River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-07-31
"REMINISCENCES
MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS AGO
BY W. J. WHIPPLE

1t was in the year 1889, when
Judge Fuller was the presiding
Judge of this judicial circuit. In
the year above mentioned he was
holding court at Prescott, then the
county seat of Pierce county.
In the days of pioneer life in this
region of country, the arrival of the
first steamboat in the spring, open
ing of navigation as it came up the
Mississippi river, was one of the
notable events of the season.
While courts were held in those
primitive times for the same pur-
poses as now, viz. for the adjudica-
tion of litigation, the dignity of the
court did not command that high
standard of etiquette which subse-
quently prevailed. At the time of
which we speak, if court were in
session at the time of the coming of
the first boat the court defferential-
ly adjourned that the judge, lawyers
and all the attaches of the court,
upon hearing the whistle, might
hasten to the levee to welcome its
arrival.
1t was then that the court and
prominent citizens Of the town all
went aboard to exchange compli-
ments at the bar with the officers
of the boat.
1t was in the year above stated
that Judge Fuller adjourned court
that all who were connected there
with might go to Saltwater to at
tend lecture by Bayard Taylor.
The steamer Equator" was char
tered for the occasion. Captain
Green was the master and Charley
Jewell was the pilot. 1t was about
p. m. when the boat left the levee
with some fifty passengers and
started on it's voyage up lake ST..
Croix. Among those whose names
we now recall who partly comprised
the party were Judge Fuller, S. P,
Wetherby, H. S. Humphry (both
of whom became successors to
Judge Fuller on the bench in this
circuit) Allen Dawson and his part
ner, Mr.. Clapp, lawyers at Hudson;
DR.. ]. w. Beardsley, H. N. Twom-
bly,, lawyer, Samuel Whipple, Avina
Harvey, Nealie Foster and w. ],
Whipple. All of the above named
persons, excepting the two last
mentioned ones, are numbered with
the dead.
1t was some eight miles below
Hudson when the steamer "Equat-
or" encountered a terrific storm of
wind and rain. 1t came upon us
apparently without premonition-
like a thief in the night, and in a
few minutes increased with such
severity that the boat was beyond
control of the pilot and completely
at the mercy of the furious elements
The passengers became panic
stricken with fear. Some of them
tore off the shutters from the state
rooms, others grasped hold of chairs
and tables and one man had his
arms full of life-preservers-a in
tent on the first law of nature, self
preservation. But very short
time elapsed after the wicked tor
nado had struck the boat before
she had been driven by the fury Of
the waves to the Wisconsin shore
where its passengers, with grea
danger and difficulty, were all safe
ly landed on terra frma. The
steamer was driven upon the pro
jecting rocks with such force tina
in less than ten minutes her pilo
house and upper deck were demol
ished, and shortly afterwards thu
boat went down in twenty feet o
water, total wreck. Indeed, it wa
miraculous escape for all on board
In the storm, still raging, the mel
and women, with thankful hearts
for their rescue, climbed the rock,
bank and plodded across a ploweC
field and sought temporary refug
at the farm house of Mr.. Fuller
about mile distant from the seen,
of the disaster. None of us heart
Beyard Taylor that night. Bu
many a heartfelt prayer was ex