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Dave, I have recently published my GGGrandfather Asa C. Call's 1850's diaries. They contain some interesting observations about and while on various river boats. One I like the best is a race between the "OCEAN WAVE" and the "TIME AND TIDE" on April 5, 1850 on the Illinois river. Here is an excerpt from his diary: Where there are "*" in the text, it is because the handwriting was difficult or impossible to discern.

Thursday. (April 4, 1850)

I felt rather down, after having seen A.A. start off alone, and almost pennyless. I took a final review of all our circumstances, and prospects, balanced hopes and fears, compared past, present and future and I was much depressed.

But I am determined to do my best, and if submit is the word, why, I will still try to be a man. So I engaged steerage passage for St. Louis on the steam packet OCEAN WAVE at $1.50, and giving old Inman a dollar, I left him to his own destruction. By the way, I presume they called him an "in and Inman" in contradistinction to "an out and out man". I saw him charge an Irishman an enormous bill, and then charge him extra for hauling his baggage to the Steam Boat. Paddy called him a pickpocket and he in turn threatened to drown him in the river. But Pat was too willing, to justify him in undertaking the job alone, and so the old imp was going to have his hands do it. But I concluded from their looks that they didn't crave the job. If they had undertaken it, we would have made fish bait of him and old In and Inman with as hearty a good will as we would have drowned a mad dog, or a litter of dirty* kittens*.

We left at 9 a.m. I was surprised to see the Illinois so small here. It is scarcely wide enough to allow a boat to turnaround in but it soon gets larger. It is a broad smooth stream in Peoria*. I have just found on the boat Mr. Hearns* of Wolf Lake . He now lives in Iowa, & Gary Rowtins* and Wm. Rickett are there yet*. The old Gentleman knew me & I found him first rate company. He had been back to Indiana.

I have today made the acquaintance of a young Californian by the name of Hubbard from Michigan. One of the Cattenaugh* H's and a nephew to Ruery* & Geo. & Frank. He started with his father, and his father died at Ottawa of lung fever.

The steerage is a filthy hole. I stay on the Hurricane deck or in the cabin all the time. The Race of the "OCEAN WAVE" and the "TIME and TIDE" Friday. (April 5, 1850) The banks began to look green today, and some shrubs are begin to show their leaves. We passed Peoria and Pekin in the night. The Illinois is muddy and high. It must have rained here. Beardstown is a dilapidated mean looking place, but eggs are cheap, 4 cents a dozen and cheese 15 cents. The banks have been flat and marshy the most of the way, but I see a few bold promontories about. So guess I will call it *, as we have just passed Rome and Naples.

The "TIME and TIDE" is chasing us. She left Naples about 10 minutes after we did and has been straining every muscle to pass us. We had a low head of steam on, when they started in chase, but we now make the old water boil to some purpose. The Captain looks as red as Mars, and says "Gentleman! If you on't want yon boat to pass us, you must all go aft. We are too heavy forward. Don't you see we're down to the guards while they only draw four foot water. Look! Look! By God, Mr. Civiney*! How they are poking the ton into her", and so they are "poking the ton into her" and to some purpose too for every time I look up, & that is pretty often, I can see that they have gained on us. I went aft before the order, for I was afraid we should blow up.

The Engineer says our head of steam is 78 pounds to the inch and that the boiler will bear 85. He is going to put on 83.

They are almost to us. --- The Captain says, "Charlie, cut 'em off then", and the steersman has run our boat in towards the bank. I can hear them swearing. They are mad because our Captain took the advantage of them. "Bear off then or by God I'll run into you." "Run into Hell & be damned. I'd like to see yon old thing run into the WAVE," shouts our fat old Captain. "What has she now Mr. Civiney*?"

"80 to the inch Sir," replied the Engineer, and pressing his mouth to a long thin tube that runs from him to the furnaces he says, "five up then, five up then!"

The TIME and TIDE just now steamed past by even as our wake tapers* us, but she increasingly fell back a * . We are going to stop at the next wood ***.

In St. Louis, he boarded the JULIA for the trip up the Missouri. See excerpt below: We got in about 4 o'clock this morn. I remained on board till daylight, and then engaged a steerage passage to St. Joseph on the Julia, at $2.50--cabin fare is $8.00.

The Captain, a fat old Southerner who says, Bar, and whar, and thar, and tobacca, exactly like the Negroes, tells me that he can run up in five days.

I got my things aboard and left my principal valuables in charge of the clerk and started in search of the Post Office. After much ado, I found it in a Crevice of the City called Chestnut Street, and I mailed my letters. I got some papers of a news boy and learn that John C. Calhoun is dead.

3-31-50. 5 o'clock p.m.

The JULIA will not start till morning. I have been up to see the water works. Their principal feature consists of two immense reservoirs or vats, about 50 feet deep and 800 in diameter, built of stone and banked up most to the top. Into these the water is forced by a steam pump from the Mississippi, whence it is distributed to all parts of the City.

There are a great many Boats engaged in the Missouri trade, and they are all loaded with Californians, many of whom take their teams aboard. I can see dead oxen floating down the river almost constantly. There is a fatal distemper among them, something like the murrain ---.

The levee which is about 200 feet wide, is completely covered as far as the eye can reach, with Horses, oxen, men, mules, drays, boxes, bags, negros, lumber, and every thing else, so close that one can scarcely move.

On the Missouri River Sunday. (April 7, 1850) So we are on the Missouri! The rough, turbulent, relentless old Missouri. The fickle Missouri! The Grand Missouri! How nobly it rolls along. It has forced its way for thousands of miles through mountain and desert, forest and plain, scorning control and despising all established usage and etiquette. Conscious of its own strength, it seems to take a pride in its rude contrariness.

