The Steamboat Pennsylvania

*RE: Henry Clemens/Str. PENNSYLVANIA*

Hi, Dan,
If ever there was a jinxed steamboat--and there were more than a few--the PENNSYLVANIA fit the bill with other problems, collisions before her deadly boiler explosion. Sam Clemens [AKA Mark Twain] had served aboard the PENNSYLVANIA earlier but left her due to heated disagreements with her one pilot William Brown. This mentioned in LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI. In so leaving Sam secured a berth for his brother Henry as 'Mud Clerk' in the Purser's Office. The explosion was horrific with Henry suffering severe steam scalds, seared lungs dying later. It shattered Sam deeply with blame he laid on himself. Mark always was subject to wide mood swings all his life and it showed in his later writings, monologues, speeches. The boat and explosion covered extensively in NEW YORK TIMES newspaper stories at the time along with other papers in river towns and cities. It was far from a romantic, loving age.

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati.

Peter Shouse and Nicholas Roosevelt

I did a little more research on Shousetown PA which is about 13 miles from Downtown Pittsburgh and near Logstown where they signed the Logstown Treaty.

Peter Shouse built the Pennsylvinia Haul. It was said he was a friend of Nicholas Roosevelt and the frendship started when he helped build the New Orleans.

Some of these boats may have been finished in Mckeesport 13 miles the other way from downtown Pittsburgh. This is where Isaac Hammit is buried although he lived 13 more miles down the river in Elizabeth PA.

I know this is crazy, but I am looking at old photos of these riverboat builders and they all look like Mark Twain as if they are all cousins.

So there are several more Pittsburgh cemeterys I need to cover.

My interested is my family is buried in two places. They are 15 ft from Captian Isaac Hammit and 15 ft from Captain Daniel Pollard his brother-in-law.

They were riverboat builders that lost their business during the Civil War because they may have been connected to Jefferson Davis. Someone said the McIntyres built and owned the boat The Zachery Taylor.

Some of these Pittsburgh families may have been connected to CSA Col Meriwether Lewis Clark and his wife Abby Churchill. For sure Lucy Clark and her Croghan family is buried at Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh. The Croghans are married into the O'Haras who were business partners of Peter Shouse.

ual

R. Dale Flick;28139 wrote: Hi, Dan,
If ever there was a jinxed steamboat--and there were more than a few--the PENNSYLVANIA fit the bill with other problems, collisions before her deadly boiler explosion. Sam Clemens [AKA Mark Twain] had served aboard the PENNSYLVANIA earlier but left her due to heated disagreements with her one pilot William Brown. This mentioned in LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI. In so leaving Sam secured a berth for his brother Henry as 'Mud Clerk' in the Purser's Office. The explosion was horrific with Henry suffering severe steam scalds, seared lungs dying later. It shattered Sam deeply with blame he laid on himself. Mark always was subject to wide mood swings all his life and it showed in his later writings, monologues, speeches. The boat and explosion covered extensively in NEW YORK TIMES newspaper stories at the time along with other papers in river towns and cities. It was far from a romantic, loving age.

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati.

Most Interest....

Mr. McIntyre - Your comments and insights on this Mark Twain character (if there really was such a person) are some of most delightful remarks I have ever heard on the subject... and so refreshingly written. You've got some great stuff, here, and if you ever get all your research together and write a book.. I will buy the first copy. Keep Posting.

An Age Before Steam

Thanks for the kind words. I need to collect a little more info on riverboat life before a book. One example is an obituary of a riverboat captain born in Pittsburgh around 1770 and died in Pittsburgh in 1846. It states in an age before steam, he drifted his flatboat loaded with goods from Pittsburgh to New Orleans and WALKED back.

I need to know that 1000 miles route back and how long would it take?

Any ideas?

ned

Shipyard Sam;28190 wrote: Mr. McIntyre - Your comments and insights on this Mark Twain character (if there really was such a person) are some of most delightful remarks I have ever heard on the subject... and so refreshingly written. You've got some great stuff, here, and if you ever get all your research together and write a book.. I will buy the first copy. Keep Posting.

Peter Shouse was born 8 Oct 1788 in Reading , Becks, Penn died 1877 and buried Shousetown, Allegheny, Penn. He Married in 1810 Ellen Vandervort b. 1793/1798. The had six children. Eliza B. 1809 ? m. Ezra Porter b. 1792. He and his brother bought the Shouse boatyard along with Peter's half brother Samuel b. 1805 d. 1902 he married Emily Vandervort a sister of Peters' wife.

