The Ronan pioneer., 1917-11-23
SON OF CAPTAIN OF FAR WEST RUNS FERRY
BUT HOLDS LICENSE TO PILOT 1M MONTANA

Hanging in the little cabin of Cap.
taln-PilOt John Marsh on the ferry
boat LaVerna, which carries tourists
mostly automobile owners bound for
Excelsior Springs, across the Missouri
at Sibley, Mo-, is the certificate OF
one of the two pilots, who still have
a government license emitting them
to pilot steamships on the Yellow
stone and Missouri river in Mon
tana.
At the wheel of the ferry boat, every
day from January to January sits one
of the last of the Mohicans of the
wheel, John R. Marsh, son of the
famous Grant Marsh, pilot on the
Yellowstone and Missouri forty years
ago. This fall the son completed his
41st year in river boating service.
1t has been many decades since the
shrill whistle of the steamer was
heard on the Yellowstone, or the
splash of the big wheels was money
making sound on the Missouri in
Montana, but if ship should come
up the stream again bound for Fort
Benton or Fort Keogh, there are two
men, still living, who have up-to-date
licenses, to pilot it.
Only Two Pilots Left.
One of them is Captain Marsh and
the other is Charlie Blount of Bis
marck, still on the upper river with
the l. B. Baker Transportation COM
pany. Pilot Marsh's certificate,
which hangs on the wall, certifies.
"That John r. Marsh has given
satisfactory evidence to the under
sic 1x,s% C%ot n+or
of the steamboat inspection service
for the district of St. Louis; that he
can be safely intrusted with the
duties and responsibilities of master
of steam vessels of all grades and
tons upon the waters of all rivers and
as first class pilot on the Mississippi
river, the Ohio river between Mem
phis, Tenn, Cairo, ILL.,, and
Grafton, ILL.,, the Missouri river to
Fort Benton, Mont, and the yell
lowstone river to the head of naviga-
tion, and is hereby authorized to act
as such master and pilot, etc." This
license is up to date and is one of
the old pilots proudest possessions.
Son of River King.
The Marsh family were all river
men. Everybody who knows any
thing about river history at all knows
of Grant Marsh, who sailed the river
from cabin boy to captain, for seven
January, still on the river up Yank-
ton way. He was mate of the A. B.
Chambers, on which Mark Twain was
pilot and knew Mark in his pilot
days. He carried Gen. Lew Wallace
and General Grant to Pittsburgh
Landing, before the Battle of Shiloh.
He made the famous run of the Far
West, carrying the wounded of
Reno's command after the Custer
Massacre, from the mouth of the Lit
tie Big Horn to Bismarck and Fort
Lincoln, making an unprecedented
record for those waters of a thou
sand miles in fifty-four hours.
1t was with the return trip of the
Far West, in 1877, that Pilot John
Marsh's memories Of his father and
his own river experiences began. He
went aboard the Far West on that
trip as pilots cub under his father
and that was the beginning of his
forty years experience in steamboat
ing. II was just kid when went
aboard the Far West with my father
after he had taken the wounded SOL
diers down to Fort Lincoln after the
Custer fight" said Pilot Marsh, re-
Gently when telling of his steamboat
"But guess l knew pref
ty much all about the boats even
then.
Brought Out Sherman.
II was with him, too, on the Rose
bud, coming up from st. Louis in TT,