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Book Review: Cruise of the ‘Dashing Wave’: Rounding Cape Horn in 1860

Apart from the economic history and technology of the American waterwaysystem, Brown pulls together evocative accounts of the human side ofthe operation. Thus, Chapter 8 is a "collection of short stories" parsed from a variety of sources that introduce us to the trials and experiences of life on the river: the society and theatre of a "river town," Marietta, Pennsylvania during the "rafting season" ("females of suspicious character," "bad whiskey," patent medicine vendors, phrenology lectures,cock-fights, and a 550-pound lady!); the experience of a "group ofyoung ladies" travelling the river; and such mythic characters as "Cherry Tree Joe." Similarly, Chapter 9 focuses on "Log Driving" and brings to life "woodhicks," conflicts between raftsmen and log drivers, the activities oflog-rustlers known as "Algerians," and the iconic antics ofthe "black-hat" and "white-hat" pugilists. But most of this rich material is derived from, and scrupulously attributed to an article by one Samuel A. King. Similarly, excerpts from Schuyler S. Strong's journal (1838) take up pages 58-79. Again, Richard Kelly's article on rafting is excerpted in pages 100-104 while William Langdon's diary of a raftsman's life is directly quoted or summarized in pages 105-122. Certainly these materials are rich, such as the evocative excerpts from Dr. Edwin Lewis' journal's account ofmoving through a "maelstrom," [95] but the author's reliance on them raises a question: is this rich volume a scholarly analysis or is it best assessed as a compendium, an anthology, or an imaginative scissors-and-paste exercise? Whatever the approach, there can be no doubt that this is a valuable contribution to our knowledge ofNorth American riverine technology and social history. An appendix on ark and raft construction takes up some twenty-four pages, [193-217] and the volume is well served by a rich glossary, comprehensive bibliography and efficient index, and is copiously illustrated.