Journal Entry 8: My Journey with Google Translate

The Journal of JULIUS HUNDHAUSEN 1864-? Handwritten in German Script

We're on the road again...well the river. Considering how fast we travel in our era, the concept of steam boat travel I would think is the equivalent of airplanes for us? Maybe.

Entry 8 in the Transcribed German (I did my best.)

Donnerstag den 18tan August 1864

Wie wir Morgens auf Standen waren wir schon untarwages u schwamen auf dem vaferder Gewaster dem breiten Rucken des Mississippi. Da wir ein rasches Boat hatten so überholten wir de J.D. Perry and Camelia welche ebenfalls hinunter fuhren, u gastierten die Hamilton auf den hinauf wag Um 10 Uhr A.M. gastierten wir St. Genevieve 60 Meilen unter St. Louis, um 11 Uhr A.M. St. Mary wo wir dem Courier bagagneten. Um 1/2 12. M gastierten wir Chester Ill, ein hub sches Naschen an einen hugelabhang galegen. Um 4 Uhr P.M. gastierten wir Liberty Island ungefähr 90 Meilen Unterhals St. Louis, wohelbss wir der Boston No. 2 begegenten, hier mären wir bainahe auf den sand gelaufen. Nachdem wir Crawford bar erreicht Hatten echten wir holz ein u blieben da Nacht liegen. Crawford bar 120 Meilen untechalb St. Louis iss der seichtesse Platz ein Flusse, weshalle wir wahrend der Nacht mehrere 100 Nuck Ochsen landeten u sie brugs dem Ufer bios neter halb der Bar frieben um das Boat zu erleichtere.

Translation of Entry 8 with the help of Google Translate German to English

Thursday the 18th of August 1864

When we got up in the morning we were already underweight and traveling the broader branches of the Mississippi. Since we are a fast boat, we overtook the J.D. Perry and Camelia who also went down and guested the Hamilton on the way up. By 10 o'clock A.M. we "passed" St. Genevieve 60 miles below St. Louis. At 11 A.M. St. Mary where we bagged the courier. At 1/2 12 we visited Chester, Illinois, a pretty little girl was lying on a hillside. At 4 P.M. we visited Liberty Island about 90 miles below St. Louis where we encountered the Boston No. 2, here we went to walk on the sand near the bay. After we had reached Crawford's Bar, we broke down and stayed there for the night. Crawford's Bar 120 miles below St. Louis is the shallowest place on the river where we landed several hundred black oxen during the night and they travelled the bank near the bar to lighten the boat.

I do love the details he's giving of their journey in his new found boredom. I most especially like the detail of the little girl on the hillside. I'm sure he saw many other things on the trip and wonder what about her caused him to take note. He mentions three other steamers: J.D. Perry, Camelia, and Boston No. 2. Nothing really of note comes up in searching for these particular steamers. He seems proud that the W.R. Arthur is fast than the others.

Bagging the courier simply means they hooked a bag of mail onto the ship, much the same as they do on the railroad. Some of the places he spoke of don't exist anymore, such as Liberty Island and the bar, as far as I can tell. So much has changed along the Mississippi since then, I doubt he would recognize it at all if he could see it today.

The part I found fascinating was the oxen. Little details like this are what I love about first person diaries. They take note of things that others might not, the mundane and everyday things that don't make it into the history books. It makes sense to lighten the load on the boat at the shallowest part and temporarily unloaded hundreds of large oxen would most definitely do the trick.