Western River Steamboats and
Post Card Collecting
by
James E. York
Pg. 7
exploded just above Memphis, the day after this picture
was taken, with an estimated loss of 1,547 lives.
The catastrophe was comparable only with the sinking
of the steamship TITANIC off the coast of Newfoundland
in 1912, when 1,513 lives were lost.
....13..The
ISLAND QUEEN (third) which exploded at the Monongahela
wharves at Pittsburgh in September 1947, with the
loss of 19 lives. This excursion boat had a passenger
capacity of 4,000. Had she been loaded with passengers
at the time of this explosion, the disaster may have
equaled or very probably exceeded the terrible explosion
of the SULTANA mentioned above in respect to loss
of life.
.....Views of the following
steamboats built in the 1860's are worthy of mention:
The Wheeling & Cincinnati packets MAJOR ANDERSON
and WILD WAGONER, the Memphis & Cincinnati packet
GOLDEN EAGLE, the White River packet ROWENA, the St.
Louis & Keokuk packets LUCY BERTRAM, ANDY
JOHNSON, and J. H. JOHNSON. One view taken at
New Orleans in 1870 or earlier includes the following
packets: W. R. ARTHUR, CORNELIA, HENRY AMES, and LIZZIE
GILL. The Louisville & Cincinnati packet JACOB
STRADER 1835-1866 is the oldest boat in my collection.
..... I find certain
cards more interesting than others. The history of
the particular boat or view has a lot to do with this.
I like views best which show the boats underway, the
more black smoke the better. I also find interesting
levee scenes, which show several packet boats tied
up at the landing. Often these
Pg. 8
views show cargoes stacked high on the levees, with
roustabouts loading or unloading a steamer, and sometimes
show interesting old time characters looking on the
scene. The drawback in this type of card is that the
names of the different boats are difficult or impossible
to make out, as they appear too small.
.....Some will say that
this article is too much about packet boats, and not
enough about post cards. To this I would say that
the true collector can not separate interest in details
of his specialty from the subject of post cards. The
best dealers from whom to obtain post cards of this
specialty are the dealers in old cards for obvious
reasons. Those who have supplied me with the most
cards are: ..The Switzer Card Service, 46 Langdon
Ave., Water town 72, Massachusetts; and L. W. Pain,
24 Stephen St., Albany 2, New York.
.....The author would
be glad to exchange any type of post card including
those of his specialty for post cards and photographs
of the type of river steamboat explained above. He
is not interested in collecting any other type of
post card. Please write first.
..................................................James
E. York
.......................................................1102
Twenty-third St.
............................................................Portsmouth,
Ohio
