USA > Iowa > Linn County > History of Linn County Iowa : from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume I > Part 62
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The steamer seems to have run until about the middle of November, when she was laid up at St. Louis, and was expected to have gone into winter trade on
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY
the Red river, Dr. S. D. Carpenter and G. W. Hollet having gone to New Or- leans to make the arrangements. The newspaper for December speaks of the parties having returned unable to book the steamer for the winter trade on the Red river. as she was not constructed properly for Sonthern trade.
Early in March of the following year the whistle of the "Cedar Rapids " again greeted the denizens of this city, bringing a large cargo of freight, leaving again on the 14th with 4.300 bushels of grain and sixteen passengers. On this trip was one of our honored townsmen, George Haman, who had come from Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, two years previously, and who now was on his way to St. Louis to buy his first stock of drugs. He returned in about ten days with a well selected stock, and has been in active business in the same location ever since. The off- vers this year were captain. B. Tay ; clerk. G. W. Hollet, mate, T. G. Isherwood. and pilot, Merrit. Mr. Haman speaks in glowing terms of the fine treatment ro- reived while on board. of the luxurious staterooms and of the magnificent table which was fit for a king. On one of these trips certain machinery was broken at Rochester, and it was thought that they had to go afoot to Muscatine to make the repairs before the steamer could proceed further. A village blacksmith by the name of Jim Grant, a consin of the general, after looking over the broken piston rods, said in his laconic way. "I'd rather pound away here all summer, than have a man walk to Muscatine and back," and he was as good as his word, for in the morning he had the damage repaired and received a good day's wages and three cheers from the erew and the passengers.
In the issue of May 5th. the paper mentioned the steamer "Cedar Rapids" as departing from this city for Burlington with 9,000 bushels of grain with A. W. Lamb as captain. This was the last trip the "Cedar Rapids" made ou Cedar river water, as by the issue of May 19th the paper speaks of the "Cedar Rapids" sinking another steamer near Burlington. Mr. Isherwood tells me. that the steamer which was sunk was called the "Canton" and owned by John Roads of Savannah, Ill. The accident was due to a mistake of signals. The injured parties held the "Cedar Rapids" and a long litigation ensued, which was a severe blow to the stockholders, who lost their steamer. The sound of the whistle of the "Cedar Rapids" was never heard again, and it closes the chapter as far as steam boating below the dam is concerned.
The day of steamboating was about over. A new method of transportation was devised, and millions of dollars which had been spent by the state and by the nation was now of but little account, and the grants of land which had been made in order to improve the navigation of our river, was now changed, and given in the extension of railroads. June 15. 1859, is the great gala day of Cedar Rapids. for it is on this day that the last rail was laid which connected us with Chicago, and the l'ar East, and the celebration of this occasion is the most noted that we have ever had up to the present time. There were orators from the East, from the South and from the North, and the news of this celebration was spread broad- east over the land and it seemed to have been of such a flowery kind that it caused the waters of the Cedar to flow backwards, and only Elias Doty has ever since that time succeeded in piloting a steamboat on the murky waters of the Cedar. as far as Rochester.
As I have stated before, the dam across the Cedar was erected in 1842, al- though Mrs. John F. Ely says the dam was never completed, and her husband constantly spent large sums of money to keep it up, and it was not long till quite a traffic was going on above the dam as far as Cedar Falls. Early in 1858. T. G. Isherwood came from Brownsville. Pennsylvania, the son of a boat builder, and he set to work to build the first boat of any size for river traffic. It was built for Freeman Smith & Co .. and nearly all the lumber was sawed by Snontfer & Watrous and came out of Bever Park. It made its trial trip on September 30. 1858. It was a stern wheeler, single deck. 125 feet long. 125 tons burden, called
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EARLY STEAMBOATING ON THE CEDAR
the "Export." From the paper of October 7, I quote the following: "The new steamer 'Export' made her trial trip up the river last Friday, having on board some 70 or 80 of our citizens. She performed well, and all on board were delighted with the trip. We are happy to know that the whole community unite in awarding the owners, Freeman Smith & Co., much praise. The list of officers are as follows: Master, Freeman Smith, Jr. ; clerk, S. D. McCaulley; engineer, Tom Stanley; mate, Tom G. Isherwood." The paper for the next few weeks speaks in glowing terms of the "Export" and what a trade the merchants of this eity have worked up with the towns along the river. That the boat makes the distance by river from Waterloo in fourteen hours and from Vinton, in five hours. The Waverly Republican, then edited by our townsman, J. O. Stewart, asks the people of Waverly and the surrounding country to obtain their goods by way of Cedar Rapids, as the cheapest and quickest method by which to get goods into that region of the country.
