The Bozeman courier., May 06, 1927, Page PAGE THREE, Image 3

About The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
*
Phenomenal Development of Steamboat
Traffic on the "Big Muddy ' Between 1862
to 1867; The Transportation Enterprises
Block P" Line was the Leader Among Missouri River Enterprises
The Famous "Block P" Line
4
of Late Senator T. C. Power;
A
(By DAN R. CONWAY)
proved successful enterprises, augment
This is the sixth of a series of articles deal
with the history of navigation on the
Upper Missouri river.
ing
THE MISSOURI
Well, straneer, I came up that river.
Back in the early days. _
And I've sure got a strong liking for her.
She's human like, pard, in her way«. j
Where them summer clouds most touch tne j
snowbanks . , ..
Spread like linen a-bleach in the sun.
While the mountain flowers aloom on tneir
Wher^them little rills trickle and run.
Till bounding down through the mountains.
With pennants of mist all unfurled;
A thousand bold streams come a-leapmg
Off the eaves of the roof of the world.
In the land of the geysers and glaciers.
Where tbe hills have been battered and torn
By mysterious hands in their making,
That there river Missouri was born.
Some rivers are smiling and happy.
Some rivers are sullen and grim.
Some rivers remind you of ragtime
And some have the sound of a hymn.
Some sanier along at their leisure;
Some brawl as they rush on their way:
The Missouri, well, she's kind of different
From the rest of 'em—I'm here to say.
Now maybe the reason I like her—
The reason I think she's the best.
The friendliest, strongest and biggest,
Is because she's part of the west.
A highway that led from the eastward
To this country of sapphire and gold,
A trail that lured with a promise
The hearts of the strong and the bold.
Steamboats? Well stranger. I reckon
There never were steamboats so fine
As those that came up that river
To Fort Benton, the old "Block P" line.
Nosing their way through the current.
Making a swing round a bend.
Loaded with stuff for the miners
A-work at a real rainbow's end.
Bark in the days of the sixties.
The days that I long for again.
The days of real joy and real sorrow,
The days of real women and men.
And. I'll bet tbe Missouri is lonesome.
As I am for those early days.
For the both of us sure are old timers
And she's human like in her ways.
—By ROBERT H. FLETCHER.
j
NE of the most spectacular phases
in the entire history of water travel |
was that era which embraced river |
traffic on the Missouri during the j
five-year period beginning in 1864 and
ending in 1869.
The enormous amount of river traffic i
in that half decade was
of the
0
X
mighty metamorphosis
which came over the
country at the head
waters of the Missouri
river through the dis
covery of gold in Mon
tana territory. The old
river afforded a sure
highway for travel and
commerce to within a
comparatively short dis
k tance of the famous
H camps of Last Chance
Band Alder Gulches.
K There was no other
S' route that could com
pete with it; for the
river could carry freight
from St. Louis to Port
Benton in cargoes of 100 to 500 tons
without breaking bxilk.
The prospectors and argonauts them
selves traveled in large numbers by over
land routes: but a great number also
traveled via the old Missouri. Nearly all
the merchandise including every neces
sity of life and all mining machinery
and heavy freight came up the river.
Rapid Development
Steamboat traffic leaped to enormous
proportions in a phenomenally short
time. Prior to 1864 there had been only
six steamboat arrivals at Fort Benton.
In 1866 and 1867 there were 70 arrivals.
In 1867 the trade touched the high water
mark; and at that time it presented one
of the most extraordinary developments
in the history of commerce. At times
there were as many as thirty to forty
steamboats on the Missouri river between
Fort Benton and the mouth of the Yel
lowstone, which distance was one con
tinual panorama of scenes of wildness as
primeval as the jungles along the Ama
zon.
y
V :
Dan R. Conway
Imagine yourself set down in the un
broken wilderness along the banks of
"Big Muddy," where nothing dwelt ex
cept wild animals and wilder men: where
the savage Indian made life a constant
peril; where no individtial human habi
tation greeted the eye. It would have
seemed marvelous and inexplicable to
then find this river alive with noble
craft, as beautiful as any that ever rode
the ocean, stored with all the necessities
of civilization and crowded with passen
gers as cultured, refined and well dressed
as the cabin list of an ocean liner. Cer
tainly this was a most extraordinary
scene which was flashed for a moment
before the world and then withdrawn
forever.
