Davenport Democrat, July 20, 1924
HOME EDITION
Davenporters' Thirst Was Satisfied Decade Ago by 200 Saloons
Two hundred saloons flourishing in Davenport
was the highest point of municipal saturation reached here in the old days
before the successive waves of reform eliminated old "Bucktown" and
turned that old resort district into wholesale and business section. Before the
reform Davenport was known throughout the country as one of the wettest and most
wide-open cities in America.
Most of those saloons ran wide open the year 'round, never
closing for a single hour day or night. When the midnight closing law was first
put into effect, many of the proprietors had to rush to the locksmiths to order
keys, never before having occasion to lock their doors.
But there was something worse than saloon. There were things
far worse. There was "the dump" operated under the disguise of a
saloon, which was no more than a rendezvous for thieves and other criminals.
There was the all night wine room, harboring men and women and girls and boys of
tender years. Painted women freely roamed the streets of the city. Gambling
houses and assignation resorts ran openly and without restraint. It was these
conditions that led the late Bishop Cosgrove during a visit to Chicago, to term
Davenport the wickedest city in the world. And it was under such conditions as
these that the Mabray gang made its headquarters here for several years,
swindling their dupes out of millions on fake horse races, prize fights, land
deals, false tips on the stock market, etc. It was Rev. Giglinger, at that time
secretary to Bishop Cosgrove, who demanded the first reform. He confined his
efforts to what he considered the greatest evil-the wine room. Under threat of
enforcing the prohibition law, he compelled "Brick" Munro,
"Jock" Manwaring, "Perl" Galvin, "Clay" Woodward,
and other east-end saloon keepers to suppress their wine rooms and bar women and
girls from their places of business. As Rev. Ginglinger had no organization
behind him, the effect of his reform was but temporary.
Davenport's Latin quarter, variously called Bucktown and the
Red Light district, included most of the region west of Perry street to the
government bridge, and extending from the river to Third street. It is estimated
that in its most flourishing days Bucktown contained no fewer than 40 saloons
and almost as many houses of ill repute. The latter also sold liquor.
In addition to its saloons, "dumps" and sporting
resorts, "Bucktown" contained a number of variety theaters. There was
the Standard, the Bijou, and the Orpheon. They operated wine rooms and drinks
were served throughout the performances. The "programs" as they were
called oftentimes continued until the early hours of morning. At Brick's
Pavilion the lights burned merrily and the "bear cat", the Cubanois
glide," and other "classics" were in full swing from 8 o'clock at
night until 7 o'clock in the morning. The whole east end after nightfall was one
blaze of lights and the sounds of revelry, of discordant orchestras, mechanical
pianos, broken-voiced sopranos, and shuffling feet floated upon the night air.
For years, Brick Munro was known as the King of Bucktown. His
famous pavilion, according to his own statement, oftentimes entertained as many
as a thousand people on a single night. His weekly receipts it is said, never
ran short of $2500 and generally exceeded this sum. To use his own words, his
place was a gold mine.
Davenport's gambling houses were also famous all over the
west. There was the Eldorado, the Senate, the Saratoga, the Ozark and many
others. Continuous poker games running three to four days and at times as long
as a week were not infrequent. Bert Smith, who in later years made and lost a
fortune on "bookmaking" at Hot Springs was generally the promoter of
these games of endurance. Among the best known "boss" gamblers were
Sam Stucky, "Smokey" Reese, Hughey Corrigan, Ike Gray,
"Cully" Flannigan, Charlie Gordon and Os Reynolds.
LONG SERIES OF VICTORIES MARKS LOCAL FIGHT AGAINST THE BLUE
RIBBON "MENACE"
The state of Scott; a capital,
Davenport.
If this designation didn't get into the geographies it was no
fault of those thousands of personal liberty adherents who sent Attorney C.W.
Neal, self-styled battler of King Alcohol, out of town to the strains of
Chopin's funeral march; who applauded the beating of W.W. Lunger, another of the
breed; who held gigantic mass meetings to advance the cause of wetness; and who
swarmed to the polls to defeat any measure which might deprive them of or
restrict, their saloons.
The history of Davenport's and Scott county's fight
against the Dry menace has furnished Iowa annals with many vivid political
incidents. State prohibitory action of course, was the impelling motion and for
this reason it is necessary to examine the workings of the legislature in order
to understand the local attitude.
It would be difficult to determine at just what time
the idea of a state constitution began to take shape in the minds of its
advocates. But it is evident that the first public announcement of such an idea
was made at the annual convention of the Women's Christian Temperance union at
Burlington in 1878 by Mrs. J. Ellyn Foster, chairman of the committee on
legislation. Mrs. Foster wanted to issue a petition to the legislature to pass a
bill submitting to the votes of the people an amendment to the constitution
forever prohibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors, including
wine, beer, ale and cider.
This started the ball rolling. The Blue Ribbon clubs all over
the state embraced hundreds of earnest workers and they were especially
efficient in creating local sentiment in favor of the movement. And so, it was
under auspicious circumstances that the Amendment idea was launched on its four
years' campaign.
Amendment Passed.
Great was the wailing and gnashing of teeth in Davenport and
Scott county when the state constitutional amendment was adopted by a majority
of 29,759 on Tuesday, June 27, 1882. Probably never in the history of Iowa has
there been another election attended by so many demonstrations. The friends of
the amendment were far more active than their opponents. In many places men,
women and children, clergymen and laymen alike, were present at the voting
places, distributing ballots and soliciting votes for the amendment. Free
lunches were served near the booths by the W.C.T.U.; children paraded the
streets carrying temperance banners; and all-day prayer meetings were held in
the churches. In some cases the church bells were rung every hour during the
day, and when in the evening it was learned that the amendment was probably
victorious the air was filled with their peals. The saloons all over the state
were closed during the day and good order generally prevailed.
Why did the amendment pass? The victory has been accounted
for in various ways. It has been asserted that thousands of Republicans voted
for the measure simply because its submission had been favored by their party
and that many Democrats had cast an affirmative vote in the hope that if the
amendment was adopted it would prove the downfall of the Republican party.
Davenport Kills It.
