1805-1829

Steam powers river commerce

In 1818, James Seawell launched a steamboat and a new era from his plantation on the east bank of the Cape Fear River.

The boat was named after Seawell's daughter, Henrietta.

Soon the footsteps and hoof prints of commercial trade were replaced by hissing steam as the Henrietta plied the river between Fayetteville and Wilmington. On its maiden voyage, the boat reached a speed of 8 mph.

Seawell was a champion for change in the county.

He helped finance the Clarendon Bridge in 1819, the first span across the Cape Fear River in the county.

As a member of the House of Commons from 1833 to 1884, he lobbied the state to build a 176-mile road to Wilkesboro. Seawell clashed with state Sen. Archibald McDiarmid, who opposed the road.

Their discord killed the idea. It wasn't until 16 years later that a good route to the west was built - the Fayetteville and Western Plank Road.

Seawell was also president of the Cape Fear, Yadkin and Peedee Railroad. The line became the Fayetteville and Western, but no rails were ever laid.

It is the Henrietta, a sidewheeled-steamer, that gave Seawell his greatest claim to fame. It was the second steamboat on the Cape Fear River. The first was the Prometheus, which was built in Wilmington.

6 days to the coast

It took the Henrietta six days to reach Wilmington on its maiden voyage. During the boat's prime, the trip could be made in about 10 hours.

Other steamboats quickly followed. They loaded tobacco, cotton and naval stores from Fayetteville wharves. On the return trip from Wilmington they carried iron, sugar, coffee, molasses, rum, salt and, for the more affluent, books, rugs, mirrors and musical instruments.

The Henrietta worked the river until 1857. It is said to have traveled 1.5 million miles and earned $1.5 million for its owners.

Perhaps its most famous trip came when it raced the Chatham, a stern-wheel boat with two boilers. The Chatham was considered to be one of the faster boats on the river.

The Chatham left 15 minutes before the Henrietta.

The Henrietta, with engines throbbing and passengers screaming, passed the Chatham on a straight section of river at a "snail's pace," according to historical accounts.

The Henrietta arrived in Wilmington two hours before the Chatham.

Steamboats continued to move goods on the Cape Fear River until 1923 when the A.P. Hurt, the last of the riverboats, sank at a Wilmington wharf after a fire. The A.P. Hurt had plied the river for 63 years.