History of Wheeling City and Ohio Co. WV - Chapters III-V



CHAPTER III. LIFE AMONG THE EARLY SETTLERS
Building of the Log Cabin--One Hundred Years Ago--Sports and Amusements--
Characters of the Settlers--Some Inconveniences to Which the Settlers Were 
Subjected 

In the early history of Ohio county an important and interesting event was 
the building of the log cabin. A certain day was set apart for the 
accomplishment of the undertaking, and the settlers for miles around were 
notified of the time and place at which they were to assemble and assist 
in its construction, which invitation was always responded to by them with 
alacrity. Upon arriving at the scene of the cabin's intended location, 
they chose an experienced individual who was styled the "captain," and who 
assigned to each his respective duties. Four of the most active and expert 
men in the use of the axe were chosen as corner men, who were required to 
clear the site, square it and place a large rock at each corner to build 
upon, after being properly leveled, then saddle and notch with precision 
the logs in finished and complete order. 

The "captain" would then assign a number of men to select from the trees, 
near the site as possible, the largest growth, straight grained white oak 
for clapboards, which they were to fell and to crosscut into proper 
lengths, then to split the cuts into square bolts and then to rive or 
split them. Another set of men was required to provide puncheons for 
floors, doors, windows and chimney-corner jambs, out of such timber as was 
best suited for that purpose, such as oak, chestnut or ash, which made 
good floors when spotted on the under side at the ends out of the wind, 
and rested on sleepers placed at regular distances apart, with the upper 
straight and well dressed. These, when top-dressed by a competent adzman, 
made an excellent substitute for plank, which at that early day could not 
be obtained for the reason that there were no sawmills. 

The "captain" would then send out a detail to cull out near the site 
suitable standing trees and fell them and chop them off at proper lengths 
for the proposed building, with teamsters to haul them in as they were 
logged off by dragging them on the ground by a chain with a hook at one 
end of the log. Other teamsters provided with rough wooden sleds hauled in 
the clapboards, puncheons and such other materials as would be required in 
the completion of the structure. 

Other preliminaries having been arranged, the "captain" would take his 
position and make proclamation to the remainder of his forces, directing 
them immediately to prepare smooth skids, the necessary number of forks 
with grapevine or hickory withes around the prongs and two or three strong 
cross sticks inserted through holes bored in the lower ends to give hand 
holds to push by, and also to provide a sufficient number of hand-spikes 
of tough, small, round dogwood, hickory or ironwood some four feet long 
with ends shaved smooth, to be used by the men to bear up the logs while 
passing them to the corner men or to the foot of the skids, as might be 
required. Then no one but the "captain" was to give any directions 
relating to the further progress of the building; as each log was hauled 
to the spot he with a glance of his eye or an inclination of his head 
would make the necessary directions, and by his order the log would be 
conveyed to the corner men upon hand-spikes with sturdy men at the ends 
walking on both sides of the log bearing it up to its destination; then 
the second log was brought forward in like manner, each being placed after 
being spotted flat on the under side so as to rest level on the corner 
stones as the end logs of the building would be equi-distant apart between 
the ends, then the ends would be prepared by the corner men with what was 
familiarly known as the "saddle," which consisted in this: the expert 
corner man would bevel off at an angle of about 45 degrees each side of 
the ends of the log, the two bevels meeting at a point on the top center 
of the log presenting an end view of the upper half of the log. This 
preparation was to receive the transverse logs notched at each end and so 
as to nicely fit over the saddles. The two logs thus placed and fitted, 
the "captain" would select the two nicest logs being straight for the 
front and rear bottom logs; being sills, these two logs when in the hands 
of the corner men would be notched deeper than the other logs, so as not 
to throw the floor too high from the ground. The corner man at each end of 
the log would cut their notches so exactly at the same angle and at the 
same time as to exactly fit their respective saddles and thus make a solid 
fit and out of wind. This dexterity on their part doubtless gave rise to 
the aphorism, "He cuts his notches close." 

The four foundation logs having been notched and saddled and in their 
places and tested to see if they were square, the next thing was to cut 
the slots in the sills to receive the sleepers, which, if prepared by 
being scotched straight on the upper sides, were cut to right lengths and 
fitted at the ends so as to rest solidly upon the slots, and to put them 
in their places, though this was frequently done after the building was 
raised. 

All thing being ready for the superstructure, the "captain" with a shrill 
and emphatic voice selects a log and his forces bear it to the corner men, 
resting one end of the hand-spikes on the top log already placed, rolling 
it upon the two saddled logs; it was then fitted and made ready in the 
proper manner and placed plumb on the wall by a practiced eye aided by the 
pendulous axe held loosely at tip of the helve between the thumb and 
forefinger of the experts. 

When the routine was continued and the building became too high to reach 
the hand-spikes upon the wall, then the skids resting on the ground at the 
butt ends would be reared up to the corners on the front side, and one end 
of the structure nearest to the collection of the timber which had been 
hauled in. the logs are then selected one by one and carried to the foot 
of the several skids, placed on them and rolled up as far as the men could 
conveniently reach; and being stanchioned and held the necessary numbered 
forks were placed under each end of the log inside of the skids with lower 
ends held firmly down to the ground were by order of the "captain" manned 
at the cross handles at each end of the log and at a given word were slid 
up the skids by the uniform motive power thus applied to the top, where by 
the leverage of hand-spikes in the hands of the corner men it would be 
thrown on top of the already saddled logs and by them rolled to the back 
wall; the next log in like manner would be shoved up and received by the 
corner men for the wall upon which the skids rested; these being fitted 
the two logs intersect as transverse would in like manner be placed on the 
ends of the last two logs, all being done with exact uniformity and 
celerity and neatly fitted to their respective places in the wall. If the 
cabin is intended to be more than one story, at the proper height from the 
top of the sleepers from the lower floor slots would be prepared for the 
joists, and if they were on the ground would be fitted in like manner with 
the sleepers. 

Then the building in the routine already described having been carried up 
to the square, thereupon the two ends of the structure would be raised, 
the eaves bearers projecting about 20 inches beyond the walls, and notched 
down and saddled back far enough to receive the timbers hereafter 
described; when the two ends in front of the building were notched at the 
upper tips in the shape of a letter V to rest the upper ends of the skids, 
then the batting pole for the back side of the cabin would be shoved up to 
the front corner men and rolled to the back eave, and be notched down upon 
the saddles projecting some fifteen inches beyond the outside plumb of the 
wall; then the first rib would be sent up to the corner men and rolled 
back to its proper distance inside of the said batting pole and be notched 
down so as to give the pitch of the roof from the center of the batting 
pole to the top surface of the said rib; then the front rib and batting 
pole would in like manner be sent up and placed in the same order as those 
in the rear; then the first two gable logs would be placed in notches cut 
in the ribs, and chamfered at the ends to suit the pitch of the roof, the 
other ribs and gable logs being placed so as to preserve the intended 
pitch of the roof; the upper and central one being called the ridge pole 
is notched down in such a position that a straight-edge would from the 
center of the batting poles upward touch the upper surfaces of all the 
ribs and ridge pole respectively at the indicated angles. Then the cabin 
is ready for the clapboards, which are laid down upon the ribs with lower 
ends resting against the batting poles, with small spaces between, which 
are top covered in like manner, so as to break joints, and the eave 
courses being so laid down, knees out of the hearts of clapboard bolts of 
proper lengths are prepared at each end resting endwise against the 
batting poles to hold up the weight poles which are placed upon the two 
eave courses of clapboards as nearly over the ribs as possible, and in 
like manner another course of clapboards is on each side laid down 
abutting the weight poles and being kneed as described. Another weight 
pole is put in its place to hold down the boards, and so on until the 
entire cabin is roofed and weighed down as per programme. 

The forces detailed to furnish material in the early part of the day 
would, long before the cabin was raised and covered, have finished their 
several allotments of labor, and have reported themselves ready for 
further service; they would again be subdivided, and their respective 
duties under the direction of the "captain" be assigned to them. Some 
would be employed in cutting out the openings, such as doors, windows and 
fireplaces and jambing them up with materials prepared for that purpose, 
others in laying the floor as already described, others in building the 
chimney, back and side jambs for the outside fireplace, others in laying 
the floor as already described, others in building the chimney, back and 
side jambs for the outside fireplace, others in preparing "cat and clay" 
with which to top out the chimney and to put in stone back wall and 
fireplace jambs, others in making doors out of long clapboards prepared 
for such purposes and hanging them on wooden hinges and fixing wooden 
latches, others in scratching down slightly with a broad-axe the inside 
walls, and others in chinking and daubing the cabin and filling up the 
hearth even with the floor, and flagging it with broad, flat stones, if 
such material was handy, and putting cross stick in the windows upon which 
greased paper would be pasted as a substitute for glass. Upon its 
completion a general house warming, so called, would be participated in, 
in the shape of a country dance, together with other innocent amusements, 
which would last often during the night as a prelude to its occupancy by 
the family. 


ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO 

In the settlement of a new country there are innumerable inconveniences 
and disadvantages with which the settlers have to contend. The trials and 
discomforts through which our forefathers were compelled to pass one 
hundred years ago can scarcely be appreciated by the people of the present 
day. There were the fewest number of what might be styled open roads which 
could be traveled; the individual when passing from one point to another 
followed the Indian trail or the track marked out by the adventurous 
pioneer; hence means of communication were extremely limited. Except in 
thickly settled portions of the country, there were but few mails, and 
even in such portions they were uncertain and irregular. There were no 
manufactories and no skilled labor. The trying scenes and the perils of a 
long and lingering Indian war through which they had passed had left the 
inhabitants in an exhausted condition. Money was scarce and difficult to 
be obtained. Continental money was worthless. The continental soldier at 
the expiration of his service had been paid off in script, hundreds of 
dollars of which would scarcely suffice to secure for him a respectable 
meal. By force of circumstances they were compelled to be satisfied with 
the rudest and most primitive implements of husbandry and household 
furniture, the product of their rough ingenuity and skill. Their food was 
the product of the field and the forest. Their tea was made of the golden 
rod and the roots of the sassafras, their coffee of parched corn or 
barley. Wild honey and home-made molasses they had in great quantities. 
Imported sugar was a luxury in which none but the most thrifty could 
indulge, and this only occasionally, as when the minister visited them in 
the course of his rounds, for they depended upon the sap of the maple 
trees for their ordinary supply. In the early spring it was customary to 
tap the maple trees for their supply of molasses and sugar. The sap was 
gathered into wooden troughs, which had been hollowed out by hand, and was 
emptied into large iron kettles which hung on a pole resting on forked 
sticks over a blazing fire which was attended by day and night by members 
of the family. When boiled down it was made into sugar. Sometimes one of 
these cakes would weigh 25 pounds, and with economy in its use would last 
a family an entire year. This was used by them to sweeten their tea and 
coffee. 

The thrifty housewife manufactured from the flax raised the clothes for 
the family, and the whiz of the busy spinning wheel could be heard by day 
and night. The boys and girls wore homespun, and were as proud of their 
new suits as the veriest coxcomb or flirt of today is of their fashionable 
cut or Parisian styles. 

The boys and girls, as a general rule, had not the advantages of a liberal 
education, as schools were few and widely scattered, and in them only 
reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic were taught, and these 
frequently by incompetent persons. 

The families usually were large, it being no unusual thing for them to be 
composed of 12 or 15 children. If one of the number was unusually bright, 
he would in some instances be selected for a profession,--that is to say, 
for a preacher, lawyer or physician,--and all the members of the family 
would contribute by their efforts to paying his tuition and for his 
support, and not infrequently stinting themselves that he might succeed. 

The principal mode of conveyance was the pack-horse, which carried from 
the east to the west such necessary articles as were not obtainable on 
this side of the mountains, such as nails, salt and calico goods. The 
original method of lighting the homes of the first settlers was by the 
pine knots of the fat pitch pines. 

While they labored under many disadvantages, and such as in the present 
would be regarded as impositions of the most inexcusable character, yet 
they also enjoyed many advantages to which we of today, with our improved 
comforts and conveniences, are, comparatively speaking, strangers. Their 
constant outdoor life made them sturdy, strong and healthy, and therefore 
they were exempt from many of the ills and diseases that afflict the 
society of the present day. Competition was not so keen, and the rush and 
push of everyday present life was unknown to them, consequently they led 
calm and contented lives and husbanded their energies. The accumulation of 
riches was not the absorbing passion of their lives, as it is with a large 
majority today, and their cry was not wherewithal shall we be fed and 
clothed, as they produced all that was necessary for these demands among 
themselves. Their fare, too, was simple and frugal as well as wholesome 
and invigorating. 

The children entertained a greater reverence for their parents and a 
higher regard for parental authority. They enjoyed natural sports and 
amusements, in the pursuit of which they seldom sacrificed health. Early 
hours for rest and sleep were the habits of their lives as well as early 
rising. 


SPORTS AND AMUSEMENTS 

Doddridge, in his notes, in speaking of the games and diversions engaged 
in at the beginning of the last century, says: "One important pastime of 
our boys was that of imitating the noise of every bird and beast in the 
woods. This faculty was not merely a pastime, but a very necessary part of 
education on account of its utility in certain circumstances. The 
imitations of the gobbling and other sounds of wild turkeys often brought 
those keen-eyed and ever watchful tenants of the forest within the reach 
of the rifle. The bleating of the fawn brought the dam to her death in the 
same way. The hunter often collected a company of mopish owls to the trees 
about his camp and amused himself with their hoarse screaming; his howl 
would raise and obtain responses from a pack of wolves, so as to inform 
him of their neighborhood, as well as guard him against their 
depredations. This imitative faculty was some times requisite as a measure 
of precaution in war. The Indians, when scattered about in a neighborhood, 
often collected together by imitating turkeys by day and wolves or owls by 
night. In similar situations our people did the same. I have often 
witnessed the consternation of a whole neighborhood in consequence of a 
few screeches of owls. An early and correct use of this imitative faculty 
was considered as an indication that its possessor would become in due 
time a good hunter and a valiant warrior." 

Throwing the tomahawk was another boyish sport in which many acquired 
considerable skill. The tomahawk, with its handle of a certain length, 
will make a given number of turns in a given distance, say, in five steps 
it will strike with the edge, the handle downward; at the distance of 
seven and a half it will strike with the edge, the handle upward, and soon 
a little experience enabled the boy to measure the distance with his eye 
when walking through the woods, and strike a tree with his tomahawk in any 
way he chose. 

The athletic sports of running, jumping and wrestling were the pastimes of 
boys in common with the men. A well-grown boy at the age of twelve or 
thirteen years was furnished with a small rifle and shot pouch. He then 
became a fort soldier and had his port-hole assigned him. Hunting 
squirrels, turkeys and raccoons soon made him expert in the use of his 
gun. 

Dancing was the principal amusement of the young people of both sexes, 
which were of the simplest forms. Three and four handed reels and jigs, as 
contra dances, cotillions and minuets were unknown. 

Shooting at marks was a common diversion among the men when their stock of 
ammunition would allow it; this was far from being always the case. The 
present mode of shooting off-hand was not then in practice. This mode was 
not considered as any trial of the value of a gun; nor indeed as much of a 
trial of the skill of a marksman. Their shooting was from a rest, and at 
as great a distance as the length and weight of the barrel of the gun 
would throw a ball on a horizontal level. Such was their regard to 
accuracy, in these sportive trials of their rifles, and of their own skill 
in the use of them, that they often put moss or some other soft substance 
on the log or stump from which they shot, for fear of having the bullet 
thrown from the mark by the spring of the barrel. When the rifle was held 
to the side of a tree for rest it was pressed against it as lightly as 
possible for the same reason. Rifles of former times were different from 
those of modern date; few of them carried more than 45 bullets to the 
pound. Bullets of a less size were not thought sufficiently heavy for 
hunting or war. 

Dramatic narrations concerning Jack and the Giant furnished young people 
with another source of amusement during their leisure hours. Many of these 
tales were lengthy and embraced a considerable range of incident; Jack was 
always the hero of the story, who after encountering many difficulties, 
and performing many great achievements, would come off the conqueror of 
the Giant. Many of these stories were tales of knight errantry, in which 
some captive damsel was released from captivity and restored to her lover. 
These dramatic narrations concerning Jack and the Giant bore stong 
resemblance to the poems of Ossian; the story of the cyclops and Uylsses 
in the Odyssey of Homer, and the tale of the Giand and Great Heart in 
Pilgrim's Progress. They were so arranged as to the different incidents of 
the narration that they were easily committed to memory. They certainly 
have been handed down from generation to generation from time immemorial. 
Civilization has indeed banished the use of those ancient tales of 
romantic heroism and substituted in their place the novel and romance. 

Singing was another but not very common amusement among the settlers. 
Their tunes, generally speaking, were not melodious, but rude and lacking 
in cultion. The feats of Robin Hood furnished a number of their songs and 
the remainder were in general of a tragical character and were in the 
common parlance of the day denominated "love songs about murder." As to 
games of chance, such as cards, dice and backgammon, these were never 
indulged in, being unknown. In these early days the occasion of a wedding 
was an event productive of great hilarity and mirth, at which the settlers 
from miles around would be found present. Among other indulgences entered 
into at such times would be introduced the feat of "running for the 
bottle." It was usual for the bride and groom to ride to the residence of 
the official who was selected to tie the knot. During their absence on 
this important errand the father or guardian obtained a bottle of the best 
liquor that could be secured, around the neck of which he tied a white 
ribbon. Upon returning after the ceremony of marriage had been performed, 
and when the mated couple were within a mile or more of the bride's 
residence, some three or four and sometimes more young men prepared to run 
for the bottle. Making an event start, at the word given, they would urge 
their horses to their highest speed, regardless of mud, rocks, stumps or 
other obstructions. As great eagerness and desire to win would be 
manifested as ever characterized an effort on the turf. 

In expectation of the arrival of the competitors, the father or guardian 
of the bride stood with the bottle ready in his hand, prepared to deliver 
it to the successful individual. On receiving it, the victor forthwith 
returned to meet the bride and groom. Upon their meeting it was first 
presented to the bride, who must at least put the bottle to her lips and 
taste it, and pass it to the groom, after which it was handed around to 
the assembled company, every one of whom was required to partake of it. 


