The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-03-22
MILLIONS LOST IN
MISSOURI RIVER
Reasons Why Vast Sums Have Been
Spent in Clearing Channel
of snags.
RECORDS OF WRECKED STEAMBOATS,
OF 295 Whf sh Have Gone Down, 1876
We're Wrecked by ySnags-Assiniboine
First Boat to Come to Sioux City
Several Wrecks Near Here.

First Boat to Come to Sioux City
Several Wrecks Near Here.
Congress may not regard the Mis-
souri, river as a channel of commerce
at the beginning of the twentieth cehl-
tury, has refused to agree in commit
tee rooms to the appropriations asked
to keep the Snags out of the way ana
finally passed up the bill carrying APP
propriations leaving the lower and up
per river at the mercy of the ,swirling,
changing, muddy waters, but there was
time when the snags in the river
caused losses to steamboats, mounting
into the millions.
The first boats that reached Sioux
City Or Its site threaded a course full
OF danger. Snags thrust their black
tops out of the water and others lay
grimly in waiting below the surface,
ready to crash through the boat that
failed to avoid them. Snags were the
cause Of most Of the wrecks and If the
values Of the boats destroyed could be
ascertained there would be figure in
the millions which would far outbal-
ance the sums which have been appro-
priated for the improvement of the riV-
er channel.
Steamers Once Familiar Here
Among the steamers which formerly
landed at Sioux City, mentioned in the
list, are the following:
Abner ONeal, sternwheel 16Dx2S feet.
carrying wheat to Bismarck from points
above, wrecked July 10, 1892, by shore
rocks at sFG Painted Int Woods, N. D.; boat val
Admiral, sidewheel, 169x26 feet, St Louis
to Omaha and Sioux City, owned and
commanded by Captain William Baker;
wrecked IN October 1858, at the head OF
Weston island on snag.
Amanda, sidewheel, lao tons; wrecked
November II. 1867, by fire at Peters
Landing Iowa, above Omaha.
Louis, Sioux City and Fort Benton trade;
owned by Captain William Poe and
naneaaI3 named for his wife; Captain Thomas
! townsend. own master; lost May %, 1868, near
boat was total loss. Most of the cargo
was saved, but no lives were lost. The
meTemandise me1sna disc was mostly taken to
ance companies. Some machinery, In
tended for a quartz mill, was taken out
and put on the bank, where remnants Of
Andrew S. Bennett. sternwheel, ferry
boat at Sioux CITY, lost about 1883 at Sioux
City IN the Ice. She was built by Cap
tain ms Grant ant Marsh at Sioux City and
OF the Fifth infantry, who was killed In
action by the Indians
antelope. sidewheel 326 tons. 1SOx32
feet Fort Benton trade, owned by W. r.
Masste. wrecked by fire April 12, 1869, Ave
miles below Bon Homme island The
chambermaid of the boat was burned On
her. The boat was valued at $4,000; car
go at S3s,oO; all a total loss.
First Boat to Sioux City.
Assinibo!ne, sidewheel, single engine,
fur trade; owned by American Fur COM
pany st. Louis; John Carlisle, master;
wrecked by fire June l, 1885, at the head
of sibley island, North Dakota. This
Missouri as far up as Sioux City and she
was burned on her second trip. The boat
had got aground when the river was
falling rapidly and was soon left high and
dry. A fiatboat was ordered built, upon
which the cargo was to be fioated down
the river, and the boat was to be left un-
~ rise In the river should float her.
But before the cargo was removed the
boat took fire from a stovepipe In the
cabin, and with the cargo was entirely
DESTROYED. The cargo was from the
Of LBS packs of pelts. with a large COL
lection Of Indian relics. There were four
live buffalos on board which were run
into the river and reached the shore by
swimming
Bachelor, sternwheel, Sioux City and
upper Missouri river trade lost on rocks
at Fort Pierre. 8: D., in November, 1869
Sioux City and Fort Benton trade; owned
by Durfee & Pick, fur traders; Captain
Frank Dozier, master; w. G. Lingo and
y. Lemon, pilots wrecked on a snag
May 19, 1869, at Benton bend, eight miles
above DeSoto, Neb.
Wrecked by Big Bridge.
Benton No. 2, sternwheel, 1874 tons:
Sioux City and upper Missouri river
trade: James P. Boland and T. B. Sims,
owners: Captain James F. Boland, mas
ter; wrecked at Sioux City, July lS, 1891
She was on her down trip and COM
menced signalling when four miles up the
river for the Combination bridge draw
span to be opened. The bridge attend
ants. however, failed to open the bridge.
The boats crew then tried to prevent
the boat from being wrecked on the
bridge. but in backing Off a hole was
piling. The boat rapidly filled with
water. became unn.arageable and was
carried by the swift current against the
pivot pier and draw span, knocking all
her upperworks down. She was a total
wreck. She was valued at 5000. No
lives were lost.
Bertrand, sternwheel. 16Ox5o feet; st,
owned by Captain James Yores; lost in
1865 at Portage la Force, Neb., by striking
q snag.
Big Horn: in the Bismarck and Fort
Benton trade; struck a snag ten miles
below Poplar river May g. 1883.
Black Hills: in the same trade: was
wrecked in the Ice March %. 1884, at Bis
Burleigh.
Other Boats Wrecked. and Dates.
Other steamers known here were lost
as follows:
Bishop. July 1s. 1867. swamped; Boone