Mr. Isherwood speaks of the boat doing a big business, both in freight and passenger traffie, and that on the whole he did a paying business for the short time it was in service. On this first trip, was enrolled as a member of the crew, George Horridge, a young tinner, who had recently come from the east, and who is now well and favorably known as a banker and capitalist at Vinton. Marion Evans, now mayor of said town, tells me of running a mile and a half to the river to see this first steamer, and when he saw the smoke from the smoke-stack he hid behind the hazelbrush thinking of the eruption of Vesuvius. The paper of October 21st speaks of a pienie party having chartered the boat and gone up the river, and among the names of those well and favorably known to most of you, at least by name, I shall mention a few : George Greene, Dr. S. D. Carpenter, Dr. Lyon, J. F. Ely, J. S. Cook, Rev. Durley and ladies. During the winter the "Export" was sold to J. J. Snouffer and W. D. Watrous. It was remodeled, called the "Blackhawk," and on March 16th made its first trip to Waterloo, with .J. J. Snouffer as captain and George A. Ohler as chief carpenter. Arriving at Vinton, they were unable to get under the bridge, and threatened to destroy it. A council of war was held and it was finally decided to elevate one span of the bridge about four feet, and Ohler superintended the work. Mr. Snouffer tells me that the biggest business the steamer did was on June 15th, when he earried 107 passengers at $5.00 a head for round trip for the Cedar Rapids celebration, in- cluding board and lodging. He made in all, twenty-nine trips, and during this season, free of all expenses, netted the owners $2,000. The "Blackhawk" as remodeled, was 110 feet long by 19 feet wide. and had two rows of berths on each side, and accommodated 24 passengers, besides a crew of seven people. It took four cords of wood per trip. The table of distances by river compiled by the pilot on the "Blackhawk" is as follows: Palo, 141% miles; Benton City, 42 miles ; Vinton, 50 miles; La Porte, 82 miles, and Waterloo, 113 miles. It was sold to Burley & Durlin, and the owners accepted one-half of the purchase price in land. The cash was never paid, and attachment was gotten out for labor elaims and the boat was sold for $19.00. It was sold to a preacher, at Western, who threw up the deal, and again the boat was sold to N. B. Brown and John Curliss, the entire purchase price being paid in woolen goods. On account of dry season, the boat was sent south and was sold by the owners to the government for $6,000 during the war, and was used for carrying provisions for the soldiers on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. At one time some of the Linn county soldier boys saw the little steamer make its way up one of the rivers, and a vell went up for the old "Blackhawk." The sight of the steamer brought them nearer home.
On one of the trips Mr. Snouffer made that summer, the wife of the fireman. who was acting as maid, was taken ill and the eaptain sent two doetors who were passengers to examine her. After a hurried examination both came up very much excited, stating that the patient was suffering from spotted fever and for
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY
him to stop the boat that they wanted to get off at all hazards. Mr. Snouffer thought perhaps of damages and financial loss so he was in no hurry to comply, but took the husband and went into the small cabin up next to the smoke-stack to investigate for himself. There was the woman in great stress of mind and much worried. He took hold of her hand and tried to rub the spots out and sure enough it was found that during the night the coloring in the cotton goods had colored her arms and the headache was no doubt due to the stuffy room and extremely warm quarters. It is needless to say that for the rest of the trip the doctors were made the butt of ridieule by the passengers.
