Rock Island Argus., 1901-07-02
ON ROCKS
The Storm Causes Accident to
Steamer J. s. in Vicinity
of Rapids City.
PASSENGERS EXHIBIT GOOD NERVE
Winona Tows Damaged Boat to
LIE Claire, Where Repairs
are Made.

4 capt. JOnn SLreckIuS' new steamer
the j. s.. met with another acci-
dent during last evenings wind
storm in what is Known as the Syca-
more chain. just below Rapids City.
She was on her way down with
about 40 passengers aboard and had
met the Winona at Port Byron ac-
cording to schedule. While she lay
at lie Claire the storm could be seen
approaching and it looked threaten
ing. Capt. Streckfus, however. de-
cided to start out, trusting to the
ability of his craft to weather any
ordinary squall.
The gale burst in all its fury when
| the Sycamore chain was reached Tne
wind being from the west teuded to
blow the boat toward the Illinois
shore.
Pilot Dorrance. fearing she would
| strike on the rocks, turned her prov
| toward the Iowa shore, and while in
this position the forward part was
caught and turned up slream. The
engines were stopped and the steamer
began to drift. The anchor was
| thrown overheard. but it did not
catch, and the big packet cont nued
60 drop backward, striking upon
sn occasional. rock till finally the
wheel struck one of the concrete
piers built along the Iowa side OF the
| channel and the momentum of the
| current pushed it we'll up out of the
| water. The prov caught on rocks.
preventing it from swinging down
| stream and there the craft hung "a
| helpless "a q log. An examination n
| vealed the fact That about OF e third Of
the wheel had been badly damaged.
A confusion of signals is said To have
had something to do with the acci-
dent.
Passengers Remain Cool.
During the period the boat was
drifting the passengers exhibited re-
markable GOODNESS, and when the
storm subsidized they were taken Off in
skiff5 and rowed to lie Claire, where
down. The Winona, which had
was reached by telephone at Port
Byron and at once came to the rescue
OF the j. S. After a few hours work
she was fioated and towed TO LsClsire,
where repairs were at once begun.
Fourteen men were at work on the
wheel today and it is hoped the boat
will be out in few days
wInopa Also Damaged.
| The Acme Pac ket company seems TO
be doing business against a period of
hard luck. T,day, as the Winona
was moving up from the warehouse
for her daily supply of coal, two of
the deck hands undertook TO swing
the bridge so that a landing could be
| effected, and in some manner lost
control of the ropes and dropped the
long steel frame to the bank. In its
fall it broke the spar into three pieces,
knOo ksd down tho searchlight and
pulled the smokestacks togeth-r so
that they resem bled the letter A. The
tackle was hastily patched up and the
trip up was made on time.
River RIpIets.
The stage of water at the Rock
Island bridge was $500 at 6 a. m. and
3:65 at noon. The temperature at
noon was So.
The Pre- cot. came doHn with two
blrges.
The f. Rutledge brought down
eight strings OF logs.
The steamer Dubuque, which went
| to the bottom several weeks ago near
| Oquawka, has been raised, and is
now being towed up the river to
Dubuque, where she will be repaired.
1t was first thought it would be inn
possible to ever float the steamer again,
but Commodore John Killeen brushed
aside this theory when he viewed the
wreck, and said he would see that the
job was accomplished. And so it
was.