CHARACTERS OF THE SETTLERS 

The hospitality of the people was proverbial; no one ever appealed to them 
in vain for help or food in an emergency, whether neighbor or stranger, 
and nothing would give greater offense than an offer to pay for the same. 
Their latch string was always on the outside, and the stranger and the 
wayfarer alike always received a generous and hearty welcome from the 
family. In their friendships they were firm, constant and true. 

But there was another trait of character which it was unsafe to arouse,--
we mean their animosity, which was frequently carried to extremes, and 
which sometimes inaugurated personal combats and encounters. They were 
very sensitive as to a point of honor on which they universally prided 
themselves as possessing. If one called another a liar he was considered 
as having given a challenge, which the person receiving must resent or be 
looked upon as a coward, and hence the insult was, in general, promptly 
met with a blow from the party receiving it. But if on account of an 
existing disability of any kind on the part of the injured one he was 
unable to retaliate or defend himself, he was privileged to secure a 
friend to accept the challenge for him. The same thing followed when a 
party was charged with cowardice or a dishonorable action. A conflict was 
the result and the person making the charge or giving the insult had to 
fight the person injured or his champion, no matter who might be willing 
to espouse his cause or to take up the cudgel in his behalf. The 
prevalence of this disposition led the people of this early day to be 
cautious in attacking the reputation of others, and encouraged a 
chivalrous feeling of self respect as well as consideration for the 
feelings of others. 

It was not unusual for pitched battles to occur when preparation would be 
made before-hand by the appointment of the time, place and second. The 
mode of single combats in those days was dangerous and in some respects 
disastrous. In the fierce contest fist, feet and teeth were engaged. A 
practice much in vogue in these encounters was that of gouging, by which 
it was no uncommon thing to have an eye wrenched from its socket. 


SOME INCONVENIENCES TO WHICH THE SETTLERS WERE SUBJECTED 

Among the privations and inconveniences to which the settlers were 
subjected was the occasional failure of crops and the scarcity of 
wholesome food. In the year 1777 the wheat was sick and impossible to be 
used. This year of the three sevens was called the sick year. In the year 
1790 a severe famine stared them in the face. An early frost in the 
preceding fall had cut down the corn before it was fairly dried and ready 
for gathering. Notwithstanding, a portion of it in its crude state was 
gathered and put away, and was used for making pone and bread, which when 
eaten invariably reacted upon the stomach, producing intense sickness and 
vomiting. Even the domestic animals were seriously affected from eating of 
it. Consequently good and wholesome corn at once went up in price to $1.50 
and $2.00 per bushel, and even at this price it was difficult to be 
obtained. The scarcity was very pronounced. 

The woods to a great extent in the vicinity of the settlements had been 
depleted of the larger game by the Indians, who had slaughtered or driven 
it away. But in the midst of the scarcity prevailing there was prominence 
given to that conspicuous trait of character attaching to the people, who 
willingly shared what they possessed with those less fortunate than 
themselves. Such of them as were the fortunate possessor of a cow shared 
its milk with their unfortunate neighbors, especially in those instances 
where the family had young children. There was also a scarcity of sugar 
and molasses, not because there was not an abundance of maple trees, but 
because there was a deficiency of vessels in which to boil the sap. Had it 
not have been that the rivers and creeks afforded a reasonable supply of 
fish, very poor families must have suffered from starvation. The greentops 
of nettles and the tender blades of herbs as soon as they appeared were 
gathered, of which they made a dish of palatable soup which was indulged 
in by many to satisfy the cravings of their appetites. Potato tops in many 
instances were utilized in the same way. A scarcity of salt also 
prevailed, and in small quantities it sold at 50 cents a quart. With 
patient perseverance, they struggled through this dire period, until early 
vegetables began to appear, and finally the ripened corn, mixed with a 
small quantity of wheat, furnished then with the luxury of bread. This 
year marked an episode in the lives of the settlers and was known and 
always referred to as the "starvtion year." 



CHAPTER IV. EARLY METHODS OF OVERLAND TRANSPORTATION 
CESSION OF NORTHWESTERN TERRITORY--CONSTRUCTION OF NATIONAL ROAD--THE 
STAGE COACH--STAGE COACH LINES AND NAMES OF OLD DRIVERS--PACK HORSES--THE 
CONESTOGA WAGON--"REGULAR" AND "MILITIA" 

At the close of the Revolutionary war a heavy debt rested upon the 
government, the resources of which were at the time inadequate to cancel 
the same, and to enable it in some degree to meet the exigency the states 
owning or claiming the section of country north and west of the Ohio River 
ceded their rights to the same for the general good. 

Virginia claimed to own the larger share of this domain, under a grant 
from James I of England who was utterly ignorant of the extent of the vast 
possessions he was disposing of- whether it was a few thousand acres or an 
empire. A large share of this territory was claimed by and for a least a 
century subsequent was in possession of the French, who claimed it by 
right of discovery. 

The grant to the government was completed in the year 1784, and the 
government at once proceeded to utilize the land for the payment of her 
war debt. On the 11th of July, 1787, Nathan Dane presented the ordinance 
to Congress and on the 13th of the same month it was passed, and Rev. 
Matthew Cutler, with a few others, contracted for the purchase of five 
millions of acres for which six million of dollars were to be paid, and 
obtained from the "Board of Treasury" the insertion of the provision that 
one section in every township should be set apart for school purposes and 
the territory should have the same advantages as the Atlantic States. By 
and Act of congress passed in 1802-03, which admitted Ohio into the Union, 
this pledge was renewed, provided, that one-twentieth part of the public 
lands within her boundaries should be set apart, that one-twentieth part 
of the public lands within her boundaries should be set apart, that the 
proceeds might be applied to the construction of a national road through 
the state and eventually to St. Louis. 

On the 29th of March, 1806, Congress passed a law providing for the 
construction of a road from Cumberland, Maryland, to the Ohio River, and 
Thomas Moore, of Maryland, Joseph Kerr and Eli Wilson, of Ohio were 
appointed commissioners to decide upon a route. The route proposed by 
them, with only one deviation at Uniontown, Pennsylvania, was approved by 
President Jefferson in 1808, as far as Brownsville,--the route from that 
point to the Ohio being left undetermined. 

The point at which the road would strike the Ohio was considered as of the 
utmost local importance, and every eligible point from Pittsburg to below 
Wheeling was strenuously busy in urging its own superior claims and 
advantages, as it was anticipated that a city would at once spring into 
existence wherever the point for crossing the river was definitely fixed. 

At this time dates the inception of the jealousy which subsequently 
existed between the cities of Pittsburg and Wheeling and to a greater or 
less degree between all other points on the eastern shore of the river. 

It therefore became a delicate question for the commissioners to decide, 
and remarking that "in this was to be consulted the wishes of that 
populous section of Ohio on its eastern border, and the connections with 
roads leading to St. Louis under the Act of Congress of 1806," they left 
it an open question. 

The route from Brownsville was subsequently located by Colonel Williams 
with the aid of his engineer, Mr. Weaver. 

An appropriation was made by Congress in 1811 toward constructing the road 
from Canton (now Bridgeport) to Zanesville, Ohio. This was nearly 
completed in 1825, when a supplementary Act was passed, providing for a 
survey of the route to the left bank of the Mississippi between the mouth 
of the Illinois River and St. Louis. In 1827 an Act was passed to complete 
the survey and laying out of the road to Jefferson City. At the time of 
the passage of this Act the road had been completed beyond Columbus, Ohio, 
and in 1829 partly to the Indiana state line, and an Act was passed 
appropriating money to lay out and grub the route through the state of 
Indiana east and west of Indianapolis. 

In 1831 the road was ceded to the state of Ohio, except from Springfield 
to the state line; and in the year 1834 to the states of Maryland, 
Pennsylvania and Virginia, so far as it lay in those states. In 1832 the 
building of the road in Indiana and Illinois was placed in the hands of 
the War department, and soldiers were employed in its construction. In 
1833 $1,100,000 was appropriated for the completion of the road in Ohio 
and toward that portion of it in Indian and Illinois. In 1836 $6000,000 
was appropriated for work done upon it in Indiana and Illinois; and in 
1837 the same amount. Henry Clay made a great and persistent fight in 
favor of these appropriations. His opponents put forth their best and most 
strenuous efforts to induce Gen. Jackson to veto the measures, but 
unsuccessfully. 

But little was done on the road from 1839 to 1848, in which last year it 
was surrendered to Indiana with all the stone and timber for its use. At 
this time it was completed to Terre Haute with the exception of a little 
stone at some points, and was nearly completed to a point west of the 
Illinois line, and partly from there to Alton, the point selected on the 
Mississippi. As a fact the whole line was finished and bridged, but 
congress refused to dress it with stone unless the stone could be had as 
cheap as in Indiana, which could not be done, and hence the work was 
stopped in 1850. In Missouri, however, some work was done toward Jefferson 
City, but no completing of long lines by piking and bridging. 

Through the increasing opposition of certain political leaders, who were 
opposed to the policy of internal improvements by the government, the 
death of Henry Clay, the champion of the road and its chief advocate, and 
the building of railroads, its construction was stopped. In 1817 the 
amount spent upon its construction up to that date was $1,800,000. It had 
in some portions been worn out so as to need extensive repairs. 

