sc_leafHISTORY

A Raft Pilot's Log by Capt. Walter A. Blair
1930-Arthur H. Clark Company


Transcribed by Joan Bard Robinson

COMPLETE LIST OF RAFT PILOTS, 1840-1913

265

    The following facts about raftsmen and rafting and the complete list of all pilots engaged in the work in any part of the period from 1840 to 1913 are taken from an article in the Davenport 'Democrat' and republished in the 'Waterways Journal', December, 1913. {The list was very carefully made up and I had many to help me. If we have missed any one, we have not been reminded of it since. In January, 1928, I only can count thirty of the list above.}

     The towboats are sunken and dismantled and disintegrated hulks, the bones of many being the relics of an almost forgotten industry are strewn along the shores of the river. A few - and what a few they are - are working as sand-boats and towboats and general river craft.

     The great rafting traffic on the big river, in its infancy in 1841, slowly matured year by year, growing larger with each succeeding yearly cycle until in the 1880, the river traffic of rafts was reckoned one of the largest and most profitable industries in the United States.

     Then came the decline. Later in the eighties the rafts coming down the Mississippi began to fall off in numbers, the towboats plying up and down the river to be fewer and fewer and gradually but surely the business dwindled. The falling off of the river traffic has continued until the present year when during the entire season, but three rafts went down.

266

TOWED BY THE ‘OTTTUMWA BELLE’'

    These three reminders of the old days were towed through by the 'Ottumwa Belle,' the only survivor of the great fleet of ninety raft-boats that were in the business on the crest of the wave in 1880. The season of 1914 will see the end of the rafting business, when the 'Ottumwa Belle' will take three rafts through, the last three rafts ever destined to go down the river, and the knell of the once great traffic will be rung. The 'Ottumwa Belle' is owned by S. & J.C., Atlee of Fort Madison. The master of the 'Belle' is Walter Hunter, one of the few remaining raft pilots.

    And the masters, pilots and crews who manned the big fleet. Of the army of pilots, numbering over two hundred and fifty, who were the guardians of the fleet in their trips up and down the river thirty years ago, but seventy-three are known to be living. There may be other survivors, but they are not known to Captain W.A. Blair, who has compiled the complete list of those who were engaged in piloting in the early days.

    Of the seventy-three members of the profession, for it was indeed a profession, several have retained high places politically, others have abandoned the river and taken up a less romantic vocation, and still others have drifted to other navigable rivers to continue their chosen work.

OLD RIVER MEN MEET

    Prominent among the one-time raft-boat pilots is Colonel E.W. Durant, who is perhaps one of the most noted members of the body. Colonel Durant, who was once Lieutenant-governor of Minnesota and twice served his state as state senator, at the age of eighty-four years is, hale, healthy and happy.

267

     He is an ardent follower of Isaac Walton and likes nothing better than sunning himself with a fishline in hand. He is also a great story-teller.

     On a trip of the 'Morning Star' in 1912 from Davenport to Saint Paul, I had Colonel Durant and Captain S.B. Hanks as my guests and I greatly enjoyed their company and their reminiscences and they aided me in completing and checking up the list of raft pilots which I had prepared with the help of Captains Cyprian and Joseph Buisson and John Monroe. Captain hanks piloted his last raft June, 1844. His death occurred in August, 1917, at the age of ninety-four.

THREE IN OLD GUARD

    Three pilots, S.E. Lancaster of LeClaire, Iowa, O.J. Newcomb of Pepin, Wisconsin, and Morrel Looney, of LaCrosse are still following their chosen profession on the Yukon river in Alaska during the summer months. Others well known are Peter Kirns of Saint Louis, who for years was engaged in that business in Saint Louis.

     John McCaffrey, another of the old-time pilots, is a planter in Louisiana. Captain McCaffrey is a teller of wonderfully interesting stories of the old river and raft-running and is not at a loss for listeners.

     Joseph and Cyprian Buisson, two of the pioneers, are still piloting on the Mississippi. Cyprian was master of the steamer 'Helen Blair' last year and Joseph Buisson piloted the 'St. Paul' during the past season.

     Three of the living river pilots are located in Clinton. Joseph Duley is at the present time engaged in the unromantic calling of liveryman, but secretly his thoughts turn to his first love and enters the sand and gravel business "to get the river smell," he says. O.P. McMa- …

269


Picture: Henry Whitmore
Engineer - Fitted out first real rafter

268 through 273

… hon and A.E. Duncan, also of Clinton, have retired from business with a comfortable fortune, The latter two were designers and builders of the steamer 'Silver Crescent.'

    In the following list of old rivermen, who piloted rafts down the river, those marked with a star (*) are known to be living, while the others which are by far the greater, have run their last line:

