The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1911-11-09
IN 1850
Veteran Rverman Gives Names and
Captains of Steamers.

lrlVerman VINO is a champion OF the
cause of the navigation of the Des
Moines river, now comes forward
with data that proves beyond a
doubt that in the sos steamboats,
piled up and down the river, before
bridge spanned the stream. He
states that although it was shown to
the government that the river was at
one time nayigable in order to gain
the two surveys recently completed,
many people regard this as a legend.
Many steamers freighted up and
down the stream before the war.
Captain Chas. H. Patten, one of Mr..
Thomas old friends, stated in a let.
ter just a few days ago, that no
Capt. Patten) was a cabin boy on
the Badger State, when it went down
on the Ottumwa, Iowa, rapids. Fol-
lowing is Mr.. Thomas letter to the
Courier in which he reproduces a
part of Capt. Patterns article on the
navigation of the Des Moines before
the war:
MOT a Legend.
"As | have stated before, when APP
plication was made for a survey Of
the Des Moines river, the govern
ment required us to show that it was
a navigable stream, that it had actu-
ally been used by steamboats, in for.
mer years. This was done and the
two surveys We're made. And yet
~. - tll nnf q.
ton who regard this as a sort of
legend or myth. There is nothing
strange about this for it has been
many, many years since steamboat
was seen on the Des Moines river.
Now and then we meet a man who
does not believe the Bible story of
Noah and the ark. We shall not go
back to the flood and engage in
Joint discussion as to Captain Noah
and his boat load of animals, but we
have letter from an old friend, Cap
tain Charles Patten, of FIT. Madison,
that may be of interest to some read
ers. He is the man who navigated
the Des Moines in the sos and who
could now bring steamboat to OF
tumwa, were 1t not for the bridges,
as they are the only obstruction to
navigation. He says that he was a
cabin boy on steamer, Badger State
when she hit the rocks and sank on
the Ottumwa, Iowa, rapids.
Captain Patterns Article.
The following article was sent to
Mr.. Thomas by his old friend which
is proof, Mr.. Thomas believes, of the
navigation of the Des Moines before
the time of the present generation:
Il wrote up the sinking of the Bad.
ger State several years ago, but /
lost my copy at Mobile, Ala, with sew
eral other articles when the steamer
Sun went down at Mobile in the
month of December, 1906. However,
| will re-write some of it from mem
DRY, that is, about the officers OF the
Badger State when the boat sank on
the Ottumwa rapids in the year 1858.
They were: D. w. Hawkins, master;
Dock Crapster clerk; Chas. Stewart
and his brother, Ed Stewart, pilots;
George Payton, chief engineer; Car
roll Cougar, second engineer; H. M.
Patten, carpenter and Waterman;
Peter Hart, bar keeper; c. H. Patten,
one of the cabin boys. All of these
men, who were a part of the crew
of the Badger State, have passed be-
yond with the exception of Ed Stew
art, who is travelling salesman for
the FIT. Madison Plow Co., and the
writer.
Boats of the Des Moines.
There are several men living that
steamboated up the Des Moines river
in earlier days. Namely, Joe T. Fer
ris, FIT. Madison; William Goodin,
Pennington; George Welchmeyer,
Keokuk; c. H. Patten, FIT. Madison,
and there may be others. The follow,
ing is part of the list of boats that
navigated the Des Moines river in
past years, which | have copied from
Capt. J. F. Daugherty's list that he
wrote up some years ago:
The Agatha, Capt. Lafferty. taking
up government supplies and soldiers
from Fort Sanford, in May, 1S43;
Caleb Cape, Capt. Joseph Price;
Kentucky, Capt. J. G. Ainsworth; ].
B. Gordon, Capt. w. H. Ferris; Globe,
Capt. F. C. McCune; Colonel Morgan,
Capt. F. c. Meyers; Luella, Capt.
Morrison; Des Moines Belle, Capt.
Tisdale, built at Des Moines, 1858,
made one trip to Fort Dodge. Charlie
Rodgers made trip to Fort Dodge.
The Skipper, Capt. Russell; Des
Moines Valley, Capt. Manirve; Jenny
Lind, Capt. Ainsworth; Alice Capt.
w. H. Ferris; Badger State, Capt.
Hankins: Time and Tide, Capt. Nor
rison; Clara Hine, Capt. Patten; Add
Hine, Capt. Gault; Flora Temple,
Capt. w. H. Ferris; Nevada, Capt.
w. H. Ferris; S. b. Science, Capt. s.
b. Clark; Alex Rodgers, Capt. Will
son; Light, Capt. Richard Cave;
Maid of Iowa, Capt. Phelps; REEVE.
nue. Cutter. Capt. w. H. Ferris; G. H.
Wilson, up as far as Croton, captain
unknown; N. L. Milburn, Capt. N. L.
Milburn, built at Iowaville; Provi-
dence, captain unknown; New George
town. captain unknown; Jennie Deans,
Capt Sheble, went up as far as Gro
ton; Des Moines City, Robert Farris.