In 1822 President Monroe issued his celebrated internal improvement 
message in which he argued with consummate ability the general improvement 
policy of the country, and enlarged upon the propriety and duty of the 
government carrying out the original compact with the state of Ohio by 
continuing the road west of the Ohio River. Its terminus on the Ohio River 
had been definitely fixed at Wheeling in 1817, to which point it was 
finished about the year 1818. 

Colonel Moses Shepherd was a contractor on the road between Wheeling and 
Cumberland. Other well known contractors on the Wheeling end of the road 
were Messrs. John McLure, Daniel Steenrod, John Kincaid, James Beck, 
Gabriel Evans, John Kennedy and one Miller. The work was promptly executed 
by them and with apparent faithfulness, but it was followed with much 
litigation which arose on account of alleged failure to comply with the 
terms of the contracts in executing masonry, etc., which litigation 
subsequently found its way into Congress in the shape of bills for the 
relief of the parties.(*) A large amount of money was expended by the 
government in the construction of this great link in the chain of national 
improvement and some of the contractors made large fortunes out of their 
contracts. The magnificence of its design, its costly character, the 
romantic country it traversed, the solidity of it, and the immense trade 
and travel that constantly passed over it, all combined to call forth 
wonder and admiration at the undertaking and completion of so stupendous a 
work. It became the great artery along which poured the tide of emigration 
as well as the avenue of transportation between the East and the West. 
Notwithstanding the immense amount of trade and travel which passed over 
it, the tolls were insufficient to keep it in proper repair, and, as it 
was bidding fair to become a burden on the federal treasury, a growing 
disposition to abandon it, or more properly speaking to transfer it to the 
states through which it passed, was manifested. About the year 1825 that 
portion of it between Brownsville and Wheeling was much in need of repairs 
and the condition of the western division in this respect was so 
pronounced that a change of location was seriously urged from the Wheeling 
route to the Wellsburg route. 

(* Moses Shepherd, stated above as one of the contractors for building a 
portion of the road, had large landed interests in the immediate vicinity. 
The original survey of the road had been made on the opposite side of the 
creek which flowed in front of his homestead, and but a few rods distant 
from it, leaving the creek between it and the route as originally 
surveyed. He changed the route from its original location to that side of 
the creek nearest his residence, as this change he deemed would enhance 
the value of his property, which in all probability was the case. But the 
change involved a heavy expense to the government inasmuch as it required 
the building of two additional stone bridges. Had the road been built in 
accordance with the government survey not only would it have been 
unnecessary to have built these bridges, but also the additional length of 
road which thereby was required. This gave rise to his large claim against 
the government, which, though prosecuted by Shepherd during his life and 
by his widow after his death, was ignored by the government.)

During the long and acrimonious contest which resulted in selecting 
Wheeling as the definite point on the Ohio, Wellsburg had been the 
formidable competitor of Wheeling, and now when the question was agitated 
she renewed her rivalry with intense zeal. 

Topographical advantages were decidedly in favor of Wellsburg both as to 
distance and the nature of the ground to be traversed in order to reach 
the Ohio, but at that time and subsequent the narrowness of the river had 
suggested the practicability of a bridge at Wheeling Island, which, taken 
with prevailing influences on the Ohio side of the river, operated 
strongly in favor of Wheeling and more than counterbalanced the advantages 
of the Wellsburg route. Wheeling was also fortunate in securing the 
influence and efforts of Henry Clay, the reputed father of the internal 
improvement policy of the government, who threw the great weight of his 
eloquence and energy in favor of Wheeling and thus contributed to her 
final success by his zeal in her behalf, together with his sarcastic 
allusions to Panther mountain,--a high hill about two miles east of 
Wellsburg, to explore which he purposely went out of his way on one of his 
journeys to Washington to see for himself the merits of the route. He may 
perhaps have unwittingly misrepresented the character of the Wellsburg 
route, the entire 23 miles of which, it has been estimated since, would 
have cost less than the two miles nearest Wheeling. But superior 
management triumphed and the original location at Wheeling was confirmed. 

When afterward Henry Clay became a candidate for the presidency in 
opposition to Gen. Jackson, in 1832, he was remembered by the adherents of 
the respective routes. Ohio county and the city of Wheeling polled an 
almost unanimous vote in his favor, while in Brooke county and Wellsburg 
he received but one vote, that of a person named Providence Mounts; who is 
represented to have been an eccentric, hair-brained individual, whose 
solitary vote was for a long while a subject for amusement among his 
neighbors and acquaintances. This fact coming to the ears of Mr. Clay 
elicited from him a humorous and good natured remark. This local 
controversy left the impress of its influence not only upon the neighborly 
relations of the people of the two counties, but as we have seen, upon 
their political complexion likewise. The city of Wheeling and Ohio county 
became thoroughly Whig in sentiment and devoted to the interests of Mr. 
Clay, while Brooke county became uncompromisingly anti-Clay and 
Democratic. Subsequent events and the mollifying effects of Time have 
softened and modified these local antipathies in great degree. 

At the time of the last desperate effort to wrest from Wheeling the 
terminus of the road the congressional district (which included the 
counties of Ohio and Brooke) was represented by Philip Doddridge, who was 
a resident of Brooke county, but who appeared not to have entered fully 
into the views of his fellow citizens, who had gotten up strong documents 
in their behalf, and had sent General Connell to Washington to enlist 
Doddridge's efforts to change the terminus from Wheeling and establish it 
at Wellsburg, but both being of a convivial nature they went on a frolic 
together and the documents which had been entrusted to the care of Connell 
were lost or mislaid, but at all events they were never presented. 

The National Road was finally relinquished to the states in 1836, having 
cost the government $7,5000,000 in its construction and support. Previous 
to its final relinquishment, the government had appropriated $300,000 to 
put it in good repair east of the Ohio with the understanding that after 
its relinquishment the general government was to be released from all 
further obligation on its account. 

Seventy odd years ago the mails and travelers from New York, Philadelphia, 
Baltimore and the Ohio River at Pittsburg and Wheeling were carried over 
the road by stage lines, largely owned and managed by James Reeside, 
popularly designated as the "Land Admiral," who became one of the largest, 
if not the largest, mail contractor in the United States. Personally he 
possessed a grand physique, being six feet four and a half inches high, 
without any surplus flesh, measuring 53 inches about the chest, and 
weighing 220 pounds. He was a person of great enterprise, remarkable 
executive ability, strict integrity, plain in speech and frank and open-
handed in his generosity. He was an intimate friend of General Jackson and 
the associate of Clay, Crittenden, Benton, McLean and other distinguished 
men of that period. 

About this time there were four rival lines of stage coaches on the 
National Road which were known as the Good Intent, National, Pioneer and 
June Bug, between which there frequently occurred spirited races as 
competitors for public patronage. From Wheeling to Cumberland, a distance 
of 132 miles, the run was made in 24 hours. The mail coach always carried 
a horn, the notes of which were sounded in advance of the appearance of 
the coach at its stopping place, as well as in setting out from its 
starting point, and was the signal for the gathering of the people at the 
different relays to obtain the news which the passengers might be able or 
willing to communicate to the expectant crowds. The horses were hurriedly 
changed every 10 miles. But brief time was allowed the passengers for 
refreshments. 

During the California fever excitement there was an unusually large number 
of passengers to be carried, hence a number of extra coaches were 
chartered, often as many as 20 starting westward from Wheeling in one 
morning. 

When President Zachary Taylor was on his way to Washington, to assume the 
duties of his office, the boat on which he was proceeding up the river was 
caught in the ice at Moundsville and was frozen in so that it could not 
continue on its voyage to Wheeling. The late John A. Brown, a citizen of 
Wheeling, was called upon to help forward the presidential party and drove 
for eighteen hours with only such delays as were necessary to change and 
refresh his team. 

In those days the stage companies, being desirous of making the best 
possible time, bought the finest stock within their reach; the Consul and 
Mayduke horses had the preference and to use Mr. Brown's expressions they 
were "crackers, leggy, but having good action and body, about 16 hands 
high and game as the devil." That these horses had endurance is instanced 
by the fact that on one occasion two of them jumped the wall near where 
Major McCollock made his great leap on the hill immediately east of 
Wheeling, and being held suspended by the wheel horses and the coach until 
they were choked and ceased to struggle, they were cut loose and allowed 
to fall a distance of 12 feet, after which performance they were again 
harnessed and completed their trip. 

After a time Reeside dissolved with his partners in the Good Intent line 
and started a line of his own from Wheeling to Frederick. This caused the 
opposition to cut the fares to a ridiculously low price, the usual fare of 
$8 and $10 falling to 50 cents. This, however, could not last long, and 
after losing a large amount of money the other lines bought Reeside off, 
and thence forward the survivors, although continuing as separate 
organizations, divided waybills and kept up rates as well as they were 
able. Two more attempts were made to start opposition lines, which, 
however, proved abortive. 

None of the "old stagers," we believe, with the exception, it may be, of 
one or two, are left who used to hold the "ribbons." The significant crack 
of their whips is no longer heard as they shouted to "Bill" or "Dick" or 
"Joe" to "hurry up," and the echo of their horns has died away in the 
hollows of the hills and the fastnesses of the mountains. But we take 
pleasure in rescuing the names of some of them so rapidly passing into the 
shadowy past, for the most, if not all, of them having driven over the 
bridge which spans between Time and Eternity. The few whose names we have 
been able to secure lived in Wheeling and its vicinity: Charles Prettyman, 
George Widdle, John A. Brown, Frank Lawson, William Tracy, Abner Charnock, 
Joseph Whissen and Jacob Frager. 