Enormous Profits
Some startling statistics have survived
showing the magnitude of the steamboat
business on the Missouri river during the
five years mentioned. In the year 1865,
1,000 passengers, 6,000 tons of merchan
dise, 40 steamboats had passed Sioux
City before June 1, en route to the head
of navigation. These carried more than
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12,000 tons freight.
The profits of a successful voyage were
enormous. The reported profits of some
of the trips of 1866 were as follows: The
St. John, $17,000; the Tacony, $16,000;
the W. J. Lewis, $40,000; the Peter Bolen,
$65,000. In 1867, Captain Joseph LaBarge !
cleared more than $40,000 on a trip with
the Octavia.
Freight rates from St. Louis to Port
Benton in 1866 were 12 cents per pound,
Insurance rates were 6 % per cent of the
value insured on side wheel boats and
8 per cent on stern wheel boats. The
fare for each cabin passenger was $300.
In spite of the high prices charged and
the enormous profits gleaned, however,
the officers and crews of these boats were
not very highly paid. The master of the
boat received $200 per month; the clerk
$150; the mate and engineer each $125.
Wages of Pilots
On the other hand, -with the pilots it
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Reading from left to right: Wicikala (Little Moon) of the Sitting Bull band of Sioux: Tacanhpiluta (Red Tomahawk), Waka
pala or Sitting Bull band: Captain Isaac P. Baker, sole survivor of the original Block-P line officials, now living at Bismarck,
N. D.; Caton-cinrala (Teltow Hawk or Little Eagle). Sitting Bull band; Waka-Temoin (Shoots Walking), Wakapala or Sitting Bull
band. From a photograph taken at Crow Agency in June. 1ÎI3G. Chief Red Tomahawk here pictured, killed Sitting Bull at Grand
River. South Dakota, during the ghost dance outbreak, December 15, 1890. He is a very close friend and admirer of Cadtain
Baker.
In an interview given the author of this article at Fort
Benton a few months ago. Captain Baker paid high tribute
to those old-time characters who were charged with the re
sponsibility of transportation in the early days of Montana
Territory. He said, in part: "When w r e realize that trans
portation is in reality the king of the universe, and life
itself requires everywhere an inexhaustible supply of good
water, to reclaim the resources of a vast virgin territory,
requiring good drainage, the pioneers, searching for the min
eral wealth as welt as the agricultural wealth of Montana,
chose the headwaters of an unexcelled and truly inexhaust
able good water supply.
"The original pathfinders, in the earliest days, filed up
this great waterway and kept going until they reached the
head of navigation on the longest navigable stream in the
world, and near a wonderful waterpower site, established
the birthplace of Montana, where the sun rises and sets at
Fort Benton.
"Through the navigation of the Upper Missouri river,
the British Northwest Territory was opened up and devel
oped. The providing of transportation facilities made pos
sible the organization and maintenance of the Royal North
west Mounted Police, and the opening up for trade and com
merce which has resulted in the Northwest states and prov
inces of today.
"When we think of transportation, and when the pres
ent generation are erecting monuments for the ifkthfinders. I
would suggest the remembrance of those brave men who
piloted the wagon trains from Fort Benton to Whoop-Up
and Hoedown. Fort Walsh and Fort McLeod, and such a
monument should carry tbe likeness of such a man as
Thomas Clary, than whom no more capable wagon boss ever
existed. This because these men fearlessly entered a wild
and treacherous country; they entered and conquered a ter
ritory that has now become tbe breadbasket of the world."
was different. The best of them could
almost set their own price for their serv
ices. So indisperisible were they that the
best talent was paid as much as $1,200
per month.
This was the status of steamboat traf
fle on the old Missouri in the spring of
1867 when Thomas C. Power, then 28
years of age, unloaded his first stock of
merchandise brought up the river by
steamboat from St. Louis, for the pur
pose of engaging in the fur trade among
the tribes to the north.
Mr. Power, a young civil engineer, who.
for about three years, had been in the
employ of the government, had only a
year or two prior to this time, accompa
nied the famous expedition of General
Sully against the Sioux nation, across the
wilds of North Dakota. He was in charge
of Sùlly's sutler ship. On this and other
Upper Missouri trips he had met many
old traders returning from the Northwest
with the fruits of their toil; he had ob
served the immense wagon trains of pll
grims headed for the gold fields. It was
then that he became thoroughly imbued
with the spirit of the new West, and
foresaw his opportunity in Montana Ter
ritory.
