My First Year Rafting, 1878 



My service on the Mississippi river began late in 

 March, 1878. I had finished the winter term as teacher 

 of the intermediate room in the public school at Prince- 

 ton, Iowa. About 1 1 P.M., I boarded the nice steam 

 raft-boat "LeClaire Belle," bound for Savanna Bay, 

 for a raft of logs for Carson and Rand, of Burlington, 

 Iowa. 



The "LeClaire Belle" was owned by Captain Sam 

 Van Sant of LeClaire, Iowa, and S. & J. C. Atlee of 

 Fort Madison, Iowa. 



Captain Van Sant was her manager, and he put me 

 on her to do what clerking there was, and with Will 

 Davenport, who became my partner, I stood regular 

 six-hour watches running the nigger-engine while tow- 

 ing rafts down stream, and as watchman going up river. 



As clerk, I had to keep the log book, the time and 

 expense books, buy all supplies, fuel and sundries, and 

 pay for them. On the delivery of each raft, I had to get 

 a receipt for it, showing the number of strings, or brails, 

 and the scale in feet, and draw enough money from the 

 mill company, to whom we delivered the raft, to pay 

 the trip's expenses. The crew were all paid up at the 

 end of each trip, and also all bills for supplies. 



Captain Van Sant impressed upon me the importance 

 of keeping close watch of my cash book and the neces- 

 sity for balancing my cash at least once a day, as the 

 work in the office was often done in a hurry amid more 

 or less noise and confusion. I am still grateful to him 



