This is about a section of a steamboat

Steamboat

A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...

. For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation)

Texas (disambiguation)

Texas is a state of the United States of America, formerly the Republic of Texas.Texas may also refer to:-Film and television:* Texas , a 1980s U.S...

The texas is structure or section of a steamboat which includes the pilothouse

Pilothouse

A pilothouse or pilot-house is a glass-enclosed room from which a ship is controlled by the ship's pilot. The pilothouse also is known as the wheelhouse....

 and the crew's quarters. It is located on the skylight roof, which is also called the "texas deck." This long, narrow cabin may be surmounted by the pilothouse.

History

The steamboat's "texas" is named in honor of the state of Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. This innovation in steamboat construction was introduced about the same time as the state of Texas became part of the United States in 1845.

In this period, steamboat cabins were conventionally named after states and the officers' quarters were the largest. This structure housing the largest cabins were identified with Texas, which was then the largest state.

Usage

The term became widely known after the publication of Mark Twain

Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...

's Huckleberry Finn

Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic Mark Twain novel.Huckleberry Finn may also refer to:*Huckleberry Finn , a fictional character in the Adventures of Tom Sawyer...

. In the section in which Huck and Jim encounter a wrecked steamboat,