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CAPTAIN DANIEL C. LAW,
CAPTAIN ALBERT F. HOLLINSWORTH
AND THE PAULINE
Research and Transcribed by
Sue Rekkas
The Saturday Evening Post of Burlington,
Iowa, March 2, 1918, page 8.
Steamboats and Steamboatmen of the Upper
Mississippi by George B. Merrick
CHAPTER CCIV
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PAULINE
Stern wheel rafter built at South Stillwater, Minn., 1878, by that
eminent boat builder, Josiah Batchelder, for Durant, Wheeler & Co.,
of Stillwater; 112.9 feet long, 21.0 feet beam 3.5 feet hold 101.38
tons. She had two
boilers, each 21 inches long by 20 ft. with twenty inch 20 inch
flues; cylinders 11 inches by 6 ft. stroke.
She was named for the daughter of one of firm.
Pauline Durant, I think, but some say Pauline Wheeler.
I called at Captain Ed. Durant’s residence at Stillwater last
September, but he had already started for his winter home in
Florida, so I missed getting some data relating to the Pauline that
I hoped for.
Durant, Wheeler & Co. used the Pauline in connection with their
mills in Stillwater until the fall of 1880, when they sold her to
Captains Al Hollingshead and D. C. Law, of Lyons, Iowa, who ran her,
with some changes in the makeup of the firm, which will appear in
the narrative of Captain Law given below.
In 1888 she was sold to Tracy & Peel (S. K. Tracy, now a
leading lawyer of Burlington and the late Thos. Peel of Burlington
(comprising the Laclede Packet Company, who put her into the packet
trade between Burlington and Keithsburg, where she continued two
seasons. Captain Frank
A. Whitney, of Centerville Iowa, writes of this period:
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“The Pauline was running the packet trade between Burlington and
Keithsburg, Ill during the seasons of 1888 and 1889.
Captain Tom Peel was master, Gabe Newby clerk, and F. A.
Whitney chief engineer. She was a dandy boat for the trade, which
soon built up so large that a bigger boat had to take her place and
this was filled by the steamer Matt. F. Allen.”
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In the spring of 1890 Tracy & Peel sold her to William Kratke, of
Lansing, Iowa, who ran her in the rafting trade.
Captain Walter L. Hunter, of Pepin, was mate and second pilot
on her in 1890, and I think later Captain I. H. Short was master and
Ira Fuller chief engineer.
In 1891 and 1892 Joseph Fuller was chief engineer and Charles
Fess assistant. In 1894
she ran as a low water boat in the Gateway City Packet Lane between
La Crosse and St. Paul in place of the regular boat, the Thistle,
which drew too much water.
This line was a venture made by Captain A. H. Looney and
others of La Crosse.
Mr. Orrin F. Smith, now of Winona, Minn., who represented the line
as agent at St. Paul writes that the venture was started in April
1894 and was drawn in July of that year.
In 1898 Captain Krathe sold the Pauline to William Sauntry & Co., of
Stillwater, who rebuilt her and changed her name to Columbia.
They sold the Columbia to Van Sant and Blair, of Davenport,
who in turn sold her in 1901 to Mr. Flagler, president of the
Florida East Coast Railroad, who used her, with the steamer Phil
Scheckel, in building the Overseas division of the East Coast
Railroad to Key West, and the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the
Gulf of Mexico.—a daring piece of engineering, but entirely
successful. Mr. Henry
E. Knapp saw the two boats laid up at Key West in 1915, full of
years and of honor.
Captain J. M. Turner of Lansing, Iowa furnishes the following
details of the ownership of the Pauline, compiled from memory.
His letter follows:
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LANSING, Iowa, Jan.9.—Captain Geo. B. Merrick, Madison, Wis.
Dear Sir:--Received your letter a few days before I had a
face on me that put life in bed for several days.
Am now up again, and am glad to answer your letter.
The steamer Pauline was built at South Stillwater I cannot give you
the year. The boat was
merged into the firm of Durant, Wheeler & Co., who sold her to Capt.