The "Surprise" freighted between this city and Vinton in '63 and the next steamer was known as the "Nettie Munn," being a stern wheeler 70 feet long and 12 feet wide, and was brought here from Wisconsin by Mr. Passmore in 1866, and was blown up at Kelsey's landing the following year. Another steamer was built by E. Robins and used as a ferry boat, and in the wool and lime trade, but was never fully equipped, and was sunk many years ago. The "Carrie Wallace" was built by W. G. Brock in about 1870; was 16x40, a stern wheeler withont state rooms, and was used mostly to tow barges. excursion steamers, etc .. and was blown up about 1879-80. The "Kitty Clyde" was run awhile and abandoned. John Kozlovsky built the "Rose" in the early days, and after a steamboat ven- ture on the river, was minns several thousand dollars, but had gained a leap of experience in the meantime. The boiler of the "Rose" was shipped to Solon to be placed in the grist mill, and the engine was sent to Spirit Lake, while Cap. tain Elias Doty bought the hull for a mere song in 1884. In this "Rose" hull. Capt. Doty installed the boilers of an abandoned steamer, the "Carrie Wallace," and into it he also installed the engine of an old freighter, called "General Weav- er." This combination, Doty called the "Climax." A stock company was or- ganized with the amount of $1,000 and is the only stock known on record which never at any time went below par. Doty put in $600, and his Cedar Rapids friends the balance. He says that he was not out any interest as he had the money in the bank when he started. He was out only his time, but he didn't count that mneh, as he had all the time there was, and a whole lot of fun in the bargain. It is true, he lost the principal, but then the captain consoles himself with the fact that he might have lost that anyway. The "Climax" was not the only boat the "Governor" ran, for a number of years he had a side wheeler called the "Khedive" and another boat named after his patron saint of greenback days and called the "General Weaver." After his exploits upon the river the captain. like the snail, carried his house with him, and for a number of years, one of the hulls of one of his stranded boats is said to have served him as a photograph gallery.
There had been more or less trouble growing out of the fact that this river and the Jowa, which seems to have been known as one stream, were navigable, as the people preferred bridges and dams to open river fronts. In an Act of Con- gress passed May 6, 1870, the following appears: "That so much of the same river as lies north of the town of Wapello be and the same is hereby declared not a navigable stream." Another aet was passed on the 18th day of August, 1894, to the effect that "so much of the same river as lies between the town of Tools- borough and Wapello in Louisa county. Iowa, shall not be deemed a navigable stream, but dams and bridges may be constructed across it." Thus it would seem that the Iowa and Red Cedar rivers for nearly the entire distance in Iowa are not navigable so far as Congress has the right and power to enaet such laws, which of course merely refer to whether or not such streams may be used for other pur- poses than navigation.
After all. the story of steamboating is a history of a struggle, which began under auspicious circumstances, and ended in financial failure, but for all that. it made a new Cedar Rapids, and we perhaps today, are profiting by the failures
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EARLY STEAMBOATING ON THE CEDAR
of half a century ago, for it shows what energy and public spirit its first citizens had, which left an impression upon the community and upon the state. We must bear in mind, that Cedar Rapids had only 2,000 people and the county less than 18,000, when these enterprising men of energy, perseverance and thrift put $20,000 into a hazardous undertaking, and even presented passengers and crew with corner lots on arrival.
Well might the first passenger have said, when he stepped off the steamboat landing, at Third avenue, much like Moore said of Washington a hundred years ago,
"An embryo capital where fancy sees, Squares in morasses and obelisks in trees,"
but the observing traveler, amid these ernde surroundings, must have been alive to new impressions, for Cedar Rapids was a thrifty place, even then, where the new man was a pilot on a boat today, and a banker tomorrow, and although the waters of the Cedar henceforth ran quietly by, unhindered by paddle or serew, railroad building claimed the attention of its people, and they became equally at home on land, as they had been on water. Just the other day I asked one of your old settlers why they could keep up several newspapers in that day, really before they had a postoffice. The venerable ex-postmaster replied with fire in his eye, "Why, heavens sakes my man, it took three newspapers to keep up the town."
I have attempted to give you an idea of steamboating on the Red Cedar. I have omitted much, and can only say in the words of the old miller, that he sees not all the water that goes by his mill. Neither have I mentioned all the steam- boat ventures on the beautiful Cedar.
