Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-04-25
THE J. S. IS READY
Steamer Appears for the Open
ing of Excursion Season
Much improved.
MEMBERS OF THE GREW
Will Leave for Missouri Points Next
Week, Returning Here
In June.

me ~. =. left the DOatNaruS TINS
morning and came up to the city
levee preparatory to its run to Gin
ton tomorrow on the first excursion
of the year. She is as clean, fresh
and dazzlingly white as new paint
can make her. The boat has been
thoroughly overhauled and extensive
improvements have been made which
represent an outlay of $4,000. The
boat will go to Clinton tomorrow on
round trip and next week will leave
here for Missouri points, where she
will engage in the excursion trade
until later in the season. Some time
in June she will return to Rock Isl
and and for portion of the summer,
at least, make trips on this section
of the Mississippi.
Extensive improvements.
An expensive piece of apparatus and
the only one of its kind on Missis-
sippi river steamer is a pump and fl
ter which Will furnish absolutely pure
water for drinking and culinary pur-
poses. a new steam cooking and
heating outfit has been installed
through which 1000 people can be
fed in two hours. filter has been
provided for the boiler water so that
the tubes will not scale, one of the
greatest hindrances to the raising of
steam river engineers have to con-
tend with. Through the agency of
the filter heat of $50 degrees can
be obtained. All impurities and min
eral matter are filtered out of the wa
ter before it reaches the boilers.
Three new traps have been added be-
sids many othr improvements on the
lower deck.
Telephone system.
n complete independent telephone
system has been installed on the boat
connecting the decks and the differ
ent departments. All the staterooms
have been provided with water and
basins, while bath tub and other
plumbing conyeniences have been add
ed. Check rooms have been placed
on the main deck and will undoubted-
~ fill long felt want. The steam
steering apparatus is also new.
Two heavy spars are conspicuous
at the bow. They will serve to raise
the boat in case she grounds. They
can be swung out to the sides and by
means of a chain and steam tackle
apparatus the whole front of the
boat can be lifted up. The spars are
"A feet. high and are made from 12x12
Seattle beams.
The Crew.
Capt. John Streckfus will have
charge of the boat this wear as usual.
Joe Young will be pilot. while the
clerk will be Miss Lille Streckfus, and
Joe Streckfus will serve as second
clerk. The first engineer and first
mate are Bert Davis and Gene Ferris.
respectively.
Capt. Streckfus expects to be able
to handle larger crowds than ever
before with much less trouble. With
the spars there is little danger of the
boat getting onto bar that she can
not get off alone, as happened last
summer. The boat should have very
successful season equipped as she is,
and there is every reason to believe
that she will.
other River News.
| The Gardie Eastman will leave
kahlke's boatyard early next week
for Missouri, where she will get a
tow of ties and bring them up the
river. After that she will probably
go north to be used by her owners.
Fetter & Crosby. of La Crosse, in that
vicinity.
The Helen Blair is to be attacked
by the painters at the boatyard next
week and after that she will be ready
to be put into commission.
The Col. A. Mackenzie, with Col.
Lusk and family on board, put out
this morning for st. Paul.
The Winona was in and out and the
Col. Mackenzie went north
The stage of water was $50 all day
and the temperature at noon was As.