Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-09-25
STEAMBOAT TRAFFIC OPENS ON
MISSOURI RIVER AFTER LAPSE
OF DECADE
IS GALA DAY IN K. c.
Whistles Blow and Bells Ring as
Freighter Draws to the Wharf-Last
Boat Down Was the A. L. Mason
Sunk In Southern Mississippi.

! Kansas City, Sept. 24.-With the
blowing Of whistles, changing of bells
and glad acclaim by a thousand per-
sons who had gathered at the river
shore, the renewal of steamboat traffic
on the Missouri river after a lapse OF
more than decade was celebrated to-
day when the steamer Lora, laden
with freight from St. Louis docked at
the wharf Of this city. The movements
I, to inaugurate boat line on the Mis-
souri, river grew out Of fight of the
4 City merchants .or freight rates.
Mason Went Down.
A turning of the pages of Missouri
river history back to year and de-
cade past, there would be recorded the
last trip Of the Albert L. Mason, the
last of the freighters that piled the
Missouri between st. Louis and Kan
sas City. 1t was In the fall of 1895
that this good little freighter operated
by the Kansas City and Missouri River
Transportation Company, landed with
a cargo of some 800 tons of merchan-
disc and -four. It was the Mason's
eleventh trip to the Kansas City wharf
during the year and final westward
course on the Big Muddy's waters, for
the good boat turned her keel east
ward and steamed away to spend the
winter on the Mississippi and there in
February three months later, just
above Gettysburg, the good boat load
ed to her guards with freight struck a
sand bar one dark starless night, and
foundered. There she sank and there,
too. closed the last page of the history
,S,f {evI,t &,of 81 80 1,N
reopened by the Lora.
t Other Boats.
The A l.. Mason was one of three
steamboats, built and operated by the
Kansas City and Missouri River trans
portation Company. The other two
were the State of Missouri and the
State of Kansas, all good boats, and
crafts that would do proud to any wa
ters on which they cruised However,
the State of Missouri and the State of
Kansas neither did much service on
the Missouri river, the State of Kansas
making several trips from st. Louis
to Kansas City, and the State of Mis-
souri, never touching port here but
once. Both of these boats were sold.
The three crafts were built at Madi-
son, Ind, the A. L. Mason in 1891. un-
der the supervision of Captain James
Kennedy, now city dog enumerator
The Kansas City and Missouri River
Transportation Company was organic.
ed i'll the early '90s, the motive for its
organization being somewhat similar
to that which prompted the movement
recently inaugurated to revive river
traffic along the Missouri. A. l.. Ma
son was president of the line and A. L.
Phillips, vice president. Captain A. K
Ruxton commanded the first several
trips of the Mason, but his place was
taken by Captain George Keith, who
commanded the boat until it sank in
the Mississippi
Gala Day, Too.
It was a gala day when the Mason
pulled into port here The cruise OF
the boat was heralded all along its
and greeted by the people along the
river from its mouth to Kansas City
It was one bright day in autumn that
all Kansas City learned that the boat
would arrive at the local port on hel
initial trip. Business in many quarters
was suspended for at least a part OF
the day, and the attention Of the peo
pie was turned toward the river land
ing. A special train conveyed a large
crowd of Kansas Cityans to Randolph
where they boarded the Mason anc
steamed into port aboard her.