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Encyclopedia Dubuque

www.encyclopediadubuque.org

"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.




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[[Image:hoover1931.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Launching the Herbert Hoover, 1931. Photo courtesy: National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium]]
[[Image:delcommune37.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Launching the Del Commune, 1937. Photo courtesy: National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium]]
[[Image:tenaruriver.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Launching the Tenaru River, 1943. Photo courtesy: National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium]]
[[Image:moonriverqueen.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Launching the Moon River Queen 1962. Photo courtesy: National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium]]BOAT BUILDING. One of the primary industries to develop in Dubuque, boat building really began after the [[CIVIL WAR]]. Prior to that, boats tended to be small and for local use. Larger boats were constructed along the Ohio River or the lower [[MISSISSIPPI RIVER]]. 


[[Image:imp914.jpg|left|thumb|250px|]]BOAT BUILDING. The geographic location of Dubuque midway between St. Louis and St. Paul and the protected harbor (claimed by river pilots as the Upper Mississippi's best), were important reasons for the development of the ship manufacturing industry.  
Beginning around 1870, boat building in Dubuque became a booming industry. On August 13, 1920 the "Frisco" became the ninety-ninth steamer constructed in the city.  


Dubuque pioneered the evolution of boats from wooden hulls to iron. In 1870 the first keel was laid for an iron vessel in Dubuque. The manufacturer, [[IOWA IRON WORKS]], named this steamboat the "Clyde," for the home in Scotland of [[HOPKINS, William|William HOPKINS]], a builder of ironclads during the [[CIVIL WAR]] and master mechanic. The 96-foot-long Clyde, the first iron-hulled boat built for the Upper [[MISSISSIPPI RIVER]], was the second boat built for the logging trade.
Most were constructed by the following:


During its illustrious life, the boat building industry in Dubuque pioneered many innovations. "Shoal water propellers," designed by John Dowler of the Iowa Iron Works, saved fuel and allowed boats to pass through very shallow water. Pioneering the use of these iron propellers in 1872, the Iowa Iron Works mounted them above the water line on the boat's stem. The first boat fitted with them was the "J. G. Chapman," a steamer built for the lumber trade. Reaction to the device, dubbed "Dowler's Humbug," was generally negative.
See: [[JOHNSON AND KALKE]]


[[Image:imp518.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Working on a boat at Eagle Point. Charles Voltz-father and Carl Voltz-son. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding]]
See: [[DIAMOND JO LINE]]
[[File:DryDock.JPG|300px|thumb|right|The dry dock at Eagle Point. Photo courtesy: Paul Lembke]]
[[File:PaddlewheelCapsized.JPG|300px|thumb|right|Paddle wheeler capsized at the dry dock at Eagle Point. Back of photo: F. H. Wagner  Commercial Photographer  Dubuque, Iowa. Photo courtesy: Paul Lembke]]In 1871 the Iowa Iron Works constructed the Dubuque Marine Ways, the largest boatyard of its kind north of St. Louis and considered the best on the Mississippi River, at [[EAGLE POINT]]. Iron and steel, supplied by its foundry on 9th and Washington [[STREETS]], were carried to the river for assembly during the thirty-seven-year life of the business.


In 1874 [[REYNOLDS, Joseph "Diamond Jo"|Joseph "Diamond Joe" REYNOLDS]] established a boatyard at Eagle Point for constructing wooden-hulled steamers. Employing as many as one hundred workers, the company created an increased demand for lumber, timber, hardware, iron work and castings. (1)
See: [[IOWA IRON WORKS]]


Of these yards, the Iowa Iron Works developed as the major boat builder in the city.
See: [[DUBUQUE BOAT AND BOILER WORKS]]
Over many years, improvements were made to increase the potential value of the Dubuque [[ICE HARBOR]]. The enhanced site led in 1895 to the Iowa Iron Works relocating their shipyard there.


In 1901 a contract was signed for the construction of the [[SPRAGUE|"SPRAGUE,"]] the largest steam stern wheel towboat in the history of the Mississippi. Despite the death in 1902 of William Hopkins, the year proved the company's best with the Sprague nearly completed and the keel laid for the "Pelican," an enormous transfer steamboat.