In its palmy days the National Road was more like the grand avenue of some 
proud city than a road through rural districts. 

Whatever may be said as to the cost of this early public improvement it 
must be conceded that this was small compared with the benefits it was to 
the country at large. The great Ohio and Mississippi valleys were 
undeveloped and comparatively unknown. Their millions of acres were 
waiting for the plow, the sickle and the hoe, and their billions of 
waiting wealth needed only the enterprise and energy of man to startle the 
world with the wonderful possibilities. The building of this highway set 
in motion and turned a vast tide of emigration into these fertile valleys 
which has not yet ceased, and its overflow has reached the golden strand 
of the Pacific Coast. Great cities and commercial centers have sprung into 
existence as if at the touch of a magician's wand. Before the 
establishment of the National pike, Braddock's trail was the famous route 
for crossing the Alleghanies for the original pioneers who settled western 
Virginia, who carried their effects on pack horses across the mountains. 

The only wealth acquired by the pioneers in the wilderness was peltry and 
furs, and each autumn a caravan of pack horses bore the accumulated spoils 
of their neighborhood, under the charge of a master driver and three or 
four assistants, to an eastern market. To the hinder part of eaach pack 
saddle was fastened a pair of hobbles made of hickory withes, and a collar 
with a bell attached was fastened to the neck of each horse. The horses's 
feed of shelled corn was carried in bags destined to be filled with alum 
salt on the return journey. On the journey down part of the feed was 
deposited for the use of the return caravan. Large wallets filled with 
bread, jerked bear's meat, ham and cheese furnished food the drivers. At 
night the horses were hobbled and turned out into the woods or pasture, 
and the bells which had been muffled in the day time were unfastened to 
serve as a guide to the drivers in the morning. The furs were carried to 
and exchanged first at Baltimore as a market; later the drivers went only 
to Frederick; then to Hagerstown, Oldtown and finally to Fort Cumberland. 
Iron and steel and salt were the articles most eagerly desired by the 
settlers. Each horse could carry two bushels of alum salt and each bushel 
weighed 84 pounds. This was not a heavy load, but the horses were scantily 
fed. Sometimes an iron pot or kettle was tied on either side on top of the 
salt bag. Ginseng, bear's grease and snake root were at a later date 
collected and added to the furs and hides. The horses marched in single 
file on a road which in many places was scarcely two feet wide; the first 
horse was led by the master of the caravan, and each successive horse was 
tethered to the pack saddle of the one in front. Other men or boys watched 
the packs and urged forward laggard horses. 


THE CONESTOGA WAGON

To return after this digression concerning the primitive mode of 
conveyance by pack horses across the mountains, the stage coaches were not 
alone as important and interesting conveyances, as the Conestoga wagon was 
also a factor in opening trade and barter between the East and West over 
this national thoroughfare. It was a product of Pennsylvania skill and 
enterprise and derived its name from the valley in that state known as the 
Conestoga. They were first used in that state in any considerable numbers 
in the year 1760. They had broad wheel tires, and their body as a rule was 
painted a bright blue, being furnished with side boards of an equally 
vivid red, while over semicircular supports fastened to each side of the 
wagon was stretched a canvas covering, which was corded down at the sides 
and ends, and each end of the wagon was slightly elevated causing the 
center to be slightly lower. They generally carried from four to six tons 
of freight. The rates between Philadelphia and Wheeling were usually $2 
per ton. The team consisted of four or six horses, generally the latter 
number, and it was common for each of the horses except the saddle horse 
to be decked with bells. These were called bell teams. Ten, 20, 30, and 40 
would follow one another in procession along the road. Numbers of them 
were constantly passing and re-passing during the day, sometimes in a 
continuous stream. Scarcely a night passed that Wheeling was not filled, 
it being no unusual sight to see as many as 40 and 50 of a night, laying 
over at McCourtney's and Newlove's, each of whom kept a tavern and wagon 
yard for the accommodation of the wagoners. 

There were two distinct classes of these wagons and wagoners,--the one 
were called "regulars," who made it their constant and only business the 
year round, and the other "militia" or "irregulars," these latter being 
common teamsters who made only occasional trips, and who were 
distinguished from the former by driving only four horses in their teams. 
The "regulars" carried no food for themselves, nor feed for their horses, 
but both classes carried mattresses and blankets which they spread upon 
the barroom of the tavern where they put up over night. When the horses 
were unharnessed they were fed out of long troughs securely fastened to 
the long pole of the wagon.

Up to the time of the completion of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to 
Wheeling, in December, 1852, long lines of these wagons came into the city 
from the East and from the West, their contents being consigned to the 
different forwarding and commission houses then located in Wheeling, the 
most prominent of which were the firms of Forsythe & Atterbury, Dorsey & 
Tyson, Jacob & Mitchell, T. Jones, C.D. Knox & Company and J. Chapline & 
Sons. 

Twenty-five cents was the uniform price of warm meals at the old taverns, 
with a drink of whisky thrown in. a cold check was set out in the middle 
of the day for 12 1/2 cents- a "levy" in the old phrase,--and a drink 
thrown in. the "regulars" were very hostile to the encroachments of 
railroads and regarded them as the invention of the Evil One. They had an 
old song among them which ran something after this fashion--

"Come all ye jolly waggoners,
 Turn out man for man,
 Who's opposed to the railroad
 Or any such a plan,
 When we go down to Baltimore
 And ask for a load,
 They'll very soon tell you,
 It's gone by railroad." 

There was a line of these wagons belonging to a voluntary company called 
the "Continental line," which had its headquarters at Wheeling, of which 
the late J. B. Ford was agent at Cumberland, Maryland, and J. A. Rowe at 
Wheeling. Several of our old time citizens were interested in this line, 
one among whom was the late Joseph Caldwell, Esq., who had three or four 
teams in it.

The old Conestoga wagon as well as the stage coach have become relics of 
the fast fading past, and have been pushed aside by the progressive spirit 
of the age. Now is heard the weird shriek of the rushing train as with 
swift wings it flies along the ringing rail. The coach and the wagon alike 
are but a fast fleeting memory. 

"We mourn bereft of the post horn deft,
 Blown by that famous driver,
 For we only hear, when the cars draw near,
 A screech down by the river." 



CHAPTER V. PRIMITIVE MAIL TRANSPORTATION AND THE WATER HIGHWAYS 
LETTERS--LETTER WRITING--PRIMITIVE POSTS--FIRST POSTMASTER IN AMERICA--
FIRST POSTMASTER IN WHEELING COMMISSIONED--OHIO PACKET BOATS--FLATBOATS 
AND KEEL BOATS--MIKE FINK, "THE BULLY OF THE BOATMEN"--FIRST STEAMBOAT 
BUILT IN WHEELING--STEAMBOATS BUILT IN WHEELING PRIOR TO AND INCLUSIVE OF 
THE YEAR 1835 

Communication by letters during the early history of Virginia was rare and 
difficult for several reasons: First, because a letter was the result of 
the exercise of much thought and formality, occupying in its composition 
much time and labor,-- sometimes days and weeks; and in the second place 
there was a simplicity in their diction and a dignity in the use of 
language wholly wanting in the present day, especially since the type 
writing machine has come into such general use that letters have ceased to 
be pieces of composition requiring the exercise of skill and heartiness, 
and their writing has been permitted to degenerate into a mere habit of 
scribbling. The introduction of the typewriter as a contrivance for the 
destruction of letter writing and the former dignity attaching to the same 
has proven itself to be a great success. We may safely predict that in the 
course of a few years under present conditions the art of epistolary 
correspondence by the use of the pen will have become to a great extent 
obsolete. 

The medium of communication by letters during almost the whole of the 
seventeenth century was exceedingly limited. Prior to the year 1693 
letters to be conveyed from one section to another were committed to the 
custody of passing travelers, who sometimes proved to be uncertain and 
unreliable. 

It was enacted by an old Virginia statute that - "all letters superscribed 
for the publique service, should be at once conveyed from plantation to 
plantation to the place to which directed under the penalty of one 
hogshead of tobacco for each and every default." Further provision was 
made by a statute enacted in 1661 to the following effect - "that where 
there is any person in the family where the letters come as can write, 
such person is required to endorse the day and hour he received the same, 
that the neglect or contempt of any person stopping them may be the beter 
known and punished accordingly." 

Postoffices and postmasters were entirely unknown in America until the 
year 1693, when one Thomas Neale was appointed by royal patent "postmaster 
general of Virginia and all other parts of North America." Before the post 
office passed into the control of Benjamin Franklin, there was no method 
or arrangement in the operation of the mails. Afterward, they were carried 
on in a systematic, trust-worthy and regular manner. 

As late as the year 1760 there were but eight mails a year carried from 
Philadelphia as far south as the Potomac River and the post rider was not 
required to start on his mission until he received a number of letters 
sufficient to pay the expenses of making the trip. 

In the early settlement of western Virginia letters were confided to the 
care of chance passersby for carriage, except in the case of public 
service documents, when runners were employed to carry them from post to 
post. These runners were generally selected from among such as had more 
than an ordinary knowledge of woodcraft, and were skilled in the use of 
the rifle, and they were fully armed and equipped for their perilous 
service. They carried the letters in a pouch, which was securely strapped 
about the person, the provisions also being carried in the same manner. 