Margaret Shouse b. 1828 M. Capt Crawford Cadwallader b. 1811. He became the manager of Peter's store.

Frank Francis Shouse b. 4 Apr 1826 d. 4 Sep 1907 at the Penn. Soldier and Sailor home in Erie, Penn. He severed in the Civil war enlisted 23 Aug 1862 Co. B 155 Inf & Discharged with disability 9 Mar 1863. he Married Mary P. Richey b. 1837 m. abt 1865.

Matilda Shouse m. J. M. Harris

unknown female Shouse Married Joseph Karr

James Shouse Jr b. 1836/1837

Shouse boatyard:

Peter started this yard sometime between 1822 and 1830 and sold in 1857 to Ezra and Natan Porter and his Bro Samuel Shouse. Boat building ended between 1873-1877. The yard generally just built the Hulls. Peter started in the boat building working on the first New Orleans and then worked on other boats in Monongahela and Pittsburgh both before and after serving in Ohio during the War of 1812.

Some of the 100 plus hulls they built:
The first boat was the Kentuckian, & others Buckeye State, Freeman Randen (used in New York City), Chamois went to Apalachicola, Florida, Red River, Algonquin, Mohican, and about the last hull was the Great Republic in 1873. There were not many steamboats being built in Pittsburgh in 1817/1818. I wonder if he had a part in the construction of the Western Engineer for Steven Long of the Corps of Engineers.

Boat Hulls by Peter Shouse

This is my understanding.

The Hulls were build in Shousetown then towed to downtown Pittsburgh where the steam engines would be installed by the Rees family. Then towed to McKeesport/Elizabeth to be custom finished by the Hammitt Pollard McIntyre Roosevelt Livingston Fulton Lewis and Clark families.

It's kind of like how GM made their cars.

So no one family did everything.

The most interesting boat is the Kate Adams which used Thomas Edison's DC electric system for the first time. It was made by Captain James Rees and Sons. There is a story that J&L Steel made the Hull for this one. James Rees installed the motors. Thomas Edison's employees installed the electric system. People in McKeesport did the finishing work.

I believe this is when Thomas Edison was introduced to the shoe making Warner Brothers. The Selznick Foundation at the George Eastman House in Rochester NY clearly states the Warner Brothers were making shoes next to the factory of Captain James Rees in Pittsburgh. It was only later in 1923 when Warner Brothers moved to Burbank California did they make movies with Thomas Edison's camera.

ous

Carl Jones;28205 wrote: Shouse boatyard:

Peter started this yard sometime between 1822 and 1830 and sold in 1857 to Ezra and Natan Porter and his Bro Samuel Shouse. Boat building ended between 1873-1877. The yard generally just built the Hulls. Peter started in the boat building working on the first New Orleans and then worked on other boats in Monongahela and Pittsburgh both before and after serving in Ohio during the War of 1812.

Some of the 100 plus hulls they built:
The first boat was the Kentuckian, & others Buckeye State, Freeman Randen (used in New York City), Chamois went to Apalachicola, Florida, Red River, Algonquin, Mohican, and about the last hull was the Great Republic in 1873. There were not many steamboats being built in Pittsburgh in 1817/1818. I wonder if he had a part in the construction of the Western Engineer for Steven Long of the Corps of Engineers.

He might have taken the Natchez Trace part of the way. Those old roads were well travelled and were infinitely more dangerous than the steamboats that eventually replaced them, as well as being slower and a lot harder on the anatomy, whether you were riding or walking. If one could make a trip like that unscathed, he was most fortunate. Such an adventure would take months.

Year In Year Out

By his obituary, he did this all the time year in and year out. I am thinking he has family along the way. That is from New Orleans to Pittsburgh. Or maybe the obituary is not true. No one ever did this, they just say they did.

His name was Captain Thomas Dunseith and he made the 1800 Elizabeth PA Census with a wife and several children. Several people into riverboats in Pittsburgh say he was related to the Dunsee/Dunshe family who was related to Captain Daniel Pollard.

He is buried about 20 ft from Isaac Hammitt in the Lewis and Clark Cemetery lot.

Now there is another group in this family and they were Catholic French shoemakers connected to Albert Gallatin at his farm at Frendship Hill just south of Pittsburgh.

I guess if your doing that kind of walking, good shoemaking family might be nice to know.

Lexie Palmore;28210 wrote: He might have taken the Natchez Trace part of the way. Those old roads were well travelled and were infinitely more dangerous than the steamboats that eventually replaced them, as well as being slower and a lot harder on the anatomy, whether you were riding or walking. If one could make a trip like that unscathed, he was most fortunate. Such an adventure would take months.

