BOAT BUILDING

BOAT BUILDING. One of Dubuque's premier industries. 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.

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, was founded in 1851 by Hammond ROUSE and Alfred TREDWAY. This first steamboat was named the "Clyde," for the home in Scotland of William HOPKINS, a builder of ironclads during the CIVIL WAR and master mechanic at Rouse and Dean, another pioneer Dubuque boat builder. 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.

Working on a boat at Eagle Point. Charles Voltz-father and Carl Voltz-son. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

In 1871 Rouse and Dean constructed the Dubuque Marine Ways, the largest of its kind north of St. Louis and considered the best on the Mississippi River, at EAGLE POINT. In 1874 Joseph "Diamond Joe" REYNOLDS established a boatyard at Eagle Point for constructing wooden-hulled steamers. Iron and steel, supplied by the Iowa Iron Works from its foundry on 9th and Washington STREETS, were carried to the river for assembly during the thirty-seven-year life of the business. Of these yards, the Iowa Iron Works developed as the major boat builder in the city.

Beginning in 1882 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers worked at improving the potential of the Dubuque ICE HARBOR. The 1885 completion of the project enhanced the site of Dubuque for the construction of iron and later steel-hulled boats. In 1895 the Iowa Iron Works relocated their shipyard to the Ice Harbor.

In 1901 a contract was signed for the construction of the "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.

B. F. YokumPhoto courtesy: Bob Reding

Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

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. At an average construction cost of $250,000 each, the "L. S. Thorne" (1898), "Pelican" (1902), "Albatross" (1907) and "B. F. Yokum" (1910) and the “Willow” (1924) were important contributors to the Dubuque economy.

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.

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.

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 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.

Check used by the Dubuque Boat and Boiler Works. Photo Courtesy: Bob Reding

The Dubuque Boat and Boiler Works, the second oldest boat manufacturing firm in the United States and the only one of its kind on the Mississippi River, was used during WORLD WAR I for the manufacture of tows, barges, dredges, submarine chasers, and Coast Guard cutters. An estimated twenty boats were built for use during WORLD WAR II. Two new types were mine layers and tenders.

A boat ready for the final touches was slid down greased rails into the water and then held from drifting off by workmen with ropes until it could be secured. Photo Courtesy: Bob Reding

With the end of the war, Dubuque Boat and Boiler Works converted to the production of pleasure craft and was soon rated as one of the major excursion boat manufacturers in the nation. Employment reached two hundred men employed year-round. Business gradually declined. The boatyard had to be closed in May 1972.

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.

Dogwood, a 114-foot river tender, was constructed by the Dubuque Boat & Boiler Works Company. Commissioned in 1941, she served until 1989 and was stationed at Vicksburg, MI and later Pine Bluff, AR. She escorted the NASA rocket barge Palaemon on three occasions and helped in the cleanup operation along the gulf coast after hurricane Betsey.

Boat builders realized that paddle wheels met great resistance as they left the water. To increase boats' propulsion, feathering paddlewheels were designed which enabled the buckets to remain vertical when entering the water and then turn when coming out. While more efficient, the concept proved complicated and difficult to sell. The swivel action could be ruined with just one grounding of the paddlewheel on a snag or the river bottom.

Andrew Carnegie

Blackberry, a 65-foot inland buoy tender, was constructed by the Dubuque Boat & Boiler Company. She entered service in 1946 and has been stationed in Sheffield, AL, Paris, TN, and Southport, NC. She remained unnamed until 1963 when the Coast Guard decided to name all vessels 65-feet in length or more. Prior to this any vessel of less than 100-feet was not named.

Steamer Albatross. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding

Steamer B.F. Yoakum. Photo courtesy: Bob Reding