THE NOTED RAFT-BOAT "SILVER WA\"E" 105 



and left Davenport about 8 :30 P.M. with a few passen- 

 gers and some freight on a barge. She passed up 

 through the government bridge all right, but when 

 about up to the location of the old railroad bridge she 

 had a breakdown on one engine and before the engi- 

 neer could get her cleared up to work the other engine 

 alone, she drifted down to the government bridge, her 

 upper works caught and she capsized. Some of the peo- 

 ple were saved by getting on the barge and others were 

 rescued by skifTs from shore, but there was some loss of 

 life. 



The "Jennie" was raised, repaired and had a long 

 and useful career after this accident. 



The "J. S. Keator" of Moline, Illinois, broke her 

 shaft late in the season. We had finished our regular 

 work and were ready to lay up for winter when we re- 

 ceived orders to go to Gordon's bay for a raft that the 

 "J. S. Keator" was going for when she broke down. The 

 water was high, the weather nice and the "Silver 

 Wave" made a quick and very profitable trip, the last 

 in 1881. 



The winters of 1881 and 1882 were my last experi- 

 ences in teaching; my fourth in the same school at 

 Browns Corners. I had grown to know and like every- 

 body in the neighborhood. They were very kind to me 

 and I had become so attached to the scholars that I left 

 in the spring with genuine regret. 



In addition to the many boat stores where we pur- 

 chased supplies there was a well conducted wharf-boat 

 at Bellevue, Iowa, that carried a good stock of boat sup- 

 plies. It was in charge of a fine old man named Peter 

 Shiplor who had been a clerk on the packets and knew 

 how to cater to the steamboat trade. 



It was handy to land at going up river as we could 