Iowa Iron Works of Dubuque constructed craft for every use. The King of Siam ordered an iron yacht that was delivered to him in 1876. The "Queen" was launched in 1884 for excursions on northwest Iowa's Lake Okoboji and was still in use through the 1960s.
'''Some of the boats were constructed by unknown builders. These include the:'''  


The "J. K. Graves," launched in 1885 by the Iowa Iron Works, was a giant raft-boat used to push rafts of logs to the mills. Steel-hulled packets for carrying freight and passengers included the "Cherokee," the company's first boat of this type. The "Cherokee" boasted electric lights and the capability of carrying up to one thousand passengers. Constructing the "Ferdinand Herold" required 125 workers and cost $80,000. Railroad ferries with track laid on the deck were constructed to transport trains across the Mississippi where bridges were temporarily out of service.  
Jo Gales--a ferry boat between Dubuque and Dunleith owned and operated by Charles H. Merry.


[[Image:boats-1.gif|left|thumb|150px|"Willow"]]Willow, a 200-foot, 1,070 ton, side paddlewheel river tender, was built by the Dubuque Boat & Boiler Works for the US Lighthouse Service for service on the Mississippi River.  Commissioned in 1924, she was decommissioned and transferred to the Army Corps  of Engineers in 1945. Her maximum speed was 7.5 knots and her economic cruising speed was a 4.0 knots.  She was stationed at Memphis. At an average construction cost of $250,000 each, the "L. S. Thorne" (1898), "Pelican" (1902), "Albatross" (1907) and "B. F. Yoakum" (1910) and the “Willow” (1924) were important contributors to the Dubuque economy.  
The Douglas Boardman--a passenger steamer with wooden hull built by W. J. Young


Concern about the condition of the U.S. Navy led to Congressional calls for modernization at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1891 the Iowa Iron Works received the contract to build Torpedo Boat No.2. Named the "Ericsson," the boat was outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and saw service during the Spanish-American War.
The D. W. Hewitt--freight boat constructed in 1865


During the trial runs of the "Ericsson," the pistons broke because they had been built too light. The Navy penalty of $17,000 forced the company out of business. Senator [[ALLISON, William Boyd|William ALLISON]] rescued the firm by attaching an amendment to an appropriations bill stating that the Navy would repay the money to the bankrupt Dubuque company. The repayment was used in 1904 to reorganize the company as the [[DUBUQUE BOAT AND BOILER WORKS]].
The Lansing--ferry from Dubuque to East Dubuque built by J. R. Graves, A. F. Jaeger, and J. Rhomberg
 
The A. J. Dorchester--a freight boat constructed in 1869 by H. J. Reed
 
The General Hyde Clark--a tow boat built in 1870
 
J. A. Rhomberg--Eagle Point ferry built by Fred Schreiner in 1870
 
Julia--built in 1871 as a passenger steamer with a wooden hull.
 
The Fire Fly--built in 1875 as a tow boat by Laura E. Smith
 
The Wineconne--a U. S. boat built in 1875
 
The James McMurchy--a ferry at Specht's Ferry built by Mrs. Specht in 1876
 
The Julia--built in 1876 as a tow boat
 
The Key City--ferry to Dunleith built in 1876
 
The Delos--a U. S. boat built in 1881
 
The Fury--a U. S. boat built in 1881
 
The Wabash--built in 1881 as a passenger steamer
 
The City of Winona--built in 1882 as a passenger steamer
 
W. J. Young, Jr.--built in 1882 as a passenger steamer
 
The George L. Bass--built in 1885 as a passenger steamer for P. Gilmartin and Henry Schroeder
 
The Glenmont--built in 1885 by J. W. Van Sant
 
The May Stewart--built in 1885 as a tow boat
 
The Rose--built in 1886 as a passenger steamer
 
The Lotus--built in 1886 as a tow boat
 
The Jeanne Hopkins--built in 1887 by M. H. Moore
 
The Reindeer---built in 1888 by the Mississippi Towing Company
 
The Chester--built in 1888
 
The Jessie B.--built in 1891 by V. A. Bigelow as a passenger steamsr
 
The Germania--built in 1892 as a passenger steamer
 
The Lalla--built in 1893 as a passenger steamer
 
The Quick Step--built by V. A. Bigelow in 1893 as a passenger steamer
 
The Betsy Ann--built in 1899 as a passenger steamer
 
The Lillian--built in 1891 as a passenger steamer
 
The Zalus Davis--built in 1894 as a passenger steamer
 
The Orian--built in 1894 by the Dillon Bros. as a passenger steamer
 
The Quincy--built by L. G. Dolson in 1896 as a passenger steamer
 
The Vulcan--a U. S. boat built in 1897
 
The Bob--built in 1905 as a tow boat
 
The Ghost--built in 1903 as a pleasure boat
 
The Frentress--built in 1903 as a passenger boat
 
The J. R.--built in 1905 as a passenger boat
 
The Eclipse--built in 1905
 
The Potosi--built in 1905 as a passenger steamer
 
The Twilight--built in 1908 as a passenger boat
 
 
See: [[DIAMOND JO BOATYARD]]


