Opposite Weirton, West Virginia, Lewis continues his observations on fog. When the fog lifts, they move down the Ohio, but they must hire horses and oxen to drag the barge over several gravel bars. They raise the sails, but the sprit sail breaks. About two in the afternoon, they pass Steubenville, Ohio, and only make ten miles before stopping for the day.
Lewis’s Fog Observations
On 4 September, Lewis found that it took a five degree difference to produce fog and is surprised with today’s observation:
The fogg was as thick as usual this morning detained us untill ½ past 7 O’C. when we set out— observed the Thermometer in the air to stand at 71° water 73°— the fogg continued even with small difference between temperature of the air and water
—Meriwether Lewis
Dragging with Horses
[s]truck on a riffle which we got over with some difficulty and in the distance of two miles and a half passed 4 others three of which we were obliged to drag over with horses; the man charged me the exorbitant price of two dollars for his trouble.—
—Meriwether Lewis
Broken Sprit Sail
being 6 M. from encam[pment] hoisted our fore sale found great relief from it we run two miles in a few minutes when the wind becoming so strong we were obliged to hall it in lest it should carry away the mast, but the wind abating in some measure we again spread it; a sudan squal broke the sprete [sprit] and had very nearly carried away the mast, after which we firled an[d] secured it tho’ the wind was so strong as to carry us pretty good speed by means of the arning and firled sails.—
—Meriwether Lewis
Frederick William Augustus, Baron Von Steuben
by Charles Willson Peale, 1781–82
Oil on canvas, 23 x 20 inches. Courtesy Independence National Historic Park.
Steubenville
got on pretty well to Steuwbenville, which we past at 2 Oc. . . . struck on a riffle about two miles below the town hoisted our mainsail to assist in driving us over the riffle the wind blew so heard as to break the spreat of it, and now having no assistance but by manual exertion and my men woarn down by perpetual lifting I was obliged again to have recourse to my usual resort and sent out in serch of horses or oxen—
—Meriwether Lewis
A Thriving Place
Stewbenville a small town situated on the Ohio in the state of Ohio about six miles above Charlestown in Virginia and 24 above Wheeling—is small well built thriving place has several respectable families residing in it, five years since it was a wilderness—
—Meriwether Lewis
Circa 1786, a fort was built at the present Steubenville town-site to protect surveyors sent by Congress to survey the Northwest Territory. Charlestown is present Wellsburg, Virginia.
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