D.F. Dorrance

DORRANCE, SPINSBY

Posted By: Rebecca Foster (email)
Date: 9/10/2014 at 10:21:26

Passed Away Sunday at Local Hospital at age 73 Years.

Capt. D.F. Dorrance of Le Claire, well known Mississippi river pilot, died Sunday morning at 9 O’clock at a Davenport hospital. Death followed a stroke of paralysis sustained early Thursday morning, since which time he has been in a critical condition. He was 73 years old.

Capt. Dorrance was one of the veteran, as well as best known pilots on the upper Mississippi . During his life he probably brought as many log and lumber rafts over the hazardous Le Claire rapids as any other pilot.

Capt. Dorrance was born in Rock Island county, Oct. 5, 1843. He was educated in the district schools and early in life took to the river. When a mere boy he had the reputation of handling the oars with more dexterity and skill than any other lad on the river. He soon became a pilot on a raft boat and later acquired several boats of his own. His last boat was the “Irene D,” named after his daughter, Mrs. Irene Spinsby of Le Claire.

Capt. Dorrance was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Lancaster who died in 1892. For the past five years he has been retired from active service, during which time he did occasional work at the pilot wheel. The past summer he worked on one of the Bedra Wood’s sand boats in Moline and his last engagement was on the steamer Alice, owned by the interstate Material company..

In his day Capt. Dorrance was known as one of the most skilled and daring pilots on the upper Mississippi .

Surviving are two children, a son Herschel, and a daughter Mrs. I. S. Spinsby, wife of Capt. Spinsby of Le Claire.

Funeral services will be held at 2 o’clock Tuesday afternoon from the Suitor undertaking parlors in Le Claire. Interment will take place in the Le Claire cemetery.

Source: Davenport Democrat, Davenport, Ia., 18 Dec 1916, p. 12.