IOWA HISTORY PROJECT |
STEAMER
LILLY
11-19-1917 12-8-1917
Transcribed by Georgeann McClure
From St. Louis up the Missouri River to Fort Benton in 1867-Daily diary of the Voyage kept by Engineer, Eben B. Hill.
American
Association of Masters, Mates and Pilots, U. S. A. Harbor No 28, Merchants le
Clede builder, St. Louis, Mo. Nov. 15 Editor Post:
Am writing you for two reasons; first of all I want to thank you for the
Saturday Evening Post which you have furnished the Master Pilots Association
with for so long a time. I want to
assure you we appreciate it. I am
enclosing you the log of an old river engineer, a friend of mine.
You may appreciate this conclosure. We
will be glad if you do so. It will
be very interesting to all steam boatmen as well as the pilots association if
you will publish this log.
Yours Truly,
L. S. Flatau,
President
11-17 1917
Commencing my log-book of the trip.
All day we
were waiting to receive the survey that was due us but Mike went down the levee
and saw we had little hope of getting any. Mr.
Kidd had made a bargain if we did not get the money for him to take out the boat
in our place. About 4 o’clock
orders came to have steam at nine or ten o’clock.
After supper we saw Morse and he gave an order for McPherson for a
hundred dollars, so Mike concluded to take her out so I got her5 ready and Mike
went home and got his clothes. Meanwhile
I pumped up the boiler Raised steam we backed out at 11 o’clock and I stood
watch till 5. a. m. Arrived at St. Joseph in the morning of April 30 received
$20 from the boat charged to me spent five for Mike laid in dry goods for the
trip.
Friday April 19
We found the
wheel had too great a dip and also a bust in the ash pan pipe which I wrapped.
The piston head struck the forward cylinder head and we landed to fix it
so and moved farther up for a wood pile shifted buckets and fixed the cylinder
head so that all worked right. I
turned in being off watch and took the watch from 6 to 12 p. m. stopped at
woodpile and put on rudder coupling. I
had a long watch this night.
Saturday April 20
Came on watch
at 4 a. m. and stood till breakfast after breakfast turned in came on again
after dinner. We run fine and
stopped at new haven at a wood pile, cooled down for a gogue cock was cut so bad
as to make it dangerous but we found it cut so bad that we could not put another
one in the place so we cleaned boilers and packed doctor (?) made joints on the
exhaust cape turned in at 4 to 11 p. m.
Sunday April 21
Came on watch
at one a. m. stood till breakfast took a nap and came on after dinner. Landed
and took on wood. Just as we were
starting out one of the joints on the steam pipe blew out and we had to land and
make a new one. Just before dark we
found she was taking on water and we had quite a time to stop it. Had to use a
siphon pump. Came out of watch and turned in till 12 o’clock.
Monday April 22
Came on watch
at 12 o’clock made
Tuesday April 22
Run all day
laid up at night and cleaned out boilers and took out packing in larboard
cylinder and we worked all night.
Wednesday April 24
Raised steam
at 6 a. m. We had a good run all day and I wrote to Mrs. E. E. Smith; I had the
afternoon watch.
Thursday April 25
Run all day
and laid up till next day, engine valve cut very bad cleaned out boilers. I
worked all night.
Friday April 26
Worked all
night and got ready by 12 o’clock a. m. We
started out on our journey, but we had to stop after going one mile.
Saturday, April 27
We started at
2 am m. and we have got along very good today. I think the best since leaving
Sunday April 28
Arrived at
Monday April 29
Steam pipe was a bad job. We intended to have it done at St. Joe. We run all day and made a very good run.
Tuesday April 30
Arrived at St.
Joe at 7 am. M. We repaired steam pipe made a good job this time raised steam
and left at 6 o’clock. Col. Morse did not go any further.
Wednesday May 1
Left at 4 a.
m. Our firemen quit yesterday and we got 4 new ones.
American citizens of African decent but they proved to be no firemen so
we paid them off and took two of the rousters for foremen.
Came off watch at supper and one of the passengers had a bagpipe and
played it for the edification of all.
Thursday, May 2
Run all day
and considering made a good run, laid up all night. Saw Mat Knaebel
Friday May 3
Run all day
rather windy and rather cold for this time of the year.
We are making, rather a bad progress
Saturday May 4
Cleaned out
boilers run all day rather cold. Made
a very poor run. Laid up at wood pile.
Sunday May 5
So windy we
had to lay by for a spell. Have
green wood and that makes very poor steam.
Monday May 6
Run all day.