A. F. Hollingshead, and then was merged into the firm of Turner,
Hollingshead & Co.
Afterwards sold to J. M. Turner, then sold by J. M. Turner to Tracy
& Peel, of Burlington, Iowa, then sold by them to Captain Wm. Kratke,
and then sold by him to parties in Stillwater, Minn. (can’t give the
name of parties). Who rebuilt her into the steamer Columbia.
I am sorry that I cannot give you dates of the above transactions.
We must certainly give you credit for your zeal in relation to
steamboat operations on the upper Mississippi River.
Future generations may be interested to know that steamboats,
before the days of the railroads, settled up states bordering on the
Mississippi and its navigable tributaries.
But will they be interested in its details?
Respectfully Yours,
J. M. TURNER.
In response to my request Capt. D. C. Law, of
Lyons, Iowa has kindly furnished the following sketch of the Pauline
as he knew her, with incidental references to other boats owned by
himself and partners, Captain. Al Hollingshead and Captain Jerry
Turner.
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There were many river men in the military service of their country
during the Civil War and Captain Law was one of them:
I extracted the story of his participation, which is appended
to this sketch of the Pauline:
The captain is represented in this holy war against the Hun
eleven nephews or grand nephews and would go himself if the
authorities would accept him.
Following is his story:
CAPTAIN D. C. LAW, OF LYONS, IOWA.
Tells
of the Pauline and some other boats owned by Captain Al
Hollingshead, Captain Jerry Turner, and himself.
An interesting Review.
LYONS,
Iowa, December 15.—Mr. Geo. B. Merrick, Dear Sir, Yours of 11th
inst. In regard to steamer Pauline received, I will tell you all I
can remember about her, and some other boats that we have owned.
A. F. Hollingshead and myself bought the Pauline in the fall of 1880
from Durant & Wheeler, of Stillwater, R. J. Wheeler built her in the
spring of 1878. In the
spring of 1881 we got a contract for running the Chippewa Lumber and
Boom Company’s lumber from Reads Landing.
We also had a contract with the Daniel Shaw Lumber Company
and the Badger State Lumber Company.
Hollingshead and myself went into partnership with J. M.
Turner. He owned the
steamer Nellie and we owned the Pauline.
We pooled the boats—Turner did the work on the upper end and
we did it below. Most
of the lumber went to Hannibal, Mo.
We ran that way for a couple of seasons.
Then we got the contract of the Empire Lumber Company, of Eau
Claire. They owned the
side wheel Clyde, with iron hull.
We took her with the contract, took her to Dubuque and made a
stern wheeler out of her.
I think that was in the fall of 1883.
Then Turner sold the Nellie and we built the Lily Turner, at
Dubuque, about the same time, ran her in the rafting trade one
season and then put her in the packet trade between Lansing and
Lacrosse one season. I
think that was in 1885.
While so engaged she was run into by the C. W. Cowles, of McGregor,
just below Johnsonport, above McGregor on the 4th of July
evening and sunk. One
man was scalded to death by the bursting of a steam pipe.
The next winter Hollingshead drew out of the company, taking the
Lily Turner, Captain Turner and myself keeping the Clyde and
Pauline. The next fall
I sold out to Turner and he sold the Clyde to the Standard Lumber
Company, of Dubuque retaining the Pauline with the Empire contract
and ran that one or two years and then sold the Pauline to William
Kratke, who later sold her to Stillwater parties, and she was made
over into an excursion ( unknown)
Daniel Shaw Lumber for one or two seasons, and then sold her
to the Illinois State Fish Commission, who rebuilt her and changed
her name and she is in that business yet.
I started steamboating as a roustabout in 1863 on the little old
side wheeler Viola. She
belonged to Durant & Hanford of Stillwater.
Capt. James Hugunin, of Albany, was captain and pilot.
I was a while on the Julia Hadley, of the same company, until
the spring of 1872. C. Lamb & Sons, of Clinton Iowa, built the
Chancy Lamb, and I went on her as a deck hand that year, with
Captain Lyme Short, his brother Lome second pilot.
