The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-06-20
Steamboat Race on
the Des MONIES

The following interesting account
4 OF q steamboat race IN the Des
Moines river in 1859 was written by
| Captain F. E. Beers, who commanded
zone OF the contesting boats, the
i Charlie Rogers:
+ Al 8 o'clock on a very dark night,
4 about the third OF March, 1859, the
steamboat Charlie Rogers sounded her
whistle. a little way down the river,
and in a few minutes landed in the
mouth Of the Racooon river. Her
! shapely hull was taken Just far
enough up the little stream to avoid
the large cakes of ice which the swift
current of the Des Moines was still
bringing down. When her lines were
made fast, and all was in good shape,
her six-inch whistle sounded its loud
est call, to tell the people Of Des
IMoines that the first boat of the sea
son was at the levee and ready for
business.
The arrival of steamboat of any
kind In those days was an event. and
Idoubly attractive when 1t happened to
be the first boat of the season. when
the nearest railroad was 100 miles
away. In ten minutes more the steam
boats torch Of burning resin and
Pittsburgh coal was shining on
crowd of one Or two hundred men,
among whom were recognized Billy
Moore, George Crawford, Of the firm
lot Keyes 6 Crawford, RUDE Sypher,
Jack Dunkle, the Rollins brothers,
land others, who were there to learn
when the boat would leave for Keo-
kuk, and what the fare would be.
They learned that the time of leaving
! would be Z O'Clock next morning and
the fare would be ST. John and his
brother Alonzo Collins, wished the
boat to take forty tons OF pork and
lard to Keokuk. Terms were soon
agreed upon, and their freight was
all on board before o'clock in the
morning; and everything quieted down
for few hours sleep.
At daylight that morning the
whistle was calling in Its ioudest tones
for passengers and freight, while prep
arations were made to leave on adj
vertised time. A dozen passengers
were on board, eight or ten more
were on shore about to come up the
gang plank, when just before sunrise,
steamboat came around the bend a
mile Or SO down the river; and in a
short time the good steamboat Clara
iHine, in charge of Captain Patten,
with Captain Bob Ferris at the wheel,
was made fast to the bank of the Des
MONIES river, only a few rods away.
She was considered the best and
most popular boat on the river; q
swift and powerful tow boat, in con-
strol of energetic officers, who knew
their business, and who had been in
the trade for many years and had the
confidence of the travelling public.
| We were very much surprised to
see this boat, and knew her coming
would make trouble for us; for all
/ our passengers went on shore at once,
land made terms with Captain Patten
and his clerk. Bob Martin. We made
Jour best. efforts to keep them, but in
vain. They said that the Clara Hine
was the most reliable boat and would
make the quickest trip. And when
/ we promised to beat the other boat
into Keokuk Bob Martin laughed loud
and long, saying that the boat which
could beat the Clara Hine had not yet
] been built.
| remember that jeering laugh as
well as if it had been made yesterday
lat z o'clock the Charlie Rogers turn
| ed her bow down stream with high
resolve to be the first boat into Keo-
kuk. She had not on board a single
passenger AS we turned the bend
below the city we saw the Clara
Hine backing out into the river. She
had been at the landing a little less
than an hour.
Some of my acquaintance among
| her passengers told me afterwards
that they fully expected to pass us in
q few minutes; but that was the last
glimpse we had of the rival boat.
Most all the river steamboats, in
these early days burned both wood
and coal, and used forced drafts. So,
Iour fireman, as soon as wood in the
furnace began to burn nicely, pushed
come Of it along with poles on the
Outside of the boiler, and in
thirty minutes we had an in
tensely hot fire twenty feet long on
both sides of the boiler, besides the
regular furnace fire; and we had
steam to spare.
At the little town Of Levy, where
the G.. B. & @. bridge now is. we got
La glimpse OF the smoke and chimney
Iof the rival boat, and our pilot shout
led to our excited crew: Take last
look at the Clara Hines, boys. 1t Is
the lest glimpse OF her you'll get I'M
It'll we get to Keokuk. The crew an
swered with cheer, for they knew
that we were leaving her. At Rattle