It was Davenport which had the honor of killing the
distasteful amendment. A friendly case to test the point was instituted by two
local brewers, Koehler and Lange and John Hill, a saloon keeper. The case was
brought up for hearing at the October (1882) term of the Scott County District
Court, over which Judge Walter I. Hayes was presiding. It was an action to
recover one hundred dollars for a quantity of beer sold and delivered by Koehler
and Lange, the plaintiffs, to John Hill, the defendant. Hill held that he could
not lawfully be forced to pay for beer sold in violation of the constitution.
The plaintiffs replied that the amendment had not been passed in accordance with
the manner provided in the constitution and pronounced judgment upon the
defendant. An appeal was taken to the supreme court of the state.
The case thus appealed came before the supreme court at its
December term in 1882, and was argued on both sides by some of the most
prominent lawyers in the state. Among the counsel for the appellant were Smith
McPherson, then Attorney-General. William Miller, J.A. Harvey, James F. Wilson,
C.C. Nourse and John F. Duncombe. Representing the appellees were such men as
John C. Lillis and George C. Wright. The opinion of the court, declaring the
amendment invalid, was delivered on January 18, 1883, by Judge William H.
Seevers.
Hurrah for "State of Scott!"
The "State of Scott" had won a big victory! It was
a great disappointment to the prohibitionists and a source of elation to their
opponents. The Davenport Democrat said that while the decision was received,
with considerable satisfaction here, there was no general demonstration.
Then came statutory prohibition and mob violence. There were
countless violations of the dry law. On August 13, 1884, a mob of 200 men broke
up a trial for violation of the liquor law near Iowa City, tarred and feathered
one of the prosecuting attorneys and stoned the house in which he took refuge.
The life of a constable, who attempted to resist the fury of the mob, was
threatened and but for the timely assistance of the deputy sheriff, the threat
might have been executed.
When the prohibitory law had been in operation one year, a
Davenport newspaper editor issued a circular letter to the mayors of the
principal cities of the state, inquiring to the extent of the enforcement of the
law. A summary of the facts thus gained showed that in some places prohibition
was entirely successful, in others the number of saloons was the same as before
the law was enacted. It is notable that in a census of saloons in the 99
counties of the state in 1887, there is no number opposite Scott county, but
instead the words, "Do Not Know." Nobody was telling anything.
The Mulct Law.
Now let us skip a period during which, it may be supposed,
residents of Davenport and Scott counties suffered no dearth of intoxicating
beverages and turn to the mulct law of 1884. The essentials of this law may be
summed up briefly. It provided that a tax of $600 should be levied against all
persons, except registered pharmacists holding permits, engaging in the sale of
intoxicating liquors and against the owner of the property where such business
was carried on. The tax was to constitute " a perpetual lien upon all
property both personal and real, used in or connected with the business."
It was stipulated that nothing in the act "should in any way be construed
to mean that the business of the sale of intoxicating liquors is in any way
legalized, nor is the same to be construed in any manner or form as a
license." It simply provided that in cities of 5,000 or more inhabitants
the payment of the tax should provide a bar to the proceedings under the
prohibitory law in case there should be filed with the county auditor "a
written statement of consent signed by a majority of voters residing in said
city who voted at the general election" and in case the person paying the
tax should conform with certain other conditions.
Nuts for Davenport.
This was nuts for the residents of Davenport and Scott
county. So overwhelming was the sentiment in favor of wetness that, many times,
the petition was never even circulated. The "State of Scott" didn't
have to circulate petitions to know where it stood! Ninety per cent of the
voters were willing to sign for the saloons.
It was a state of blissful, albeit defiant, booziness which
continued on until 1900. At that time two big Davenport breweries, the
Independent Malting company and the Davenport Malting company, representing an
investment of three quarters of a million dollars, were running full blast. They
had no right to exist under the law; literally, they didn't have a leg to stand
on. But in the "State of Scott" they didn't have any difficulty in
putting their wares on the market.
First Tap of Law
Then came the first tap of the law on the door. An injunction
suit was started against the Downs hotel bar, Davenport, which used to occupy
the site now held by the Black Hawk hotel. Local attorneys were thunderstruck.
They couldn't understand. For years there had been no prohibition; there were
more than 200 saloons in the city and now some busybody was stirring up trouble!
This suit was compromised, but was followed by more
injunctions in an ever-increasing tide. Every saloon in Davenport and Scott
county was enjoined at one time or another. The instigators of the suits,
"Captain" C.W. Neal and his client co-worker, T.H. Kemmerer. Judge J.W.
Bollinger, of the Scott County District Court, issued compromise decrees for all
the suits.
When the Moon law, which limited the number of saloons to one
for every thousand inhabitants came into effect, Davenport was "sitting
pretty". The city had a special charter from the state, and the Moon
lawmakers had neglected to stipulate that their restrictions applied to special
charter cities. So, having gotten rid of Neal and Kemmerer, who had been branded
as mercenaries working for money, and money alone, the good people of Davenport
sat back and had a delicious chuckle.
Sidesteps Moon Law.
But the farmers of the Moon law, observing their tremendous
mistake, hasted to put the words "special charter city" on the statute
books. It helped them out, but not at once, for thru the work of local
attorneys, Davenport was granted more than a year to get rid of its surplus
saloons, while the other non-charter cities had to cut down as soon as the law
went into effect.
In 1915 the state legislature repealed the mulct law, leaving
unqualified prohibition on the statute books and passed a resolution submitting
another state constitutional amendment to the vote of the people. This amendment
was submitted in 1916. And then an unusual thing happened. There was no
campaign, no agitation, before the special election. But a monstrous vote was
polled, and, when the ballots were counted, it was found that the prohibitory
amendment had been defeated by a vote of five thousand. The people of the
"State of Scott" hadn't turned a hand-they just voted.
The reason for the disapproval of the amendment, altho
unqualified prohibition was in effect, was that the latter could be repealed
with comparative ease, while it would take a lot of work to repeal a state
constitutional amendment.
The liquor events up to the present are too well known and
too much discussed to need much mention here. The bootlegger, sly and sneaking,
has taken the place of those old saloon keepers, who had the courage of their
convictions and were not afraid to fight in the open. Whether the conditions are
better is left for the Drys to say.
REFORM WAVE OF W.W. LUNGER AND CAPT. NEAL
MOST STIRRING EPOCHS IN ANNALS OF DAVENPORT.
It was during the last year of Mayor
Harry W. Phillips' administration that the first real sign of officially
recognized municipal reform struck Davenport.
