On the Mississippi

by Edwin Woolsey with art by Freeman Payne

Out of money, Roosevelt’s luck gradually changed. He agreed to build a self-propelled riverboat for Livingston and Fulton. Their ship would navigate the continent’s interior waterways. Constructing the vessel’s hull in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the internal machinery came by wagon from foundries in New York. The workmen assembled all the pieces onsite. By 1811, the three men finished their first Mississippi steamship and named it the New Orleans for her home port in lower Louisiana.

Pittsburgh’s riverside piers and the Ohio’s bordering banks teemed with townspeople. The crowds waited for a glimpse of the marvelous steamship leaving her berth. Engineer Nicholas Baker ordered a pair of crewmen to stoke more coal in the firebox burning beneath the boiler. Bursts of pitchy smoke belched from the tall stack. As the steam pressure increased, Pilot Andrew Jack pulled a cord attached to the boat’s whistle. An excruciating shriek signaled the vessel’s departure. Watching the side paddle wheel thrash the water, the mob roared as the boat casually cruised into the downstream current at three miles per hour.

Steering with ease and making good speed, the sleepless passengers remained on deck during the night. They admired the unbroken expanse of Ohio forest sweeping by on either side. The moon’s thin waxing crescent and the long tail of Tecumseh’s Comet illuminated the glassy water. The river’s face glimmered like a broad ribbon of undulating silk.

Safely reaching Owensboro, Kentucky, Roosevelt decided to anchor the boat on December 15. They would spend a peaceful night on the river, or so he thought.

“What’s wrong with this Labrador?” the Captain grumbled, trying to evict his dog from the passengers’ cabin by the beast’s collar. “Usually, he enjoys sleeping on deck,” straining harder, the man mused, “but not tonight, for some strange reason.”

The whining animal braced broad paws against the floor and yelped as its nails screeched across the polished wood.

“Nicholas, kindly let poor Tiger stay,” Lydia begged as she finished suckling Henry who waited to be tucked in his cradle.

“Daddy, please…” their drowsy daughter whimpered.

“Oh, alright,” the reluctant father agreed. “Outnumbered two to one, I know when I’m bested.”

Relieved to be free, the family pet nosed the mother and daughter as if to say, “Thank you!” before slinking between the stove and cabin wall.

“That creature is simply not normal,” Roosevelt frowned. “I wonder if he’s ailing.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll be fine in a day or two.” Alluring, Lydia stroked the covers of her bed, “Why don’t you come and keep me warm? The river’s chill is especially keen tonight.”

Gladly surrendering to the woman’s call, the Captain momentarily kissed Rosetta, dozing in her crib, before joining his wife.

Except for the black Labrador and the early morning watch, everyone was asleep as bubbling muck gas boiled from the slime at the river bottom. The noxious odor of rot bathed the ship’s hull and crept over its deck while the full length of the waterway seethed. Lurching from its hidden lair, Tiger circled the passengers’ quarters. The furious creature raged at the unseen mayhem beyond the cabin walls.

Soon, loud rapping pummeled the compartment door, “Captain, we need you outside IMMEDIATELY!”

“What in God’s name is going on?” Roosevelt clambered from the jostling bed as if from a drunken stupor.

While Lydia consoled baby Henry and little Rosetta, Nicholas grabbed his uniform to dress. Staggering onto the reeling deck, he passed the cook and two nurses. Leaving them to assist his frightened wife, the man joined the ship’s pilot, engineer, and crew at the bow.

“What in hell is this?”

“An earthquake, Sir,” Baker growled. “One like I have never seen!”

As water boiled beneath the rolling boat, the men clutched the rigging. They watched unimaginable devastation rip the riverbanks away. Mountains of rubble sank in the churning current. Silhouetted by the Great Comet of 1811, the timber on either side of the Ohio, rose and fell like the undulating spine of an enormous dragon. The buckling ground rid itself of the clinging forest before hurtling skyward. Thousands of trees collapsed in giant ripples. Each time a monstrous root was erupted from the ground; a splintery explosion resounded like cannon fire. In the distance, the horrified observers watched entire islands sink beneath a tumultuous tide of darkness. In only moments, the entire watercourse changed as familiar landmarks completely disappeared. The New Orleans floated on a cataclysmic flood of destruction.

“Sir, what are your orders?” the timid pilot whispered.

“We’ll push floating debris away from the hull and side wheel until morning to keep our anchorage here if possible,” Roosevelt pointed. “Then, when the deepest channel is visible at daylight, the ship will proceed to Henderson, Kentucky.”

“Aye, Sir,” Jack agreed, “if this damned shaking has stopped in time.”

“Exactly so,” Nicholas patted the pilot’s shoulder, excusing himself to join Lydia and the kids.

Unfortunately, another monstrous quake struck six hours later at 8 o’clock in the morning. The aftershock released as much violent terror as the first. But this time, the total effect was visible.

“She’s coming back on us, Sir!” the pilot screeched.

“What is, Jack?”

“The entire river, Sir!” the befuddled fellow pointed. “The current has reversed!”

“Steer into it, man!” Roosevelt barked. “Don’t let the leading wave swamp us!”

Aware of necessity, the engineer jerked the firebox damper open and shoveled more coal. The rapid side wheel responded, and the New Orleans quickened her pace, leaving a plume of ash and glowing cinders in the boat’s wake. Bucking like a wild horse, the steamship plowed into the rolling billow. Crashing through the ridge of water, the bow lifted and dropped between each intervening trough and peak.

Within four hours, another massive tumult battered the torn earth and roiled the troubled tide. The horrific midday shock whipped a bleak veil of dust and vile gas overhead. The revolting mist obliterated every scrap of blue sky and blotted the beaming sun above the shattered town of New Madrid.