Arrived at
Tuesday, May 7
Started from
Wednesday May 8
Run all day
started out at 2 a. m. rather windy and blowed us on a bar so we had to spar.
Thursday, May 9
Started at
daylight and run till 2 p.m. and laid up to repair rudder coupling and other
repairs to the rudder.
Friday, May 10
Started out at
4 o’clock, but broke starboard rudder and laid by to put in new one; took most
of forenoon. I stood all day, made
very good time, getting by the wreck of Mariner, sunk right in the channel.
Turned in.
Saturday May 11
Called at 12
in the morning. Boiler burned out,
found at the after end, covered it with mud over the bottom flues, drilled a
hole through, put in a bolt, a piece of sheet copper and lead on the inside, got
all cleaned out and all fixed by 12 o’clock.
Stood watch all day.
Sunday, May 12
Called at 2 a.
m. found it very dark and rainy, wind blowing very hard.
Run very well all day, started out at 5 a. m.
Mud valves leaked very bad, we cleaned out boilers.
Monday, May 13
Started out at
4. cleaned out boiler. Called to
help at 11, pumped up steam, started fire at 1 a. m.
run till breakfast, broke rudder coupling, fixed it and just before night
struck a bar and broke rudder coupling and pintal, and mud valves till leaked,
blown out; calked seat, rinsed out and pumped up and raised steam.
Tuesday, May 14
Called at 3
and started on at 4. Had a bad time
on bar. Got off and went aground
again, reached
11-24-1917
Wednesday May 15
Started out at
daylight, got over the bar all right, Steamer Nymph No. 2 hailed us to give her
a pull off the bar, she was having been blown hard aground the day before; went
along side but our captain then refused to pull the grounded boat so kept on and
got aground 6 miles above and laid there then go afloat just before sundown;
broke cap of nigger bracket, had to make new one and did so.
Worked all right after a hard job of fitting; turned in at 10 o’clock.
Thursday May 16
Called on
watch at one a. m. Trying to warp; did not make much headway; almost out of
wood. Crew gone ashore to chop by
moonlight at 3 a. m. to chop enough to run us to a wood yard.
Brought the wood and started. Parted
the hardware and swung back to shore. After
sparring for two hours we got off and went to warping after cutting more wood;
after dinner we got above the point and run very well for 5 miles till we struck
a bar and swung against the bank. One
fireman jumped ashore, scared very bad. We
landed and took him on again. Pilot
sounded and found channel and started again all right.
Relieved for supper going to turn in for a good sleep as we have been so
pushed that we get but very little. Left
Mike to work on nigger.
Friday May 17
Came on at 1
o’clock and found Mike hard at work on nigger; got ready and started out at
daylight. Made a very good run till
after dinner got on a bad bar and lost two or three hours; after that did very
well.
Saturday May 18
Was called at
10 o’clock; cleaned out boiler and attended to furnace pumped up and raised
steam. Commenced to rain and
blow at 3 a. m. at 6 o’clock got underway but too windy.
Had to lay by and started out at 4 p. m. and run till dark and laid up.
Sunday May 19
Called at 1 o’clock; started out at daylight: run very well all day, caught up with Str. Marcella and run till dark making very good time.
Monday May 20
Run all day
and just before dark stopped and laid up and cleaned out boilers.
Tuesday May 21
Started out at
daylight and doctor gave out. Landed
and cleaned out heaters, laid up at Junction.
Mud valves leaked so bas as to let the water out of the boilers.
Gave a dance aboard till 12 o’clock to the Junction ladies, and turned
in early.
Wednesday May 2
Called at 1
o’clock. Got ready by 6. Made a
very good run; had a big row with captain and was going to quit.
All right now till it breaks out again.
Made a very good run.
Thursday May 23
Called on
watch at 1 a. m. grounded in exhaust valve on starboard engine; got ready at
daylight; made a very good run about as good as we have made on the trip, and
arrived at Fort Randall at 9 p. m.
Friday May 24
Cleaned out
boilers, started out at 7 a. m. Made a run of 25 miles and broke the rudder so
we had to lay up for the night. Over
hauled the doctor, ground in valves
Saturday May 25
Started out at
daylight made a very good run. The
doctor worked very bad. Broke the
after wrist on the crank. Laid up
for the night, cleaned out heaters and turned in at 9 p. m.
Sunday May 26
Started out at
daylight and just after we got underway the exhaust cap on the doctor on the
starboard side broke. We landed to
repair it, and was delayed 2 hours and a half.
