The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-03-28
OUR BOAT YARDS.
An Argus Reporter Takes a Rambls
Through the Boat Yard.--What
was Seen.

Coming into the ARGUS sanctum
sanctorum yesterday after dinner, the
reporter found the following assign
ment7 from the managing editor lying on
his desk:
Take the Moline street car line aud
go to its terminus There you will find a
saw mill Go through the mill and you
will find boat yard, Get names of
boats, where they are bound, when they
will make their first trip, etc Get all
information possible, and have copy ready
by 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
Sharpening his Faber to a fine point,
and seeing that his note book was
in its proper place, the reporter
caught car No. 8 on the Mo
line line, and soon reached his point of
destination. Getting off the car the
scribe struck out for the boat yard, going
through the saw mill, as per instruction
The saw mill covers about a quarter of a
mile of ground, and as one goes through
the mill it is like going through tunnel,
for above ones head is long, continuous
shed, over which is lumber of all kinds
To the right and to the left there is moth
ing to he seen but great piles of lumber
One travels for II quarter Of mile seeing
nothing but lumber. until he
reaches and opening and item he
Der or boats. The boats seen on the river
are in the boat yard. Yesterday there
were twelve or fifteen boats in the yard.
Some of them are being repaired, while
Others are being reprinted. In the yard
yesterday there were the following boats
Park Bluff, r. $ Owens, J S Keator St.
CroiX, Prescott, Lone Star, Saltwater
Kate Keenc There was only one new
boat in the boat yards, the Bark Bluff a
firmly built little craft 10Sx24. This boat
is intended for the Rapids trade 1t viii
tow RATS over the rapids under the man
agcment of Capt. :. S. Owens, an old
and experienced river man She was
launched sevcralda Us ago and the painters
have been at work on her all this week
She leaves the yards tomorrow morning
on her first trip. While the reporter was
in the yards the J. S Kcator, which ha,
been undergoing some needed repairs, wa.
dropped from the dock She left Iii
morning for the Des Moiues rapids, where
she will tackle large raft, belonging t
the Denkmann mill folks Capt Arno't
came down from Muscatine yesterda,
morning to take charge of the Keator
The Prescott and St Croix are Still
on the dock, but both Of the boat
will be dropped off this evening. Ever,
boat in the yard will start on their frs
trip of the season some time puring Sat
urday, All of the captains interviewed
were of the opinion that this season vii
be- the best season for years with thu
boats. 1t has been an uncommon goo(
year for the men in the logging camps N
north, and in consequence the RATS will
be more numerous, also larger than of an!
previous years. For this reason. as wei
as other reasons, the river trade will b.
good. There has been no difficulty thi
year, as there has been IN the past, in Sc
curing crews for the boats. All the crew
on the boats are full, and many applicant
had to be turned away. 1t is pleasur
to the ARGUS to chronicle the cheerful
feeling among the river men, and we hop
that their fondest anticipations will b
fully realized