A Raft Pilot's Log cont. The First Boat Built to Tow Rafts 195 There has been much discussion on this point also. The 'Union' and several other boats used in the early days in towing rafts had been built for other purposes. The first boat built to tow rafts was the 'LeClaire,' built by Jonathan Zebley at LeClaire,Iowa, for Thomas Doughty in 1866. During the Civil War Mr. Doughty was chief engineer on several of the gunboats of the United States navy that did excellent service on the lower Mississippi and itd tributaries. Chief Doughty had a goiod education, was a fine mechanic and was progressive in his ideas. He saw the advantage of a stern-wheeler for towing and handling rafts; but he did not build her large enough and while the pilot he took in as a partner had been a successful floater, he did not quickly become familiar with the use of the boat and the first trip was so discouraging, that Mr. Doughty sold the 'LeClaire' to contractors who were working a large improvement job on the Rock Island rapids, The "LeClaire' rendered excellent service in this work for many years. The commisioner of navigation, Washington D.C., says, the records show that she was eighty feet four inches long, fifteen feet wide and three and one-tenth feet deep and measured twenty- five and sixty-nine one-hundredth tons, and was first inspected June 16, 1866. She had one horizontal boiler eighteen feet long, forty inches in diameter, with two fourteen-inch fluesand was allowed one hundred and twenty-five pounds steam pressure. 196 The 'LeClaire' like many a large boat, was not completely equipped when she started out. She had a big whistle but no engine bells to signal the engineer. So Mr.Doughty and George Tromley the pilot arranged to use the big whistle which could be heard everywhere. One blast meant'ahead'; Two blasts meant 'back'; and when in reverse or forward motion, One blast meant 'stop.' Mr Tromley said they got along very well on this arrangement for two or three days. The water was high and when he saw a boat coming he would keep clearof her by hugging the other shore without blowing the usual signal. But on the third night out he met a large packet coming down in Coon Slough, a narrow and crooked part of the river; when to avoid a collision, Mr. Tromley blew one whistle, and Mr. Doughty stopped the engines. The pilot on the descending boat prefered the other side and blew two whistles and Pilot Tromley responded. Then Doughty set the 'LeClaire' to backing and Pilot Tromley blew on whistle to stop him. The big boat was close down on the little one then. Her pilot rang to stop her engines, and called out, "What in h--l are you trying to do with that littel boat anyway?" " My friend, I want to get by you and go on up the river if I can." "Well, go ahead, take either side and go on, I thought you were trying to go both sides of us." When they got to LaCrosse, Tromley landed her; went back to Mr. Doughty and in his Canadian manner and voice said to him, "I say my friend, dont you tink we better get some o' dem little bell for dis engine room?" They got them. Two mwn who were in the crew of the 'LeClaire' on this experimental trip away back in 1866 are alive yet to tell the story; Captain J.D. Barnes and David G. Carr, our long time barber in LeClair, now living in Davenport. to be cont. 199