The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-06-30

soon be out running in her regular trade
The Ida Fulton was the only raft boat
that passed down this morning.
An accident occurred to the Diamond
Joe last evening which will detain that
| boat in Burlington until tomorrow. A
part of the machinery gave way, necessi-
tating stop at Burlington. She viii be
up tomorrow.
The Josephine is expected down to-nor-
| row.
The Viola arrived and departed as usual.
The Laura Davis is up tomorrow and
| the Grand Pacific down.
THE GEM CITY.
The St. Louis Republican gives the fol
lowing account of the first trip of the Gem
City to st. Paul and return:
This steamer, the Gem City, is decidedly
the finest fastest and most complete
steamer in every particular that ever left
our wharf for the Upper Mississippi
region; built in St. Louis at Commodore
Davidson's yards yards, upon model
| entirely different in many particulars from
any ever heretofore constructed, she pre-
sents many new, importent and interesting
| features. She is long and narrow with
the largest passenger accommodations and
at the same time ample storage room for
more than the averge amount of freight
carried by the steamers engaged in the
upper river trade. Seen in the water under
full Roadway, she is, indeed, thing OF
| beauty, very gem, indeed in the bright
diadem of Western naval architecture, and
reflects the highest credit upon her de-
| signers, builders and owners.
THE TRIP.
Leaving st. Louis Tuesday afternoon
with nearly every state-room engaged and
fair freight list she passed under the
bridge at 4:16 p. m. and arrived at Clarks-
| vile, 105 miles distant, at 12:46 p. IN. on
| Wednesday; Quincy, 1914 miles at $50 IA.
M Keokuk, 220 miles, at 10:11 a. m;
| Burlington, 256 miles, at BAT p. M; Mus
catine, 317 miles, at SAT p m; Davenport,
| 348 miles, at 1:25, p. M; Sabula, 412
miles at $50 a. m, Thursday; Dubuque,
| 40 miles, at 1905 p. m; La Crosse. eli
| miles, at 1915, a. N. Friday and St. Paul.
! 500 miles, at 2:15 p. m. of the same day.
thus making the actual time between St.
| Louis and St. Paul, just 20 hours and one
minute, the fastest time ever made by any
steamboat between these two points. This
was not in any sense of the word racin g
trip, as the boat made all the landings and
did regular business in both passengers
| anu IfUl8nl I'LL TIC way up TIC I1NeT. 1eE
| actual running time from port to port was
not more than GO hours her detentions be-
ing many, as at every landing it seemed as
! though the populace turned out en- masse
| to see this elegant steamer and extend to
| Commodore Davidson their personal con-
ordinations!
CURIOSITY.
As every one appeared determined to in
spect the steamer from stem to stern the
good natured and popular commander
could not refuse them, and in consequence
! the boat would in a very short while after
making a landing, be filed with an anx-
ious and interested mass of sight seers ca
ger for view of the inside arrangements
OF the finest steamer that has ever naviga-
ted the Upper Mississippi. All this, of
course, took time, and instead of the 20
minutes settled upon for each landing, the
average exceeded half an hour The re
turn trip from st Paul to St Louis con-
sumed some what more time than the up
trip as the detentions at various places
were much longer, in some instances ex-
tending into hours, the desire of Commo-
dore Davidson being to leave Keokuk not
earlier than Monday morning, so as to give
the people along the stretch of river ex-
tending from Keokuk to St Louis boat on
that day. At times, however on the
down trip, the Gem City made some won
derful bursts of speed, which drew from
even railroad men along the river bank
loud and earnest shouts. Leaving St Paul
at 7:15 p m Friday, she arrived at Prescott,
35 miles distant, but few minutes after
the train which left St. Paul at sos D m,
reached there. The run from Alton to the
stockyards, landing here was but one hour
and fifteen minutes
UNMIXED PLEASURE.
The trip from St. Louis to st. Paul and
returned, was one of unmixed pleasure.
Nothing of an unpleasant nature occurred
ON board during the whole trip to mar this
pleasure, and it was the almost universal
opinion that never had there been any
where more perfect and successful excur-
sion. That this was the case is due to
the good management of the command
er of the Gem City, Commodore w F.
Davidson, whose endeavors and exertions
for the comfort and safety of the guests
of this elegant steamer were heartily
seconded by his able corps of officers, of
which the following is a list; Mr. n. B.
Hatcher, chief clerk Mr.. Ed. Young, Sec
ond clerk Mr.. E. B. Buckley, steward !;
james Boland and A. Mcconnell, mates !:
Hiram Beedle and Campbell Hunt, pilots :;
George Brennan and Charles Evans, en-
gineer. Even the cabin boys and the deck
crew seemed imbued with the same spirit
which actuated the officers and We'd with
each: other in their attentions to the wants
of the passengers and the quiet and orderly
manner in which they performed their va
rivous duties.
INCIDENTS
Upon trip of the kind just completed
by the Gem City many little incidents illus
trative of human nature are bound to oc-
cur, the good and the bad side of fallible
humanity being generally almost equally
represented This trip was to certain
extent unlike any the writer has ever par
ticipated in; true, there were few I'M
pleasant happenings, but generally the
passengers appeared to form one family,
an each strove to Guido the others in
those little minor attentions which go to
make life pleasant and give us better
idea of our brother man. The little dis
agreeable occurrences are all forgotten,
buried in the past whilst the pleasures of
the the trip will live on, growing greener
with age and serving as land mark to be
looked back to by all with qualification in
future wears