Robert E. Lee 1:275

Product detailed description

History on Wikipedia HERE

Robert E. Lee was typical of the paddlewheel steamboats that plied the Mississippi in the latter half of the 19th century. Mark Twain and his book heroes Tom Sawyer and Huckeberry Hinn sailed on such. The wheeled steamer Robert E. Lee was built in 1866. It became famous for winning a speed contest from Saint Louis, Missouri to New Orleans in 1870 under Captain John W. Cannon (who also owned the ship). She covered the 1,875-mile course in 3 days in 18 hours. His competitor on the Nathez IV was less than 4 hours later. As the local newspapers reported, it was a mad race, with the boats sailing with jammed safety valves on the boilers on the verge of exploding. Flames were also shooting out of the funnels to squeeze the most out of the steam engines. The speed record set was not broken until 50 years later in 1929 by the motor boat Leroy Craft.

The steamer was 87 m long, 14 m wide, displacing 1467 t, and powered by a steam engine with a 14 m long boiler with a diameter of 68 cm. The piston diameter was 102 cm and the stroke 305 cm. The working pressure was 120 lbs. Its construction cost $200,000 at the time. The steamer itself had elaborate decorations of carved and wrought iron railings, galleries and funnels. The steamer was burned in an accident on October 1, 1882 near Vicburg. Several passengers and crew members lost their lives in the incident.