Even at this early stage, Mr. Phillips recognized the
handwriting on the wall. He felt the all night saloon and the wine room were bad
adjuncts to the city. He was convinced that if local measures were not taken to
remedy the evil, outside parties would come here and take drastic action. So he
issued his famous midnight closing order.
Like a bomb it fell into the camp of many of the saloon
keepers - but not all of them. A number of the saloon men had previous to this
order conferred with the mayor and given him their approval of such a course.
But others resented the order in no uncertain terms, and only be arrests and
revocations of licenses of the offenders was the midnight closing order made
effective.
Smarting under the new conditions the liquor interests bided
their time to "get even" with the mayor. This they did when he came up
for re-election. He was defeated and his successor again threw open the town.
Enter W.W. Lunger.
During the years 1906 and 1907 there was an epidemic of
reformers in Davenport. The disease commonly called "easy money"
appeared to be infectious and spread rapidly.
At this time W.W. Lunger was a practicing lawyer. Business
was slow in this line. He had previously served a term in the city council, but
when he came up for re-election, his constituents proved so ungrateful as to
elect his opponent. So, having plenty of time on his hands and no legal business
in sight, he joined the ranks of the "reformers."
His first act was to start a crusade against the slot
machines, principally in the cigar stores. He also threatened to close all the
pool rooms and many of the saloons, but for some reason or other failed to do
either. But he did succeed in abolishing the slot machine. Lunger at the time
claimed to have been selected by the Ministerial association. In the eyes of the
public, his acts and sincerity were questionable.
Several traps were laid in an effort to entangle the wily
reformer but to no avail. At one time a citizen walked into his office and
softly closing the door behind him, laid a pile of gold on his desk. "This
is just a little present for you, Mr. Lunger, and i hope you will accept it as
cheerfully as it is tendered to you," said the citizen.
Did Mr. Lunger accept it? Well, hardly! When the citizen left
the office, he carried his gold watch with him.
During the prosecution of the slot machine owners, E.M.
Sharon served as their attorney. Later he filed charges in the district court
asking for Mr. Lunger's disbarment on the following allegations:
First- That Lunger received money from the cigar dealers at
the same time he claimed to represent the Ministerial association.
Second- That after accepting $400 from the Ministerial
Association he proposed to certain cigar dealers that if they would take out
their slot machines in order that he could represent to the ministers that he
had accomplished the task for which he was retained and paid, they might put the
machines back in a few days with his consent and he would not do anything
further to molest them.
Third-That he had threatened and had commenced proceedings
from motives of self interest against the saloons and compromised the same
before trial.
After much difficulty and many refusals, Judge Barker named
A.W. Hamann, Charles Grilk, and J.C. Hall a committee to investigate the charges
and report the result of their investigation to the court. They reported they
found no evidence that would sustain an accusation for disbarment.
Has Own Newspaper.
Both as an alderman and as a reformer, Lunger made many
enemies and critics. He desired to punish some of them. Recognizing the power of
the press but having no newspaper at his control, he decided to give vent to his
feelings in weekly bulletins. These were published ten thousand at a time and
circulated over the city. Public officials, politicians and leading citizens
against whom he took a dislike were subjected to abuse and attack in these
bulletins. At that time M.J. Malloy was a member of the city council. He and
Mayor Scott were viciously attacked by Lunger.
August 20, Alderman Malloy entered the tailoring shop of
Alderman Lindholm on Perry street. In the shop at the time with a bundle of
bulletins under his arm was Mr. Lunger. Mr. Malloy walked up to him and the
following conversation is said to have ensued:
Malloy- Still in the publishing business, eh?
Lunger- Yap, have a copy of today's issue.
Malloy- You dirty cur, you can attack me all you want, but
you can't drag my family into your dirty sheet.
Lunger- Well, stop me if you can.
Three minutes later, Lunger arose from the floor. His nose
was broken, one rib fractured, and an optic closed. His face was covered with
blood. Without washing or otherwise alleviating his distress, he walked to the
office of Police Magistrate Roddewig, three blocks distant.
"I want to swear out a warrant charging Mike Malloy with
murder," said Lunger to Roddewig.
"But you are not dead," meekly replied the
magistrate.
"Well, it's no fault of Malloy's," reported Lunger.
After considerable argument, Lunger agreed to a charge of
assault with intent to commit bodily injury. Information was filed and Mr.
Malloy appeared for trial, represented by Attorney Henry Vollmer. Much
bitterness was evinced on both sides and the city hall echoed with the shouts
and epithets of the opposing attorneys. Mr. Vollmer during the course of his
remarks charged Lunger with holding up the Davenport breweries for $5,000. The
remark was all the more significant on the part of Mr. Vollmer by reason of the
fact that at the time he was attorney for the Davenport Malting company.
Mr. Lunger only smiled as Mr. Vollmer hurled this charge at
him and did not respond. After an all day trial, the charge of assault with
intent to commit great bodily injury was dropped, and one of plain assault and
battery substituted. To the latter charge Mr. Malloy pleaded guilty and was
fined $100 and costs.
Only one more of Lunger's bulletins was issued after this
time. It was mild and harmless as compared with former issues. Mr. Malloy's
blows had evidently taken all the pep out of its editor. Some time later, Mr.
Lunger departed for the northwest and is now residing in Washington state.
Neal-Kemmerer Cleanup.
It was also during the year 1907 that the Neal-Kemmerer
crusade against the saloons, generally styled "the master cleanup,"-
from the fact that Neal is said to have received $6,200 in fees- was
inaugurated. Under the provisions of the mulct law, each saloon keeper enjoined
was compelled to pay all court costs and in addition $25 as fees for the
prosecuting attorney. At the time there were 200 saloons in Davenport and Scott
county, and none were spared at the hands of Capt. Neal and his plaintiff
co-worker, T.H. Kemmerer. The sheriff's office was kept busy day and night
serving injunctions and in so doing enriching the coffers of Capt. Neal.
Capt. Neal did not demand the strict enforcement of the mulct
law. He still had a heart for the saloon keeper- after getting his money- and
drew up a compromise decree the essentials of which were 11 o'clock closing at
night and Sunday morning closing in addition to the elimination of screens and
wine rooms.
Attorney Neal's crusade occasioned much bitterness. Prominent
citizens arose in protest and declared a greed of gain and not principle was at
stake. He was openly accused of taking advantage of a law merely because it
afforded him personal profit. Capt. Neal did not answer his accusers. It was
harvest time with him and he believed in the old maxim of "making hay while
the sun shines." Whether at that time he anticipated the storm clouds and
tempests that were to greet him later is merely conjectural.
