Today in Wheeling History: January 12--The steamboat "Washington" renewed its registration at the port of New Orleans after being altered in dimensions and tonnage at Louisville, Kentucky in 1820 to new dimensions of 136 feet 8 inches long, 21 feet 9 inches wide, 6 feet 8 inches deep, and 211 tons (1821).
The steamboat Washington was built in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1816 by captain and inventor Henry Miller Shreve, along with partners Niles Gillespie, Robert Clark, Noah Zane, George White, and Shreve himself. It was launched on June 3, 1816, and made its first trip down the Ohio River to New Orleans, arriving on October 7, 1816. The Washington was pioneering in many ways - it had a flat-bottomed hull, high-pressure steam engines, was a double-decker, and had a 'hogging frame' for flexibility. On January 12, 1821, the boat renewed its registration at the port of New Orleans after being altered in dimensions and tonnage at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1820. The new dimensions were 136 feet 8 inches long, 21 feet 9 inches wide, 6 feet 8 inches deep, and 211 tons. At this time, the owners changed to William Fowler, David Fowler, James Gray, H.W. Conway, William Taylor, and Shreve. Despite an early boiler explosion, the Washington made successful trips between Louisville and New Orleans, proving the viability of steamboat travel on Western rivers.
To learn more: (http://tinyurl.com/4742nhhj) (http://tinyurl.com/2s3x8uyw) (http://tinyurl.com/4u5wt779) (http://tinyurl.com/4kcrmz2e) (http://tinyurl.com/2p8fvcs4)
Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
The steamboat Washington was built in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1816 by captain and inventor Henry Miller Shreve, along with partners Niles Gillespie, Robert Clark, Noah Zane, George White, and Shreve himself. It was launched on June 3, 1816, and made its first trip down the Ohio River to New Orleans, arriving on October 7, 1816. The Washington was pioneering in many ways - it had a flat-bottomed hull, high-pressure steam engines, was a double-decker, and had a 'hogging frame' for flexibility. On January 12, 1821, the boat renewed its registration at the port of New Orleans after being altered in dimensions and tonnage at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1820. The new dimensions were 136 feet 8 inches long, 21 feet 9 inches wide, 6 feet 8 inches deep, and 211 tons. At this time, the owners changed to William Fowler, David Fowler, James Gray, H.W. Conway, William Taylor, and Shreve. Despite an early boiler explosion, the Washington made successful trips between Louisville and New Orleans, proving the viability of steamboat travel on Western rivers.
To learn more: (http://tinyurl.com/4742nhhj) (http://tinyurl.com/2s3x8uyw) (http://tinyurl.com/4u5wt779) (http://tinyurl.com/4kcrmz2e) (http://tinyurl.com/2p8fvcs4)
Photo Credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
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