The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-07-05
EXCURSION BOAT
FAST ON THE SAND.
&c. W. HlIl,' Carrying Two Thousand
Persons is Aground Below
Montrose on Return
Trip.
TRANSFERRED TO TRAIN
Black Hawk Assists Crew Transfer
Passengers to Shore Where They
Took the Train for
Burlington.

Inc Two thousand eycursionists
VINO came to Keokuk on the big
steamer G. w. Hill yesterday had an
exciting experience on their way
nome last night. When The steamer
reached point mile and a half be.
low Montrose, going north, it we.lt
aground about 6 O'Clock in the even
Ing. There is stuck in spite of every
effort to float itself, and finally, after
an hours time 1t was decided to
transfer the passengers to land
where, at Montrose, they could take
the X" line passenger train, which
arrived in Burlington at 4:lo a. m
THIS morning. The steamer Black
Hawk assisted in the work of taking
the passengers ashore.
This mornings Burlington Hawk
eye, reports the incident as follows:
1t is said that there were at least two
thousand people on the boat, most OIL
them from Burlington, and that there
was considerable excitement when it
became known that the vessel was
stuck on a bar and could not get off.
Boat Heavily Loaded.
The boat was loaded to suffocation,
and there was considerable disco
fort among the many passengers in
the tedious delay on the bar and In
the transfer to land That work went
forward carefully and in good shape.
The work was slow and only a few
passengers could be transferred in
time to make the early morning train.
The steamer company at once
made arrangements with the railroad
company for extra coaches to be
placed on the passenger train leaving
keokuk at 1:30 a. m. and arriving at
Mcntrose about 2 o'clock. Five extra
coaches were put on this trari Ma,
making a train of ten cars altogether.
Only about four hundred OF the excur-
sionists will come on this train. The
rest will be landed from the boat
later on in time to take the noreh,
bound train arriving in Burlington at
9:05 this forenoon.
j
Landing Of Passengers Slow.
The work of landing the passengers
was very slow as the sl1iffs could not
be heavily loaded, and only the three
or four hundred were landed in time
to take the first morning train. Most
of the passengers still remain on the
stranded steamer which lies in an
easy position and is in no danger.
Meanwhile the work of landing the
excursionists will continue until all
are ashore and ready to take the
forenoon train which will probably be
run in two sections to accommodate
the large number of people off the
boat.
Steamer on the Hocks.
Later reports this morning are to
the effect that the G. w. Hill went
on a ledge of rocks above the canal
and is fast.
About seventy-five passengers have
been landed at Montrose and will
take the train north. which will ar
rive here about two hours late-or
about 6 o'clock this morning.
The steamer Black Hawk passed
the G. w. Hill late las, evening and
took off number of the passengers
to tighten the boat and conveyed
them back to Keokuk, where they
will take the morning train for Bur-
lington.
It is impossible to ascertain wheth-
er or not the stranded steamer is in
iured in any way, but it is supposed
not to be and that every passenger
will arrive in Burlington sooner or
later this morning.
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