- Deck vs. Cabin Roald Tweet 2:59
This is Roald Tweet on Rock Island. Even the most democratic of passengers who boarded a Mississippi steamboat during the golden age of river travel just before the Civil War stepped into a class society. The more affluent tourists—perhaps on a pleasure trip to the Falls of St. Anthony at the head of navigation—were directed to the staterooms of the upper decks. If the beds were too narrow and the rooms a bit too hot or cold, the elite traveler was assured privacy and three sumptuous meals a day on fine china, served by impeccable stewards. At their leisure, they could read or play cards, practice their manners, or even, as Mark Twain reported, occasionally look out at the passing scenery. Removed from the hissing boiler and great engines, they floated up the river.
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