Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 8).djvu/65

Having concluded on the latter, I took passage on board a boat to Shipping's Port,[15] just below the Falls of the Ohio. Here I went on board a barge of eighty tons burthen, bound to New Orleans. There were but a few steam boats traversing these waters at this time, for which reason these large boats of burden were built principally for conveying merchandize up the river; although they commonly went with full freight of country produce down. They are built with two masts, and sails, which are of little service, the stream being so crooked that many times the sails are hoisted with a fair wind, and in running a few miles the bend will be so great as to bring the wind ahead. In going down we stopped at many places on the Illinois and Tennessee side. Getting into the Mississippi river, our first stop at any town was at New Madrid.[16] We made the boat fast to the shore, and about twelve o'clock at night was awaked by a noise which appeared like a cable drawing over the boat's side. I started and went on deck; found all quiet. My fear was that the boat had struck adrift, and was running over a log; but on inquiry found it was an earthquake. Next morning got under way, and the water having become {35} low, the sawyers made their appearance plentifully, some several feet out of the water. These sawyers are large trees, washed from the shore, which drift down till the roots or branches, reaching the bottom, fasten into the mud and become as firm as when standing in the forest. Should a boat be so unfortunate as to strike one of these, it would in all probability prove fatal; therefore every precaution is neces-*