Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-05-31
Three Members Of Des MONIES
Canoe Club Visit ottunwa.
CAPTAIN HUssEY IN THE TRIO.
Editor and Author Pays Compliment
TO tho City-Tells of HIS
Visit Hear In the
Year 1856.
From Wednesdays Daily.

IacltuS HusSey, Ralph OrWlg ana
Henry ID. KeyseE, of the Des Moines
Canoe club, returned home ON the
Rock Island at noon today, after very
pleasant but rather brief sojourn in
the city. They came down the Des
Moines river in canoes, leaving Des
Moines Sunday afternoon and arriving
here at o'clock yesterday evening,
having experienced a most delightful
trip. Ben Grips, of the Ottumwa Oars
men, intended to make the journey
with the Des Moines men, but was pre-
vented on account OF illness. Capt.
Hussey, who is president of the Des
Moines Canoe club, made the journey
i'll single canoe, and the other mem
bers of the trio came down in q dqu-
BILE canoe. The distance between the
capital city and Ottumwa, via the riv-
er, is about 160 miles, about double the
distance across country. There are
great many curves in the river that in
crease the distances. Capt. Hussey
said after they had been out of Des
Moines three hours, padding as hard
as they could, they stopped for sup
per, and were not then far enough
from the city to be out of hearing of
the curfew whistle.
Tacitus Hussey is perhaps one Of the
best known men in the state. He is
editor of the Mail and Times. and has
also written numerous poems and de-
scriptiye stories. Among the last nam
ed variety is that of early Steam
boating on the Des Moines," in which
so many Ottumwa people were direct
~ interested. Capt. Hussey said today,
in speaking of his steamboating story,
that he intended adding another chap
ter TO it, inasmuch as he had received
q vast amount of data since publish
ing the article.
This was not Mr.. Hussey's first visit
to Ottumwa by any means, altho he.
does not get down as often as his
friends here desire. He and the other
members of his party were royalty On
tertained by Commodore Feeht, Of the
OttumWa Boat club, who, assisted by
J. III. Coe and Others, made the Des
Moines 5aoarsmen feel that they were
welcome. They were taken over the
city in carriages, and en-
joyed their visit here fully
Jas well as the cruise down the Des
Moines. yrhis is an exceedingly
pretty little city," said Capt. Hussey
this morning after returning from a
drive thru the residence portion of the
town. I've been up on the hills
where l could look down into the val
ley and the scene was Splendid
.Ottumwa isn't much like it was
when I first saw it," continued Mr..
Hussey. ''The first time came here
! could not find cracker nor bit
of cheese in the town. / tramped
from one end Of the street to the
other and there wasn't store that had
i bit. That was in 1855, tho, and OF
tumwa was quite small village. I
was enroute from Burlington to Des
Moines, travelling overland, of course,
as there were no railroads thru this
country at that time.
Capt. Hussey makes trip similar
to this one every year. He has trav-
ersed nearly every river in the state
and in many outside the boundaries
of Iowa. He travels in light pa
per canoe, thoroly equipped for such
expeditions. He sleeps in the boat,
which is provided with rubber bed,
awnings and everything that goes TO
make life a pleasure.
Capt. Hussey is member of the Ma
tional Canoe Association, in which
there are 5000 members. He is No.
70 and is entitled to carry five flags.