Darwin Teilhet
1952
William Sloane Associates
256 mostly historical pages
Overview:
An 1830's coming-of-age story involving a new model of steamship and a young Abraham Lincoln.
Summary
1832. Horace Owens comes home after three years at school in Philadelphia, where he has been staying with a rich uncle. He finds his parents living rather poorly, having moved to Cincinnati so that his father can start a new steamship building business. He has every intention of returning to Philadelphia as soon as possible, taking a somewhat haughty air toward the locals. His father proudly shows him the new steamboat he has built, one that can travel on smaller, more shallow rivers, which is a very exciting development for the towns upriver. The boat already has a buyer and they are just waiting for some final touches and some paperwork. However, due to some accidents and misfortune, Horace is forced to take his father's place on the boat's maiden voyage up the river. The voyage runs into trouble with both some sabotage and some disagreeable weather, but with the help of (the future president) Abraham Lincoln, they are able to return safely and on time to deliver the boat to a new buyer. Horace then decides to stay on with his father's boat building company.
Review
In the preface of the book, the author tells us that "remarkable little of this story is a product of my own imagination; most of it actually happened,...", although he admits that some of the main characters are made up. Nevertheless, his invention of "a few trifling odds and ends" serve to tell a true story that he believes to be an important part of the history of our nation.
Let me comment on the writing first. It's very average. Even accounting for it's age, I would say that Mr. Teilhet worked more to stick to the truth of events than to make the writing engaging. The set-ups are somewhat obvious, and much of the attempts at humor, wit, or creativity feel contrived. There are even a few typos, which means it was either poorly edited or rushed, or both.
There are two, in my opinion, minor plot holes. In the beginning, Horace is burned by steam from an exploding steam engine. His glasses saved his eyes and he was basically unconscious for two weeks, so the burns he received were quite severe and on a significant portion of his body. However, he recovers after about a month, and the burns on his skin are never mentioned again. Afterwards, Horace's father incurs a severe leg injury just before he is to navigate his new steamboat. The doctor forbids Mr. Owens to go on the journey, lest his leg be ruined for life. Yet, just three weeks later, he reappears in the story and is walking around like normal, with no mention of his bum leg. These are (too) obviously ploys to drive the plot. The first, to keep Horace from returning to Philadelphia, and the second, to propel him into essentially taking his father's place on the steamboat. Though both accidents that lead to the injuries are nicely integrated into the story, the brushed-over recovery and complete lack of follow-up left me, at least, wondering about them.
The author wrote in a backwoods hick dialogue for a few of the characters, but I can't comment on it because I am writing this review two months after I read the book and I can't remember if he did it well or if he over did it. I would guess he did a good job because I didn't make any notes on it. But I wonder if people did talk in such a fashion way back then, or if it's just folklore. Probably they did. In my home state of Texas we have some pretty countryfied accents and it's 2024.
At the time of the story, the early 1800's, slavery was common, even in 'free states' like Illinois. ("currently enslaved individuals remained so" even after a state was declared "free".) However, Mr. Teilhet never uses the word 'slave', opting for 'servant' instead. I believe it was an attempt to downplay that part of U.S. history. Also, is he trying to blame the native Americans for the demise of the Buffalo?: Captain Bogue had said the Indians had left a few (buffalo) still.
Mr. Teilhet, I'm happy to report, did put in a love interest for the main character. It's the classic 'from childhood friendship, to antagonistic youths, to young lovers' scenario, but, unfortunately, he didn't do it even half as good as R. Chambers did it in Cardigan forty years earlier. (To be fair, he didn't have enough time - Cardigan is over twice as long.) And the lady's name is 'Thankful'. There is no explanation given for such an unusual - to be polite - name, and it is confusing the first few times you come across it, especially when at the beginning of a sentence. There are many lovely, even interesting, names for an 1830's young lady. You'd better have a good reason for choosing a weird one, but this author doesn't.
