Walter Atcheson Blair

BLAIR, SMITH

Posted By: Rebecca Foster (email)
Date: 9/7/2014 at 09:35:41

CAPTAIN BLAIR VETERAN RIVER PILOT IS DEAD

More Than Half -Century Spent on Father of Waters

Captain, Walter Atcheson Blair, 83, veteran Mississippi river pilot who had lived to see traffic on the mighty stream wax and wane and revive again, died at 12:35 a.m. today at his home, 2342 East Eleventh street Davenport, after a six weeks illness.

Born Nov. 17, 1856 at Galena, Ill. One of the historic towns on the Mississippi, he had lived his entire life on or within sight of the river and had become known along its entire navigable length as an able captain, business man, and boat owner. He was the son of Andrew and Margaret Henry Blair.

The family moved to Princeton, Ia. in October 1869, and there young Walter began to absorb the spell of the Mississippi of which he afterward wrote at length.

Began in 1878

After several years experience as a school teacher in Princeton, he took his first job on a Mississippi river boat, the Le Claire Belle as the season opened in March, 1878. He went back to school teaching for a time, but the fascination of the river had taken hold on him and he returned to steam boating.

He obtained his pilots license in 1882 and bought his first boat the J.W. Mills in 1883. The purchase was the beginning of a line of river craft which he owned and operated or piloted during a long career.

At one time he entered a partnership with Captain Van Sant and they operated seven boats in the rafting business and with four other boats independently owned by Captain Van Sant did a thriving business.

In 1892, Captain Blair quit the rafting business and organized the Carnival City Packet Co., associating himself with a number of prominent Davenporters. The company owned nine different boats plying between Davenport, Burlington, Keokuk and Quincy. Their boats included the “Helen Blair”, “Keokuk” and “Black Hawk” and they handled 125,000 passengers and 15,000 tons of freight annually.

Coming of the railroads put a crimp in the river business, but Capt. Blair never lost faith in the ultimate recovery of the water traffic. He believed, and lived to see his belief fulfilled, that the nine foot channel development would bring back the boats.

Captain Blair was married to Elizabeth Bard at Le Claire Dec. 7, 1882, the same year that he moved to Davenport to make his home. He was a member of Trinity Lodge No. 208 A.F.7A.M. but became a member of lodge of Le Claire. He was a member of the First Presbyterian church Davenport.

Surviving besides the widow are one daughter, Mrs. Hugh T Smith, Philadelphia, Pa., two sons, George, W., Mishawaka, Ind., and Bard B Blair, Tulsa Oklahoma., three sisters, Mrs. R. E. White, Monmouth, Ill., and Mrs. Fred Wyman and Mrs. G. S. Johnson, both of Davenport; two brothers, W. H. Blair, Davenport, and A. L. Blair, Highland Park, Ill., and three grandchildren, Mrs. H. E. Brucklen, Elkhart, W. Blair, Jr. Winfield, Kansas and Fredrick E. Blair, Mishawaka. A son, Paul died Nov. 2, 1898.

The body was taken to George McGinnis funeral home. Services have been tentatively set for Tuesday afternoon the exact time and the place to be determined. Burial will be in Oakdale cemetery.

Source: Davenport Democrat, Davenport, Ia., 24 Dec 1939, p. 1.