River News

The Manifest of the Dove #2, furnished by the clerk, Bob Jones, tells of an increase of business over her last trip out: 76 hhds [hogsheads] tobacco, 6 boxes tobacco, 15 bales green hides, 6 bales dry hides, 7 bales sheep skins, 1 barrel of tallow, 24,000 shingles, 3 bales hemp, and about 35 passengers.  She went up as far as Hickman, and reports the river very high and a large fleet of coal flats filled with coal coming down to Frankfort.  There were 15 barges at Lock No. 5, waiting for the river to fall, to get through.  She met Sam Merwin at Lock No. 2, Validat Lee's Ferry with tows of coal from Pittsburgh, for Frankfort.  Met Wren at Lock No. 3.  She had a good freight.

The Wren had the remains of Capt. Chas. Martin on board.  They stopped at Mrs. Marshall's and had the funeral preached.  His remains will be re-interred in the Frankfort Cemetery.  The Dove was telegraphed to lay over, but the dispatch was missed.

The Mollie Gratz went up as far as Drennon [Henry County] and brought out 30 hhds of tobacco, 186  bales hay, 50 head sheep, 100 sacks corn, and a lot of household goods.

A flat loaded with cross ties for the railroad was laying at the mouth of the river Sunday evening.

The Blue Wing did not reach Cincinnati on her last trip until 8 o'clock Friday morning.  Her guards were in the water, state-rooms full, reached here 3 o'clock Friday night with a heavy down trip.  Left Madison on the 18th with a good trip, one item, 15 hhds tobacco from the Pioneer House of Shannon & Serring, and sundry lots of freight.

The Ohio River is falling at this point.

This is from the Carrollton Democrat of April 22, 1868, but a similar column can be found virtually every week in every river-town newspaper of that time period.