Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-10-01
A PUPIL OF Upton
Pilot OF EIoise Learned Keokuk Rap
ids Under the Late Master
of Mackenzie.
SAYS HIS AGE WAS 81 YEARS
Diamond 10 Takes ST. Paul Out, LeaV-
ing Dubuque Alone in the
Trade.

Capt. Ferris of the Eloise, is one of
the few rapids pil)ts left, says the
Burlington Hawkeye. His father, Rob-
ert Ferris, of Pennington, Iowa, Ed.
Callahan, of st. Louis, and Wash Hight.
of Rock Island, are the only ones re-
naming now that Pilot Upton has
passed to the beyond. Capt. Ferris
father is 80 years old. and the old
gentleman says that Upton was really
"a years old instead of IS, as was
said at the time of his death. The mas
ter of the Eloise. speaking on this sub
ject recently said:
My father and Upton were school
mates, and l remember Tipton's moth
er very well. l learned the lower rap
ids at Keokuk under him, and was
rapids pilot for the Diamond 10 COM
pany for % years, and worked indie
pendently for two years. l also
learned the Rock Island rapids, as well
as the Des Moines rapids below. l can
recall wildly that day, April 2, 1868.
when | started to learn the river under
old Davy Upton on the Minnesota,
which ran between st. Louis and st.
Paul The TiptOns were poor those
days, but the Old Pilots association
was the closest organization l ever
saw. Men who were members, now
even that the organization is gone,
still feel bound to help one another.
MANY a pilot has been buried and his
family cared for by the association
when the dark days came. \ rapids
pilot helps a steamer a great deal in
Il, n
rapids, the boats run outside of the
canal as long as it is safe. The ElOise
for instance, ran down there outside
80 times during the season. She saved
an hour and a half each time, which
meant a good deal of time during the
entire seasn.
In the old days, the Minnesota used
to be the connecting link. when the
water got low, and the boats run up to
the rapids and down them from either
side, while she acted as ferry for their
freight and passengers, transferring
them from one boat to another. Now
that Davy Upton is dead, there are
only four of us left who knew the rap
ids, and my father is too feeble TO
stand the racket any more
st. Paul WthdraWn.
The big Diamond 10 steamer St.
Paul which arrived in Rock Island last
evening enroute to St. Paul is the last
steamer of the line going through to
St Paul for this season, and leaving
that city Monday at s p. M, she comes
to Dubuque where she will be harbOr-
ed for the winter. The steamer Du-
buque which arrived here yesterday
bound for st. Louis leaves that city
Monday for Dubuque, where she meets
the St. Paul and takes aboard the
freight and passengers of the latter
steamer for St. Louis. This will leave
only one boat in service between St.
Louis and Dubuque and none to st.
Paul The Dubuque leaves Rock ISL
and next Thursday for st. Louis and
after that she leaves every Saturday at
5:15 p. m, for st. Louis and goes to
Dubuque every Thursday, leaving Rock
Island at II a. m.
The st. Paul was annulled in pref
sreHce of the Dubuque owing to the
fact that it costs $500 per day to run
the st. Paul while it costs but about
$3.50 per day to operate the Dubuque.
The lack of trade with the advent of
cool weather is the cause assigned by
the Diamond 10 people for annulling
The St. Paul. but Judging from the traf-
fc and passengers handled in the past
two weeks it would appear that the
Dubuque will hardly be adequate to
take care of the business. Yesterday
she carried a very large cargo of
freight and a heavy passenger list.
Some agents of the line are of the Opin-
ion that the Steamer Sidney, which is
now in the government canal at Keo-
kuk. will be pressed into service be-
tween st. Louis and Dubuque if not
to st. Paul.
The Valeria, Ruth. Lizzie Gardner,
Waunetta. Mac and Winona were down
and the St. Paul, Ruth. Mac and Wi
mona went north. The stage of water
was $50 at 6 a. m, and $50 at noon.
River Forecast.
A slight falling tendency in the Mis-
sissippi will continue between Du-
buque and Muscatine.
River Bulletin.
Dng'r Hgt. Change