The story of how J.A. Bozman fished his father-in-law's 17 foot by 6 foot diameter steamboat boiler out of the Warrior at the Tuscaloosa wharf in 1863.
James Alexander Bozman (1833-1903) - Find a Grave Memorial
Sue Dearing Bozman (1838-1891) - Find a Grave Memorial
Bozman's father-in-law and builder of the steamboat Cotton Plant James Hunter Dearing (1787-1861) - Find a Grave Memorial
- Shearing Rivet Heads: Working in teams, one smith held a heavy, handled cold chisel (called a flogging chisel or rivet buster) against the protruding head of a rivet while a striker swung a 10-to-16-pound sledgehammer to shear the head off. [1]
- Driving Out the Shanks: Once the heads were popped off around the entire circumference of the boiler, the smiths used a backing-out punch and sledgehammer to drive the remaining rivet shafts inward, allowing the two halves of the boiler to be pried apart. [1]
- Grooving and Splitting: Smiths marked a chalk line around the cylinder and used a cape chisel (a narrow, wedge-shaped chisel) and heavy hammers to cut a deep groove into the iron.
- Hot Cutting (When Portable): If a section could be moved near a forge—or if a temporary charcoal fire was built directly against the boiler shell—the metal was heated to a dull red to soften it before a hot cut chisel was driven through the plate. [1, 2]
- Cold Cutting: On massive, immovable boilers, smiths worked cold, alternating between scoring the iron with chisels and wedging the cut open until the wrought iron fractured along the scored line.
- Ratchet Braces and Hand Drills: Smiths strapped a heavy iron frame (often called an "old man") to the boiler to provide leverage for a hand-cranked ratchet drill.
- Connecting the Holes: They drilled a tight row of overlapping holes (a technique known as chain drilling) all the way around the boiler. Once the line was perforated, a few sharp blows with a sledgehammer and cold chisel snapped the remaining thin webs of iron between the holes, cleanly separating the two halves.
from the October 25, 1902 Birmingham News
AN OLD VETERAN TELLS HOW SALT WAS SUPPLIED TO THE CONFEDERACY.
Captain J. A. Bozman, of Tuskaloosa,
Matured and Operated a Plan Which Secured for the Southern Soldiers This Necessity of Life.
How the Confederacy was supplied with salt, is a story related by Capt. J. A. Bozman, of Tuskaloosa, Ala. Custodian of the Archives Thomas M.
Owen has requested Captain Bozman to furnish the story that it may be filed away as a part of the State's history. The Chattanooga Times recently had the recital from Captain Bozman which is as follows: "On December 2, 1862, General Grant, his entire army, landed at Milliken's Bend, Mississippi river, for the purpose of cutting a canal on the west side of the river to Young's Point, in a direct line, not more than three miles through a heavily timbered swamp. This piece of military strategy, when completed, would enable the federal gunboats and transports to pass through and avoid the Confederate batteries located on the heights of Vicksburg. This work was completed when Vicksburg surrendered, July 4, 1863. "At the above stated time I was successfully planting in Louisiana, a few miles below Grant's point of landing.
My negroes, about 100 in number, though aware of the approach of their so-called friends, remained loyal to us, o and without compulsion packed *bag and baggage' into six-mule wagons and started for Alabama, via their, Vicksburg, leaving behind the best 1m- proved plantation in the parish, with about 600 bales of cotton, 10,000 bushels of corn, a large stock of cattle, hogs, and other plantation products, too Duto mention, all of which was appropriated by and for the use of the federal army. "As we approached Vicksburg, the federal gunboats, then on the Mississippi river, espied in the distance my white top-covered wagons, no doubt thinking they contained provisions | coming in from Texas for the confederate soldiers then occupying the thought-to-be impregnable city, commenced shelling our fleeing cavalcade, to the disgust and fright of their socalled friend and brother. The confederates, too, no doubt, shared the supposition with their river foe, and commenced replying over our heads, a veritable duel going on, shot and shell falling all around us, not an enviable place to be in, I assure you. "Before reaching our destination Colonel Catesdy A. R.
Jones, superintendent of the naval gun foundry, located at Selma, Ala., impressed forty of my men for the use of the confederate government. I protested; I had natured a plan which would enable me to use these men to a great advantage. Salt | was worth $20 per bushei throughout the confederate states. We had in Alabama salt wells sufficient from which we could make salt without difficulty, we lacked the implements or utensils, such as caldrons, etc. With these forty men I could overcome these ODstacles.
"My father-in-law, Capt. James H. Dearing, being one of the pioneers of Alabama, built at St. Stephens, above Mobile, first steamboat that ascended the Alabama river in 1819. She ran successfully to and from Tuskaloosa to Mobile until 1824 when, by some mismanagement, she sank at the wharf Tuskaloosa.
All that remained peat, historical craft, was her boiler, 17 feet long and 6 feet in diameter, three-fourths of an inch thick. If I could get this monster boiler out of the river and cut it open lengthwise I would have two caldrons sufficient to make a great quantity of salt. I explained to Colonel Jones my plans; he saw they were feasible and practical and proposed lending me the men for two weeks; the confederate government would be benefited to the extent of onetenth of all the salt made; we were paying a tithe of all products, etc., made to the government during the war. WAS A SUCCESS. "My undertaking was a perfect success.
I engaged Dr. Leach, a practical foundryman, paying him sufficient renumeration to assist me. We got the boiler out upon the bluff, where he superintended the cutting of this huge boiler open lengthwise, as proposed, after which he inserted staples so as to attach a rudder for steering at the end of each, fixed attachments upon each side for the support of two seats near which were oarlocks riveted for |. the use of two oars; staples on each side for half-dozen bent hoops or wagon bows, which were covered with common wagon cover so as to protect the occupants from wind and rain. "When my improvised caldrons were complete and placed in the water one of my men imprudently, in getting on board one of my floating crafts, made it dip water. He was ordered out. Dr. Leach remarked, 'I have in my foundry cypress timber six inches square and twenty feet long.
