Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-27
WANTS BOATS TO
FIT The CHANNEL
View of Pilot H. B. Breesee, an
Old Timer, on Improve
ment of River.
PLANS NEW PACKET LINE
Will Make First Attempt in Ten
Years, He Says, to Navigate
the Black River.

That trying to make the river
channel fit the boat is a profitless and
impracticable proposition which will
cost many needless millions is the
claim of Captain Harmon B. Breesee
of La Crosse, Wis, one of the few
surviving early day pilots of the
Mississippi river. To prove that he
is right Captain Breesee proposes to
start next summer a packet line be-
tween La Crosse and Black River
Falls, Wis, giving all the towns
along Black river passenger and
freight service. This is the first at
tempt in 10 years to navigate this
stream and Captain Breesee says he
will prove by the use of the fiat bot
tom gasoline boat that deep clear
channels are not necessary to naviga-
ton.
The Black river between La Crosse
and Black River Falls is filled with
sunken booms and logs, and a trip
over it in recent years, even in small
boats, has been claimed to be more
or less perilous in places.
If the plan of Captain Breesee
proves practicable it will mean a
commercial route of great value to
Black River Falls, as that city is at
present practically isolated. To reach
there by rail circuitous. slow and
tedious route must be followed either
by way of Elroy or Camp Douglas
and consequently the railroads are
of but little value as they affect the
communication between that city and
La Crosse.
FAVORS FLAT BOTTOMS.
In maintaining that the solving of
river problems is making boats to
conform with the channel, Captain
Breesee agrees with the theory of
Wisconsin Waterways Commissioner
Ray s. Reid, who has persistently
maintained that money sunk into
channels to a great extent is wasted.
Commissioner Reds system is a
series of fiat bottom boats, similar
to those now in operation in Ger
many with gasoline for fuel.
The Badger, which has been used
in the packet and freight business
between La Crosse and Brownsville
for the past two seasons is monster
barge equipped with a 24-horse pow
er gasoline engine and against the
current makes good time.
Now in course of construction on
the shores of Black river is a barge
smaller than the Badger which Cap
tain Breesee will use as a "gouger,"
the raftsman's name for tow boat.
"The channel is narrow" explains |
Cantain Rreesee." and with the goug-
er / can control my big boat better.
'I propose to establish farmers
stations between La Crosse and
Black River Falls and will equip my
big barge with little store to carry
farmers supplies. 1 will trade with
them for butter, eggs and other farm
produce.
when the Hatfield dam is com
pIeted it will throw more water into
Black river and make it's navigation
more simple"
Captain Breesee was born in Yer.
mont in 1S47, coming west with his
parents in 1851 and living at La
Crosse.
"sMALL BURG"
"At that time" says Captain Breesee,
la Crosse was a small burg with q
few log shacks."
Later the family moved to Mound
Prairie, Mimi, and then to Chippewa
Falls, Wis. The family returned to
the Mississippi river IN 1856 and lived
in Brownsville for 80 years. 1t was in
1865 that he got his first real taste of