J.M. White

1878 · Saloon Steamer · Work 172 of 1,871

J.M. White, 1878, Saloon Steamer

The long main saloon of the Mississippi steamer J M White, carved arches and skylights running the length of the deck, rows of stateroom doors on both sides, passengers seated at a table.

What it was used for
The third J.M. White ran from 1878 for the Greenville and New Orleans Packet Company under Captain John W. Tobin, in the New Orleans–Vicksburg trade. Cotton was the main cargo, with first-class passengers besides. The Smithsonian gives a design capacity of 250 cabin passengers and 10,000 bales; the largest load actually carried was 5,067 bales — less than the older Natchez's record. Her interior was regarded as the high point of steamboat Gothic: a Tiffany water cooler, gilt chandeliers, a grand piano.
What was new
What was new was the fitting-out, not the engineering; none of the sources checked names a defensible innovation in hull or machinery. Even the price is disputed: the Waterways Journal and the University of Wisconsin catalogue card both give a contract price of $103,500, while the Smithsonian states an initial cost of $220,000 — no source explains whether yard contract and total outlay are being compared. The barb is in the operating record: the Smithsonian names her high cost, a spotty economy and the expanding railroad network as the reasons she never paid. She burned on 13 December 1886; an estimated 28 people died. At the end she was valued at $60,000 and insured for only $27,000.

Further reading