Breaks Cane on Reformer.
During the height of the agitation, Dr. A. Richter, editor of
the German Demokrat by chance met Plaintiff Kemmerer on Brady street. Dr.
Richter, as was his custom, carried a cane at the time. This he broke over
Kemmerer's head. Mr. Kemmerer swore out information charging Dr. Richter with
assault.
Dr. Richter appeared at the office of Magistrate Roddewig in
the city hall for trial. Capt. Neal appeared as attorney for Mr. Kemmerer, the
prosecuting witness, Dr. Richter demanded a jury trial. The request was granted
and the case continued.
The storm that had been smothering for some time quickly
burst forth in all its fury. The flames were kindled when Fred Vollmer in a
ringing speech announced a collection would be taken up to buy Dr. Richter a new
gold-headed cane. He then passed the hat and the crowd clamored around him to
hand in their contributions. About this time Capt. Neal and Mr. Kemmerer emerged
from the building and attempted to make their getaway unnoticed. But this was
not done. Both were confronted with clenched fist and direful threats.
Capt. Neal started down Harrison street to his office in the
basement of the Schmidt building. The crowd followed close at his heels
shouting, "kill him, hang him, tar and feather him, throw him in the river,
take him to Rock Island," etc.
By the time Capt. Neal had reached third street, the crowd
became so large and threatening that he entered the office of John Berwald
nearby. The crowd pressed around the outside of the building and demanded that
Neal come out. He went to the telephone and calling up the police station
demanded that protection be sent him. The crowd in the meantime kept clamoring
for Neal to come out. Pulling a Colt's automatic from his hip pocket, Capt. Neal
accepted the challenge and rushed out into the street, at the same time
threatening to shoot at the first man who laid a hand on him. One fellow who was
clamoring the loudest for Capt. Neal's scalp when the attorney brushed against
him with his gun, quivered, "I never said anything Captain."
Neal is Arrested.
The sight of Attorney Neal flourishing his revolver had put a
temporary effect in holding back the crowd for no sooner had he proceeded down
the street in the direction of his office than the crowd was after him again.
Reaching Second and Harrison streets, Mr. Neal entered his office and the crowd
surrounded it until a squad of policemen arrived and dispersed them.
In the meantime Dr. Paul Radenhausen had gone to the office
of Magistrate Roddewig and secured a warrant for the arrest of Capt. Neal,
charging him with carrying concealed weapons. Mr. Neal was placed under arrest
and escorted to the police station, where he posted a bond in the sum of $100
for appearance for trial the following day. The "reform" attorney was
then escorted to his home in the Andresen flats on West Third street, opposite
Washington square. A crowd of several hundred insisted on following him to his
home, altho they were kept on the opposite side of the street by one of the
officers. That same night, Capt. Neal was hung in effigy in the public square
opposite his home.
Mob Still Pursues.
A surging mass of humanity constituting even a larger crowd
than the day before assembled at the police station on October 15, 1907, to
witness the trial of Attorney C.W. Neal, charged with carrying concealed
weapons.
Capt. Neal appeared early for trail and after stating to the
court his reasons for pulling the gun on the mob pleaded guilty to the charge
and was fined $5 and costs. Just before the fine was imposed Dr. Radenhausen
interrupted the court with the remark, "Your honor, this is an
extraordinary case." He was stopped by the presiding magistrate, who
informed him that he was trying the case. No sooner had the fine been imposed
than Dr. Radenhausen again spoke up and demanded that Captain Neal be searched
right away for another gun. The court refused to grant the request accepting
Capt. Neal's word that he had now weapons on his person.
Crowd in Waiting.
At the conclusion of the trial, Capt. Neal walked into the
police station proper and took a seat behind the enclosure where the desk
sergeant's headquarters were located. He remained here for an hour waiting for
the gathering to disperse, but they continued to remain on the outside of the
building and crowded into the hallway and outer rooms of the police station.
After an hour's wait, Capt. Neal asked that an escort of
police should take him to the Masonic temple. The request was granted, and as
soon as Mr. Neal emerged from the station the crowd let up a vast yell of
derision and followed him and the officers down the street, hooting and calling
the alleged reformer all kinds of names. The officers kept the crowd at a safe
distance from Mr. Neal and no harm was done him.
At the Masonic temple, Capt. Neal went to the Shriner's rooms
on the upper floor, where he remained with the officers as a bodyguard until
noon. He then proceeded to his home in the Andresen flats under escort of the
officers. After packing his grip, he returned to the Masonic temple, where he
remained until time for the departure of the Rock Island train for Des Moines.
Capt. Neal took his departure for Des Moines amid rather
unusual surroundings. Accompanied by the officers, he was escorted to the
railway station. Here he met Mr. Kemmerer, who after bidding him farewell took
his departure and did not wait to see the train pull out.
At the depot, when Capt. Neal arrived, there was a brass band
of some 20 pieces. As he started for the train, the band struck up Chopin's
funeral march. Again as the train pulled out, a funeral dirge was sounded, and
the crowd revealed its feelings by hissing Capt. Neal.
The only disturbance was caused by Emil Speth, an ex-saloon
keeper and later a member of the police force. In the depot building he
threatened Mr. Neal and made several lunges at him but was prevented by
officers in attendance from doing any bodily harm.
Altho Capt. Neal announced he was going to Des Moines on
official business and would return to Davenport within a few days, he failed to
make good his word in this respect. The scenes he had passed thru in the Civil
war were hardly more stirring than those of the past few days in Davenport and
undoubtedly he breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he was out of the city
and beyond harm at the hands of its infuriated citizens.
From Des Moines, Capt. Neal went to Seattle, and several
years ago his death was reported in a Soldiers' home in the west. He had lost
his profession, his fortune, and his friends, and died practically alone and
penniless. His ill gotten gains as the citizens styled them, served him to no
good end. His was the inglorious finish accorded to the majority of bogus
reformers.
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How the Town was Placed on Water Wagon.
On the first day of January, 1908, there were 191 saloons in
Davenport and 49 in the county outside of Davenport, making a total of 240 such
places.
On the first day of January 1910, two years later, there were
151 saloons in the city and 23 in the county, making a total of 174, showing a
reduction of 40 saloons in the city and 26 in the county, a total of 66.
