THE LeCLAIRE NAVIGATION COMPANY 129 



and many other parts in completing the new "Volun- 

 teer" built at our yard at LeClaire. 



The next year, 1889, we bought the "Netta Durant" 

 of the Clinton Lumber Company and Captain A. E. 

 Duncan, paying $10,000.00 for her. With her we got a 

 contract for running all the logs cut by the Clinton 

 Lumber Company mill, mostly from Stillwater, but 

 this work did not last long as the mill shut down for 

 good in 1890. 



In February, 1890, we bought the "Iowa" of Gardi- 

 ner, Batchelder and Welles of Lyons, Iowa, who gave 

 us all their work (running logs) that they could not do 

 with their steamer "Gardie Eastman." The "Iowa" 

 was an old boat but had new boilers and very good 

 engines. 



This same year we bought one-third of the big new 

 rapids boat "Irene D.", from the rapids pilot, D. F. 

 Dorrance, who over-reached his means in building her. 

 McDonald Brothers of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, took one- 

 third and Disney and Son and Captain Dana Dorrance 

 of LeClaire the remaining third. I was her manager. I 

 made a contract with D. F. Dorrance to use her in his 

 work on the rapids when low water came and McDon- 

 ald Brothers and our company could throw most of our 

 trips to her and also find some employment for her dur- 

 ing good water stages. 



We built the "Volunteer" at our LeClaire yard of 

 which R. A. Edwards was manager, while Captain Van 

 Sant and I owned one-half the stock. The "Volunteer" 

 came out in 1891 and was a real success. She was light 

 draft, she could follow the logs anywhere and was fast 

 going up river and a fine handler. 



She was one hundred and thirty-five feet long, had a 

 twenty-four-foot beam and four-foot hold. Her engines 



