Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-03-08
BOAT BUILDERS BUSY
Many Craft Being Repaired on
the Ways and in the
Yards.
ARE PREPARING FOR THE SEASON
To Increase Augustus Speed.-
New Saturn a Beauty
OverhauIing Winona.
ARE PREPARING FOR THE SEASON

These are busy days at the boat
yards in the west end of the city.
Not less than 20 craft have spent the
winter there and all of them will re-
quire more or less repairing before
beginning the seasons work this
spring.
Seven are drydocked, six at the
Kahlke boat yard and one, the Gil
max, belonging to Capt. A. j. Whit
ney, on the bank below. Fifty-four
men are employed, 40 at the Kahlke
yard and IA at Weyerhauser & Denk-
mann's yard. The monthly payroll
at the former yard has ranged from
81, 900 to 1920 all winter, and with
the opening of spring work quite
mum Der of additional carpenters could
be given employment if they could be
secured. Help has been scarce all
winter and boat builders have been
especially scarce.
Probably more local interest at
taches to the changes and repairs that
are being made to the ferry boat Au-
gusta than to that of any other craft
in the yards. AS seen at present, the
Augusta is forlorn looking spectacle.
She lies at the inlet to Kahlke Broth
ers' yard as though she had been over
come in the struggle at this point and
was unable to get any further, which
is literally true, as the ice in the har-
Dor was so thick when she vas
brought down that she was unable to
break her way in. The smokestacks
are gone and her old boiler lies on the
bank by her side. But in the old
boilers place are two new ones with q
great deal more heating surface, and
complete outfit of new machinery,
including the engines. She was given
a new hull last winter, so she will
now be practically new boat. OF
course her speed will be greater. and
Capt. Henderson expects to make five
trips an hour, where he formerly made
four. The repairs are well advanced
and the boat will be ready for business
as soon as the river is clear.
Douglas the Largest.
The largest boat on the ways is
Capt. George Winans' craft, the John
A. Douglas. She is $50 feet long. SO
feet beam and 5 feet deep. A new
hull has been put on her, some new
machinery added and the remainder of
the craft is being overhauled. She
will come out in the spring in a new
coat of paint and will to all intents
and purposes be a new boat. The
name will be chang ed to the Saturn
to take the place of the boat that was
burned here last winter. She will
continue in the logging trade between
the pineries and ST. Louis.
The City of Winona is also on the
ways and Capt. Black is having her
given a thorough overhauling through
out. A new coat of paint will leave
ser as neat as pin and tit in every
respect to attend to her half of the
trade between here and Clinton along
side of the new clipper Capt. Streck
fus is having built on the Ohio river.
The 0ttumwa Belle, belonging to S.
and J. C. Atlee. of Fort Madison, is
also high and dry. Her hull has re-
ceived extensive repairs and she will
have coat OF paint. When she goes
to Fort Madison she will have new
machinery. She runs an excursion
business and drops logs from Boston
Bay, where the Atlee mills keep a
boom, to Fort Madison. The Atlees
formerly had number of boats, but
the OttumWa Belle is the only one
left.
The Davenport Sand company'S
boat, the Lone Star, is out of the
water. New planking has been added
to the hull and the frame has been
strengthened. Her barge has received
q new end and other Improvements
New Sides on Hattie Darling.
The Hattie Darling looks very small
tucked away between two big boats
on the dry dock. She has received
new sides. some new machinery, gem
eral repairs, and will have new coat
of paint. When she goes into the
sand business again for the Tropp-