I30 A RAFT PILOT'S LOG 



were thirteen and one-half inches in diameter and had 

 a stroke of four and one-half feet. Her new boilers, 

 built by Grupe and Murray of Davenport, were thirty- 

 eight inches in diameter and twenty-eight feet long. 



We bought the fine, fast, handsome steamer "Silver 

 Crescent" of Captain O. P. McMann of Clinton, Iowa, 

 in 1890 for $7000.00. Sold one-third to Van Sant and 

 Musser Company and one-third to Captain Bob Mit- 

 chell of Clinton, Iowa, who took charge of her as mas- 

 ter and pilot for two years. 



After organizing the LeClaire Navigation Company 

 we closed an arrangement with J. W. Rambo and J. N. 

 Long, both expert rapids pilots, to use the "Last 

 Chance" as their bowboat to help rafts down over the 

 Rock Island rapids during low water. They were to 

 have a percentage of her earnings while on this work. 



Then we made a contract with the Hershey Lumber 

 Company of Muscatine, Iowa, to run ten million feet 

 of logs from Beef Slough to their mill for one dollar 

 and ten cents per thousand feet. This work to begin as 

 soon as Beef Slough began rafting. 



With our boat repaired, painted and fitted up she 

 passed a fine annual United States inspection and on 

 orders from Manager Van Sant I got coal and provi- 

 sions aboard and left LeClaire for Beef Slough on the 

 night of April 17, 1882. I had Vetal Burrow, a French- 

 Canadian, as my pilot; the engineers. Shannon and 

 Lancaster, previously mentioned, James Shannon, mate, 

 with seven good men on deck. Two men to be watch- 

 men and nigger runners and two firemen, composed the 

 operating crew. Then to complete the roster we had 

 Will Long and his helper in charge of the kitchen and 

 our little cabin. I furnished Will Long everything he 

 asked for because I knew he would make good use of it. 



