The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-10-27
Well Known Rafter Burned While Ly-
ing in Winter Quarters at the
Nahant Steamboat
Harbor.
IN SERVICE A LONG TIME
Has Done Good Work Between keo.
kuk and saltwater, Mimi, For
Thirtysix Long Sea
sons.

There are some that are lost and
some that are simply dismantled, but
the majority of our wooden river
steamers. or at least large minority
OF them, are destroyed by fire. And
not infrequently the fire happens at
time when the boats are not In active
service. The last of the river fleet to
thus meet her end is the Lizzie Gard
ner, familiar to everybody along this
stretch Of the river, where she has done
faithful service for almost forty long
seasons, being one Of the first boats to
come out in the spring and one Of
the last to go to the bank in the fall
The Davenport Democrat had the fol
lowing:
Fire starting at about GAS o'clock
this morning in the rear end of the en-
CINE room of the rafter Lizzie Gard
ner, lying in winter quarters at the
Nahant steamboat harbor, completely
destroyed the boat AL Short, captain
and owner of the Inflated steamer,
with companion, who is believed to
be former mate, were busily engaged
in tarring the stacks of the Gardner S
towboat. the Gardner, which has been
In the harbor over month, is report
ed by the Waterman, John Polchow, Of
the Wenona, to have been without a
fire in the engine room since docking.
John Polchow, probably the first
man to discover the flames, was re-
turning to his houseboat, where he
makes his home. to get his morning
luncheon, when his little boy exclaim-
ed, ooh, look at the boat on fire!"
Peering across the harbor the watch
man saw a volume of flame emanating
from the STERN of the boat, which was
rapidly famed up to destruction by a
rather stiff gale. Rushing out to ascer.
tain If he could be Of any assistance,
he met Captain Short and his compan-
\ ion, coming from the opposite direc.
a ton, frantically shouting for someone
to save their personal properties. Be-
fore anyone could get within hailing
distance of the steamer the assisting
wind had famed the flames from
stern to bow, and from mizzen-top well
into the boats hull. The handful of
men on the scene were power1ess to
do anything The rather stiff gale
coming landward kept the hull pushed
well onto land and as fast as the in
satiate appetite of the flames gobbled
up that part of the bull above the sur.
face the wind pushed the submerged
part nearer to shore and surface as
fast as the flames devoured it.
The Lizzie Gardner, which had been
In the rafting service between Still.
water and Fort Madison for upwards
of thirty-six years and was probably
the Oldest boat, irrespective of serv-
ice, on the Mississippi river between
Saltwater and st. Louis. Although its
age was somewhat decrepit. its beams
and joicing were kept in good repair
and at the time of the fire the Lizzie
Gardner was in practically good order
The steamer having lain In the har
Dor month or more was being taker
care Of by the Waterman up to las
Monday, when Captain Short and his
Unidentified companion arrived The
two men, having some little work tt
do around the two steamers, establish
ed themselves In cabins in the Gard
her. Captain Dodds, of the Winona
and his Waterman, John Polchow, ven
lure the opinion that if Captain Shor
Ind the other sailor had been in tn,
cabins at the time of the ignition they
probably would have persisted will
The boat.
In addition to the Gardner and he
low boat, there were three boats ii
HE harbor. All these, however, wer.
IN the safe side of the wind, and tn,
low boat Of the Gardner, being 10,
eet to the north, was the only boa
hat could be called within the DANCE,
zone.
The Lizzie Gardner was valued a
probably $4,000, and will be tota
loss, it being nothing less than a hea,