Run very well after that, everything but the doctor working well; cleaned
out boilers; tonight remained on watch till 4 a. m.
Monday May 27
Made a good
run started out at five and got aground. Backed
down and made a fresh start and took out old valve seat and put in a new one,
pumped and raised stem and made all together a good run till 4 p. m.
Tuesday May 28
Started out at
day light. Put in new mud valves and washed out the boilers.
A party went out on a hunt, left the boat at 4 a. m. and went across a
bend a head of the boat and met us at 7 o’clock p.m. Made a very good run
today; 60 miles from
Wednesday May 29
Made a very
good run all day till noon; came to a bar and had to jump it, got over by night.
Friday May 31
Raining all
morning. Worked all this morning
getting over the bar; made a good run by night.
The mate Mr. Fisher almost killed one of the crew with a club.
A great fuss about it among the passengers.
Saturday June 1
Cleaned out
boilers. A lot of mud settled around
the afterhead which took a long while to clean off.
Fixed mud valve all right and started out at 8 a. m. run very well
considering. At supper time about a
mile and a half from
Sunday June 2
Back down the
river to the fort landing, laid there all day.
Wrote three letters, one to Mary one to father and one to Ellen. Put off
the mules and cannon and two of the lady passengers went out buggy riding at
dark.
Monday June 3
Left fort
landing at day light. Boat run very
well. Mr. Coonce was so drunk that he was unable to stand his watch.
We run till breakfast and laid by till he got sober.
Cut wood after dinner, started out, made a very good run, everything
working well. All passengers all
well pleased with running.
Tuesday June 4
Called at 1
a.m. All excited abut Indians. All
the passengers were loading their revolvers. By daylight all the scare had
subsided and the crew went ashore where they had to chop wood.
Fired a shot with a cry of Indians, great many scared.
Land of all along the bank for wood till breakfast.(?)
Made a good run till dinner got aground at 4 p. m. and on the bar for an
hour. Did not make much progress
from 4 till supper, then laid to the bank for wood.
Wednesday June 5
Called at 10
p. m. boilers cleaned on: ready to ship up; help Mike with cedar pipe in the
hole; the pipe for the after mud valve being too short we could not put it in;
commenced to pump up; the boat caught fire at 3: 30 p. m.
a great alarm, most of the passengers thought the alarm was from Indians
and rushed out to their rooms armed for the fray.
But the fire was put out in five minutes after the alarm was given by one
of the firemen while pumping up. Got
ready at 5 a. m. started out. Did
not make much progress. Was butting
the bars trying to find the channel and did not succeed till after breakfast at
7 o’clock a. m. Cause of
fire supposed to be from a few coats in ash chute.
A shower and a stiff wind blowing in shore and wood in the wood rack
caught fire from said coals. Cause
on watch at o’clock p. m. One
fireman sick. Made very poor steam
with one man. Run very well, got
around after being relieved at supper, and remained aground for two hours and
then laid up for the night.
Thursday, June 6
Left at 4 a.
m. run for about three miles, up
into a pocket; had to back down and crop the bar and run up the other shore so
by 7 o’clock we had made 3 miles and were in sight of where we laid all night.
Came on watch after dinner; were then aground and had been aground for
one hour and id not get off till a quarter before 4, making 4 hours aground; run
very well after that. Relied after supper.
Friday June 7
Started out at 4 a. m. and run on a bar the first thing but backed off again and reached the other bank all right and laid there wooding till after I was relieved and after breakfast started out again and run into a pocket 4 ˝ miles and had to back out again and lost 4 hours and a half. Made a very good run in the afternoon.
Met the
steamer Marcella on her return trip. Captain
went ashore and chopped wood with the balance of the crew.
Relieved at supper.
Saturday, June 8
Started out at daylight. Run to a wood pile and laid by till after breakfast. Put in new valve seat. Last one did not work so well as we expected.
Run
very well, the tom Stevens passed us at bank while wooding after coming off
watch I heard from one of the passengers that they were very much put out with
the pilot and had waited upon him with regard to grounding the boat so much;
they said it looked as if done on purpose.
Sunday June 9
Started out at
4 am. M. Run very well but got on a bar; delayed one hour. Met steamer G. B.
Allen on her way down, also Miner. Waverly and only chance from the mountains.
Run very well all day; laid up early and cleaned out boilers.
Monday June 10
Pumped up and
raised steam but did not leave till 7 a. m. laid up for the night.
