156 A RAFT PILOT'S LOG 



lar and other lines, Captain Long stabbed Mr. Os- 

 born with the pocket knife he had in his hand, and was 

 arrested. 



This unfortunate affair soon ended the steamboat 

 fight in favor of the "Verne Swain" and "Winona" 

 which took good care of the trade until the railroad and 

 interurban were built. 



The fact that with all the racing up and down every 

 day, running the rapids up and down in all kinds of 

 weather and with the crews and passengers often greatly 

 excited, there was no accident to any of the boats, surely 

 means there was a lot of good steamboating done on 

 both sides. 



And I'd like to hear it tell about the great fight be- 

 tween Commodore Davidson and the old established 

 Northern Line in the Saint Louis and Saint Paul trade 

 when it was cheaper to travel on these fine boats than to 

 stay at home. Five large side-wheel steamers came out 

 new in April, 1870. The "Red Wing" had the year 

 1870 in bright red letters beautifully shaded on the 

 center of her wheel houses above her name. 



She replaced the once famous but old and dismantled 

 "Sucker State," and handsome Captain Wm. P. Hight 

 and his excellent crew which included Charlie Man- 

 ning and Billy Wood, pilots, "Judge" Brady, clerk, and 

 Moses Mullen, mate, that had made the old boat so 

 popular and profitable, came out on the new and larger 

 "Red Wing." 



And the "Lake Superior," successor to the "Key 

 City," was a handsome boat, considerably larger than 

 the old boat but lacking her speed. Every stateroom 

 door in her long cabin had a landscape in oil showing 

 some beauty spot on the Upper river. She was in charge 



