BEGINNINGS OF THE RAFTING INDUSTRY 39 



there? - small pox, one of my best men, the cook. I stay 

 and work with him all night but 'taint no use. Now, 

 my friend, you look like brave man. I want you to help 

 me take the cook ashore and bury him." But the farmer 

 was gone; nearly fell in the river in his excitement and 

 hurry to get away. 



On reaching a raft's destination - Dubuque, Burling- 

 ton Iowa, Hannibal Missouri, Saint Louis, or else- 

 where - the pilot would ship his kit and provide deck 

 passage on a northbound steamboat back up the river. 

 The pilot, of course, took cabin passage. These return- 

 ing raftmen had no work to do going back up river. 

 There were often several raft crews on each steamer. 

 Having been paid at the down trip, all had money. 

 Every boat had a bar, and "red liquor" was in demand. 

 The fighting was confined to the lower or main deck, 

 where it annoyed only the boat's crew and other deck 

 passengers. On one occasion, though, these orgies de- 

 veloped into a riot, on the steamer "Dubuque," and 

 several negroes were killed or driven overboard and 

 drowned. The rioters then took charge of the boat for 

 a few hours, and the cabin passengers were in terror, 

 until officers intercepted the "Dubuque" at the Clinton, 

 Iowa, bridge, arrested the rioters and took them ashore 

 for trial. 



There has been much noise made about the "riot on 

 the steamer 'Dubuque' " in books and magazines, espe- 

 cially in recent years. 



The trouble started easily through the mistake or 

 oversight of the captain or mate in placing a negro at 

 the head of the main stairway forward to keep Irish 

 raftmen from entering the cabin to get their "Morn- 

 ings Morning" or "Eye-Opener." 



There was a bar on the "Dubuque" in the front end 



