IAGenWeb - Scott County
MISSISSIPPI RIVER FOLK BACKGROUND
CHARLIE TROMLEY RECALLS MANY OF THE BOATS
One year I was on the Chancy Lamb Capt. John McCaffrey was on the Last Chanch. We over took him at the head of Maquoketa slough and had to slack up until we got to the foot of the slough where there was room to pass. Soon after Capt. John sent Charlie Tromley over to see if I was going to run the span at Dubuque bridge. I told him that was my intention. He then wanted to know if after my raft was entered in the bridge I would not come back and put his raft through, meantime he would cut lose, catch my raft and take care of it until his raft was through. This was rather an unusual request but I told Charlie I would be glad to do so if it would be any accommodation. Well the program was carried out and both rafts were put through without trouble. It developed later that Capt. John, if he split and run in the usual way could not have gotten both pieces through before dark and would thus have lost a night's run. For some reason few pilots cared to tackle this span but it had no terrors for me. Aside from the one break up I had with the Chancy I never had any trouble at this bridge.
Source: Blair, 24 Jan 1969.
"By the way, Charlie told me this one on himself. Before he had become familiar with the river and secured his license he used to spell his father at times and the old gentleman would trust him alone in such sections as he thought best. One evening he was steering up through crooked slough and made the first bend all right but when facing west he followed the left hand shore and got into the slough and she began to labor. The father rushed in and said: "Charles, where yo go wiz dis boat?" "I am right in the channel, father." said Charlie. "But, Charlie, seem to me I never see de pon il' grow in de Chan'l".
Source: Short, Jerome E., When Rafters Ruled, unknown.
* Capt Tromley was Canadian.