The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-06-22
A DAY ON The RIVER.

The time-Monday last.
The place-the Mississippi river
from Keokuk to Quincy and return.
The boat--the Keokuk.
There is no more delightful outing
for summer day within the reach OF
practically everybody than trip from
Keokuk to Quincy and return on the
trim, inviting, speedy and safe craft
Keokuk, Differed by Captain Dipple,
Pilot Hugh Mckenzie and Clerk Swan
son. These gentlemen seem to vie with
each other in contributing to the COM
fort and pleasure of the patrons of the
boat and their laudable efforts are in
yariably crowned with success. To
all intents and purposes they play the
part of agreeable and successful hosts
to the passengers who make the trip
with them, and all who are their
guests for day promise themselves
that they will repeat the delightful
experience at the first opportunity.
! Unless one is fond of promiscuous
company one should make the trip
when the boat is not crowded with
excursionists, in order to derive the
most pleasure from the outing. There
is then opportunity for visiting with
the officers of the boat whose cour
tesy and kindness are unfailing.
i Captain Dipple comes by his love
of the river and his boating proclivi
ties naturally enough His mother
was a Leyhe, a sister of the Leyhe
Brothers who operate So extensively
out Of st. Louis in a steamboat way
This recalls an interesting bit of lccal
history as to how the original Leyhe
Brothers got their start as steamboat
men. They weren't always the kings
of the st. Louis wharf that they are
now. Many years ago, when steam
boating on the Mississippi was in It's
prime, they operated a small saw mil
on the banks of the river a shor
distance below Warsaw. During tn,
winter season of a certain year il
pioneer times they accumulated quit
stock of sawed lumber With tn,
porting it to market presented itself
A dinky craft had sunk in the rive
in the vicinity and the Leyhe boy
bought it for song. After raising
t they equipped it with the boiler fror
2 their saw mill, and with the transpol
tation facilities thus secured conveye
: their lumber to market. The exper
: ment was so successful that it was nc
long before they established a boat i
the Keokuk and Warsaw trade. Sti
Y later they ran a fine boat betwee
g Keokuk and Quincy which netted ther
q good returns. In the winter time the
n used the mouth of Fox river shol
y distance above Gregory as a harbo
S for their boats With the decline {
t traffic on the Upper Mississippi the
e betook themselves to st. Louis. A
l. the present time the firm of Leyh
e Bros. operate a regular line of steam
ers on the Illinois river as far u
as Peoria. They also have boats mai
d ing regular trips down the MISSISSIPPI
1t to Commerce. Mo, and a boat in til
1t st. Louis and Alton trade. Since til
is wreclling of the large steamer Prov
~ ueHCe Ds lne lcS at Of. LOUIS last WI
lie ter they have gained control of til
q local excursion business out of tn;
II city. Their immense business of toda
At had its inception in their successfl
Is attempt to use the boiler out of the
p saw mill on an abandoned boat in til
ID river near Warsaw MANY years ago.
at Speaking of successful steamboa
er ing, Captain Walter Blair, princip
: stakeholder in the company whie
Re which owns the Keokuk, Black Haw
IS Wenona, Columbia and Morning Sta
st holds the medal for achievement c
lie the upper river proper He has re
N genius in that line. His chain of shoI
O. line boats reaching from Quincy
Davenport without break is not on