Carrie Brown Steamboat

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The burning of the Womeldorff-Thomas building and the old saddle shop building brings to mind some of the other great fires in Gallipolis history....

Perhaps one of the saddest and potentially one of the most dangerous occurred November 17, 1913 when the steamboat Carrie Brown caught fire while tied up behind the Riverview Hotel.

The river was at flood stage which meant that the boat was only a few feet from the buildings along First Avenue. The boat had been tied to a fuel flat that was moored to the bank. Inside the Carrie Brown were several kegs of powder. Had these ignited, a tremendous explosion would have resulted and several houses could have gone up in flames.

The destruction of the Carrie Brown was sad because the Carrie Brown had been around for so long. It had been built in 1890 at Harmar and for all those years the boat had made the same run from Gallipolis to Huntington and back.

The boat was about 122 feet long and about 25 feet wide. She was built by M.H. Brown of Gallipolis and named for his daughter. For all 23 years of the Carrie Brown's existence she had the same pilot, Charles Warrener of Gallipolis.\ The captain was M.H. Brown in the early years and Dick Brown in later years. Engineer for many years was John Lockhart with Edward Jessie as the fireman. The Carrie Brown was in Gallipolis then most every day and she had given rides to two generations.

The Carrie Brown was known for its dependability. As an example, it was the only boat in 1908 to never miss a single run. Other boats would not risk the trip if the river level was too low of if there was too much ice.

Many Gallipolitans could recollect excursions on the Carrie Brown during the summer when the boat carried its own orchestra or at Thanksgiving time when shopping excursions to Huntington were popular.

The Carrie Brown was the first boat to go through the locks at Dam 26 near Raccoon Island. The date was July 7, 1912. That dam, which was town down in 1937, had been started in 1911. A big celebration was held in Gallipolis in September of 1912 for the dedication of that dam, with the Carrie Brown leading the way from Gallipolis to the dam.

Through much of its history the Carrie Brown was in competition with other boats. For instance in 1910 the C.C. Bowyer and the oriole were also in the Gallipolis to Huntington trade.

There were a number of boat races involving this triad. The way that many people shipped goods was to give the job to the first boat to show up. There were also two boats that ran from Portsmouth to Gallipolis in this era that supplied additional competition.

One of the regular items to be hauled came from the three stove foundries in Gallipolis. The Carrie Brown also hauled turkeys, chickens, eggs, and even cows.

On one occasion about 1910 a bridle calf got overheated and almost caused a panic. The cow slipped the noose and halter, frothing at the mouth, and made a made dash around the decks of the boat.

In hot pursuit was the captain Mr. Dick Brown, a former halfback at Ohio Northern, but Mr. Brown was no match for this "crazed calf." Finally, the calf bounded up on the hurricane deck and came into view of the pilot, Mr. Warrener, who threw 19 empty Coke bottles at the cow to drive it back down, but without success.

The calf finally jumped overboard near Chambersburg and swam to shore, where after another chase it was finally captured. It was then sent to Pittsburgh to be examined for rabies.

After that episode the Carrie Brown became a little more careful as to whom or what it allowed on board. As to the fire in 1913 that destroyed the boat, great credit was given the Gallipolis firemen for not allowing an explosion.

Charlie Warrener had just escaped with his life, as he was asleep on the boat when the fire broke out. No one was injured by the burning of the Carrie Brown.


[Note: Under a photograph of the Carrie Brown it says, Fire Destroys Carrie Brown - The steamboat Carrie Brown ran from Gallipolis to Huntington daily between 1890 and 1913. It burned on Nov. 17, 1913, while tied up during flood stage, just behind the Riverview Hotel (now the home of Dr. and Mrs. Keith Brandeberry) off First Avenue and State Street.]

• Historical Notes: about Gallipolis, Frank Hill, 1977. Capt. Miles Brown built the home on Second Ave. where Ruth Thornily and her mother later lived. He was the skipper of his boat, the Carrie Brown, named for his daughter.

The Brown family built and owned the B.F. Enos, Luella, Luella Brown, the Humming Bird, Dick Brown and Kanawha. For many years Gallipolis was a leading port of call in the riverboat trade. Many river men have resided in this town.

Newspaper article written by Jim Sands
From The Sunday Sentinel
January 2, 1994

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