In this connection it is of interest to note a report made by B. L. Wick to Lew W. Anderson, chairman of the River Front Improvement Commission of Cedar Rapids, under date of May 8, 1909, which report was later submitted to the au- thorities at Washington, and an appropriation made for a survey of the Cedar. The survey was made in 1909, and report submitted that it was not feasible without a large expenditure of money to make the river navigable except for a short distance from its mouth.
Dear Sir:
I have been requested to state my views on the practicability and the import- ance of the navigability of the Cedar river, and will say that for the past ten years I have devoted more or less study to this subject from a historie standpoint, and will herewith give you my views. I believe that what you want more than any- thing else is whether or not the Cedar river has been navigated formerly, whether or not the rainfall is the same as it used to be, and whether or not there is at present a demand for the opening of this river as a water way for transportation purposes.
Historieally speaking, traffic on the Cedar river was an epoch making period of this section of the country in the early pioneer days, and the prosperity of Cedar Rapids and other eities was due in a large measure to the river traffic which in those days made, at least, this city what it later became.
The first notice we have of a white man exploring what is known as the "Red Cedar River" was by Col. George Davenport as early as 1831 when he established a trading post at Rock Creek. The first steamboating on the Des Moines river was about in 1837, and from this time on the Des Moines, the Iowa and Red Cedar became the inland water ways by which grain was exported and freight was brought up from the cities on the Mississippi river. As early as 1839 the legis- lature of Iowa territory empowered a company to incorporate in the amount of $200,000.00 to build a slaek water eanal from the Cedar river to the Mississippi river by way of what is known as "Rock Creek," and while this project did not come to anything, it shows that the people of this early day believed in a public water way in order to come in contact with the towns along the river further up.
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY
The Red Cedar river is about 248 miles long and is comparatively Free from any rapids as far as Cedar Rapids, and hence was early looked upon as one of the most favored rivers for steam boat navigation. The Iowa river, into which the Cedar river empties, is about. 240 miles in length and is not so favorable for navigation. One of the early settlers who first saw the use of this inland water way was Robert Ellis, who came to these parts in 1838 and who is still living, and who, as early as 1846, caused three flat boats to be built, each boat being about sixty feet in length, sixteen feet in width and only drew three feet of water when loaded. On these boats he loaded 4,000 bushels of wheat eonsigned to certain millers at Burlington ; at Burlington he unloaded the wheat and loaded the same boats with a cargo of flour which was duly taken to New Orleans. From this time on much wheat, corn, bacon, and other articles were shipped from Cedar Rapids to Burlington, Keokuk, St. Louis, and other places on the Mississippi.
It is also true that Mr. Haman, one of the oldest druggists of this city, went to St. Louis for his first stock of drugs and these were brought back by water.
W. B. Mack, one of the early settlers, and one of the first wholesale grocers. secured a cargo of salt in Ohio, which was duly freighted to Cedar Rapids and eansed a decline in the price of this commodity in the amount of $5.00 a barrel.
It is known that as early as 1839 keel boats had reached Ivanhoe, and quite a trade was carried on at certain seasons of the year. The first Mississippi steamer which came as far as our city limits was in the month of June, 1846, called "The Maid of Iowa," when a number of settlers came this way as land seekers and at a time when each passenger was offered a lot by the enterprising people of this city. During the next ten years many large and many small steamers made the Cedar river towns as far as Cedar Rapids, and quite a trade had been established be- tween St. Louis, Keokuk, Burlington, and other cities. One of the large Mis- sissippi steamers of 200 tons burden was "The Unele Tobey, " which made her way up here among the brush and hanging willows in the spring of 1853. having on board a large cargo of freight.
To show how much importance the river was to the early settlers it might be well to state that in the fifties -in about 1857 - a contract was entered into for the building of a steamer about 155 feet long, single deek, stern wheel, elinker built, to be arranged for freight and passenger traffic and to draw the least pos- sible amount of water. The contraet price of this steamer was $20,000.00, and it was launched in June. 1858, and was put into service, arriving at Cedar Rapids July 22, having arrived from Pittsburg in three weeks, stopping at all the cities along the way ; this boat had on board about three hundred tons of freight, drew only three feet of water. and had on board nearly one hundred passengers. This was, undoubtedly, the best built passenger and freight boat put on lowa rivers at that time; during that season this boat made in all twelve trips. On the first trip down stream on July 29, of that year, the papers show that she was loaded down and had in tow a barge loaded with 1.138 sacks of oats, 736 sacks of wheat, some corn, and nearly 1,000 barrels of Hour. On one of the trips in October up stream this boat had on board 45,000 feet of lumber: in the following summer this boat got into a collision with another steamer on the Mississippi, and on ar- connt of a lawsuit the boat was tied up by litigation.
