Wharfboat Built In Cincinnati
The Swiss, Colonization Society built Tell City’s first wharfboat at Cincinnati and floated it down the river in May, 1858. This wharfboat bespoke the vision of our fathers; it was an immense thing for such a foundling community. Fred Steiner rented the wharfboat from the Society and became the first wharfmaster, a position he held for 17 years.
Baumgartner and Adank, later John Baumgartner by himself were next wharfmasters. About 1879 Clay Switzer took over the wharfboat, and he remained wharfmaster fer many years until 1907 when he sold out to Fuchs & Little. Clay Switzer built a new wharfboat in 1884 which was in use until 1910 when it was’ destroyed by ice and Fuchs-Little went out of business.
After a period of about a year, during which Tell City had no real wharfboat, the Louisville & Evansville Mail Line Company brought a wharfboat to Tell City in 1911 and they continued to operate it thereafter.
“River Depot”
The wharfboat was of course the “river depot”. Here it was that passengers embarked and disembarked, that freight was loaded and discharged. This was the spot where boys hung about, as much as they were allowed, and they were welcomed on occasions and even given an opportunity to earn perhaps 10c an hour helping to load freight. Certain of these youngsters would, in season, peddle fresh fruit to the passengers while their boat was taking on freight.
Our wharfmasters were agents for the Adams Express Company, and thus were able in the days before the common exchange of bank credits to send money and valuables. In addition, they acted as commission agents and dealt not only in foodstuffs and farm produce, but handled such local products as shingles, hoop poles, furniture and the like.
Two Weeks’ Shipments Listed
With the many industries that were started almost immediately upon its founding, Tell City fast became an important river port. In 1866 when the’ city was only eight years old, the following local products were shipped by boat within a two weeks’ period: 300,000 lbs. of castings, exclusive of kettles, etc., from Kimbel and Zin’s foundry; several hundred bed steads, bureaus, tables, wardrobes, etc., from the Tell City Furniture Factory; 400 dozen chairs from the chair factories; 20 cotton presses and two hay presses from the Agricultural Machine Company; 100 sacks of carded wool and cloth from Hauser, Becker and Spoerris’ woolen factory; 200 barrels of flour from Steinauer and Com pany’s mill; 50 half barrels of beer from F. Voelker’s and C. Becker’s breweries, 20,000 feet of flooring: doors, windows, etc., from M, Deckert’s and J. Schoettlin’s Planning Mills; 500 new kegs; 20 fine marble gravestones from H. Ludwig; 25 pairs of bellows; 4 wagons; 12 spinning wheel’s; 2 spring wagons.
No doubt these shipments were made immediately following 2 period of low water during which shipping was curtailed, never the less it is still an impressive a, mount of export from a new community.