I will attach one piece upon either side, which will prevent them turning over and make them float better.' This we did, which made our undertaking a perfect success. The iron monsters were now completed; they were provisioned for a cruise of ten days. THE OLD CAULDRONS. "These improvised boats were launched into that water where they had rested near a half century. Three men getting on board each, one steering and two plying the oars, they started on their cruise of 260 miles to Clark county, Alabama.
Upon arriving there the boilers were placed upon brick furnaces and in them were made thousands of bushels of salt. With this staff of life I was enabled to clothe, feed and shoe my other negroes. which others found very difficult to do during the four years' siege. which we were subjected to. environments being thrown around us on every side.
"Up to a very few years ago the old caldrons were still in a remarkable state of preservation and being held in the same old position by the brick furnaces that had been hastily erected so many years before. The last I beard of them the brick furnaces were crumbling away under the great weight of the iron monsters that had first | done duty as a boiler for the first steamboat that plied the Alabama and Black Warrior rivers and afterwards as the supply store for salt for the confederate government. They served their purpose and served it well and, like unto many thousands of us followers of that lost cause, they are slowly but surely passing away to give room to more modern and more portentious looking improvements."-Chattanooga Times.
from the January 3, 1895 Tuskaloosa Gazette
A WAR INCIDENT. HOW SALT WAS MADE DURING THE FOUR YEARS' STRUGGLE.
The following interesting article from the pen of Capt. J A Bozman is clipped from the Mobile Register:
On December 2, 1862, General Grant, was with his entire army, landed at Miliken's Bend, Mississippi river. for the purpose of cutting a canal on the west side of the river to Young's Point, in ;a direct line, pot more than three miles through a, beavily-timbered swamp.
This piece of military strategy, when completed, would enable the Federal gunboats and transports to pass through and avoid the Confederate batteries 1o- cated on the heights of Vicksburg surrendered. July 4, 1863. At the above stated time I was successfully planting in Louisiana, a few miles below Grant's point o8 landing. My negroee, about one hundred in number, though aware of the apt roach of their so-called friends, remained loyal to us, and. without compulsion packed "bag and baggage" into their pix-mule wagons and started for Alabama, via Vickeburg, leaving behind the best improved plantation in the parieb, with about six hundred ba'ea of cotton, ten thou and bushof corn, a large stock of cattle and bogs, and other plantation products too numerous to mention all of which were confi:cated or appropriated for the use and benefit of the Federal army soon to fol low in our wake.
As we approached Vicksburg, the Federal gunhosts, patrolling the river, espied in the distance our whitetop wagons, no doubt thinking they contained provisione&coming in from Texas for the Confederate soldiers then occupying that then Jeri to impregnable city, commenced shelling} our fleeing cavalcade, to the disgust and frigbt of their socalled friend [and brother. The Confederates too, no doubt, shared the supposition with|their river foe, and commenced replying over our heads, a veritable duel going on, shot and shell falling all aronnd us, not an enviable place to be in, I assure you. Before reaching our destination Colonel Catesby ap R Jones, BUperintendent of the naval gun foundry located at Selma, impressed forty of my men for the use of the Confederate government, paying me $40 a month for each, I protested, I had matured plans which would enable me to use these men to great advantage. Salt was worth $20 per bushel throughout the Confederate States. We bad in Alabama salt wells sufficient from which we could make salt without diffialty, but we lack, ed the implements or utensils such as caldrons, eto.
With these forty men I could overcome these obstacles. My father-in-law, Captain James H Dearing, being one of the pioneers of Alabama, built at St. Stephens, above Mobile, the firet steamboat, that 88- cended the Alabama river, in 1819 She ran successfully to and from Tuskaloosa to Mobile until 1824, then, by some e mismanagement, the rank at the wharf near Tuskaloos8. All that remaiued of this historical craft was her boiler, seventeen feet long and six feet in diameter, three-fourths of an inch thick. If I could get this monster boiler out of the river and cut it open lengthwise I would bave tWo caldrons sufficient to make a great quantity of salt, Loxplainod to Colonel Jones my poa.
were feasible and practical and proposed loaning me the men for two weeks, my pay to commence inamediately, as the ate government would be benefited to the extent of one-tenth of all the sales (we were paying a tithe of all product* etc., made to the government during the war.) My uodertaking W88 8 perfect suc. C888. I engaged Dr. Leach, a practi tical foundryman, paying him sufficient remuneration to assist me.
Wel got the boiler out upon the bluff, where he superintended the cutting of this buge boiler open lengthwise, as proposed, after which he inserted staples 80 as to attach a rudder for steering at the end of each, fixed attachments at each side for the support of two seats: near which were oarlocks riveted for the use of two oars; staples upon each side for half-dozen bent hoops or wa" goo bowe, which were covered with common wagon cover, so as to protect the occupants from wind and rain. The iron monsters were (now completed. They were provisioned for a cruise of ten days. These improvised boats were lauched into that water where they had rested near half a century. Three men getting on board of each, one steering and two plying their oars, they started on their eruiseof 260 milesto Clarke county, Alabama.
Upon arrival there, the boilers were placed upon brick furnaces and in them were made thousands of bushels of salt. With this staff of life, I was enabled to clothe, feed and shoe my other negroes, which others found very difficult to do during this four years siege which we were subjected to, env* ronments being thrown around us on every side. J. A. B.
Tuskaloosa, Ala, Dec. 4, 1895.

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