During these two years the Civic Federation brought 118
injunction suits and instituted 41 cases for contempt of court. It secured 97
permanent injunctions. By this time gambling and the red-light district had been
completely obliterated and all saloons were as a rule living up to the
requirements of the Mulct law.
After this came the new state law compelling all cities to
reduce their number of saloons to one for every 1,000 of population. This
elimination measure was in process in Davenport when the state wide prohibition
law, effective Jan. 1, 1916, was passed.
"SCHICK EXPRESS" EARLY
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM OF PIONEER DAVENPORT
Before the good citizens of
Davenport began to bother their heads with "traction problems"; before
even the remote and dilatory horse-car rumbled its unwieldy way thru the muddy
streets of the infant city, Davenport had a "transportation system."
It is a small but unforgotten chapter in the early history of
Davenport, then a thriving little frontier town of 8000 inhabitants, a town
without a railroad but with five stage lines running to other settlements in
Iowa. The history of the first transportation system is contained in Davenport's
first city directory-a small but ambitious volume.
In this little directory, which looks like a little primer
compared to the big, thick volumes necessary at present, we read as follows:
"Davenport Express- a splendid omnibus, bearing this
designation, runs to East Davenport, leaving the corner of Second and Brady
streets at 10 o'clock and 6 1/2 o'clock a.m. and at 2 and 6 p.m.; makes trips
every morning and evening to Rock Island depot in time for the cars. Private
parties can also be accommodated. On Sundays will run from the above corner to
the Bluff.- John Schick, Propr."
A Pioneer Leader.
john Schick was the father of Joe, Charles, John and Julius
Schick, all well-known Davenport business men. He was one of the pioneer
residents and industrial leaders of Davenport. A native of the village of
Niederklein Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, he came to the United States, when a young
man, to make his fortune. The journey was made in a sailing ship and was a long,
tedious voyage lasting several weeks.
Landing at New Orleans, the young German immigrant took
passage on a Mississippi river steamboat and started on the journey upstream to
Davenport. It was flood time on the Mississippi and as Mr. Schick was carried
slowly upriver he saw houses washing down the river and great trees swirling
along in the current. On some of the houses chickens were perched. The boat
rescued many people from drowning in the inundated lands.
Bus Cost $1,000.
Arriving at St. Louis, the young immigrant purchased an
omnibus, the best he could buy. It cost him $1,000 in gold, a large part of the
savings he had brought with him. Coming to Davenport, he put the rest of his
savings in four iron-gray horses, and splendid animals they were. His young wife
decked them out with red, white and blue ribbons, and they made a splendid
appearance. Old residents of Davenport say it was the finest omnibus that the
city ever boasted.
At that time the railroad stopped at Rock Island. But here in
Davenport there were numerous hotels and there was a large travel to and from
the city. There were three passenger trains a day from Rock Island to Chicago,
one at 9:15 a.m., one at 7 p.m. and one at 6:45 a.m. The first arrived in
Chicago at 8 p.m. and the second at 4:30 a.m. Ten hours and thirty-five minutes
to make the trip from Davenport to Chicago! The time card is given in the first
Davenport directory.
A Real Stage Town.
Davenport was a real stage-coach town in those days. There
was the stage to Iowa City, one to Cedar Rapids, one to Dubuque, and two
to LeClaire. And the Schick omnibus, in addition to making the trip to Rock
Island to carry passengers from the end of the railroad line to Davenport, also
ran the transportation to East Davenport.
East Davenport was a village, then, if you please, not a
suburb of Davenport. It was located about a mile and a quarter east of the city
of Davenport. When the Burtis house, then a magnificent hotel opened up business
for the first "Bridge Line" grew. There was no bridge across the
Mississippi at first, and the bus did not run every day in the year.
In the summer time the bus was driven on the ferry boat and
carried across the river. In the winter, the bus crossed on the ice. Sometimes
the ice near shore melted and the stage was driven through the water sometimes
two to three feet deep until the solid ice farther in the stream was reached.
Bus Didn't Pay.
But the first transportation system in Davenport was not a
paying venture. Mr. Schick lost all of the money he put into it. It was at that
time that a gold rush to California was on and the young Davenporter joined the
stream of gold seekers. He drove an ox team from here to Denver, walking all the
way on foot. Shortly after arriving at Denver he started back home,
disillusioned, penniless, and alone. He was to walk back across the plains to
his home and wife in Iowa.
Had he not been an exceptionally strong man, Mr. Schick would
never have completed his journey, he often told his family in the days
afterward.
The Indians were his best friends he said. They gave him
things to eat and directed him from one camp to another. When eventually he did
arrive in Davenport, half starved but with a crust of bread in his pocket and a
beard seven inches long, his appearance was so changed that his wife did not
know him. He then entered the drug business, "staked" by J.M. Selle, a
boot merchant, and followed the occupation until he died in 1886.
STEAMBOATING ON MISSISSIPPI ROMANTIC TALE
The Old Side Wheelers Opened Up the Middle West to Civilization
WAS PAYING INDUSTRY
Davenport and Other River Cities Depended on Boat Transportation
The majestic Mississippi, glorified in the
histories of many lands, owned by many countries, holds within its muddy waters
a tale of intrigue and war, civil strife and prosperity, love and hate. Many are
the historic figures who have ridden on the prince of steams from the
head-waters at Lake Itasca to where it discolors the salt waters of the gulf.
Few Davenporters live yet to tell of those picturesque days
before the Sixties, when the packet, the steamboat circus, the fair ladies in
crinoline, the "darkies," the two-quart hatted gentlemen, and the
gay-vested gambler were common sights along the levee.
How many Davenporters still live who would at the whistle of
a distant steamboat rush to the levee and watch the wood monster paddle its way
to the muddy shore? And how many are left who lay on the river's bank, under the
shade of a tree and wondered just why they worked, just why the big wheel would
churn the water? Now the little boys of Davenport dream of being the man who
opens the throttle on one of the limited cross-country trains; before the
Sixties how many Davenport boys who are gone now, perhaps dreamed of being the
captain of the "War Eagle," or the "City of Quincy?"
Men With Painted Vests.
Are they forgotten, those Mississippi river gamblers with
their "painted vests", their calm, calculating eyes, their gentleness
which was predominated at times by gunplay when marked cards, other than their
own, entered the game. Frequent lodgers they were in the old Burtis House,
LeClaire House, Worden House, and the New Pennsylvania House. Gay fellows, who
always stopped at Davenport's best hotels. They're gone, of course, with the
hotels, an undying memory the only thing that remains.