Started in a Log Cabin
Placing his stock of goods in a log
cabin, he began to barter them for gold
dust and for furs, his customers being
for the most part Indians, soldiers, trap
pers, prospectors, miners from the placer
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THE OLD FORT BENTON LEVEE as it appeared in the late sixties at the time young Thomas C. Power arrived in Montana
territory with his first stock of goods.
camps, and all the otherr of that pic
turesque frontier population which was
scattered here and there over the plains
and ln the mountain gulches, and who
found their way occasionally to the head
of navigation on the Upper Missouri to
exchange their earnings for provisions
and equipment.
From that log cabin store in the less
than fifty years that Mr. Power was
actively at the head of his enterprises,
emerged a chain of commercial institu
tions covering a considerable portion of
Montana, with a combined business floor
space of more than two square miles,
That modest log cabin was a crude affair
but it served its purpose well, and from
it have sprung scores of modern mercan
tile institutions, 75 per cent of which are
boused in the latest type of fireproof
buildings.
To review the commercial activities of
Senator Power during his career, is to
record the history of Montana in all that
has to do with the transportation, corn
merce, the raising of livestock and the
pursuit of diversified agriculture. Prom
the primitive days, the needs of the
miner, the freighter, the oncoming stock
i man, sheepgrower, homesteader and mod
| ern farmer have been catered to in each
i step of transformation of the Treasure
1 state by the ever-increasing stores and
supply stations which sprouted from the
little log cabin on the edge of the Mis
souri at old Fort Benton,
While the great store and warehouse
at Port Benton continued for years as a
forwarding station, the mercantile activi
ties of Mr. Power were directed toward
the south and into the more p< pulous
sections of the territory,
selected as the location for the first
branch house, and, as time went on,
other stores were established and the
activities of each branch widened in
scope,
Helena was
Enters Freighting Business
Despite the fact that in those. days
there were no railroad strikes nor rumors
of strikes, the question of adequate
transportation facilities was a most vital
problem to the miners and settlers.
Thousands of people were being attracted
to the Territory and the merchants ex
perienced much difficulty in securing the
provisions and supplies necessary to meet
the growing demand.
Birth of the "Block-P" Line
Observing that there was good profit to
be made in freighting, Mr. Power had al
ready, in 1868, put several wagon trains
on the trails leading from Port Benton
inland. At that time the greatest por
tion of supplies for the mining camps in
the southern part of the territory was
being shipped from Omaha and other
river points by steamer to Fort Benton.
This addition did not relieve the situa
tion so far as was concerned the hand
ling of merchandise from Port Benton
west, but Mr. Power, finding that his
firms experienced some delaps because of
inadequate steamboat transportation,
conceived the idea of building and oper
ating a line of river boats. So, to be as
sured of the required stocks of supplies,
Mr. Power, in 1869, together with I. G.
and Geo. A. Baker, of I. G. Baker & Co.,
built the steamboat "Benton." This ven-'
ture proved all that was anticipated tor
it, and in 186, Mr. Power and his associ
ates had constructed and launched the
steamboat, "Helena," another named the
"Butte," and several others, operated
under the direction of what was called
the "Benton Block-P" line.
Officers of the Company
The officers of this company were T. C.
Power, manager; John H. Charles, super
intendent, Sioux City, Iowa; and Isaac
P. Baker, general agent, Bismarck, N. Dak.
The firm derived its name from the
trade brand of the boats which appeared
in large size above each of the steamers.
The "Block-P" was designated in the fol
lowing
Advertising the "Block-P" Line
An accompanying illustration on this
page shows a small reproduction of two
pages of an advertising folder, such as
was used by the company in the early
eighties. This folder (the property of
Captain I. P. Baker), is in the form gen
erally used by railroads and other com
mon carriers, is eight pages and neatly
and attractively printed. To read its con
tents is to learn in most forcible language
that competitive advertising is not a
commodity new alone to the twentieth
century.
The Union Pacific and Central Pacific
were then just nicely established, and
with the crude running stock of that era,
these roads were experiencing the diffi
culties and discouragements that were
peculiar to early-day rail transportation.
Of this condition, the "Block-P" line
made capital in its appealing advertis
ing. For instance, on Page Three of the
folder we read:
"THIS IS THE BEST ROUTE
"Because you AVOID A TEDIOUS RIDE
over a narrow gauge railroad. Because
you know when you start just what your
expense will be, as our rates are pub
lished open, and that is the limit of your
expense. Not so by other routes, where
only a portion of your expense is pub
lished, and before you reach your desti
nation you find your outlay doubled, and
expense for extra baggage more than
passage."