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Source:
Source:


1. River News, Dubuque Herald, Mar. 22, 1882, p. 4. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FpRCAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LqsMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3146,6260675&dq=dubuque+marine+ways&hl=en
1. "Dubuque, A Boat Building Centre," ''Telegraph Herald,'' August 21, 1910, p. 10
 




[[Category: Industry]]
[[Category: Industry]]
[[Category: Postcards]]
[[Category: Boat Builders]]

Latest revision as of 01:44, 24 September 2019

Launching the Herbert Hoover, 1931. Photo courtesy: National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium
Launching the Del Commune, 1937. Photo courtesy: National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium
Launching the Tenaru River, 1943. Photo courtesy: National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium
Launching the Moon River Queen 1962. Photo courtesy: National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium

BOAT BUILDING. One of the primary industries to develop in Dubuque, boat building really began after the CIVIL WAR. Prior to that, boats tended to be small and for local use. Larger boats were constructed along the Ohio River or the lower MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

Beginning around 1870, boat building in Dubuque became a booming industry. On August 13, 1920 the "Frisco" became the ninety-ninth steamer constructed in the city.

Most were constructed by the following:

See: JOHNSON AND KALKE

See: DIAMOND JO LINE

See: IOWA IRON WORKS

See: DUBUQUE BOAT AND BOILER WORKS


Some of the boats were constructed by unknown builders. These include the:

Jo Gales--a ferry boat between Dubuque and Dunleith owned and operated by Charles H. Merry.

The Douglas Boardman--a passenger steamer with wooden hull built by W. J. Young

The D. W. Hewitt--freight boat constructed in 1865

The Lansing--ferry from Dubuque to East Dubuque built by J. R. Graves, A. F. Jaeger, and J. Rhomberg

The A. J. Dorchester--a freight boat constructed in 1869 by H. J. Reed

The General Hyde Clark--a tow boat built in 1870

J. A. Rhomberg--Eagle Point ferry built by Fred Schreiner in 1870

Julia--built in 1871 as a passenger steamer with a wooden hull.

The Fire Fly--built in 1875 as a tow boat by Laura E. Smith

The Wineconne--a U. S. boat built in 1875

The James McMurchy--a ferry at Specht's Ferry built by Mrs. Specht in 1876

The Julia--built in 1876 as a tow boat

The Key City--ferry to Dunleith built in 1876

The Delos--a U. S. boat built in 1881

The Fury--a U. S. boat built in 1881

The Wabash--built in 1881 as a passenger steamer

The City of Winona--built in 1882 as a passenger steamer

W. J. Young, Jr.--built in 1882 as a passenger steamer

The George L. Bass--built in 1885 as a passenger steamer for P. Gilmartin and Henry Schroeder

The Glenmont--built in 1885 by J. W. Van Sant

The May Stewart--built in 1885 as a tow boat

The Rose--built in 1886 as a passenger steamer

The Lotus--built in 1886 as a tow boat

The Jeanne Hopkins--built in 1887 by M. H. Moore

The Reindeer---built in 1888 by the Mississippi Towing Company

The Chester--built in 1888

The Jessie B.--built in 1891 by V. A. Bigelow as a passenger steamsr

The Germania--built in 1892 as a passenger steamer

The Lalla--built in 1893 as a passenger steamer

The Quick Step--built by V. A. Bigelow in 1893 as a passenger steamer

The Betsy Ann--built in 1899 as a passenger steamer

The Lillian--built in 1891 as a passenger steamer

The Zalus Davis--built in 1894 as a passenger steamer

The Orian--built in 1894 by the Dillon Bros. as a passenger steamer

The Quincy--built by L. G. Dolson in 1896 as a passenger steamer

The Vulcan--a U. S. boat built in 1897

The Bob--built in 1905 as a tow boat

The Ghost--built in 1903 as a pleasure boat

The Frentress--built in 1903 as a passenger boat

The J. R.--built in 1905 as a passenger boat

The Eclipse--built in 1905

The Potosi--built in 1905 as a passenger steamer

The Twilight--built in 1908 as a passenger boat


See: DIAMOND JO BOATYARD

---

Source:

1. "Dubuque, A Boat Building Centre," Telegraph Herald, August 21, 1910, p. 10

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