Hazards of the Rivers

The riverboat pilot had to be on his toes constantly. A hazard, such as a fallen tree or submerged stump and branches, could quickly put a boat out of commission or worse yet, sink it.

This little watercolor depicts one of these hazards and a sternwheeler making an evasive shift of course. There is an old fiddle tune called "Mississippi Sawyer" and these treacherous tree obstacles were often called the same.