"EMIGRANTS SHOULD GO TO MON
TANA VIA RIVER ROUTE
"Because it is more comfortable for
families and children to travel on a
Steamer than to be cooped up in emi
grant cars for 6 days.
"Meals and Berth are included in first
class ticket via Benton Line. Three
Square Meals a Day. A good Bed at night.
The best attention, the finest scenery
and the healthiest climate in the world,
are the inducements offered by the Ben
ton 'Block-P' Line."
Again, on Page Four, we find opposi
tion lines of steamers are not estimated
at a very high standard in this piece of
advertising matter. We read:
"Beware of tickets that read good on
any boat! They are not good on any
boat—only a few wild ones, that make
trip when they happen to have a load.
Be sure you see that your tickets read
VIA BENTON LINE
The line that carries the U. S. Mail. An
other advantage of the Benton Line tick
ets Ys that the
STAGE LINE PROM FORT BENTON
is controlled by the same management.
Persons holding Through Benton Line
tickets have preference of seats in Stage.
"Six persons, by going together in one
party, can avail themselves of Immigrant
rates on wagons.
"A weekly line of Steamers will run to
Port Benton during the boating season,
leaving Bismarck every Saturday. One
hundred and fif'y pounds of baggage al
lowed each passenger to Port Benton."
Catered to Park Travel
Yellowstone National park tourist traf
fic was, even in those days, an item worth
catering to, for we read the following on
Page Two:
"If you are going to MONTANA, de
mand through tickets via BENTON LINE.
Take Northern Pacific Railroad vit Bis
marck, making direct connection there
every Saturday with the BENTON LINE
"HELENA,"
of Steamers,
BrNTON,
"BLACK HILLS," and "BUTTE."
"For FORT BENTON and at Fort Ben
ton with the BENTON & HELENA DAILY
STAGE LINE for Fort Assinnibolne, Port
McLeod, Fort Walsh, Yogo Mines, Mar
tlnsdals. Sun River Crossing, Fort Shaw,
Silver City and HELENA.
"At Helena with DAILY STAGES for
Butte. Missoula, Deer Lodge, Virginia
City, Bozeman, and from there Excursion
Parties fit out for the famous YELLLOW
STONE NATIONAL PARK."
It will be noticed in this quotation
from the little folder that the Benton
Line operated its own stage outfits to
Helena and other points. These overland
lines were established by Mr. Power to
meet the demand for reliable transporta
tion facilities. His company operated
mule and bull teams for handling freight
to the various points Inland, as well as
an exceptionally well equipped
passenger and mail stagecoaches.
This overland express and passenger
service between Fort Benton and the in
land cities was very extensive, especially
during the fall when a large number of
miners left for the eastern states via the
river route. At this time, Mr. Power's
company operated stage lines between
Helena and Fort Benton and between
I Fort Benton and Billings and these
line of
ing and facilitating the steamboat traffic.
Boat Arrivals in the 80's
Following is a list of the boat arrivals
at the Port Benton levee, from 1880 to
1888, as compiled by T. C. Power & Bro.,
for the Montana Historical Society. Many
of these steamers were the property of
the "Benton Block -P" line.
1880. —Butte. May 7; Helena, May 17;
Benton, May 25; Nellie Peck, May 27;
Helena, June 9; Peninah, June 15; C. K.
Peck, June 18; Butte, June 23; Eclipse,
July 9; N. Peck, July 13;^elena K July 13;
Benton. July 27; Butte, July 29; C. K.
Peck, July 31; Eclipse, August 1; Far
West, August 1; Helena, August 6; Rose
bud, August 12; Butte, August 21; Jose
phine, August 26; General Meade, August
1881. —Far West. May 19; Helena, May
20; Benton, May 30; Dakotah, June 6;
Far West. June —; Red Cloud, June —;
Benton, June 24; Rosebud, June 26; C. K.
Peck, June 29; Butte, July 11; Benton,
July 22.
1882. —Butte, May 7; Black Hills. May
10; Helena, May 14; Benton, May 22;
Butte, June 3; Helena, June 6; Far West,
June —; Black Hills, June 11; Benton,
June 14; Butte, June 27; Helena, June
29; Benton, July 5; Butte, July 10; Hel
ena, July 19; Butte, July 30; Black Hills,
July 31.
