Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-05-25
The MEICS PARTY
COMPLETE CRUISE
TRIP OF THE HORNET FROM DIES
MONIES TO kEokuk aRAPhI.
CALLY TOLD.
MAY MEAN MUCH
Report Of Engineer Might BIO Means
of Future Navigation Of the
Stream People Show an
Interest.
MUCH

er from the city Of Des Moines to
Keokuk Is very interesting reading
and may go far toward the future nav
igation of this beautiful stream. The
work of the preliminary survey was
thorough and quite complete, being
done under the direction Of one who Is
perhaps as familiar with inland water
navigation as anyone in the country.
Major Montgomery Meigs in charge of
the government lock at Keokuk and a
civil engineer Of country wide fame.
The history of the cruise of the Hornet
party is, entertainingly told by Har-
old Young. of the Des Moines Cap
itol, as follows:
Log of the Hornet.
Tuesday. May IL. 5 p. m. Left Des
Moines.
Tuesday, May IL. Arrived Haste.
stopped for the night.
Wednesday, Nav IL, 1880 a. m. Left
HASTE.
1890. Stopped by broken shaft; SO
miles.
2:17. Landed mile and one-half from
Dunreath.
Thursday. May 13-John Hanning
piloted Hornet to Red Rock four
miles from Dunreath.)
2:45. Shaft repaired. Left Red Rock.
$50. Arrived loft, two miles from
Harvey.
Friday, May IA. $3.50 a. m. Left Har-
very
{ p. m. Arrived Eddyville.
| p. m. Arrived Ottumwa.
Saturday, May Is. Spent in Ottum-
wa.
Sunday May 16, 11:05 a. m. Left Of
tumwa.
1:40 p. m. Arrived Eldon.
2:45 p. m. Left Eldon.
$50 p. m. Arrived Keosauqua. Stop
ped for the night.
Monday, May II, 10 a. m. Left Keo-
sauqua.
7:1O D. m. Reached Mississippi river.
1887 p. m. Arrived at the govern
ment locks at Keokuk.
Cup Soap Creek, by Gosh"
When steamboats, come up the Des
Moines river from the Mississippi
river. railroad rates will go down. This
is the belief Of the inhabitants Of the
many little hamlets which have been
sleeping on the banks Of the Whirling
Des Moines since the early days when
| the smoke of the passing boats was
seen on the bends.
The lowering of the freight rates is
not the only reason why the residents
of the tributary country wish to see
| the return of the steamboat days. They
want to receive the benefits Of the in
| cidental travel on the river. Steamers
will tie up to their docks; passengers
will come ashore and patronize the
merchants: the stea mers will buy fuel
and many other financial benefits will
accrue. Then. the towns will awaken
| into life.
The people who remember the
steamboat days are dreaming Of the
past They recall many occurrences
that happened. They laughingly refer
to the pilot who went to sleep, leaving
deck hand at the wheel. After Civ
| ~, 1{r o1, tIo
making of a certain turn he awakened
to look at strange surroundings, and
found to his intense disgust that the
boat was in a narrow inlet and ex-
claimed, "Uu Soak Creek. by gosh"
i The Hornet.
When the little Hornet" the gov
eminent launch, successfully battlet
with the currents and shallow bars
and projecting snags and reached
| Keokuk, a new era in the history O.
the Des Moines river was inaugural
ed. When this twenty-five foot launcl
made the wav of nearly two-hundrec
miles from Des Mones to the Missis
sippi river hope was aroused tina
again the river would be used as {
navigable stream. 1t fs now up to thu
waterways committees of congress.
Is the Des Moines river navigable
The preliminary investigation Of Maj
or Montgomery Meigs will decid
whether a careful survey will be mad'
for the further consideration Of thu
project.
Below Ottumwa, there Is no doub
that steamers could travel; above tina
place, there are many obstacles t.
overcome. The river is shaggy, and il
many places the channel Is shallow
To make the river navigable a grea
deal of money must be spent. Bridges
would have to be changed Draw
would have to be put in. VIII tn,
money be spent? No one knows at thi
time. In Europe many streams smalle
than the Des Moines are used exten
sively for commerce. Municipal dock
are built, with travelling cranes for tn,
unloading of cargoes.
Largest in 40 Years.
The trip of the Hornet marked
the passage of the. largest craft TO
forty years. Very little difficulty wa
experienced, as the river was at
good stage of water and increased I,
danger was present by the prevalence
of hidden rocks in the stream whicl
might have capsized the boat. Lif
preservers were carried and ever
precaution was taken to prevent dis
aster.
young engineer, r. T. Meyling. O
Keokuk, carefully sounded the rive
pole marked with figures showing fee
and inches. He was stationed in tn
bow and watched the river constant
, ly for the appearance of snags or tn
ripple over the rocks. Several time
large boulders were scraped, but n
damage was done, with the exceptio
of the breaking Of the shaft on the en-
CINE early in the trip. George Harte
of Keokuk, had charge of the seve
) and one-half H. P. gasoline engine. H
, was always on the alert for troubl
| and at the least notice stopped the en-
CINE, as the danger of going on a ba
or In hitting a snag was greater Will
| the machine was running.
Meiss Makes Notes
Major Montgomery Nseigs, the civ
, engineer who was making the investi
cation, was seated in the stern of tn
boat. He steered the craft and mad
copious notes Of his observations. TIL
contour of the stream and its dept
and width; the topography of the ad
/, jacent country; the altitude of til
, stream, taken from known levels; til
! early history of the navigation; til
lengh and heighth of brides; and man
other points of engineering interes