And are those Davenporters gone, too, who gave them their
hard-earned money-in the early Sixties? Many are the stories that have been
written about gambling on the Mississippi. "Skinning suckers" was a
staple profession in those days. And in due reverence to posterity, times have
changed, the names of those gentlemen will remain a secret. Only the
"suckers" know, and they are gone, and only a few of us were told the
names of those "fine" gambling gentlemen of the past. But its true
that some of their children's children are among us in Davenport-and they are
mighty fine citizens.
Card playing in those early days was a commonly accepted form
of amusement-expensive of course. Professionals who lived in the boats and
stayed in the best hotels made it their business to "skin" the unwary.
They always played with their own cards-marked cards.
"No Limit" Poker
Five dollars ante, and no limit, was considered a big game in
the early Sixties. Few were the Davenporters who could indulge in this expensive
sport. A game of this kind, of course, allowed the gamblers enough scope to soon
rid their victims of their money and invite new "suckers" in the game.
Luckily, there was never gambling for the faithful family servant or the
beautiful quadroon girl in the vicinity of Davenport. Such practices , of
course, were quite frequent before the line.
Today we have automobile, horse and airplane racing.
Thrilling? Yes, but no half so thrilling, nor picturesque as the steamboat races
that were staged here between rival owners. While the race between the
"Robert E. Lee" and the "Natchez" between St. Louis and New
Orleans remains as the biggest steamboat race in history, the many that were
staged right along the banks of the Mississippi in the vicinity of Davenport
would remain fresh in the memory of those "old timers" if they were
with us today.
Men have always raced against time; endeavored to out-do the
elements. Snorting engines now race across the country and out-timing each
other. Such it was in the early Sixties with the steamboats. Glory it was to the
"skipper" of a boat who cut off a few minutes from the time between
Davenport and points north and south.
Steamboats were built for speed or for towing. In some of the
fastest boats on the upper Mississippi were engines that were the
"latest" thing in designing-they were; a little later the locomotive
came along and steamboating was a thing of the past.
His Chain of Saloons.
In writing about steamboats it wouldn't be fair to omit the
saloons and the steamboat saloon keepers. In fact, they were the first form of a
trust that Mississippi river folks knew. The head of this trust lived in St.
Louis. He was a very rich man. He owned all of the saloons of a large number of
boats. In those early days-before the Sixties-nearly everyone drank. Those were
the days, of course, before prohibition.
It's a safe bet that some of the old time Davenporters, if
they were with us today, would laugh, maybe they did laugh, because prohibition
has been with us for many days now, if they saw men using "chasers"
after taking a drink of "Old Crow." The old timers would remember that
whiskey was some cheaper than water on the steamboats during the low-water
season.
It is pretty safe to say that when the Mississippi river lost
its steamboats, it lost its life, its picturesqueness. Even if it were to come
back today, where would the gambler fit, and where would be the old-time
barkeepers, and the be-whiskered "skipper"? It's a thing of the past
and its pretty sure that fifty years from now they'll be writing about the
wonderful days in the early "20's".
Many a story is told of a steamboat that caught fire and some
of its passengers cremated in the flames while the boat struggled in the
mid-stream current. There were no headlines in those days to acclaim some
steamboat captain who had heroically saved the lives of his passengers. But if
some of the old-time Davenporters were here they could narrate some tales.
Sometimes when the boats were built and sometimes it was
several days before they were rescued. [ Sentence transcribed as written].
Several such wrecks occurred near Davenport. What stories they would make for
the newspapers today!
Among the old-time steamboats that stopped at Davenport were
the "City of Quincy", "Fanny Harris", boats of the Diamond
Joe line, "Grey Eagle," "Itasca", "Northwesterner",
"Key City", "West Newton", "Kate Cassell",
"Nominee", and a dozen or so more. Then, of course, there were dozens
of smaller boats, tugs, that piled up and down the river.
Many are the songs that the old-time Davenporters sang when
they road on the palatial steamboats. They're forgotten songs now, with a few
exceptions. They're gone too with the steamboats, the gamblers, and the old
timers.
If today we could only see those picturesque pilots who knew
every inch of the river between New Orleans and St. Paul. There were lights
along the shore to guide them as they plied their boat through the muddy water.
Only the familiar land sights were the guides to where the sand bars extended
out into the river. And those old pilots of the days before the Sixties knew the
river. Every tree, hill, and bluff was a landmark. Today the government has
buoyed the river so that by day the modern pilot if he is on the job runs no
chance of going around. At night there are lights to direct him on his course.
A familiar boat was the "Davenport", a side wheeler
built in 1860 and which was sunk near St. Louis in 1876 by the breaking of an
ice gorge. Later the boat was raised at a cost of approximately hit the Rock
Island bridge in 1858 and was a total loss. [ Sentence transcribed as written].
Sinking of "Grey Eagle."
One of the largest boats to sink here was the "Grey
Eagle," large side wheeler built at Cincinnati at a cost of $63,000, a lot
of money in the early days. Her length was 250 feet and she maintained an
average speed of 16 1/2 miles an hour. On May 9, 1861, when caught in a gust of
wind which veered her from the course it struck the Rock Island bridge and sunk
rapidly. Captain Harris was in the pilot house with the rapids pilot who took
the boats thru from Clinton to Davenport.
"Grey Eagle" sank within five minutes with a loss
of seven lives. Captain Harris, who was one of the best known Mississippi pilots
and known in early Davenport, was broken-hearted over the loss of the boat. Soon
after he sold out his interests in the packet company and retired. He died of a
broken heart, the loss of the most beautiful and fastest boat on the Mississippi
was more than he could endure.
Another boat which was to sink near here was the
"Iowa", which hit a snag near Iowa island in 1845. She was a
side-wheeler and cost $22,000. The "J.M. Mason" sunk in 1852 above
Duck creek when it hit a large rock.
Another historic boat that sank opposite Davenport was the
"Rollo." It was built at Galena in 1837 and on its maiden trip had
Major Tallafero, U.S.A. aboard with a party of Indians. The boat arrived at Fort
Snelling during November of the same year bringing delegates of chiefs who had
been at Washington to make a treaty whereby the St. Croix valley was opened to
settlers. Later in November on its first trip down the Mississippi it caught
fire while moored on the Davenport levee when a flue collapsed. One fireman was
killed and several severely scalded.