1883. —Butte, Mav 11: acle* a, May 19;
Benton, May 19; i«t:.cte,
Hills, June 10; Helena, Ju ;.2 13: Penton,
June 23; Butte, JüM 24. Black Bills
June 27; Helena, July »• Hul«,
July 13; Butte, July 13; Hulc. July Su,
Black Hills, August 6.
1884. —Batchelor, May 17; te*
27; Helena, May 28; Batcheluf,
Helena, June 13; Benton, Jure 13; 3at h
elor, June 27; Helena, July 27; 1 cleua,
August 4. '
1885. — P. Y. Batchelor, May 7: Helena,
May 16; Benton, May 24; Batchelov, May
24; Rosebud, June 6; Benton, June 17;
Helena, June 25; Rosebud, July 3; Helena,
July 18; Batchelor, July 26; Rosebud
August 28.
1886. —Rosebud, May 15; Helena, May
22; Batchelor, May 25; Rosebud, June 5;
Benton, June 14; Helena, June 14; Rose
bud. July 2: Judith. July 6; Helena, July
8 1 Benton July 15
*
29.
—; Black
tou. Ma.'
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1887.—Rosebud. April 26; Helena. May
3; Judith, May 22; Helena. May 28;
Eclipse, June 1; General Perry, June 2;
Benton. June 10; Eclipse. June 16; Hel
ena, June 19; Judith. June 30; Rosebud.
July 6; Benton. July 6; Helena. July 20;
Benton, July 20; Helena and General
Perry, July 27; Eclipse, August 2; Mis
souri, August 6; Helena and Eclipse, Au
ST.If ; Ä. SM 5 SS? 4 .~
SttJSL&'ST
This is all we have any record of. Hop
The Block P Lead All Boat Lines in the
Transportation of Freight to Fort Benton
In commenting upon the rapid use of navigation on Ihe Missouri river and the
enormous traffic in freight and passengers that obtained in the late seventies and
early eighties, th Warner and Beers History of Montana, published in 1885 offers, the
following facts and statistics relative to the business of the Block-P and other lines,
as pertains the unloadings at old Fort Benton levee:
"The fluctuations in river freights during the past three years have been great.
In 1879 the importations by river amounted to 56,'MMMMM) pounds. .In 1880 they fell to
10,000.000 pounds. In 1881 the river freights up the Missouri and Yellowstone again
swelled to 43,000,000 pounds, notwithstanding the near approach of railroads: but in
1882 the river trade again declined, the total importations by river being 27.481.141
pounds, or less by over 15,000,000 pounds than they were in 1881. The principal cause
of this decline is the diminution in the quantity of freights up the Yellowstone. In
1881 th efreights that came by the Yellowstone river amounted to 8,420,000 pounds.
In 1882 they only amounted to 1.390.000 pounds—a decline of over T.oOO.OOO pounds.
This is largely due to the fact that the Yellowstone river was tapped by the North
ern Pacific, thus shutting off the river trade. There has also been a falling off in
government freights by river. In 1881 the government freight up the Missouri and
Yellowstone amounted to 7,200.000 pounds, while in 1882 it only amounted to 5.100,000
pounds, a decrease of 2,100,000 pounds. This added to the decline in the Yellowstone
freights leaves only a decrease of 5,000,000 and 6,000,000 of pounds in private freights
up the Missouri river during the year 1882. The private freights to Benton amounted
to 27,560,000 pounds, while in 1882, they were only reported at 22,376,141, a decrease
of 5.179,000 pounds during the year, as shown in the following table:
Private frt. lbs. Govt. frt. lbs.
3,605.000
100.000
Total lbs.
10.849,441
7.705,616
3.911.624
2.239.020
1,390.540
1.400.000
Boats
Renton Line ..
Coulson Line .
Baker Line .
Peck Line .
Yellowstone Line .
