Steamboats on the Western Rivers: An Economic and Technological History (Dover Maritime)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.48 (810 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0486278638 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 704 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-08-05 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Definitive account covers every aspect of steamboat's development: its construction, equipment and operation; the organization and conduct of steamboat transportation as a business enterprise; the hazards and amenities of shipboard life; steamboat races on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers; collisions, explosions and fires; the rise of competition; the ultimate decline, and much more.
"A thorough, fascinating history of the Mississippi Watershed steamboat industry" according to Mark McCandless. Recommended for anyone interested in the development of the central third of the country in the 1800's and the role that steamboats, and to an extent railroads, played. Most everyone knows the role of railroads-- steamboats were their predecessors and as vital for a while. It covers the technology development, the development of the river ( removal of snags and th. "Economic and Technological" according to Edward J. Fleming. I was hoping for a least a modicum of color or human interest, or some detail of what the personal dimension of steamboat travel must have been. Regretably, there is quite alot of information about boilers, water displacement, rates for moving merchandise, and every other dry statistic to bore a non-specialist. The sub-title says it all, and I should have paid att. Surprisingly interesting and fun reading. NEA4Me@aol.com I highly recommend this book. I was assigned Steamboats on the Western Rivers in a graduate level course at University of Missouri-St. Louis about ten years ago. I'm now re-reading it for the second timeit is just that good! I was glad to see it reprinted in paperback. When I first read it I had to get it through inter-library loan from Rolla, Missourithere were n