Destroyed in Civil War.
Many of the boats that stopped in Davenport were destroyed
during the Civil war. A dozen or so were destroyed by the great wharf fire at
St. Louis. Several burned during a great fire at LaCrosse, Wis. A dozen or so
were crushed in ice floes when too adventuresome pilots took to the stream.
In an account of the early boats it is found that many of
them were built at Pittsburg and Cincinnati. A great number of the smaller were
built at Galena. St. Paul and St. Louis were also steamboat-building towns. But
the art of steamboat building has been forgotten.
And so the steamboat days on the Mississippi are a thing of
the past. A few remain, innovations in steamboating have been introduced and
have failed. Gone are the picturesque of the side-wheelers, gamblers, the
crinoline gowns, the two-quart hats and the people who ran to the levee to
welcome the packet.
HOW AN EARLY TRAVELER IN EARLY DAYS SAW DAVENPORT
Easterner Describes Journey Over Plains to the Infant Town
How a traveler of 1855, a resident of
that acedon of the country which used to be known as the "Effete
East", saw Davenport is shown by an old letter now in the possession of
George M. Bechtel. The letter was written to James Simmons, esquire, firmly
ensconced in the "land of culture" by his friend, Andrew Shannon, who
made an adventurous journey to Iowa.
Following is the letter:
I made one kind of promise before I left old Sadsury to you
when I should arrive in the great West. I set down to fulfill that promise. I
have little talent for and no practice in correspondence of this kind and
therefore you will please excuse all omissions and deficiencies- for Israel's
pioneer I am not endorsed with fluency of speech; therefore you will pardon my
brevity. I have been in this state for 10 days traveling most of the time. I
landed here on the 23d of June and happened to make the acquaintance of three
middle aged gentlemen who meditated a journey to the interior of the state. We
hired a carriage and two horses and struck out for Iowa City, capital of the
state, distant 60 miles.
Our party was to have counted 6 but one gave out before we
started and another at Iowa City. We left Davenport at noon and arrived at Iowa
City on the next evening. Wood of the company wished to located land-that is to
buy of Government at $1.25 per acre and supposed he could fine in the
neighborhood of the capital without any difficulty but were disappointed. Next
morning we assembled in council to decide whether we should proceed or return
now. The weather was cold and chilly and our horses showed signs of giving out.
I voted for sending them back or returning with them, but the majority decided
to proceed.
An Unexplored Region.
According I took a draft of the road, turned our horses
headed toward the setting sun, cracked our ship and boldly plunged into what to
us was an unexplored region. Our destination a little town lying about 85 miles
in a northwesterly direction where we arrived on Monday about noon (not
traveling on Sunday). We found the country about as it had been represented to
us, beautiful, grand and rich beyond description, but upon inquiry we discovered
that there was no government land in the neighborhood but what was occupied or
already taken up. I found after examining some of the plots several tracts lying
about six miles south of the village. We procured a guide and proceeded to the
spot but no one seemed inclined to fancy the bargain. It was too far from
civilization, there was no house, and scarcely a shrub in sight, nothing but the
green prairie, and that rough and rolling. A dampness seemed to come over the
feelings of the party and we returned to town in moody spirits. I saw that most
of the party were getting homesick and that by next morning they would be
anxious to return. Morning came and we put it to vote. I was anxious to proceed,
but the majority decided to return. Accordingly return we did and after
traveling for 3 1/2 days and leaving one of our party on the road, three of us
arrived safe in the port from which we started. Our horses were just able to
draw us into town and that was all. It was a joint stock company, I was
Secretary, Treasurer, Postillion, Hostler, and waiting man in general and
particular; our gross expenses $76.55 of the four that continued faithful to the
end. Each paid $17.06. The company have dissolved and most are on their way
home, and I feel almost lonely, but that will soon wear off. It was a pleasant
trip and rather a jovial company. We had Temperance, Anti-Slavery and
Progression personated in the form of a liberal minded Doctor of medicine. We
had old Hunkerism refined and concentrated and most truthfully presented in the
person of a grey-haired, hide bound, hard hearted old line Democrat. Wise Saws
and sharp saying in a New York Yankee and Genuine Know Nothingism in Myself. I
shall look back on the trip in after time with feeling of pleasure and
satisfaction. We certainly have traveled over some of the road that is East of
"Jourdan" and is designated by the somewhat un-euphonius cognomen of
"Hard" and it may be that we have been just within sight of the
promised land but was not permitted to enter.
Saw "the Elephant"
One thing is certain we HAVE SEEN the "Elephant"
all except the tails! (It was a large rock covered with moss not unlike that
giant quadruped. Several companies had turned at this point and we supposed that
was the occasion-they were satisfied). Seriously, this is a great country. I
cannot begin to do it anything like justice. One who has lived all his life in
hill of old Pennsylvania can scarcely conceive of the richness of the soil and
grandure [sic] of the prospects out on the broad prairies. II will try to
give you a faint idea of the village of Martha, the terminus of our journey, as
it struck me the most forcibly of any place I have yet seen in this country. It
is situate on a high point of land surrounded by slightly rolling prairie. The
Iowa river lined with timber runs one mile north, a large stream about one mile
south, the village of LeGrand nine miles east visible to the naked eye, another
small village to the northeast, groves of timber to the west and southwest, and
unbroken prairie all around. Land sells at this price 140 miles from the
Mississippi for form four to six dollars per acre according to the nearness to
the village; town lots from 50 to 120 dollars. They raise potatoes about as big
as your dog's head-I forget his name.- Onions large round as our ice cream plate
from the seeds, watermelons, sweet potatoes in abundance; burn all their straw,
make no manure, buy no grain at 50 dollars per ton nor anything of the kind;
they sow nothing but spring wheat out here and that often without ploughing the
ground, and get 20 & 25 bushels to the acre. What is worth about 150 at this
time, corn about 50, flour 9 and 10 dollars barrel.
The country has disadvantages, fencing timber is scarce and
inconvenient, mills far apart. Log cabins very plenty-not much room inside but
almost any amount out.
