78 THE TOMBECKBEE RIVER. [CHAP. XXV. 



few feet water, notwithstanding her great length. 

 These steamers never appear to such advantage as 

 when stemming an adverse current, for the boat can 

 then be steered with more precision,, and less time is 

 lost at the landings ; at each of these they can go up 

 direct to the bank, whereas, in descending, they have 

 to turn round and reascend the stream before they 

 can stop. There were also rafts laden with huge 

 piles of wood ready to be taken in tow at different 

 points, the logs being thrown on board by our ne 

 groes, while the steamer was going on at full speed. 

 The empty raft is then turned adrift, and is easily 

 piloted down stream by two men, a manoeuvre which 

 could not be practised when vessels are going in the 

 opposite direction. All the chairs in the cabin of 

 the Tuscaloosa were so constructed as to be capable 

 of floating, and acting as life-preservers a useful 

 precaution on a river, whatever may be thought of 

 such safe-guards in an ocean steamer. 



The river Tombeckbee was so high that the trees 

 of both banks seemed to be growing in a lake. Be 

 fore dark, we came to the limestone bluff at St. 

 Stephen s, more than sixty miles due north of Mobile, 

 and nearly 150 miles by the windings of the river. 

 The tide is still slightly perceptible, even at this dis 

 tance from the sea, and the water never rises during 

 a flood more than five or six feet above its ordinary 

 level ; whereas, higher up, at Demopolis, the extreme 

 rise is &quot;not less than fifty feet, and at Tuscaloosa, 

 sixty-nine feet. At the latter place, indeed, we 

 found the waters so high, that the falls were con 

 verted into mere rapids. The magnificent scale of 



