A Raft Pi;ot's Log cont. Some of the Men Prominent in the Rafting Industry, 1840-1915 246 CAPTAIN J.M. HAWTHORNE J.M. Hawthorne was born at Erie, Pennsylvania, November 20, 1839.When he was eleven years old the family moved to Illinois and later to LeClaire, Iowa, in 1856. Joseph began working on the river when he was eighteen years old as a cabin boy on the steamer 'War Eagle' of the galena and Minnesota Packet Company. He soon left this job to pull an oar on a floating raft with the noted pilot J.T.R. Lindley, better known as 249 'Kentuck,' and under his direction young Hawthorne soon learned the river from Stillwater and Saint Paul to Saint Louis. In 1860 he followed the Gold Rush to Pikes Peak but failing to strike a pay streak, he came back in 1861 and began piloting rafts himself. He was a keen observer, watching the river closely and learned the drafts of water at different stages and became what was called an 'easy floater.' He was easy on the crew and was a favorite pilot because he gave the men no un- neccessary pulling. Going back up the river with his crew on the regular packets, he rode much of the time in the pilot houses, became well acquainted with the pilots and learned how to steer and handle a steamboat and secured a first class pilots license in 1872. He has had many reissues, the last in May, 1927. He bought the side-wheeler 'Viola' of Durant and Hanford soon after getting his license and he continued running rafts with towboats either for himself or others as long as business lasted. Since rafting days he has had various employment mostly on government boats in improvement work. He has lived in LeClaire since 1856 except the one year in Colorado and he holds a certificate from the Grand Lodge of Iowa given to Masons in good standing who have paid dues for fifty years. Captain Hawthorne has never used glasses to read nor has he ever had a razor on his face. He was eighty-eight last November,but is still active and healthy. His eyes still have the old merry twinkle and he enjoys a joke or a good story as well as if he was sitting on a bunch of shingles on the corner of a float- ing raft.