Two Stalwart Steamboat Survivors

Erastus wells

And here is what the ERASTUS WELLS looked like with superstructure. From Way's: sw harborboat steel hull built at Grafton Ill. 1907 188.5 x 32.2 x 7
engines 20s 6ft. 4 boilers Sold at public sale in St. Louis August 1932 for $6100 to Commodore edwin C. Koening who rebuilt it into the CITY OF ST. LOUIS
Anyone who has been to the Middle Upper Mississippi River Museum or the Middle Ohio River Falls Museum has seen cabin arches from the ERASTUS on display therein...

Cute little beached steam launch there!

The ERASTUS WELLS (1907-1932) was named for a politician and businessman who was the father of St. Louis mayor Rolla Wells. Erastus Wells had been a leader in municipal mass transportation in Missouri. The boat was built at Grafton, Illinois, utilizing the engines and other parts from the sidewheel St. Louis harbor boat MARK TWAIN. The WELLS purpose was to do river police duty. She also assisted in fighting fires and keeping the levee clean with the power of hoses that were capable of pumping 6,000 gallons of water per minute and throwing four streams through 2,000 feet of 3 inch fire hose. Capt. Thomas Garrison, master of the MARK TWAIN, became master of the ERASTUS WELLS. Two days after the boat began service , they successfully rescued the pet hog from the steamer CITY OF MEMPHIS that had fallen overboard. The WELLS took part in two presidential steamboat parades, in 1907 with President Teddy Roosevelt and in 1909 with President Taft.

During the depression years of the early 1930's, the city felt unable to maintain the $51,000 annual operating expenses. In 1932, after nearly 25 years of services, the boat was sold at auction to Edwin C. Koenig, who remodeled her into an excursion boat and renamed her CITY OF ST. LOUIS. This was a short lived operation, due largely to competition with Streckfus, and, after lying idle for several years, the boat was sold and dismantled in 1942, used a landing/pump barge for a dredging company. Her pilotwheel and running lights are now on display in the H.T. Pott Waterways Library of the Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, a gift from Helen and Joseph Vollmar of St. Louis. Joe Vollmar and his brother, Lewis, long ran a river business and Mrs. Vollmar's grandfather, John Frederick Deppe, was the marine architect who designed the WELLS. Joe and Capt. Bill Menke, of the GOLDENROD SHOWBOAT, shared the same birthday and Miss Helen always baked a cake for the occasion, which she and Joe took down to the showboat to share with Capt. Bill and the crew.

Herewith is a photo of the cabin of the ERASTUS WELLS. A dozen or so of the cabin arches that had been saved by Capt. Robert Roehrig were found in the old Eagle Boat Store building (above the Eads Bridge) on the St. Louis waterfront in 1966 and Ruth Ferris used them in her Midship Museum aboard the Str. BECKY THATCHER. Those arches are now dispersed in various museums and private collections. As Judy mentioned, we both are fortunate to have several of the arches -- and I also have the steering levers (a gift from Ruth) manufactured by the S.J. Gardner firm of New Albany, Indiana, my hometown.

The other two images show the arches (exhibited with mirrored cabin doors and transom windows from the CAPE GIRARDEAU/GORDON C. GREENE) in the Midship Museum.

Keith Norrington;17135 wrote: The ERASTUS WELLS (1907-1932) was named for a politician and businessman who was the father of St. Louis mayor Rolla Wells. Erastus Wells had been a leader in municipal mass transportation in Missouri. The boat was built at Grafton, Illinois, utilizing the engines and other parts from the sidewheel St. Louis harbor boat MARK TWAIN. The WELLS purpose was to do river police duty. She also assisted in fighting fires and keeping the levee clean with the power of hoses that were capable of pumping 6,000 gallons of water per minute and throwing four streams through 2,000 feet of 3 inch fire hose. Capt. Thomas Garrison, master of the MARK TWAIN, became master of the ERASTUS WELLS. Two days after the boat began service , they successfully rescued the pet hog from the steamer CITY OF MEMPHIS that had fallen overboard. The WELLS took part in two presidential steamboat parades, in 1907 with President Teddy Roosevelt and in 1909 with President Taft. During the depression years of the early 1930's, the city felt unable to maintain the $51,000 annual operating expenses. In 1932, after nearly 25 years of services, the boat was sold at auction to Edwin C. Koenig, who remodeled her into an excursion boat and renamed her CITY OF ST. LOUIS. This was a short lived operation, due largely to competition with Streckfus, and the boat was dismantled. Her pilotwheel and running lights are now on display in the H.T. Pott Waterways Library of the Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, a gift from Helen and Joseph Vollmar of St. Louis. Joe Vollmar and his brother long ran a river business and Mrs. Vollmar's grandfather was the marine architect who designed the WELLS. Joe and Capt. Bill Menke, of the GOLDENROD SHOWBOAT, shared the same birthday and Miss Helen always baked a cake for the occasion, which she and Joe took down to the showboat to share with Capt. Bill and the crew.

