Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-14
Can NAVIGATE:
The DES MONIES
CRAFT THAT CAN BE USED IN
STREAM THROUGH oTTuMWA
is SHOWN.
OLD PILOT WRITES
Capt E. H. Thomas Tells of His In
vestigaton of the Possibilities for
Water Route to Large
River Points.
OLD PILOT WRITES

The nayigability of the Des Moines
for which no one has been or is work
ing more jealousy than Capt e. HI
Thomas, of the South Side postoffice
Is treated in an article from the per
of Capt. Thomas who spent many Of
his younger years IS a pilot on the
steamboats, Of the mississippi and also
Travelled the Iowa streams to some ex
tent.
Capt. Thomas has studied the condi
tons quite thoroughly, going SO far as
to revisit the old scenes of his river
life while taking his vacation and
there getting in touch with the men
who today are doing the boating on
the Mississippi between Chicago and
st. Louis by way of the Hennepin
canal and the Illinois river. The arti.
Gle is full of interesting matter rela-
tive to the present river steamboat
for freight purposes and is submitted
for the especial benefit of the shippers
1t deals with the bridge, water stage
and general river shipping problem as
follows:
River is Navigable.
When Major Montgomery Meigs,
the United States engineer, passed
down the Des Moines river on his re-
cent trip of inspection, at all Of the
towns along the course he was asked
this question:
DO you think the Des Moines river
can be made navigable?'
His answer to all was this:
"'The river is now navigable, just
as much so as it was in the SOS, when
the Mississippi steamboats, were pass
ing up and down it, The only obstruc-
tons are those placed there by man
the bridges and the dams
Recalls Old Boats.
"a few Of the early settlers are still
living who remember the steamboat
days upon the Des Moines. Among
them is Hon. James J. Dougherty, who
has been resident of Keokuk for
more than sixty years. He not only
remembers those days, but he also has
almost complete record of the names
of the steamboats, in the Des Moines
river trade at that time. This is what
he says about it:
AS carly as 1887 old Captain Bill
Phelps was in possession of the steam
er Pavilion and carried Indian sup
plies clear up to Fort Dodge. Phelps
later ran the steamer Dove and one or
two other small boats. which made
trips with supplies up to 1912. In that
year there were several small boats
making regular trips UP the river in
high water. | can now call to memory
the names Of many Of these steamers,
viz: The Glancus, Badger State, Skip
per, Col Morgan, Charles Rogers,
Alice, Clara Hine, Ed Manning.
Nevada, Flora Temple, Ad Hine, Des
Moines City, Island City, Chippewa
Falls, Belfast, Cedar Rapids, Oakland
Dan Hine and barges, Globe, Caleb
Cope, Jno. B. Gordon, Kentucky, Aga
tina, Luella, Des Moines Belle, Defiance,
Julia Dean, Jenny Lind, Michigan, Lit
tie Morgan, N. l.. Milburn, Revenue
Cutter Geo. H. Wilson, powerful
tow-boat; Time and Tide, S. B. Science,
Alexander Rogers, Pearl, Providence
The Maid of Iowa, Light, Pandaloding
and New Georgetown. A few odd
trips were made In this river by other
steamers. Often there would be over
q dozen of these Des Moines river
boats lying at the Keokuk wharf re-
ceiying and discharging freight,
Short Period of Low Water.
CAS- Major Meigs says, the river is
now navigable for from four and half
% five months of the year. Those who
nave watched the stream will tell you
hat there is a larger volume OF water
N it, and that the low water period is
shorter than IL was In the 50's. 1t
could not be otherwise for the reason
hat an extensive system OF drainage
has been created along the valley dur