Tuesday, June 11
Started out at
3:20 a. m. and made for rice at 8 a. m. Str. Cornelia was there; saw and had a
talk with Abe Rouel; took on 15 U. S. troops and also some muskets for
our own protection; during the afternoon the passengers saw a drove of antelope
and killed one, the first of this season on this boat; laid up at a wood pile
all night.
Wednesday June 12
Started out at
half past 3 a. m. and run until breakfast, laid up during the morning for wood,
after dinner came on watch, stopped once for wood.
The mate Mr. Fisher put under arrest with a guard over him
by the
Thursday June 13
Made a very
good run all day; nothing of any importance through the day and laid up as usual
at night.
Friday June 14
Started out as
usual at daylight. Run till half past 5, got aground , lying across the stream;
did not get off before 12 o’clock, and had to lay by for wind all the
afternoon. Commenced to overhaul the
doctor and grind in valves; found a sand hole and had to plug it; did so made a
good job of it. Commenced to clean
out boiler and put in pipe for larboard boiler to mud valve; got through, pumped
up, and all at 11 o’clock.
12-1-1917
Saturday, June 15
Called up as
usual and started out at 3:30 a. m. into a pocket and had to back down, made a
very poor run all day, butting bars most of the afternoon.
Laid by wood pile just before supper.
Sunday June 16
Left as usual
at daylight. Mike being sick I stood from one till 7 p. m. run very well.
The following boats we met on their downward trip Carrie, Amelia Poe,
Monday, June 17
Left as usual
at daylight; made a very good run; arrived at
Tuesday June 18
Started out at
day light; made the Mountaineer; the
Wednesday June 19
Cleaned out
boilers and ground in mudvalves. Had
a hard time. Raided steam and
continued to rain till 9 a. m.; caught up with steamer nymph made a very good
run for today. Been very wet day and
cloudy.
Thursday June 20
Left as early
day light, Releved (?) at breakfast. Captain
and Jim had a quarrel over a game of poker. Capt. Called Jim a liar and Jim
threw a pack of cards in his face. Jim
pt under arrest but released by the Major; hints of a duel.
Saw a lot of buffalo. A party
was made up to get one but backed out and the Nymph crew went and got a head of
the hunting party.
Friday June 21
Hard storm all
night. Could not start out on account of wind and laid by all day, cleaned out
boilers, a party went out buffalo hunting but returned without any; Nymph came
along side and laid all night.
Saturday June 22
Started out as
usual; made a very good run. Captain
and pilot have a row on the roof about a pair of boots Henry found in the hold;
a box broken into and Jim is supposed to be the one.
Sunday June 23
Did not run
very long; started out a usual but the wood we had did not make steam enough to
stem the Current and we laid by and wooded nearly all day.
Captain Green and a party crossed the river and shot an elk and a little
later Chips and Mr. Moodie shot a deer.
Monday June 24
Started out as usual and made a very good run; made one of the best, runs that has been made during this trip: Two different parties went hunting for buffalo but without success; run very late.
Tuesday June 25
Laid by all
day on account of wind. One soldier
went out at the wood pile and got lost and was out all night and whistle was
blown at regular intervals all night. The
corporal shot an elk two miles from the boat and Henry got a large pair of
horns; I went out and got a severe wetting.
Wednesday June 26
Started out at
4 a. m. Run very well stopped at a wood pile and the lost soldier came aboard
safe and sound. Made Fort Buford by
7 a. m. News of the second engineer of steamer Nola Belle being shot 5 miles
below (the first we have heard of being shot on our trip by Indians); while
laying at the fort steamer Ben Johnson passed down about dark.
Thursday June 27
Started out at
day light; made the mouth of
Friday June 28
Made a very
poor run and laid up early. A party
went out after a lot of buffalo and got one the first shot and brought aboard.
The hottest day we have had.
Saturday June 29
Left as usual
at daylight and run very well till breakfast and then there came a very strong
wind which kept us back considerable but we made a very good run
notwithstanding.
Sunday June 30
Cleaned out
boilers and a bad time with mud valve and mud in boilers.
Monday July 1
Run very well,
caught up to Viola Belle when we laid up.
Tuesday July 2
Did not start
out till 7 o’clock. Wooded,
knocked off the extra bucket and shifted the others out to the end.
We run a great deal better. All
pleased; we came to a bad place and laid up for the night.
Wednesday July 3
Started out at
daylight, got over the bad places very well considering.
Run very well. At dinner met
steamer Ida Stockdale down with the wreck of J. H. Trover, and our Captain hired
mate of the latter boat and 7 men; started out and run very well.
12-8-1917
Thursday July 4
Run very well.
