The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1885-10-03
FURIOUS FLAMES
Destroy a Steamboat.
The Charles HebstOrk Burned to the
Waters Edge ut COrd0va..-The
Value and LOss--.SuspiciOns OF
lUcendiarism.--The Cap.
tain's Escape.
A WRECKED STEAMER.

WRECKED STEAMER.
The small steamer Charles Rebstock.
which has been plying between this city
and Clinton Iowa. all summer. was al
most totally destroyed by fire at Cordova
between II and 12 O'Clock last night.
The boat had been laid up there for TWEEN
ty>four hours and there was no one on
board but the captain. William Lubbock.
who was asleep in his stateroom. At about
1 O'Clock he WAS suddenly awakened by
suffocating feeling, and springing from
his berth, he found himself
ENvELOPED IN FLAME SAND MoKE.
He rushed into the cabin to fad it wrap
ped in Il d, cs also, and the furious element
was leaping up from below. He hast
ened to the deck and managed to reac h
the shore and give the alarm, but it was
too late. A crowd gathered around and
watched the i'll fated craft devoured by
the angry flames. There was water every
where, but it could not be utilized to the
desired effect and the boat burned to the
waters edge before the fire was gotten
under control. The machinery is par>
tally saved; il was valued at 81 800, and
is damaged to the extent of about one
half it's value.
The origin of the fire is not exactly
known, but there is every reason to be>
lieve it was through
INCENDIARIsM.
There have been rumors afloat for some
time that the employees of the boat had
not received their full pay at the time .hey
were discharged and that they had on
many occasions threatened vengnce.
These reports have not been substantial
ed, but it is apparent that there was some
foul play in some way. There had been
no fires kindled on the boat for many
hours previous to the destruction, and the
captain had been careful to make thor
ough examination before going to bed. as
had always been his custom.
HISTORY OF THE CRAFT
The steamer Charles Rebstock WAS
built at st. Louis five years ago, taking
her name after Il prominent wholesale
liquor dealer of st. Louis, who used her
for his commercial drummers with their
sample cases in travelling up and down
the river. A year or two ago she was
pu1 - parties at Bellvue. Iowa
-Messrs. III and Anderson. Adder
son recently died. leaving his interest
in the boat to his wife, who. with
Mr.. Potter, were the sole owners.
When the Josephine was withdrawn
from the Rock Island and Dubuque trade
last May. the Rebstock was leased by w.
d. Holsapple, of LeClaire, who com
menced running her daily between Gin
ton and Rock Island. Finding that the
venture was not Il paying one after n
months experience, he transferred her
back to the owners, and she was then
leased to A, B. Conger, son of b. A, Con-
ger, captain Of the Josephine, who was
her clerk, and William Lnnbeck, who
WAS engineer These two r,rn have been
running her between Clinton and this city
ever since, Lunbeck acting Ms captain,
Conger clerk, aud W. II Pierce, of this
city engineer The boat was ninety feet
long by twenty feet beam. twenty
five high with three feet holh. She was
built after the pattern of II packet. though
of course on very small scale, She had
a cabin of Sufficient size to accommodate
twenty passengers and II texas above for
officers and employees. Her freight capac>
ity was fifty to seventy five tons She
was built at cost of Il, 900 and was
worth $4,000 when she was destroyed.
She was stern wheeler and capable of
running six to eight miles an hour. She
WAS insured during the summer, but uns
fortunately for the owners, the insurance
expired the first of the month.
During the months of July and August
the boat paid we'll. but of late she has
been losing money. So much was the
need of reducing expenses that her en-
gineer was discharged, and Capt. Lunbeck
operated the machinery himself. Thurs
day night she was tied up at CoTdova and
her men discharged. Her owners thought
of sending her south during the winter.