In the winter of 1872 C. Lamb & Sons built the Artetnus Lamb
and started her in the spring of 1873 with Yyme Short as captain, A.
F. Hollingshead second pilot.
On the Chancy Lamb was Lome Short, captain and I went as
watchman with him. In
the fall of 1875 the Chancy laid up early.
Hollingshead had meanwhile bought an half interest in the
steamer Abner Gile, of Lacrosse.
She ran logs to Louisiana Mo., for Abner Gile, who owned the
mill at that place.
Captain Hollingshead had a late trip.
He wired me that he wanted me to go with him.
I had received my pilot’s license to Clinton.
Old Uncle Stephen Hanks, who died this fall at the age of 96
or 97, signed my application.
He was piloting on the river four years before I was born—in
1842. I stayed with
Hollingshead, and the next spring went with him as second pilot and
clerk. We had a few
trips of Wisconsin River lumber to St. Louis.
I stayed with him on the Abner Gile until we bought the
Pauline.
The first boat I ever saw with a raft was the little Minnie Will,
Captain Cy. Bradley—a little side wheeler.
It was some time between 1865, 1868, as I came to Clinton in
August 1865 when I got out of the army, and it was between that and
1868. She brought logs
from Stillwater to W. J. Young & Company of Clinton.
I have a picture of all the raft pilots.
It was taken at Clinton at one of our conventions.
They were all there but two or three.
There must have been a hundred of them.
I was Secretary and Treasurer of the Upper Mississippi River
Pilots’ Association while it lasted.
I was one season on the Robert Dodds, one season on the Musser,
owned by Sam Van Sant.
I never changed boats often.
I have pictures of Pauline in the lower dock at Keokuk, taken while
we were locking lumber through.
If I can find one of them I will send it to the Custodian of
the Wisconsin Museum.
I steamboated thirty-four years.
This will do for this time.
If there is any information on this that will be of interest
to you I am glad to have given it.
I may add that there are no old river men living at Lyons
except myself and Captain Albert H. Duncan.
Yours Truly,
D. C. Law
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Captain Albert Hollingshead lived at Lyons, Iowa.
With his brother, H. H. Hollingshead and D. C. Law owned the
steamer Abner Gile in the early ‘70’s, and made a good deal of money
with her and later with the Pauline and Gardie Eastman.
In 1888 he built the Reindeer and ran her in the rafting
trade for ten years.
When the saw mills at Lyons and Fulton shut down for good he sold
out his interests in the boats and continued piloting up to the
close of 1910. He died
at his home in Clinton some years ago. (1911)
Captain John W. Darrah has the following list of captains of the
Pauline. I have changed
several of his dates which my records clearly indicate are in error:
the others, both dates and names, I leave as he submits them.
They are Ira A. Fuller, 1879:
Albert F. Hollingshead, 1887:
Thomas Peel, 1888, 1889:
John M. Gilliam, 1892:
William Lingo, 1892:
I Henry Short, 1897:
William A. Kracke 1897:
John Monroe, 1899.
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A
MILITARY RECORD TO BE PROUD OF.
In compliance with your request I add the following regarding my own
military service and that of my family:
I enlisted in the Civil War on August 12, 1862, with two brothers.
I was fifteen years of age; the others were 17 and 19
respectively. We were
in Company E, 148th Pennsylvania, Vols.
We went through to Appomattox.
I was sixteen years old at the battle of Gettysburg.
Went through it all without a scratch.
My next brother was hit four times, was gun struck once, and
is living yet. The
oldest brother had been detailed as Brigade Bugler, and never missed
a meal, a roll call or a skirmish until the 7th of April,
1865, two days before the surrender of Lee.
He sat on his horse and blew the call for the Brigade to
charge, and the battery we were charging whirled one of their guns
and fired the last shot at the Brigade staff who were sitting on
their horses, and my brother was the only one hit.
It took his whole head off.
One of my company sat alongside of him with the Brigade Flag.