Herewith is a photo of the cabin of the ERASTUS WELLS. A dozen or so of the cabin arches that had been saved by Capt. Robert Roherig were found in the Eagle Boat Store building in 1966 and Ruth Ferris used them in her Midship Museum aboard the Str. BECKY THATCHER. Those arches are now dispersed in various museums and private collections. As Judy mentioned, we both are fortunate to have several of the arches -- and I also have the steering levers (a gift from Ruth) manufactured by the S.J. Gardner firm of New Albany, Indiana, my hometown.

The other two images show the arches (exhibited with mirrored cabin doors and transom windows from the CAPE GIRARDEAU/GORDON C. GREENE) in the Midship Museum.

WOW! How would you like to be handling that hose?!

MARK TWAIN harbor boat

Here is a postcard of the ERASTUS WELLS' predecessor, the MARK TWAIN. The MT was built in 1873 at Madison as the ELON G. SMITH 160 x 32 x 6. She was renamed the CITY OF SAINT LOUIS and Fred Way opines that she may have been renamed MT when Sam Clemens rode her on his last steamboat trip. The EW replaced her in 1907.

As Judy pointed out, the MARK TWAIN was originally the ELON G. SMITH and then the CITY OF ST. LOUIS. She was renamed MARK TWAIN in 1902 to celebrate the famous author's visit to St. Louis, his last time to steer a steamboat on the Mississippi. He had visited his boyhood home at Hannibal for the final time on May 29th.

Newspapers across the nation documented Mark Twain's trek on the Mississippi and one carried the following poem.

Through the thick, black smoke of the harbor boat
Mark Twain's loud drawl was heard,
And they all had trust in his cussedness
And knew he would keep his word.

But soon as they ran the gangplank out
They hurried to get ashore,
As they knew ol' Mark hadn't steered a boat
For forty years or more!

Herewith is a view of the MARK TWAIN at her St. Louis landing and a view showing Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) with a group aboard the boat on June 7, 1902, image courtesy of Dave Thomson.

A Fashion Wonder

Interesting that MT is decked out in his so-called "trademark white suit", but from what I always heard, he didn't start wearing white, year 'round, until the last four years of his life-- from 1906 until '10. Is he just so-attired for the summer season? But he does look great for almost 67. Sam was a very handsome man all his life.

As many know, Ruth Ferris taught the fifth grade and was assistant principal of the Community School for 35 years, before retiring in 1957 at age 60 due to her hearing impairment. Since it was a private school, the class sizes were usually small, sometimes 15 to 20 students or less. Ruth organized MANY field trips to the St. Louis waterfront, where her classes toured the GOLDEN EAGLE, GOLDENROD SHOWBOAT, EAGLE BOAT STORE, etc. In the attached views, one of her classes is exploring aboard the excursion steamer CITY OF ST. LOUIS.

I've thought that the MARK TWAIN was a very handsome small sidewheeler since I first saw her picture. I would take a man who didn't have to do his own laundry to wear all white on the top decks of a coal or oil fired steamer!

Speaking of "unique" views of Mark Twain: When the Str. MISSISSIPPI was brought to St. Louis from Hannibal in the spring of 1966 to become the BECKY THATCHER and Ruth Ferris began establishing a riverboat museum on the main deck, one of the items she inherited from the boat's previous museum (which was up on the Texas and very small) was a greatly enlarged photo of Mark Twain with George Washington Cable, who toured the lecture circuit with Twain. Ruth didn't want Cable on it, so she painted him out and used the space to drape a lead line and a framed explanation of the leadsman's calls on it! Mark Twain cigars were popular, widely sold and here is the label from the box. The third and most unusual image of Mark Twain, shirtless, is believed to have been taken when he posed for a sculptor to create a bust. Quite different than the photos usually published of the famous author!

Dog logo

So what is the significance of the dog? Is it a greyhound? Or a Saluki? Or?

Indeed, the logo on the pilothouse does have significance! The CITY OF ST. LOUIS had a reputation for being very FAST and she was advertised as "The Greyhound of the Bends" and "Fastest on the Mississippi". There's a story that she once got into some trouble with the Coast Guard for "burning up" the St. Louis harbor and passing other boats, one of which was a Streckfus excursion boat. Shortly thereafter the CITY OF LOUIS was "crossed off" during an inspection!

The CITY OF ST. LOUIS operated as an excursion boat until the end of the 1935 season. After lying idle at the levee for several years, she was sold in 1942 to the George C. Bolz Dredging Company, dismantled and used as a landing and pump barge by the Allied Oil Company in the Cape Girardeau area.

In the third image of the boat, taken from the river, the spire of the Old Cathedral at St. Louis is visible. All of those riverfront buildings were razed to make way for the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial / Gateway Arch.

Here's one of my favorite views of the MARK TWAIN. Yes, she was a handsome little sidewheeler!