People utilized boats and waterways as a mode of transportation even before aircraft, trains, and automobiles were invented. They’d utilize them to carry people and products from one location to another. However, because of river currents and a lack of experts to run them, one of the huge disadvantages of selecting water transportation over other modes was that traveling might be slow. So, the creation of steamboats.
A steamboat is any seaborne vessel that draws power from a steam-powered engine. However, the name most usually refers to a craft powered by steam-driven paddle wheels and was commonly found on waterways in the United States throughout the nineteenth century. These boats used the steam engine, devised in the 1800s by Thomas Newcomen of England and later modified by James Watt of Scotland.
In the nineteenth century, steamboats were a prominent commercial and passenger service mode along the Mississippi River and other inland rivers of the United States. The duration and cost of shipping were decreased due to their relative speed and capacity to move against the water current. During the peak of steamboats, over a thousand of them worked the waterways of the Mississippi.
John Fitch, James Rumsey, and John Stevens are among the most well-known names in the field of steamboats. These people were among the first to design a technically successful steamboat. Although these men were successful in the business, Robert Fulton created the first commercially viable steamboat by integrating a steam engine and a hull design.
After introducing this water transportation, steamboat traffic on the Mississippi River and other inland waterways in the United States increased substantially. Cities and towns emerged all along the banks of the rivers where the boats sailed. These river towns, like railroad towns subsequently, quickly became the busiest settlements on the border.
Nebraska City was a significant city. Along with a few other towns, Nebraska City was noteworthy because they were among the nearest steam-powered vessels that could get to many of the western villages.
By 1860, the West had drawn a large number of people. By 1860, Colorado, for instance, had a population of more than 34,000 people. These people required supplies and products, which the riverboats delivered in bulk as near as they could. Nebraska City was frequently that nearest location.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF STEAMBOATS
Although most steamboats had a similar design, people used different kinds of boats for diverse purposes. Towboats pushed barges up and down rivers. Ferries transported people through rivers to different locations.
Snag boats removed hazards and obstacles from the river. Packets transported products, mails, and passengers, and fuelers meet other steamboats along the way and restock them with coal, oil, or wood. The showboat was by far the most well-known form of a steamboat.
WORKING CLASS’ LIFE IN STEAMBOATS
Thousands of working-class people lived aboard steamboats and floating houseboats along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers from the late 1800s through the 1940s. These small vessels, made of wood and whatever other materials could be found or repurposed, were the first tiny dwellings. Their presence along the shores of numerous river towns, including Wheeling, was closely linked to United States’ well-known boom and bust changes in the economy.
The economic situation of working-class individuals residing on the water is linked to capitalism’s boom and bust cycles, the 1890s, the Great Depression, the 1970s, and the early 2000s. Thousands of people fled their homes in the upper Mississippi Valley and tried living on a houseboat to seek work in the highly industrialized lower Mississippi River and Ohio River Valleys throughout the aftermath of the US economic crisis of 1893. Homeless and unemployed people resorted to the waters in the 1930s to dwell or travel in search of work.
LUXURIOUS LIFE IN STEAMBOATS
The luxurious floating palaces of the 19th and 20th centuries were the showboats. So much more than a mode of transportation for people and goods, pleasure steamboats or showboats provided a passenger with every comfort and amenity. A cruise on a luxurious steamboat was an experience in and of itself.
The majority of the larger steamboats were lavishly outfitted, with “lounges” in the form of elegant hotel lobbies, complete with plush rugs, oil paintings, and exquisite chandeliers. Top chefs, orchestras, and vast staffs of maids and butlers were all available to help cabin passengers on several steamboats.
First-class passengers were treated to luxurious accommodations and superb cuisine. A few boats provided entertainment in their huge ballrooms, and only a few allowed gambling, contributing to the common perception of steamboats as luxurious and daring places to visit.
Passengers who were not in first-class had far worse conditions, with tiny accommodations and limited facilities. Steamboats gained strong engines in addition to elegant paraphernalia, and competition arose between many crews to see which steamboats were the quickest.
Living in steamboats may also mean that you get to experience steamboat races. It was common to have races between two steamboats on the spur of the moment. The June 30, 1870 steamboat race in New Orleans, Louisiana, was one of the most renowned steamboat races in history.
The Rob’t E. Lee and the Natchez, two of the most prominent and luxurious steamboats, were ready to race from New Orleans towards St. Louis, Missouri. The race drew thousands of spectators. It was a fantastic occasion. People in the United States and Europe were looking forward to the race results, and many wagered huge sums on different bets ranging from predicting arrival times to picking the winning boat.
However, living in steamboats isn’t always fun and safe. According to some sources, approximately 289 steamboats sank on the Mississippi River in the mid-nineteenth century. And according to another source, over the same timeframe, almost 4,000 individuals died in riverboat accidents.
One reason could be because of a sudden burst of the engine of the boat. Steamboats worked at extremely high pressures, putting the engineering of the day to the test. Boiler accidents were a typical occurrence. Another reason could be the snags along the river that make steamboats sink.
Even though steamboats dominated trade and transportation during the 18th to early 19th century, newer modes of transportation soon overtook them. As soon as the mid-1800s arrived, railroads started to pose a threat to steamboats. During those times, only 23 miles of track in the entire United States were present.
This limited number of tracks did not offer significant competition at first, but by 1880, there were roughly 93,000 miles of railways, and trains were replacing steamboats. And with the introduction of automobiles, trucks, and aircraft in the twentieth century, steamboats weren’t of much use, and most boats were scrapped.
Although steamboats no longer sail USA’s rivers, everybody will always remember them being one of the most significant technological advances in the United States.