He told me that my brother sat on his horse dead, until he
got off and took his body down.
He would have fallen off, of course, as soon as the nerves
relaxed. He blew the
last call for the last charge we ever made.
We were discharged near Alexandria, Va., June 1st, 1865
at Camp Curtain, Harrisburg, Pa.
I went home, helped my father do the harvesting, came to Iowa
in August 1865, and have steamboated and been in the mountains ever
since.
My brother who was killed had an boy, and he has boy that is
Lieutenant in the 126th Pennsylvania Field Artillery, in
the Rainbow Division “somewhere in France.”
My other brother has one son in service, and another of his
sons has three boys in service.
One is Paymaster in the Navy.
Another nephew, has a son in the 123rd United
States. He was at Long
Island, N.Y. Another
nephew has one son in the Engineer (unknown) every one of them stood
a good examination.
They came from a hardy stock---Dutch, Scotch and Irish.
I was raised in the woods, and never saw a railroad until I
went into the army in 1862.
Yours Truly,
D. C. Law
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The Davenport Democrat and Leader, Friday,
May 26, 1911, page 16.
OLD RIVER MAN DIES SUDDENLY
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Captain Albert Franklin Hollingshead
Is Found Dead by Wife.
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Captain Albert Franklin Hollingshead, well known Mississippi River
steamboat captain and pilot, aged 64 years, dropped dead in the rear
of his home, 546 Eleventh Avenue, Clinton, shortly after 4:30
o’clock Thursday morning, death being due to heart trouble, and was
found at 5 o’clock by his wife who had missed him and had started
out to find him.
Mr. Hollingshead had been suffering from heart trouble for the past
several years, and had often been told by medical advisors of his
critical condition, his heart being in such condition that it was
often necessary for him to get up in the night and go out for fresh
air because of hard breathing spells.
Some time after 4:30 o’clock Thursday morning Mr. Hollingshead got
up and went out of doors.
Mrs. Hollingshead missed him a few minutes before 5 o’clock
and wondering where he had gone, got up and started a search for
him, finding him in the back yard, lying face downward, with a large
gash in his left cheek where his head had struck a small fence when
he fell, the fence surrounding a garden in the rear of the house.
His body was still warm and thinking that he had only fainted
every effort was made to revive him.
Dr. H. A. White was called, but life had left the body, and
recovery was impossible.
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Pilot on W. W.
Mr. Hollingshead was born near Toronto, Canada, January 30, 1847,
and when a young man of about 17 years he came to Illinois and
settled near Thomson, shortly after arriving here, taking up work on
the Mississippi River.
When 23 years of age he came to Lyons, where he received his first
position as captain. He
has since that time been employed as captain or pilot of many river
boats, the Columbia and the W. W. being the largest boats that he
has had charge of late.
Mr. Hollingshead, because of his poor health, had been able to work
but little within the past two years.
He was married in Clinton, where he moved shortly after coming to
Lyons, to Miss Mary Wright, the marriage taking place at the home of
the bride, June 23, 1880.
Since that time he has always been a resident of Clinton, and
had many friends who will greatly mourn his demise.
The deceased man leaves to mourn his death, his widow and four
children, one son, Albert, three daughters, Florence and Beulah of
Clinton, and Mrs. John Titz of Chicago.
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Davenport Democrat and Leader, Thursday
Evening, June 5, 1930, page 4.
D. C. LAW, CIVIL WAR VET, DEAD
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G. A. R. Leader Succumbs;
Pennsylvania Native
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Special to the Democrat
Clinton, Ia., June 5.—Daniel C. Law, aged veteran of the Civil War,
died at midnight last night after a long illness.
Mr. Law was active in G. A. R. circles until a year or two ago.
He served the county many years as poor master, and previous
to that time was captain on a steamboat on the Mississippi River.
He was born in Pennsylvania, January 6, 1846, and came to Iowa when
he was discharged from the war in August, 1864.
He served with the 148th Pennsylvania infantry.
Mr. Law is survived by his widow and two sons, Charles of this city,
and William, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
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