Somebody did it. Parts of the Natchez Trace and other traces I'm familiar with are about 8 feet lower than the surrounding ground. He could have traveled in a group, which would discourage bandits, and lend support if injured. A good pair of shoes or two would be pretty important.

Danial they did make that trip!! It is astonishing that you stated that " no one ever did this, they just say that they did. My Great-Great Grandfather, Joshua Armstrong Judd made 42 flatboat trips South in his lifetime. He was a resident of Moscow, Ohio and he ran the ferry service from Moscow, Oh to Ivor, Ky. He kept a sort of log or diary on some of those trips. His trips are discussed in Howes Historical Collections of Ohio.

He would build a rather large flatboat in partnership with two or three neighbors, fill it with produce over the summer and set off for New Orleans in late October, hoping for that usual fall rise to assist them.

After selling the produce and the flatboat he and his partners would set off for home. In his younger years,and not having much money they would walk home. After several trips he had accumulated some cash and he and his partners would buy horses and ride home.

In his older years and with the Steamboats now quite numerous he would pay passage on them for home.

His path homeward was the Natchez Trace to Nashville, then the south branch of the Wilderness Road to the Lexington area, it went on to Maysville, Ky. Your Pittsburgh person probably then went by Zanes Trace to meet the National Rd. to the Washington, Pa. area.

A funny thing happened to me on several of my working trips to New Orleans. After spending several days working in Nola and as I headed home I thought of the long drive ahead, then thinking of my Great-Great Grandfather I decided I had it pretty good and it seemed to shorten my drive.

*RE: Flatboats/Long walk home*

Hi, Steamboating colleagues:
Bill Judd nailed it with great family history RE: flatboats south, long trek home on foot--or by steamboat usually traveling on 'the lower deck' working their way back. This more common than one would think with plenty of historical documentation. Seems even one or more of the very early Howard steamboating family also followed this path by water south.

There's a difference between a 'trace' and a 'trail.' 'Trace' came from early Native Americans, pioneers, or travelers then in general, following the 'traces' or paths that for untold eons had been beaten down by thousands of thundering buffalo hooves during their migrations or in search of salt/mineral 'licks.' 'Trail' was, usually, cut or carved out by earlier pioneer settlers as roads at times following earlier Native American paths. The migrating buffalo knew from natural instinct, later peoples followed as common sense. Well, what do I know?

R. Dale Flick
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River, Cincinnati.

The Walk with Good Shoes

I didn't mean that they didn't walk home. I just get a blank look from Historians on the workings of old riverboat/flatboats in Pittsburgh and how they might connect to Meriwether Lewis. The first thing for Historians is not to believe that they walked back all the way from New Orleans. Next thing not to believe is Meriwether Lewis had a family in Pittsburgh. That Meriwether Lewis lived alone in a small log cabin in Pittsburgh for 10 years before Thomas Jefferson decided to give him one of the most important jobs of the 1800's.

Now that log cabin story is not to be believed by me, along with the idea the names Sacajawea and John Baptiste were very common Native American names. I have a record that an actor Thomas Jefferson worked at the Richmond VA theater in the late 1700's. Another common name. Acting and being in charge are close cousins.

So the name is Judd?

Bill Judd;28224 wrote: Danial they did make that trip!! It is astonishing that you stated that " no one ever did this, they just say that they did. My Great-Great Grandfather, Joshua Armstrong Judd made 42 flatboat trips South in his lifetime. He was a resident of Moscow, Ohio and he ran the ferry service from Moscow, Oh to Ivor, Ky. He kept a sort of log or diary on some of those trips. His trips are discussed in Howes Historical Collections of Ohio.

He would build a rather large flatboat in partnership with two or three neighbors, fill it with produce over the summer and set off for New Orleans in late October, hoping for that usual fall rise to assist them.

After selling the produce and the flatboat he and his partners would set off for home. In his younger years,and not having much money they would walk home. After several trips he had accumulated some cash and he and his partners would buy horses and ride home.

In his older years and with the Steamboats now quite numerous he would pay passage on them for home.

His path homeward was the Natchez Trace to Nashville, then the south branch of the Wilderness Road to the Lexington area, it went on to Maysville, Ky. Your Pittsburgh person probably then went by Zanes Trace to meet the National Rd. to the Washington, Pa. area.

A funny thing happened to me on several of my working trips to New Orleans. After spending several days working in Nola and as I headed home I thought of the long drive ahead, then thinking of my Great-Great Grandfather I decided I had it pretty good and it seemed to shorten my drive.