In 1787 this primitive mode of carrying the mail matter was abandoned, and 
it was carried in a pouch on horseback. In the same year the coach was 
utilized for the purpose and also the pirogue or canoe. This last named 
was succeeded by the mail steamboat and later by the mail steam car, and 
now in many instances by the city electric car. 

Previous to the year 1786 there was no regular mail service between 
Wheeling and the East and the country west of Wheeling. In the fall of 
1786 the government inaugurated a system of post routes and a post was 
established between Philadelphia and Pittsburg and another from Virginia 
to Bedford. 

Notwithstanding, the establishment of the mail route between Philadelphia 
and Pittsburg, there was great irregularity in the trips of the mail 
carriers between the two places, a two-weeks mail being regarded as a 
quick service. A few years later the mail boats were put on, which ran 
between Wheeling, Marietta, Limestone (Maysville) and Cincinnati. Such a 
route was established in June, 1794, by means of relays of boats running 
to Limestone (Maysville), Marietta and Gallipolis. It was so arranged that 
they were to leave their starting place at an interval of a week and, 
returning, one was to stop at Gallipolis, one at Marietta, and the last at 
Wheeling. The boats were propelled by six rowers and were so constructed 
as to carry a limited number of passengers. 

It was somewhat of a dangerous experiment to navigate the Ohio in those 
days and hence each boat carried a small swivel gun in its bow, and the 
crew were well armed to protect themselves from anticipated attacks of the 
savages. These boats as a general rule were about 40 feet in length, with 
a space of five feet between the rowers, and had a cabin extending from 20 
to 25 feet, facing which the oarsmen plied their task. They were built for 
swiftness, having sharp prows and being light in structure. Each passenger 
carried his own provisions and bedding and the crew were furnished their 
daily rations by the contractor. 

At this time the mail was carried by post riders from Pittsburg to 
Wheeling, who met each other at Washington, Pennsylvania, and exchanged 
their pouches, the route lying through that borough and the town of West 
Liberty, Virginia. The compensation allowed to these mail carriers was the 
sum of $375 per annum, and this included all expenses that could possibly 
attend the service. The post rider from Washington to Wheeling was to 
connect with the boat at this latter place every Saturday at 12 o'clock 
noon, at which hour the boat departed. 

As there were no postmasters at the different points at which the mail was 
to be delivered it became necessary for the department to appoint the 
same. Maj. Isaac Craig, who was the quartermaster at Pittsburg, had 
intended to recommend to the postmaster general the name of Major Finley, 
who at the time was the acting quartermaster at Wheeling, but in making an 
appointment he by mistake made the appointment of one John McIntyre, of 
Wheeling, as is explained by the following extract from a letter of Major 
Craig's to the postmaster general which was written under date of June 13, 
1794, and which is as follows: "I intended of taking the liberty of 
pointing out Maj. John Finley as a proper person to act as postmaster at 
Wheeling and am sorry I neglected it, perhaps, until it is too late, as I 
observe one of your packets addressed to Mr. John McIntyre. I have 
therefore most earnestly to beg you, if possible, to recall the 
appointment of McIntyre and appoint Finley, who is now with his family at 
Wheeling, and is acting as assistant quartermaster at that post. I shall 
take the liberty of retaining the packet to Mr. McIntyre till your 
pleasure is known on this point, in which I feel myself much interested, 
as I have already assured Major Finley that I should make the necessary 
application for him." In this connection we cite the letter from Major 
Craig to Major Finley under date of July 2, 1794, as follows: 

"In my communication with the postmaster general respecting the 
establishment of a weekly mail from this post to Fort Washington I pointed 
you out as a person to act as postmaster at Wheeling, but Colonel 
Pickering not recollecting your name appointed John McIntyre, in 
consequence of which I wrote and pressed him to appoint you. The enclosed 
extract is his answer. I also enclose his letter to Mr. McIntyre, opened 
as he directed, accompanied by a blank bond and form of oath together with 
a packet containing the post office laws and other regulations respecting 
it. The whole of which I now submit to your consideration and immediate 
determination, as the first mail boat sets off from this place immediately 
after the departure of the eastern post on Friday next, and will touch at 
your post on its way to Limestone and will return to Wheeling. The second 
boat sets off the week following to Limestone and returns to Marietta. The 
third boat the week following the second and proceeds to Limestone and 
returns to Gallipolis the next week after the third has set off. The mail 
will be sent by land to Wheeling via Washington and West Liberty. Should 
you, on mature deliberation, decline acceptance of the office now offered, 
you will please close up the letter containing the bond and form of oath 
of office and also the packet containing the postoffice laws, etc., and 
deliver them to Mr. McIntyre, agreeable to their first address. But if you 
accept the office you will alter the name in the bond and oath, have them 
filled up, executed and returned to me as early as possible." 

After some delay Major Finley secured the position of postmaster and at 
once entered upon the discharge of his duties. 

In the year 1794 a person by the name of Green carried the mail between 
Pittsburg and Cincinnati in a piroque. On its downward trip it also 
carried a small quantity of freight. The boatmen in those early days were 
generally selected on account of their experience as Indian fighters. The 
Wetzels, Fowlers and others recorded on the pages of history as great and 
successful Indian fighters were no less notable as pioneer boatmen. 

The first regular packet line between Pittsburg and Cincinnati was 
composed of four boats of 20 tons each. In the Sentinel of the 
Northwestern Territory, a paper printed at Cincinnati, In 1794, appeared 
the following advertisement: 

"OHIO PACKET BOATS

"Two boats for the present will start from Cincinnati to Pittsburg and 
return to Cincinnati in the following manner, viz.: The first boat will 
leave Cincinnati this morning at eight o'clock and return to Cincinnati so 
as to be ready to sail again in four weeks from this date. The second boat 
will leave Cincinnati on Saturday, the 30th inst., and return as above. 
And so regularly each boat performing the voyage to and from Cincinnati to 
Pittsburg once in every four weeks. 

"The proprietor of these boats having maturely considered the many 
inconveniences and dangers incident to the common method heretofore 
adopted of navigating the Ohio, and being influenced by a love of 
philanthropy and a desire of being serviceable to the public, has taken 
great pains to render the accommodations on board the boats as agreeable 
and convenient as they could possibly be made. No danger need be 
apprehended from the enemy, as every person on board will be under cover 
made proof to rifle balls, and convenient port holes for firing out. Each 
of the boats is armed with six pieces carrying a pound ball, also a good 
number of muskets, and amply supplied with ammunition, strongly manned 
with choice men, and the master of approved knowledge. A separate cabin 
from that designed for the men is partitioned off in each boat for 
accommodating the ladies on their passage. Conveniences are constructed on 
each boat so as to render landing unnecessary, as it might at times be 
attended with danger. 

"Rules and regulations for maintaining order on board, and the good 
management of the boats, and tables accurately calculated for the rates of 
freightage, and the carriage of letters to and from Cincinnati to 
Pittsburg, also a table of the exact time of arrival and departure to and 
from the different places on the Ohio between Cincinnati and Pittsburg, 
may be seen on board each boat, and at the printing office in Cincinnati. 

"Passengers will be supplied with provisions and liquors of all kinds of 
the first quality at the most reasonable rates possible. Persons desirous 
of working their passage will be admitted on finding themselves, subject, 
however, to the same order and directions from the master of the boat as 
the rest of the working hands of the boat's crew. 

"An office of insurance will be kept at Cincinnati, Limestone and 
Pittsburg, where persons desirous of having their property insured may 
apply. The rates of insurance will be moderate." 


FLAT BOATS-KEEL BOATS-MIKE FINK, THE "BULLY OF THE BOATMEN" 

In the early part of the last century the navigation of the Ohio River had 
developed a hardy, brave and adventurous race of men whose business it was 
by means of vessels known as flat-boats to carry the products and 
merchandise of the up-country to New Orleans and the towns and cities 
which at lengthened intervals studded the shores of the Ohio and 
Mississippi Rivers. 

The flat-boat vessel which varied in size, being from 50 to 75 in length, 
and from 20 to 30 feet in breadth, and from six to 10 in height, being 
equipped with long oars called sweeps on each of its sides and a long 
steering car attached to the stern, and was roofed with a layer of thin 
boards to protect the cargo from the weather. The boat was usually 
permitted to float with the current except when dangerous places, sand 
banks and snags were to be avoided, when the sweeps were manned to keep 
her free from such obstructions or to effect a landing. Months were often 
required in accomplishing the passage from Wheeling to New Orleans. 

At this period the flat-boatmen had many difficulties to contend with and 
many perils to encounter in the course of their voyage, not the least of 
which were those they had to encounter with bandits, one of the most noted 
of whom was John Murrell, known as the "Land Pirate." These lawless bands 
under the cover of darkness would steal unawares upon the crew, and 
overpowering them would ransack and pillage the cargo, carrying away such 
portions of it as they most coveted to their caves and fatnesses, where 
great stores were secreted which from time to time they would dispose of 
through members of the band, or appropriate to their own use. 

