yard location was first the location of a big
meat-packing company. The old darkey called it a "pork house".

The old slave had seen several boats launched from these yards. Great
crowds would gather for this event. After the hull was completed in the
docks the boat was ready to launch. The blocks that served as props were
knocked down one at a time. One man would knock down each prop. There
were several men employed in this work on the appointed day of the
launching of the boat. The boat would be christened with a bottle of
champagne on its way to the river.

"Uncle Billy" worked on a steamboat in his earlier days. This boat
traveled from Louisville to New Orleans. People traveled on the river
for there were few railroads. The first work the old darkey did was to
clean the decks. Later he cleaned up inside the boat, mopped up the
floors and made the berths. The next job he held was ladies' cabin man.
Later he took care of the quarters where the officials of the boat
slept. The darkey also worked as a second pantry man. This work
consisted of waiting on the tables in the dining room. The men's
clothes had to be spotless. Sometimes it would become necessary for him
to change his shirt three times a day.

The meats on the menu would include pigeon, duck, turkey, chicken,
quail, beef, pork, and mutton. Vegetables of the season were served, as
well as desserts. It was nothing unusual for a half dollar to be left
under a plate as a tip for the waiter. Those who worked in the cabins
never set a price for a shoe shine. Fifteen cents was the lowest they
ever received.

During a yellow fever epidemic before a quarantine could be declared a
boatload of three hundred people left Louisville at night to go to
Memphis, Tenn. During the same time this boat went to New Orleans where
yellow fever was raging. The captain warned them of it. In two narrow
streets the old darkey recalled how he had seen the people fall over
dead. These streets were crowded and there were no sidewalks, only room
for a wagon. Here the victims would be sitting in the doorways,
apparently asleep, only to fall over dead.

When the boat returned, one of the crew was stricken with this disease.
Uncle Billy nursed him until they reached his home at Cairo, Ill. No one
else took the yellow fever and this man recovered.

Another job "Uncle Billy" held was helping to make the brick used in the
U.S. Quarter Master Depot. Colonel James Keigwin operated a brick kiln