Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1895-04-25
THAT BOAT.
The Facts as Narrated by Passen-
ger on a Steamer.

The Facts as Narrated by Passen-
ger on Steamer.
So much has been said and written
| about the old steamboat under the sand
bar four miles west Of Elk Point bor-
| dering on the river bank that THE
COURIER reporter has had decided
curiosity to learn the history of the
boat. On Saturday a man was pointed
| out, bv friend, who had taken passage
on the steamer and was on the boat
when it was discovered on fire just be-
fore it was sunk. 1t was no less a per-
son than Dan Ballinger of Elk Point,
| known and respected by everyone in
gentleman. We proceeded at once to
have an interview with Mr. Ballinger
and the following is the result of the
cOnversati on with him:
1T was twenty-eight years ago on
| the 4th of this month that engaged
passage on the stern wheel boat, Leo
dora, at st. Louis. The boat was be-
| ing loaded with a cargo of general mer-
| chanGise for the miners in Montana
| and It's destination was Fort Benton.
The LeOdOra had been in use on the
Illinois river for a number of years and
| had been cut in two and thirty feet
added to its length without any mate
| rial change to its machinery. The
boat was owned three-fourths by the
Mackie brothers and one-fOurth by
Tom Burns of the Keokuk and ST. Louis
packet line. 1t was an 1SO-tOn boat
| and a good percentage Of its cargo was
| liquor. We left St. Louis on the 9Th
day of April and everything went along
| very favorably until we reached AT
crimson, KS, where owing to the
bursting OF a steam pipe we we're de-
| layed a couple of days. After this had
been repaired and Will Mackie Joined
| US, his brother Joe was captain, we re-
| newed our voyage up stream. Moth
ing of Importance TRANSFERRED until we
reached sandbar opposite Elk Point.
Here we tried to pass the bar, but our
efforts resulted in the boat getting
stuck within twenty feet of the bank.
This was on the 2lst of May, 1866.
| Most of the crew and passengers went
on shore and at noon while | was with
the engineer who was attending to his
duties l noticed smoke coming up from
the hold of the vessel. called the en-
| gineer's attention to it and he immedi-
ately gave the fire alarm. The captain
ordered a hole cut through the deck
which gave the fire draft and in few
minutes it became necessary to scuttlc
| the vessel. She sank, the stern end
| going under water and the upper end
reaching out. We all made for the
shore and were taken to Sioux City
overland by the Mackie brothers. At
Sioux City they bought ferry boat.
We boarded this and sailed down the
river until wo met the Nellie Rogers,
upon which we were placed and finished
the journey north to Fort Benton
that summer. When the Rogers passed
| the oar where the fedora was scuttled
nothing could be seen of her. She had
completely gone out of sight. Joe
Mackie, the captain, told me previous
to the fire that the boat and cargo was
we'll insured but whether he got any in
surance am unable to state. All the
passengers and crew gave their testi-
mony as to how the accident occurred
before Edward Sears, a justice on the
Nebraska side. The conclusion reached
by the Justice was that the fire occurred
through an accident. The boat never
made good time on the trip, the engines
labored very hard owing to the increase
| Ill tUudSc WkCIlOuG u SltulIdT 1uCTcttoC III
the horse power capacity of the engines.
"There were large number of bar
rels OF whisky on board but how many
l am unable to say or how many the in.
surance adjuster took out, and whether
he got any is another fact of which
have no knowledge. But the name
and the particulars I have given you
are the facts with relation to the mat
ter.
} II was going to Fort Benton to start
wood yard, but on reaching. there
, found that the Indians were very
troublesome and gave up the project
/ came back on the Nellie Rogers or
. its return trip and made up my mind te
, locate in this valley, the lay of the land
on the trip from the boat to Jefferson
, having impressed me as being lovely
and wonderful country. l have beer
, here ever since