It is a genuine "Reformer". Here it bends an ancient bank and there it rears a white head. This year it chooses its channel in one place, and next year in another. It is so muddy. It is enough to kill a man to drink it. I have a small cholera today but I have taken my allowance of bread and dried beef and unless I get worse, I think I shall be apt to get better. We have some 200 persons aboard and they generally have the cholera more or less. I believe if all the cholera there is aboard was boiled down, there would be enough to kill at least 50 men. It is occasionally fatal, but there have been no deaths on our boat. But we are entirely too much crowded. Besides over 200 biped passengers, (I can't say Human) we have about 50 horses, oxen & mules.

I am very surprised to find the navigation of the Missouri so bad. I always heard that it was a bad stream, but I never dreamed of its being so bad as it is. I supposed that we should see no material, *inviolate difference between this and the Mississippi, but even at the mouth it is entirely a different stream cut up by islands and sand bars, shallow, irregular and full of snags. They have been sounding at least half the time, and in some places they find only 5 feet water. Our boat draws 4 1/2. We have touched bottom several times already.

We left St. Louis today at 11 a.m. I went all over town this morning. It looks like a large place and it is. It contains half as many people as all the rest of this state. I find that the streets back, are wider and more regular than those near the levee but all the streets in the principal business part of the city are narrow alleys, barely wide enough to allow two waggons to pass and paved mostly with a rough cobble stones, though there is an abundance of good stones at hand. The city is built on a lot of very good building stone, and the stone that is taken from a large cellar will almost build the house. I believe that all the retail establishments are kept by Jews, who have no regular prices for anything.

On the whole, I rather dislike St. Louis. There are many valuable buildings in it. In fact, the Town is almost one solid block of brick five stories high without streets or lights, but there are very few handsome buildings and the public houses are generally mean looking and I should think badly kept. I presume of course that "Planter's House" is the best, but that is "no great shakes". The lower story is all rented out to shop keepers, etc.---- I got a good bed on the boat last night, as they promised to start yesterday. I made then keep me free* as part compensation for the *delay. --- Monday.

(April 8, 1850)

We have* to* tie* up nights* caught * bars etc., and we get on very slowly. We passed St. Charles this noon but didn't stop. I *see signs* of* little* cattle* where* the river now for* and they say the country is not very good back. I saw men digging up stumps and digging terraces in the bank of the river for grape culture. We have come to some fine bluffs today lime* rock* I believe.

My cholera is rather worse today. One poor fellow has died. Tho not a Catholic, poor fellow, one would have supposed that he would be willing to exchange this life for a happier one, but he seemed to dread his Heaven and was as reluctant to step into the threshold of Paradise as I should be to enter the unknown future* that awaits me.

--- Tuesday. (April 9, 1850)

Our boat is completely crammed. We take some at every landing. We have today 430* aboard. I never go into the steerage. It is awful. One sight is enough to make me shudder. We have had some fine scenery today in the lofty battlements of rock, stands *of Cedar. ** a fine contrast with the rich flat alluvium of its mouth*.

If I only had a brother* or a friend* with me, and all who said at *** Jefferson. It is nothing, nothing at all. A State prison and a handsome* State* house* on a promintory* that* commands* an expansive* view of the river, and all is told. A few * houses and shanties and a few grinning* negro boys, one tavern* with the paint all off the side and Jefferson is all told. It is about like Fulton. I am nearly well today but there is much sickness aboard. I have made the acquaintance of 3 tall Pennnsylvania men today, & I think some of rigging up a team with them. They are brothers and average* about* 35 years*.

Wednesday. (April 10, 1850)

We grounded about 7 last evening, which saved us the trouble of tying up, but we found no great trouble in getting off again. We passed Boonville this morning. It is something of a place, the most respectable that I have seen since I left* St. Louis. It is rather larger than Albany.

The Missouri is in many places very shallow, and there are frequently immense tracts sand, lying adjacent to the river that are flowed in high water. These are dotted over with huge rafts or piles of flood wood, from 10 to 20 feet high and sometimes covering 3 or 4 acres. If this wood was all charred it would make a fine coal bed. But I should hardly venture to undertake the job of making good stove coal of it. Though if Professor Agasdig wishes to try it, I have no objection whatever.

Some of the Californians went ashore today. I am glad they are gone. I wish they would do so some more. If they don't, I think I shall, in a day or two. It is too bad here entirely. Every place is * * and much sickness* though* not***.

Thursday. (April 11, 1850)

It is cold this morning. It froze some last night. I am tired of this creeping. Besides we are all getting sick. I have nearly recovered from my Cholera but as Asa Thomas said, "I don't feel very well yet." As I sit here on the hurricane deck, I see some of the guards below making a coffin for a woman who died last night, and there is a man below who cannot live many hours. They are stuffing him to death with everything from *peppermint drops to *. He has been in the habit of drinking too much.

---- 12M. The man is gone, and there is quite a panic on-board, as most all have more or less diarrhea. I have been talking with a few of the more sensible fellows and they have continued to be sane. But the most of them are dosing with everything you can think of. It makes good times for the Barkeeper. I firmly believe that our 450* passengers have taken stuff enough this morning to kill fifty men.

Lexington, Missouri - Disembarking Friday. (April 12, 1850) We reached Lexington this morn about 6 o'clock, and the Thompsons and I concluded to go ashore and fit up our team here and go the Southern route, as we shall grass* some two weeks earlier than they will at St. Joe. We shall intersect that road some six hundred miles from here, a little this side of Fort Laramie. Vegetation is scarcely as forward here now as it was at St. Louis a week ago. ---

Hope you found all of this interesting.
Sincerely,
John R. Call

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