Now to the real interest of the book, and this is where Mr. Teilhet deserves significant credit. Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president, plays an important role in this story. He is basically the hero who saves the steamboat from destruction, and according to the author, he has documentation to prove that it really did happen. The portrayal of Lincoln was remarkable in it's enlightenment. We as so familiar with Abraham Lincoln as the president who enacted the abolishment of slavery, which brought about the Civil War* and, eventually, his assassination. But we forget, or don't even know, that he came from a poor farming family with almost no formal education. From his own personal perseverance, diligence and dedication did he become the iconic president we know today.
Here in Steamboat on the River, we catch Abraham Lincoln at twenty-three years of age, living on his own in Illinois. He is still poor but already has in his mind to improve himself and dedicate his life in service to his community. He is portrayed as a very hard working, very intelligent and fair man who is well respected. He is somewhat of a 'quiet force', and is already campaigning for a position in the Illinois State Assembly.
Steamboat on the River is a nice coming-of-age story interesting for it's historical novelty. It most likely held more interest in its time, but I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone unless they were a steamboat history enthusiast.
Side Note:
I was surprised** to learn that Mr. Teilbet was a fairly prolific fiction writer, with the help of his wife, apparently. Also, he taught journalism at Stanford University, where his father-in-law was a Professor Emeritus. So, hmmm. Not to speak ill of the dead, though. He was a busy man working as a journalist, an advertising executive, a screenwriter and consultant, plus as a teenager, he traveled to France and worked as a juggler in a circus. I'm a little envious.
To the Author's Credit:
From his personal introduction, I gather he did a great deal of research for this book, and I do believe he put his heart into telling a story he thought was important. I commend him for that.
To the Author's Discredit:
The title of the book: 'Steamboat on the River'. It's a candidate for the most boring title ever. For goodness sakes, the name of the steamboat is 'Talisman', a very interesting and mysterious word. Even worse is the fact that Abraham Lincoln, one of the most iconic figures in American history, plays an important role in the book. And the best you can come up with is that? OK, Abe doesn't appear in the story until about halfway, maybe for that reason. (In the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Yearling, the 'yearling' doesn't appear in the story until a good third of the book.) But still, I can think of ten titles just off the top of my head that would have been better. My favorite: Abe Lincoln Saves the Day! Too gaudy? How about this: Steamboat Talisman in Trouble on the Sangamon River! Too long? This one, then: Murder and Mayhem on the Talisman. Do you see what I mean? There is no excuse for picking such a mundane title.
Best Lines:
After Mr. Lincoln, asked a store keeper for his vote: Abe, yore a goodhearted feller. I admire yore heart. But you hain't got the head ter be 'lected dog catcher.
Referring to a man who cussed a lot: Well, he couldn't say three words without saying one extra that knocked you on your heels.
I heard myself saying, "You weren't ever a nuisance, Thankful," and I guess that was about the biggest lie I'd ever drawed on yet.
Referring to Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759 - 1796): In those days people, I don't know why, liked poetry better than people of these days.
On page 199, a character refers to "the thick grove of pawpaw trees." I love pawpaw trees. They are native to North America, but unfortunately their fruit does not last long after picking, therefore they are not more popular.
New Words for the Word List:
Bowdlerize - to expunge or modify literature to simplify, abridge or distort in style or content. The author was referring to material written by Lincoln's law partner, 'rewritten and bowdlerized' later by a third party.
Plaguey - troublesome
Dead snow - referred to as coving the ground, but I couldn't find out what it means exactly.
Beaver stovepipe hat - I had to look it up. It's a classic top hat. š©
Hair trunk - a trunk covered in hide from which the hair has not been removed.
Dinner - lunch, the noontime meal. Where I grew up, 'dinner' could refer to lunch or supper. It meant the meal was substantial. A sandwich was 'lunch'. But if the whole family sat down at the table to eat at 1pm, it was 'dinner'.
*Not exactly. Southern states started the succession in 1860 even before Mr. Lincoln took office for his first term. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued in January 1863, two years into the war, however it was limited in power. The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery in all states, current and future, and was ratified in December 1865, after the Civil War had ended and after Lincoln's assassination.
**I was 'surprised' because by reading his introduction, it seemed like he was just a guy who had heard all of these stories as a child growing up and he was surprised to learn as an adult that they were true and he just had to write them up into a story for posterity's sake.
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