For a number of years a profitable steamboat business was carried on in the spring of the year above the dam between Cedar Rapids, Vinton. Waterloo and other places. The carly settlers all agree that navigation was possible in those days and profitable as well. It was just at this time when steamboating became certain and settled that the railroad entered Cedar Rapids in June. 1859. and from that time every enterprise which was started was in the line of railway extension as well as transportation.
PARK VIEWS IN CEDAR RAPIDS
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EARLY STEAMBOATING ON THE CEDAR
As to the rain fall. it seems that there has not been much difference between the rains of sixty years ago and now. I collected the following from the Annals of Iowa, Volume 5, page 401, being the rain fall from 1848 to 1855.
In 1848, 26 inches; 1849, 49 inches; 1850, 49 inches; 1851. 71 inches: 1852. 49 inches; 1853, 45 inches ; 1854, 23 inehes; 1855, 28 inches.
From this the average rain fall of lowa, I believe, is estimated at about 33 inches. It would appear from 1858 the rain fall was below the average, while during the years up to 1858 the rain fall was above the average. From the newspapers that I have consulted in regard to the rain fall during these years it seemed that there were a good many floods during the summer months so that the steamboating was good until about November, when the boats were taken down south for winter traffie on the southern rivers. As to the rain fall, I have further investigated among the old settlers, and from reports which were kept. it seems that there is not very much difference in the rain fall now and fifty years ago; however, there is this difference, which all agree on, that the channel of the river was more narrow and that the river was deeper and free from mud and sand, which has now accumulated due to the tilling of the soil. The river banks were lined with trees which protected the water from the rays of the sun, and the sloughs were filled with water all stunmer on account of the high grass, and these grasses and sloughs supplied the river with water more so then than now, as more of it evaporated on account of the tilling of soil and on account of the cutting of the grass than formerly. All the water which fell in those days found its way into the river, which is not true after the ground became cultivated to any extent, aud it may be true that only one-fourth of the water which falls now finds its way into the river.
Another question may arise "is it practical?" This is a question not easily answered. It is certain that it can not be done through private enterprise; if it shall succeed at all it must be through state or government aid in part, at least. There is no question but what it will be useful, but whether or not the expenses would be too great to undertake such an enterprise - that remains a debatable question. There is water enough in the river, especially by putting in a dam at Moscow and by straightening the channel a little, so that there will be enough water for the number of months during the year to haul much of our heavy freight. and. if necessary, these products could be stored further along the river until such a time as it was deemed advisable to sell and dispose of the same. Heavy freight requires slow transit and a cheap rate, and such ean as well go by water as by rail. For this reason it would be possible to ship by water, grain. cereals, as well as cattle, and there would be a great saving to the farmers of this part of Iowa.
A conservative estimate of freight paid in Cedar Rapids during the past year is no less than $2,500,000.00, all of which is paid to five railroads which have connecting lines in this city. It is also estimated, and I have been told on good authority, that during October, 1908. the tonnage receipts in this city were as follows for the Rock Island railroad :
Live stock.
4,638,800 pounds
Coal
14.659.303 pounds
Brick 383,900 pounds
Stone
1,603,200 pounds
These are only a few of the larger items and there are a great many more of nearly equal importance with those cited above. There has also been shipped out in farm and dairy products for the year ending 1908 from
Linn county .
1,980,218 pounds
Cedar county . 733,708 pounds
Benton county 451,297 pounds
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HISTORY OF LINN COUNTY
Black Hawk county
Buchanan county.
1,032.444 pounds 1,980.218 pounds
These are a few of the items from the counties which are tributory to this river. For the year 1907 1 will mention the yield of a few eereals in counties adjoin- ing the Cedar river, to-wit .;
Buchanan county 1.942,750 bushels corn 1,011,000 bushels oats
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