Running from New Orleans to St. Louis in the summer of 1870, the race between the Robert E. Lee and the Natchez remains the world's most famous steamboat race. This book tells the story of the dramatic contest, which was won by the stripped-down, cargoless Robert E. Lee after three days, 18 hours, and 14 minutes of steaming through day, night and fog. The Natchez finished the race only hours later, having been delayed by carrying her normal load and tying up overnight because of the intense fog. Providing details on not only the race narrative but also on the boats themselves, the book gives an intimate look at the majestic vessels that conquered the country's greatest waterway and defined the bravado of 19th-century America.

In the summer of 1870, Thomas Leathers was captain of the Natchez. Captain Leathers believed it was the fastest steamboat on the Mississippi River. Captain Cannon of the Robert E. Lee offered to race the Natchez from New Orleans, Louisiana, to St. Louis, Missouri. Twelve-year-old Benjamin Brown, a passenger on the Natchez, wants very much to win the race. But from the moment the Robert E. Lee leaves New Orleans early, it’s clear that Captain Cannon is willing to do whatever it takes for his boat to finish first. Which boat will win? And will the outcome be fair? In the back of the book, you’ll find a script and instructions for putting on a Reader’s Theater performance of this adventure. At our companion website—www.lerneresource.com—you can download additional copies of the script plus sound effects, background images, and more ideas that will help make your Reader’s Theater performance a success.

The story of a race between steamboats Natchez and Robert E. Lee in 1870 includes a script for readers' theater.

You will smell the smoke and feel the mist on your face. This innovative work by renowned composer Robert W. Smith musically recounts a famous race between two paddle boats, the Robert E. Lee and the Natchez, on the Mississippi River during the summer of 1870. It's everything you expect. Don't miss this dynamic new work. (4: 34)

During the nineteenth century, more than three hundred boats met their end in the steamboat graveyard that was the Lower Missouri River, from Omaha to its mouth. Although derided as little more than an "orderly pile of kindling," steamboats were, in fact, technological marvels superbly adapted to the river's conditions. Their light superstructure and long, wide, flat hulls powered by high-pressure engines drew so little water that they could cruise on "a heavy dew" even when fully loaded. But these same characteristics made them susceptible to fires, explosions and snags--tree trunks ripped from the banks, hiding under the water's surface. Authors Vicki and James Erwin detail the perils that steamboats, their passengers and crews faced on every voyage.

Two classic comic adventures of Uncle Scrooge McDuck.