Did nothing of any note except all the first watch, our firemen got drunk
Friday July 5
Rained just
before daylight, laid y the wreck of A. H. Trover and got a lot of articles off
of her. Run very well, laid up at a
wood pile a little below
Sunday July 7
Started out as
usual, made a very good run. Laid up
early and cleaned out boilers and repaired mudvalves seat.
Monday July 8
Started out at
daylight, met steamers Albeona, Jennie Brown and Antelope on their way homeward.
Run very well. Day very warm.
Hope to make
Tuesday July 9
Started out as usual, Run very well, was halted and took on three deserters from Camp cook, met steamer Agnes. Arrived at Buds rapids just before dinner, got over them and had to lay up for wind. Shot a buffalo and climbed up another mountain, had a very fine view.
Wednesday July 10
Made a very
good run, Started out a usual at daylight. Crossed the rapids and met steamer
Thursday July 11
Left at
daylight, made around the rapids far better than I expected.
Made a very good run all day; met steamer Big Horn, every thing working
all right, just before dark caught fire under pilot house put out before any
damage.
Friday July 12
Started out as
usual at daylight expecting to make
Saturday July 13
Put out
freight during the night and dropped down to the levee and let water out of
boilers and commenced patching flues, did not quite finish but quit after super.
Sunday July 14
Commenced work
after breakfast and finished patching before dinner; ground all doctor valves
after dinner and cleaned pit boilers and after supper pumped up boilers. I
called to see Mr. Pete Cooley laid up with shattered hand by firing gun on our
arrival at
Monday July 15
Got ready and
left
Tuesday July 16
Left at 9; the
patch still leaked; Nymph passed up, also Silver lake; making very good time and
got down as far as Fort Hawley; took on a party of Indians for Fort Union to see
the U. S. commissioners.
Wednesday July 17
Started out as
usual; is cold and rainy; started out at 4 a. m. run to; 6 a. m. and laid by all
the forenoon for wind and rained all the forenoon and we started out at 2:30 p.
m. and run till supper and laid by a little above Milk river to wood.
Saturday July 20
Started
as usual, made a very good run but did not make
Sunday July 21
Got everything
ready and left at 10; met steamers Sunset and Zephyr.
Monday July 22
Quite a scare
among the Indians; they think they are Sioux out in the bushes; make no farther
demonstration. Started out as usual;
made
Tuesday July 23
Started out as
soon as we could see. Much grumbling
about mosquitoes. Run very well;
made
Wednesday July 24
Another very
bad night with the six legged birds. Started
out as usual at daylight. Met
steamer Miner and transferred all the Indians to said steamer; our supply pipe
leaked very bad; patch gave way; made a very poor run; met driftwood and can’t
make any steam. Met steamers
Centrallia and Mountaineer; expected to make Fort Sully before we lay up for the
night so we would get a little rest, but we got aground and did not make it.
Thursday July 25
Started out and made Fort. Sully before breakfast and took Gen. Sully before breakfast and a few other officers passenger. Met only chance on her second trip.
Started out as
usual, had but little wood and run till we came to a wood pile, did not run on
account of wind the steamer
Saturday July 27
Started out as
usual, got off without any trouble, stuck a bar very hard sprung the supply pipe
so as to make it leak so bad had to land and repair it; got aground at two
o’clock and worked hard all the afternoon but did not get off till supper
time.
Sunday July 28
Started out as
usual; did not make as good a run as we expected; met steamer Last Chance; laid
up a little above
Monday July 29
We made
Tuesday July 30
Very windy,
did not make much headway, Run into the bank and broke rudder on the starboard
side.
Wednesday July 31
Started to get
ready but boiler leaked so bad as to have to clean out and patch again.
Clark started in life boat for
Thursday Aug 1
Started out
very early and made a big run. Made
Friday Aug 2
Left
Saturday Aug. 3
Started out
very early having cleaned out boilers but had to lay by for the fog a little
above Belmont; made St. Joe by seven; passed steamer Colorado and Deer Lodge and
Lexington; running very well, hope to make Lexington tonight, laid up for the
night at the coal bank 7 miles above Lexington.
Sunday Aug 4
Left as soon
we could see trying to make
Monday Aug. 5
Did not start
out as soon as usual on account of there being a very bad river below us and we
waited till good daylight; got over the bad place and laid up at Herman for
carpenter to repair wheel and put on a few buckets and we made St. Louis just
before sundown and as we came out of the mouth of Missouri River we met more
boats going up than I have space to tell Thus ends my log of the long trip and
we are very glad of it
Ebin B. Hill
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