Those who were fortunate enough to elude these lawless bands, and to 
escape the perils of navigation, after their arrival at New Orleans would 
dispose of their cargoes for cash at good prices and the crew would be 
paid off and be allowed to shift for themselves. Another danger, however, 
awaited these men. Frank, generous and free-hearted men, the Western flat-
boatmen were regarded as fair game for the idle, dissolute and depraved 
who took every advantage to deprive them of their hard-earned wages. 
Gambling at that time was a prevalent vice in the city of New Orleans, and 
its keen and vigilant devotees were actively on the alert to secure fresh 
dupes and new victims. 

After the tedium of a long voyage the flat-boatmen would throw off all 
restraint, and freed from all responsibility would indulge in the most 
unrestrained license and extravagant excesses. The gambling fraternity, 
taking advantage of their well-known traits of character, enticed them 
into their infamous dens, and they would be relieved of the hard-earned 
money of toils and dangers passed through and frequently be left penniless 
in a great city hundreds of miles from home and dear ones. 

Those who were more careful of their money would invest it in sugar or 
molasses and ship it by sea to Philadelphia or New York sometimes 
accompanying their venture in person, and realizing in most instances 
handsome profits. Frequently when the vessel was a keel-boat, they would 
load it with these commodities and accomplish their up-stream journey by 
poling and cordelling the boat, which last was effected by fastening one 
end of a long and strong rope to the boat, while several stout men on the 
shore at the other end of the rope would propel it against the current. 
This was a tedious process and consumed a corresponding period of time. 

But in most cases the owner would dispose of his boat at the time or 
immediately after he did his cargo, and the boatmen would walk home on 
what was called the "Wilderness trail," beset with perils from both man 
and beast. 

In the year 1816 David W. Bell established a boat yard in Wheeling, where 
for the following ten years he engaged extensively in boat building and 
running keel-boats. At the same time he operated two smaller yards, one of 
which was located at Pipe Creek and one at Round Bottom. 

This gentleman in the latter part of the year 1814 left Pittsburg for New 
Orleans on a keel-boat of which he was the master and super-cargo and 
which had been fitted out by and belonged to a gentleman of the name of 
Mr. Adkins of the first named city. He arrived in New Orleans just in time 
to participate in the battle between the Americans and British on the 8th 
of January, 1815. As soon as he landed, himself and eight of his crew 
shouldered their rifles and marched directly to the battlefield. They were 
accompanied by Enoch Boone, a near kinsman of the famous Daniel Boone. 
After the battle Boone and a party of others retraced their homeward way 
on foot. Bell having disposed of his cargo to advantage, purchased sugar 
with the proceeds and shipped it and himself by sea for Philadelphia, 
where he sold the bulk of his cargo and then transported the remainder on 
pack horses to Pittsburg, giving such satisfaction to Mr. Adkins that he 
was furnished with sufficient money to enable him to establish the boat 
yard at Wheeling, mentioned above. 

Keel-boating had become an extensive and lucrative business in those days, 
and so continued to be for many years even after the general introduction 
of steam on the Western waters. Prominent among those who followed this 
business for a livelihood was that celebrated character known as Mike 
Fink-- "the Bully of the Boatmen." In later days he has been regarded by 
some as a mythical personage, but this is a mistake, for there was a real 
individual of that name. The Mr. Bell mentioned above was probably the 
first person to employ Mike in the business in which he subsequently 
became so notorious. About 1818 or 1820 Mr. Bell had made arrangements to 
dispatch a keel-boat from Wheeling to Post Vinsen (Vincennes, Indiana), 
when one day Mike appeared dressed in the garb of an Indian, carrying a 
rifle and tomahawk and applied for a berth. When enquired of whether he 
thought he could successfully encounter the dangers of the voyage, he 
promptly replied he thought he could, as, he explained, "I once stood the 
fire of 17 Indians without winking." He secured employment and soon became 
one of the most expert and daring, as well as one of the most reliable, 
men in the crew. In the space of one or two years thereafter he was 
promoted to the command of a keel-boat, which at that period was a 
position of no small dignity and one much coveted. Keel-boating was a 
pursuit both dangerous and hazardous, resulting not only from the perils 
of navigation which in themselves were many, but also from the stealthy 
and sudden attacks of marauding bands of Indians. But even more dangerous 
than either of these were the apprehensions arising from the attacks of 
lawless vagabonds and banditti who infested the shores of the rivers, and 
embraced every opportunity to murder a crew and pillage a boat. Many 
individual lives were lost and in a number of instances whole crews were 
sacrificed to their greed and every vestige of boat and cargo would be 
disposed of. A notable instance of this character occurred in the case of 
one Aquilla McArdle, who had loaded a boat at Wheeling intending to trade 
along the rivers to New Orleans, but that city was never reached and 
neither he, his boat, his cargo nor his crew were ever heard of afterward. 

A very dangerous locality on the lower Ohio was known as "Ford's Landing," 
or "Cave in Rock," being a noted rendezvous for these robbers, a nest of 
whom had terrorized the surrounding country and stricken with dread the 
hearts of navigators and boatmen, as they hesitated not by day nor by 
night to attack a passing boat, of the approach of which they were duly 
kept informed by spies, who belonged to their number, or by those who 
favored them. It was in a fight with these robbers of "Cave in Rock" that 
Mike became famous. His boat was attacked by them and after prolonged hard 
fighting he succeeded in driving his assailants away, but he did not stop 
here, but landing his force he carried the war into Africa and routing 
them from their hiding places exterminated many of them and dispersed the 
remainder. Upon examining the cave he discovered a large quantity of 
produce and merchandise, much of which was identified by the owners and 
which was recovered by them. 

After a brief time he became the owner of a keel-boat and wherever he 
landed he would amuse the rough fellows with whom he met as the members of 
his crew with exhibitions of skill with the rifle and tomahawk, in the use 
of each of which he was proficient. In these displays of his skill he used 
a lad who had been trained by him for such occasions-a protege-named Bill 
Carpenter, from whose head he was accustomed to shoot a tin cup, placed 
thereon, for the edification and delight of the wondering spectators. 
There was also a woman-a compagnon du voyage-who accompanied him in his 
different voyages and also figured prominently in these exhibitions. He 
would compel her to stand in the bow of his boat and hold a tin cup 
between her knees as a target for his rifle. It happened that once while 
so engaged in her effort to balance herself steadily she fell overboard. A 
rush was made by many of the bystanders to rescue her from a watery grave, 
but Fink raised his rifle and covering the proposed rescuers with it 
threatened to kill the first man who ventured to her assistance. Cowed by 
his threats and being fearful that he would execute them, she was left to 
her fate and was carried away by the current of the river. This event 
occurred at Pipe Creek, on the Ohio side of the river, a few miles below 
the city of Wheeling. Charity leads us to believe that he resented any 
interference in her behalf believing that she was capable of saving 
herself, and desired that her rescue should be accomplished by her own and 
not by the efforts of others. 

On one occasion there was an oarmaker living in Marietta who had wrought a 
fine steering oar intended to be used for keel-boat purposes, but in 
finishing it he had found a decayed place in the wood where the hole was 
morticed for the insertion of the oar-pin. Upon discovering this, the 
deceitful maker had cut out the dead wood and filled the cavity with blue 
mud, and then painted the oar, so that the fraud practiced was not 
apparent unless closely scrutinized. The fine finish and general 
completeness of the oar attracted the attention of Fink, who on one of his 
down the river trips purchased it. Now, as was customary, the inhabitants 
had turned out to witness the departure of Mike's boat, and as she 
gracefully swung out into the current he made a vigorous sweep with his 
new oar in his effort to head her right, when the oar suddenly snapped and 
broke in twain like a pipe stem, and Mike went overboard head foremost. On 
recovering himself and regaining the deck of his boat, he lost no time in 
effecting a landing and seeking the fraudulent oarmaker, but that person, 
fortunately for himself, could not be found. Fink, however, determined 
that he would not be deprived of his revenge; so, keeping his own counsel, 
he procured another oar to take the place of the broken one and again took 
his d eparture. After proceeding a few miles below the town he ran his 
boat into shore and made a landing; on the following day he made his 
appearance in Marietta, where he found the oarmaker indulging in great 
glee over the event, and relating with a glib tongue to an idle crowd of 
loungers in front of a grocery all the circumstances of the practical joke 
he had played on Mike, and dwelling with gusto upon the cleverness of the 
trick. As Mike approached, he recognized him and fled with the former in 
swift pursuit. The race continued all over the town until Fink, whose 
power of endurance was greatest, finally captured his man, whom he threw 
to the ground and, sitting astride of him, he drew his butcher knife and 
deliberately hacked and gashed the poor fellow's head, whom he swore he 
would scalp, until the townspeople interfering prevented him from further 
maltreating his victim. 

We have been led to dwell thus briefly on some of the incidents in the 
life of this individual because the memory of the boatman is rapidly 
fading out, and but few of the present generation know much, if anything, 
concerning that class of men. Mike Fink was a typical character of his day 
as well as of a class of men who, in their own way, contributed in no 
small degree to the development of the western portion of our country. 
Very few, if any, of them now remain. 

In this connection it may be interesting to learn the end of this 
notorious character. One day he was amusing a curious crowd of idlers by 
shooting the cup off the head of his protégé, Bill Carpenter, when his 
usually trusty rifle made a "long fire" and the bullet crashed into the 
skull of poor Carpenter, who fell dead in his tracks. A bystander 
remarked, "Fink, why did you shoot that boy?" Mike, while in the act of 
ramming a bullet down his rifle, replied, "Wait until my gun is loaded and 
I will do you the same way." But the individual did not wait, for 
instantly he drew a pocket pistol and shot him down. Thus perished Mike 
Fink, "the Bully of the Boatmen." 