U. S. Steamer Sherman
. 7.244.441
. 7.605.816
. 3,911.624
. 2.239,020
,. 1.390.540
I «400*000
27,481.141
5,100.000
.. .22,376,141
The Benton line had the government contract, of course, which accounts for the
preponderance of that class of freight. The steamer Sherman, since sold at St. Louis.
owned by the government and operated under the direction of Capt. E. B. Kirk,
assistant quartermaster U. S. A. The season of 1882 saw a fleet of twenty-two steam
ers readv for tbe Missouri and Yellowstone river traffic, the latter scarcely counting,
so slight was it as compared with the aggregate. The Eclipse was the first boat of
the season to pull out for up river, which she did April 10. number following in the
days immediately succeeding. The closing of navigation is usually from the 1st to
the 15th of November, and this year the Butte arrived from above and went into
winter quarters November 10, the last until 1883. During the season there were eighty
six departures and eighty-five arrivals from and at Bismarck, and only two trips all
told were made on the Yellowstone. At Fort Benton, the head of navigation, and
more than 1,300 miles above Bismarck, there were forty arrivals during the season—
an unusual number and fully attesting the excellent effect of the government work.
The Benton boats, too, notwithstanding tbe generally low water, were able to take
much heavier freights than usual, and this ability, as may easily be imagined, is an
important factor in transportation covering so long and tortuous a course. Only one
boat came to grief, but this was the Red Cloud, one of the largest and handsomest,
which struck a submerged stump near Bouche's grave, about sixty miles from Fort
Peck, and sunk almost instantly. The boat was a total loss. A large part of the
cargo was saved. Tbe total value of the twenty-two boats was $493,000, and the ag
gregate tonnage 8.400, custom bouse measurement. The exports from Benton were:
Grand Totals ....
was
Value
Amounts
Products
$225,000
40.000
63.000
.920.000
.. 1.000
.129,490
. 7.600
. 28.000
. 1,250
. 3.000
. 44.681
Wool, pounds .
Cattle ..
Bullion .
Beef hides .
Buffalo hides .
Bales skins .
Bales robes .
Merchandise .
34.000
112.000
31,000
24.000
993
Total
$530,093
£
T
FROM
BE IT KNOWN TO AIX
X A vail» TM4T Tin
CHICAGO OH ST. LOUIS
BENTON IS UNE
BY WATER or BAIL to ST. PAUL.
!
NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD
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GRANARY OF THE WOKLÖ,
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SOUTHERN Finn: EAILROAD i
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MONTANA
DISTANCES OK YELLOWSTONE RIVKit
From rort fluford to
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From |»'ort Bon«w 4» '
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VIA BIB
AB C IX,
j THK EAST AND "MONTANA
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Northern P'siéi'ic Express
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THE BENTON LINE EXPRESS
ta
T in« — >8» »II li ii|» f il t iX |> m a.
MONT AIWA AND «NORTHWEST.
Mmm. ?88T KITM, HEI8U, A !..
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»1 .M'MuiA&e ««a. 'iédt
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ÜD
Bepro&action of the elaborate advertising folder published and clreaUted by tie
ton "Block-P" steamboat line In the early eich tie»,
printed in twa colors. It contained
The folder was eicht paces, and
_ . most interestinc arcuasents in favor of travel
in the Bentos line in preference to the other methods of western travel then available
f
. . ,, ^ __ - .
Montana. The other vessels were
1 built and put into service within a year
or two. When the Northern Pacific rall
road arrl ed at Bismarck. N D.. the trips
■
!
\
\
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HON. T. C. POWER
Organizer and active managing head of the
famous "Benton Block-P" line of Missouri
river steamboats.
ing the above will be of some help, we
remain,
T. C. POWER & BRO.,
Ft. Benton, Mont.
December 27, 1899.
It has been said of Mr. Power that,
during the bull train days, he was per
• rally in charge of. the work, and that
• -'■equert.ly put In 20 hours a day as
-ating crews at the old Port
nd on the road. Until the
r-»il-oad, trains of not less
•'s aon.e drawn by oxen, and
T.tules
;
! v/trt ox
' Bcj?. .
f 1 .r o '
oi . rr
il. constantly em
ouly tbo ° # '
pi< -r-l
stirutlonb. but other pioneer
wore kept in supplier.
The steamer Benton first of e ? c
P line of boats, was launcher, at X'"
burgh. Pa. It was loaded at liât
and for two years made trips from that
thus, i.
in
-e
limited to and from that point and
Fo J t Bedton '. „ .
According to Captain Baker who is the
f° le surviving executive of the old Ben
ton line, the Block-P boats were em
P^yed in the transportation of materials
J? the construction Df the
Grea . t . Northern railway lines, for mjuW
SS 25 Ä
Twen.y-seveîrV'e .n comment
(Continued on Agricultural Page!