Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 April 1893 — THE FIRST WHISTLE. [ARTICLE]

THE FIRST WHISTLE.

When the Steamboat-Screecher Waß First Heard on the Mississippi. “I see they have finally settled the discussion as to who was the first man to use a steamboat whistle on the river,” said Captain Jere Eastman, of Cairo, at the Laclede last night. “It was a mighty interesting discussion, too, and the thing was in doubt for some time, but it is all settled now, and Captain J. Stut Neal was the man. As Captain Neal explains it himself, the story is something to this effect: He was the engineer and part owner of the Eevinue (spell that with an ‘i,’ mind you), and she was the first vessel to use a whistle. They got it from Anderson Fulton, in Pittsburg, where the boat was built. That was in 1843. “You see, they were making a trip with Government supplies to Fort Touson, on the Red River, in 1844. They had had the whistle then, for, while they were making the trip, Polk was inaugurated President and old Cap'n Neal—he wasn’t old then—was the only Democrat on the boat, and 1 tell you he made the Injuns jump when he set that old whistle to tooting. In those days the whistle was placed a-top of the boilers and the-engineer could amuse himself to his heart’s content if he wanted to. Old Cap’n Neal was a steam boatman born. He was the first man.on the river to use the life-preserver, and sent Cap’n W H. Fulton all the way to Philadelphia to get a supply of them for the Revinue. On the trip that I tell you about the Revinue towed a keel boat all the way from Pittsburg via New Orleans to Fort Touson, on the Red River. That was before the annexation of Texas, and at that time Fort Touson was the boundary line between the United States and Texas, and I tell you that was a feat for steamboating in those days.”—St. Louis Globe-Democrat.