As the keel-boat is a vessel which has now passed almost entirely out of 
use by reason of the introduction of steam to so great an extent on our 
Western waters, a description of its equipments and the manner of its 
propulsion may be of interest. 

The keels of these boats were shallow, and the capacity of the boats was 
anywhere from 50 to 100 tons. They were housed and covered for the 
protection of the cargo and this housing or covering along the sides 
receded toward the top, while on the outside a narrow deck or runway was 
attached to the side, on which strips of wood were fastened at right 
angles to secure a footing for the crew while navigating the boat. The 
equipment consisted of a mast, sail, sweeps, poles and a rope to cordelle 
with, which was fastened to the mast and was used in ascending by not in 
descending the stream, as in the latter case the sweeps or oars were used. 
The sail was utilized in running against the current when there was 
sufficient wind. The crew consisted generally of 12 strong, hardy and 
effective men, who were divided into two sections, each under the command 
of a leader or captain. In cordelling 12 or 15 miles a day could be made 
against the current on an average. This mode of propulsion was quite 
severe on the endurance of the men, as their physical strength was heavily 
taxed. Imagine, if you can, reader, a crew propelling a boat in the manner 
indicated from New Orleans to Wheeling,-- say an 80-ton keel-boat, -- 
against a current averaging from five to six miles an hour by the sheer 
power of human pluck and endurance, through a wilderness 2,000 miles in 
extent, exposed every day to the bullet of the marauder, the Indian or the 
runaway negro, and you have an illustration of indomitable patience, 
perseverance and courage unequaled. The days of keel-boating began rapidly 
to wane after the introduction of steam on the Western waters, but it was 
not abandoned without a struggle. Now the round trip by water from 
Wheeling to New Orleans can be made in three weeks; then it required six 
months. 


FIRST STEAMBOAT BUILT IN WHEELING

The first steamboat built in Wheeling was the "Washington" in the year 
1816 on the bank of Wheeling Creek, just east of the north end of the 
stone bridge over the creek, on the site formerly occupied by Mr. 
Hubbard's sawmill. She was the sixth boat built to navigate the Western 
waters. She had a high pressure engine and four single-flute boilers and 
her capacity was 400 tons. The owners were Nilos Gillespie, Robert Clarke, 
of Brownsville, Pennsylvania; Noah Lane and George White, of Wheeling; and 
Henry M. Shreve. Her engines were made at Brownsville, Pennsylvania, under 
the immediate supervision of Captain Shreve. Her boilers were on the first 
deck and she was the first boat built on this plan that has since been so 
generally adopted. She crossed the "Falls" at Louisville in September, 
1816, and went to New Orleans, returning to Louisville in March, 1817. She 
made the trip between these places in forty-five days. This trip convinced 
the Western people that steam navigation of the Western waters could be 
made a success. 

The Louisiana Gazette of July 5, 1816, gives the following account 
concerning her: "On Monday last the steamboat 'Washington' sailed from 
Wheeling for New Orleans under command of Captain H. M. Shreve. She got 
under way at five o'clock and in forty-five minutes made nine miles, since 
which time she has not been heard from. The steamboat 'Washington' was 
built at Wheeling by George White; her keel was laid on the 10th of 
September last. In August all her timbers were growing in the woods. Her 
main cabin is 60 feet; she has three handsome private rooms beside a bar 
room. Her steam power is applied upon an entirely new principle and is 
exceedingly simple. She has no flywheel, and her engine possesses a power 
of 100 horses, weighing only 9,000 pounds. It is the invention of 
H.M.Shreve." 


A PRESENT FROM WHEELING LADIES

The ladies of Wheeling presented to Captain Shreve a handsome flag, on 
which they had embroidered the figure of Fame, holding in her right hand a 
trumpet, in her left a scroll containing on its side the following motto: 
"Our friends shall not withhold what we have wrested from our enemies," 
and on the other side, "Don't give up the ship." This motto was suggested 
by Livingston's vexatious claim to the exclusive right of navigation on 
the Mississippi River within the state of Louisiana. The forfeiture of 
other vessels is the penalty for attempting to navigate, incurred under 
the law of Louisiana territory conferring this extraordinary privilege. 
The company has a very good legal opinion from P. Doddridge, Esq., against 
the validity of Livingston's claim. 

The citizens of Wheeling wished Captain Shreve to call her Andrew Jackson, 
but he preferred the name of Washington. 

The Louisiana Gazette of July 3, 1816, says: "A letter dated at Wheeling, 
the 11th inst., gives an account of the steamboat 'Washington's' boiler 
bursting. She left Wheeling on the third with 21 passengers on board. On 
that day or the next day at, or near, the town of Marietts, Ohio, the 
boiler burst and 17 out of 21 were either killed or wounded, the captain 
only slightly. It is strange the boat is not injured, except the loss of 
the boiler. We shall probably hear more of this truly melancholy 
accident." The Washington arrived for the first time at the port of New 
Orleans October 7, 1816. 

The Louisiana Gazette of May 6, 1817, says: "The steamboat 'Washington' 
commanded by the indefatigable Captain H. M. Shreve arrived at the levee 
last Saturday night, only seven days from the Falls of the Ohio, but six 
of which she was under way. The 'Washington' made the trip up in 24 days, 
so that in going and coming she was 31 days in running 3,000 miles. We 
have been favored with a Louisville paper of the 26th ult. Received by the 
'Washington.'" 

Extract from a Louisville paper, April 26, 1817: "The citizens gave 
Captain Shreve a grand dinner on Wednesday at Union Hall in honor of the 
quick trip he made with the steamboat 'Washington' from New Orleans to 
this port, in the unprecedented time of 24 days." The address of the 
citizens was as follows:

Capt. H. M. Shreve:
"Sir: The undersigned, in behalf of their fellow citizens of Louisville 
avail themselves of this occasion to express their sincere gratification 
at your speedy return to this place, and beg you to accept their 
congratulations at the very expeditious voyage you have performed from 
Louisville to New Orleans and back. While they view with the liveliest 
interest the revolution that the application of steam to the navigation of 
our rivers is effecting in the commercial relations of this country, they 
fully appreciate your exertions for the success of an undertaking once 
deemed by many to be of doubtful issue, but whose practicability they deem 
by you in particular to be established in certainty, and felicitate 
themselves in being the organ through which is made known the esteem in 
which your undertakings are held by their fellow citizens. 

"Signed, Levi Taylor,
"James A. Pearce. 
"Louisville, April 21, 1817." 

Capt. H. M. Shreve returned thanks to the citizens of Louisville and 
predicted that the trip from New Orleans to Louisville would yet be made 
in ten days-a prediction that was regarded as visionary. The trip has been 
made in less than five days. 


THE WASHINGTON'S LOG 

The Louisiana Gazette of May 6, 1817, gives an extract from the log book 
of the steamboat "Washington:" 

"Monday, March 24, 1817, sailed from New Orleans for Louisville, Kentucky, 
at 5 P.M. 

"March 25, spoke steamboat 'Harriet,' at noon, 50 miles up the coast. 

"March 29, arrived at Natchez at 2 P.M. 

"Thursday, April 3, spoke a brig from Cincinnati in Cypress bend. 

"Off Arkansas River, Sunday. 

"Monday, 7th, off Chickasaw Bluffs at 5 P.M. 

"Tuesday, 8th, spoke off Plum point, keel-boat 'Western Trader,' bound for 
Nashville. 

"Wednesday, 9th, spoke off Island 21, barge 'Eliza Mary,' Captain Butler. 

"Thursday, 10th, touched at New Madrid. 

"Friday, entered the Ohio. 

"Saturday, touched at the mouth of Cumberland. 

"Monday, 14th, touched at Henderson. 

"Thursday, 17th, off the mouth of Indian Creek at 8 P.M.; spoke the 
'Buffalo' for New Orleans. 

"Arrived at shipping port after a passage of 24 days." 

The foregoing account has been mainly obtained from a communication of the 
late Capt. C. W. Batchelor, of Pittsburg. 

We append hereto a list of the steamboats built at Wheeling up to and 
including the year 1835, with their tonnage, names, etc.: 

Year
built  Tonnage           Name
1815     212    Washington - high pressure
1818     140    Johnston - high pressure
1819     100    Wheeling Packet
1819     150    Virginia - high pressure, snagged at St. Genevieve in 1822
1819      55    Mars - high pressure
1819     235    Expedition
1822     160    Congress
1828            Clinton
1828      50    Madison - high pressure
1828      50    Traveller - sunk at St. Louis in 1832
1828     135    Lagrange - abandoned 1832 
1829      60    Kitty Clover - abandoned in 1832
1829      90    West Virginia - sunk by ice in 1831
1831      46    Bolivar - high pressure
1831     135    Freedom
1832      85    Bravo
1832     156    Jefferson - high pressure
1832     146    Warsaw - high pressure
1834      75    Denmark
1834      40    Lady Boone
1835     138    Anna Calhoun
1835     100    Roanoke
1835      90    Monroe
1835      94    Mt. Pleasant
1835     104    Robert Emmett