1835 BOL OH River Steamboat "GENERAL PIKE" Cap STRADER Louisville-Cincy Feathers

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1835 BILL OF LADINGWith Engraved VignetteOHIO RIVER STEAMBOAT GENERAL PIKE [built 1818, abandoned 1835 - see below) Master J. Strader [Jacob Strader, 1795-1860 - see below]--JOHNSTON, SMITH & CO.Shipping Bales of Hay and Bags of FeathersUpriver Louisville, KY to Cincinnati, OH 7-7/8 x 9-1/4" wove paper printed form with hand-inked entries. Dated March 29, 1835 at Louisville on the form, and date repeated in a notation on the back . Steamer identified as the "Genl Pike" - that is, the General Pike - in its last year of operation (see below). Handsome engraved vignette of a steamboat trailing steam and with a flag flying aft. Once creased approximately in thirds horizontally and then lightly creased in half.Bill of lading from fairly early in the full swing of the steamboat era for a shipment of bales of hay and bags of feathers moving up the Ohio River from Louisville to Cincinnati. The freight rate had already come down to 21 cents per 100 pounds (as opposed to the 50 cents or so per 100 pounds, or more, typically seen just a decade previously), and rates would come down further as steamer commerce continued to increase. The bill of lading has the usual wording of the era - the goods were "to be delivered without delay, in the like good order and well conditioned...unavoidable accidents and the dangers of the River only excepted" , etc. Notes: The General Pike was a sidewheel steamer weighing 176 tons built in 1818 and launched in 1819 in Cincinnati. It was abandoned in 1835. It was the first steamboat to have been built primarily to accommodate passengers and it is said to have had fine appointments, such as marble columns and ornate mirrors. It is credited as the first steamboat to land in St. Louis. It operated primarily on the Ohio River between Cincinnati, OH and Louisville, KY - but we have personally seen several bills of lading for as far upriver as the northern panhandle of WV around Wheeling (in VA in this era). (Ref: See the listing under "G" on the very useful Riverboat Dave's website, viewable at the time of this listing at: /riverboats/g-1-5.html . There is quite a bit of documentation on the General Pike and its Master Jacob Strader in other sources as well, but Riverboat Dave's is a fine ready reference.) The steamer's Master for this run, Jacob Strader (1795-1860), came to Cincinnati, OH from his native NJ in his early 20s, joined a steamboat company, and quickly worked his way up to be a captain. He soon had his own steamboat company with a fleet of 23 vessels and a wharf on the OH River in Cincinnati. He was also a partner in the commission merchant firm of Strader and Gorman, one of the founders of the US Mail Line, president of a large bank, officer in an insurance company, and eventually President of the Little Miami and Xenia Railroad. He was an investor too and became very wealthy. The steamboat Jacob Strader (1853-1866) was named for him. (Ref: There is considerable documentation on Jacob Strader scattered about in standard sources, but again, Riverboat Dave's useful web site does a great job compiling the high points, and is viewable at the time of this listing at: /owners/s.html#JSTRA .The Cincinnati Art Museum has an oil portrait of Jacob Strader done in his old age, painted by Joseph Oriel Eaton (1829-1875), and an image of it is viewable at the time of this listing at /art/collection/collections/?u=6908398 . The Find-a-Grave website has another portrait of Strader as well as an historic photo of his fine home and additional biographical information - see /cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=64308357 . ) CONDITION: Very Good. Moderate uniform age-yellowing, faint browning from a dampstain to the right edge. Left edge trimmed slightly irregularly, as issued. Three small closed tears at the extreme ends of two of the folds, but overall the folds are sturdy and intact, and the paper is sturd... read more

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