Lydia Roosevelt's husband Nicholas constantly took soundings and gauged the river's current as the barge she had designed took them down the Mississippi River. All the while Nicholas took note of the topography and any hazards the waters could bestow upon them, now and in the future. Roosevelt's keen attention paid off near Yellow Bank, some 150 mile from the mouth of the Ohio River. He made a valuable discovery that would be extremely useful for the progress of his future steamboat-coal. He immediately bought the land where the coal was, as well as several other mines. Fueling his future project was now nearly assured.
Indians and Whiskey
On hot summer nights the newlyweds bedded down on the deck, with the crew working around them. The night sounds was their lullaby. Then September came, and with it arrived shorter days and cooler nights.
One night, two Indians demanding whiskey came on board. Lydia's husband, hoping they were not hostile, tried to convince them to leave. But nothing would satisfy them except the white man's firewater. Having no other choice, Roosevelt managed to find a bottle of the brew and gave it to them. To everyone's relief, the two Indians left the flatboat and disappeared back into the forest. But this incident was not the last that would interrupt their idyllic voyage.
A Sick Fever Simmers
A few weeks later a sick fever became an unwelcome passenger aboard
their boat. First one of the crewmembers fell ill, then the sickness
quickly spread to everyone onboard except Lydia. For the next three weeks this young woman, now reaching mid-term of her pregnancy, and who was reared in luxury cooked, scrubbed and nursed the entire crew. When, at last, the crew had recovered sufficiently they once again took to the river, heading for Natchez.
Celebration and Disaster in Natchez
By the time they reached Natchez the crew was ready and willing for a
night on the town, leaving Lydia aboard with her still ill husband and
her maid. All would have been well except that soon after the crew left
the level of the river suddenly dropped. With the decrease in water
level the bottom of the flatboat hit the mast of a sunken vessel.
Disaster in Natchez: Indians and Illness on an Idyllic Voyage, continues with Alligators Catholics: The Roosevelts Have a Bad Time on the River .
Previous: New Era in River Transportation: Changes on the Mississippi .
