken into Confederate registry in 1861 and used on Sabine Pass (TX) lake patrol 1861-65. Commanded by a Capt. G. Hall (1861) and Capt. Wm. Johnson (1863). Armed with (1) 68 lb. pivot gun and (2) 18 lb. cannon. Now what are the odds that there were two vessels named UNCLE BEN operating in the same area at the same time? Hmm. Time to track down note sources. "From Paddlewheels to Propellers" lists the JOSIAH K. BELL as being built by the Howards in 1853. UNCLE BEN was supposed to have been a sister vessel to the BELL, however, UNCLE BEN is not on the Howard list. Another vessel of similar dimensions (LUCY BELL) is on the Howard list but has a documented history outside of Texas. Was UNCLE BEN possibly built at another yard in Jeffersonville in 1853? Could there have ben two UNCLE BENs? (not likely).
Could the UNCLE BEN and JOSIAH K. BELL not have been sister vessels? Could the UNCLE BEN (Pittsburgh/1845) have been the one-and-only vessel of that name? This is pretty confusing and will require more sleuthing.

And, there was a Jesse K. Bell that was in the Red River trade to Jefferson. I think I have met the Lasworths, but it was years ago. They had an awesome amount of information. Much research was done on the steamboat trade to Jefferson, resulting in a huge book, by Jacques Bagur. Jacques and I talked frequently, and I found out that he spent mind numbing hours pouring over miles of microfilm and historic documents. He is a professional at unearthing stuff. He takes no ones word for it, so he makes few mistakes. And he is a true mythbuster, much to the chagrin of those who are passionate about their myths. Sounds like this Uncle Ben scenario will need Bagur-like research. I wouldn't know where to start.