Adolph Christ       Hanks David       Parker John
Alexander Silas       Hanks S.B.       Parmelee David
Allen Nelson       Hanks Samuel       Payne W.A.
Allen Washington       Hawthorne* Jos.       Pearson* John
Baldwin* Russell       Herold Geo.       Peavey H.L.
Barlow Aug.       Herold Pembroke       Peel Thos.
Barnes Charles       Hill Albert J.       Pell Vincent
Bernard Frank, Sr.       Hire Peter       Penney George
Biglow Vol. A.       Hitchcock Samuel       Penny Wiley
Blair* W.A.       Hollinshead Al       Perro Jos. (Big Jo)
Blair* W.H.       Hollinshead Horace       Philamulee David
Blow Jos.       Hoy John       Philbrook Caleb
Bradley C.G.       Hoy Thos.       Quinlan* John
Bradley John       Hugunin Harry       Register Samuel
Brasser George       Hugunin James       Rellis Jas.
Brazee Hiram       Hugunin John       Ressor Jacob
Brown Sherman       Hunter* Walter       Rhoads Bradley
Bruce Surveyor       Huttenborn* Ed.       Rhoads Charles
Buchanan Wm.       Irwin Robt.       Rice Daniel
Buisson Cyprian       Jenks A.T.       Roman C.B.
Buisson Henry       Jenks* I.B.       Rook* John
Buisson Joseph       Johnson Samuel       Root Ed.
Burrow Vetal       Jonson Hugh       Roque Antoine
Butts James       Kerz Adam       Roundy Robt.
Carlton Peter       Kerz Paul       Rutherford George
Carpenter Alf.       King Cyrus       Ryder H.L.
Carpenter Chris       Kirns Peter       Savage Wm.
Carpenter Geo.       Knapp Cornelius       Schmidt John
Cassidy R.M.       Knippenberg* Al       Schricer C.W.
Chacey E.J.       Kratka Wm.       Seabring John
Chacey I.L.       Lamb David       Seeford Christ
Chapman A.J.       Lambert Andrew       Shaw Albert
Cheshire John       Lancaster John       Shea Daniel
Cobb Hiram       Lancaster S.E.       Short A.M.
Coleman James       Langford John       Short Charles
Corcoran Owen       Langford Perry       Short G.L.
Cormack John       Larivere Peter       Short I.H.
Cratt David       Larkin Andrew       Short* Harry
Darling* Lysander       Law* D.C.       Short* J.E.
Davidson Chas.       Lawrence Phileas O.       Short* Lee
Davis Jack       Laycock* John       Simmons William
Davis* Gordon       Leach John       Sloan Jos.
Davis Wm.       LePoint Frank       Slocumb Chas.
Davison Daniel       Lindley J.T.R.       Slocumb Henry
Day* A.O.       Looney Carl       Slocumb W.R.
Day* L.A.       Looney Frank       Slocumb Wm.
DeCamp Ira       Looney* Morcell       Smith Harvey
Denberg Gary       Lucas N.B.       Smith Peter
Denvier Joe       Macey Samuel       Smith Russell
Desmond Wm.       Martin Al       Smith Wm.
Diamond Frank       Martin French       Stafford Henry
Dixon E.D.       Martin Geo.       Thompson O.J.
Dobler Wm.       McCaffrey Hugh       Trombley Geo.
Dodds Robert       McCaffrey John       Trombley Geo. Jr.
Dolson Thos.       McCaffrey Wm.       Trombley R. H.
Dorr Wm.       McCall R.B.       Turner* Jerry
Duley* Jos.       McCarty John       Walker Henry
Duncan Thos.       McCarty John (Mushrat)       Walker Jack
Duncan* A.E.       McDonald D.A.       Wallace George
Dunham Edward       McDonald John       Wasson Isiah
Durant E.W.       McDonald Toliver       Weir* Wm.
Efnir Edwin       McGinley O.E.       Wetenhall Frank
Egan Lafe       McIntyre Frank       Wheeler Harry
Elliott Wm.       Mcinzie John       Wheeler R. J.
Flynn Daniel       McKane John       Whistler James
Follmer James       McLarney Robt.       Whistler Nelson
Forbush Thos.       McLean Daniel       Whistler Wm. H.
Fox Patrick       McMahon O.P.       White* Charles
Fuller Henry       McPhail Sandy       Whithrow* Alfred
Fuller Ira       Miliron Herbert       Whitney Edward
Fuller John       Miller Edward       Wild Frank
Gabriel John       Mitchel* Abram       Wilson Thos.
Gainor John       Mitchel* Brainerd       Winans Aaron
Gainor Patrick       Mitchel* W. S.       Winans George
Ganley Wm.       Monroe John       Winans Mahan
Gerlach Paul       Moore J.G.       Withrow Steven
Germain St.       Newcomb Boyd       Withrow Thos. C.
Gilbert John       Newcomb W.B.       Wooden Wm.
Gleason James       Newcomb* Frank       Woodward Asa
Goodnow John       Newcomb* Isaac       Wray David
Gordan WW.       Newcomb* James       Wray John
Grant Ed.       Newcomb* Rufus       Yonker Adam
Guardapee Joe H.       Nichols* George S.       York Wm.
Haggerty James       O'Connor John       Young A.R.
Hallam Sherman       O'Rourke Peter       Young Jack
Hampton John       O'Rourke Thos.       Young* Joe H.
Hanford John       Owens Rueben       Young Wm.

    Of the thirty pilots in the foregoing list who were alive January 1, 1928, one nine were still in service on the Mississippi during the season of 1927, viz:

     J.M. Hawthorne on the United States towboat ‘Louise.’

     J.H. Laycock on the United States towboat ‘Minneapolis.’

     Isaac Newcomb and William Weir one trip on the ‘Altair’ of Wabasha.

     W.L. Hunter in Streckfus Line and on United States towboat ‘Genl. Ashburn.’

     Harry Short on the steamer ‘Kalitan.’

     Joe Young on the towboat ‘Lone Deer.’

     Chas. White on the United States towboat ‘Gen. Ashburn.’

     WA. Blair in the Streckfus Line and on the United State towboat ‘C.C. Webber.’

Page updated by Lynn McCleary November 12, 2017

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