The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-03-26
Captain Walter Blair and a Party of
Fifty Friends VIII Make a
Long Trip Down the
River.
NEW BOATS WILL APPEAR
There VIII be Over Two Hundred Men
Employed by the Diamond 10
During. the Present
Season.

4S s ,eAsi
Xsssl ~
The boat season which will
start in earnest on next Mon.
day in local waters, will be a
busy one in the excursion line as we'll
as In the freight and general pas
senger traffic on the river. Already
the Diamond 10 and several other
lines on the upper river are making
plans for the running of excursions
which are popular as summer pleas
ure and never out Of date.
The excursion season never starts
much earlier than the middle of May
and has always gotten fair start by
Decoration day. on which day differ
ent societies and lodges give an eX-
cursion to some nearby point, making
delightful outing for holiday.
With the opening of the season, the
---amond 10 steamboat line will have
in its employ as clerks, officers, steam
boat men and others, about 200 men.
A number have been added to the
/ regular last year crews and the pay
roll of the company will run into the
thousands of dollars each week.
The Carnival City or White Collar
line will have somewhere in the neigh
borhood of 125 men, many new ones
being added with the placing of sew
eral new boats with the other older
ones of the line. This season the
Carnival City Packet company will
have six boats in the trade, four old
and two new boats, namely the Co,
lumbia, Helen Blair, Keokuk. Wenona,
Silver Crescent and Blackhawk.
The Silver Crescent, which ran in
to this city and was used in the Keo-
kuk-Quincy trade for number OF
years is at present on the ways at
Wabasha, Wis, being almost wholly
rebuilt by Peters Bros, the builders
/ of the steamer Keokuk.
On the Helen Blair, extensive and
expensive repairs are being made to
her at Rock Island. During the early
spring cruise will be made ON her
by Captain Walter Blair and party
i of half hundred friends.
The party will go down the Missis-
sippi $50 miles, rs miles up the Ohio,
! 200 miles up the Cumberland to Mem
/ phis, Tenn. visiting all points of In
] terest along the way and returning
| some time in May. The trip will
cover about 1850 miles and will be an
enjoyable outing for the members of
/ Captain Blair's party
degrading the trip, an exchange
! has the following to say: On the way
stops will be made at different points
of interest, including Fort Donnellson
and two days will be spent in Nash
| Vile, allowing ample time it is fig
ured for the members of Capt Blairs
party, which it is expected will mum.
Der about fifty to make a tour of the
city and to visit both THE Hermitage
and Mammoth cave. Capt. Blair him
self will be in charge, Charles Van
AIKEN, the engineer, and the cabin
4 and kitchen crew will be the same as
was employed when the boat made the
/ trip to Riverton, Alabama, a year ago
Local pilots will be employed, one
from Davenport to st. Louis one
| from ST. Louis to Paducah and one
from Paducah to Nashville. On the
return of the Helen Blair she will
return to her regular schedule in the
! Burlington-Davenp trade, alter
! mating during the tourist season with
! the Columbia.
Quincy-Hanniba.
In recent eXcellently prepared
river article, the Quincy Herald has
the following to say regarding the run
/ ming of packet between that city
and Hannibal:
1t is reported, but the report is not
! confirmed. that Capt Blair contem
plates putting one of his boats in
J! service between Hannibal and Quin
4 CIV. if not this year, possibly next
season 1t seems that if he has any
such plan it would be to his profit
to begin the service this sumnei and
take advantage of the rivalry he
tween the two ports much heavier
will be the first and possibly the last
season the two teams will be in the
same league, and the rivalry should
be great enough to make travel be
tween the two ports muchc heavier
than under the ordinary conditions
At any rate this season would doubt
less be the best to give the scheme
for packet service between Hannibal
and Quincy a trial. And business Is
bound to be still better, if the Adams
Brothers dispose of their excursion
steamer Uncle Sam, which. according
to Frank Adams, is not so improbable
as many seem to think. They do not
| inlened to SELL however, unless they
get their desired price, and will book
/ excursions this spring as in former
years.
Steamboating Increasing.
| That steamboating and transporta