I will not be able to say all I want and therefore had better
draw to a close. I am at the house of Richard Hoode in this place, staying for a
few days. He is Martha Fulton's husband. They live on the brow of a bluff back
of the town. They have a grand view of the town, river and Rock Island on the
Illinois side, a place just opening out and destined to be one of the most
important on the Mississippi. I have just had my dinner and think the best thing
I can do is to shut right down as my paper is growing scarce. I have enjoyed
abundant health and a saw mill appetite. Am burned as black as an Indian. By the
way, we fell in with a caravan of wandering Indians in our journey west but I
have no room to tell you about them. To an Anglo Saxon they seem to live a
miserable idle and dirty life. I'll tell you more when I have more leisure. Till
then farewell. Give my respect to all who enquire and believe me
Yours truly,
AND. SHANNON.
DRASTIC MOVING DAY HERE IN WAKE OF COSSON LAW
Cleanup "Moving Day" Sad One for Denizens of the
Old Underworld.
When the tap of the law was heard on the
doors of Davenport's notorious vice resorts of the East End, back in 1909,
"respectable citizens' who had boasted that they were eager to give the
fallen girl a chance changed color, threw their vaunted altruism to the winds,
and barred their homes to the refugees.
Mayor G.W. Scott did not wait for Cosson's red-light law,
passed by the legislature to become effective on July 4, 1909. The reformers
were threatening him, and one evening in June he gave orders to the night police
to close every resort in the city. Like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky, the
order struck the vice element.
That night eighty women and fifty men were turned out into
the street.
For years the city of Davenport had tacitly countenanced
gambling and prostitution. a monthly fine was exacted and the women were
segregated. This plan was adopted by each succeeding administration and brought
to the coffers of the city approximately $20,000 annually.
A Sad Spectacle.
One of the saddest spectacles ever witnessed in the city of
Davenport was the exodus of the women from the redlight district. Coming as it
did without warning, it found the keepers and inmates of these resorts
unprepared to move. Thrown out into the streets destitute, homeless and in many
cases without sufficient clothing, they were a sight to enlist the sympathy of
the hardest hearted citizen who witnessed it. Many of the girls had known no
other home for years. When they fell from grace they were ostracized by their
family and friends. Therefore, in their hour of trouble they had no one to call
upon for assistance. There were no good Samaritans to receive them.
The oft-repeated assertion of the moral element of the city
that there was no necessity for these girls to remain in the redlight district,
that all could secure honorable employment should they so desire, and that the
philanthropically inclined people of the city were not only willing but eager to
lend them a helping hand while sounding well in theory, did not work out in
reality when put to a practical test by the new state of affairs.
"Cleanup" Too Hurried.
The general sentiment, or at least the sentiment of the
majority of the citizens of Davenport was that the denizens of the redlight
district should have been given sufficient time in which to find other
employment and new homes, to adopt themselves to a different mode of living,
before being turned adrift in a cold and unsympathetic world.
That it was no easy task for these girls to secure honest
employment after leading the lives they did, was well illustrated in the case of
Laura Stoner, an inmate of Mabel Rink's resort at Second and Rock Island
streets.
The Stoner girl was what is know as one of the better class
of girls in the east end, if a classification of them is possible. In other
words, she came of a good family, was neat in appearance, and had been an inmate
but a short time. Previous to her life of shame, she was employed at one of the
Davenport hospitals. Her mother was dead.
Minister Backs Down.
When the edict to move out was served on her, she knew not
where to go. She had repented of her life of shame, and was desirous of a better
life. She therefore decided to endeavor to secure employment in some household.
She heard the pastor of one of the fashionable churches of the hill district was
in need of a servant. She applied to him and was engaged. She then secured an
expressman to move her belongings to what she supposed was her new home. She
called at the pastor's residence ready to go to work. He asked her for her
references and she told him that she had none. She further admitted to him that
she had come from the east end, that she was desirous of leading a better life.
He told her that he could not keep her, and that she would have to find
employment elsewhere. When the expressman reached the pastors' residence with
the girl's belongings he was told not to take them from the wagon. With no
alternative left, the expressman hauled the effects to a downtown livery stable,
where they remained all day.
The experience of the Stoner girl was similar to that of many
others. Wherever they applied for work or for lodgings, they were denied them.
A Feast for Shylocks.
Many of the girls, when forced out of the resorts, did not
possess street clothes. They appeared on the street in the frail gowns worn by
them inside, and were to be observed scurrying all over the east end endeavoring
to borrow some suitable clothes.
Unscrupulous money lenders who feasted on the ill-gotten
earnings of the keepers and inmates were very conspicuous in the district, some
of them as a last resort settling their loans by taking the personal of the
Shylocks demanded the last pound of flesh and the last drop of blood. He charged
the women exorbitant rates of interest and became rich on his nefarious methods
of doing business with them.
Many of the women, when the moving order reached them,
crossed the river to Rock Island in the hope of locating there. But the gates of
that city were locked to them. The entire police force of that city was on the
lookout for them and as fast as they detected them marched them back to
Davenport. Not one, as far as is known, was allowed to stay in that city. one
girl, with an oil stove under one arm and all the clothing she possessed in the
world tied in a bundle under the other arm, headed for Rock Island expecting to
make her home with a friend there. She walked across the government bridge and
had reached Second avenue when she encountered a policeman who marched her to
the bridge and sent her back to Davenport.
The second-hand dealers also feasted on the misfortune of the
women. They camped in the district, buying the furniture and other belongings at
their own price. One dealer bought out the entire contents of four houses for
the paltry sum of $150. It is stated that the total furnishings of these four
houses had when new cost not less than $2,500.
These were but a few of the many sad features of moving day
in the red-light district. There were hundreds of others, equally as pathetic,
that would record several volumes if published in full.
OLD GLUCOSE PLANT PRIDE OF DAVENPORT
Employed 600 Men and 50 Girls When at Heighth in Operation.
From a manufacturing enterprise that was
Davenport's largest in its day to a pile of junk that is being cleared away for
salvage, is the history of the old Glucose form the time it was constructed to
the present day. In Davenport's manufacturing circles its history is a yarn
chock full of interesting incidents.
At one time during the last administration of Theodore
Roosevelt, it was the target of the anti-trust interest in politics. It was
that, probably, that caused the "trust" to leave the great factory
slowly decay away, to become the victim of time and devastating fires.
A great many of the early Davenporters watched with interest
the construction of the factory, its rapid growth-and with sorrow they watched
its slow destruction in which time played a prominent part. The history of the
old Glucose, could it be told in whole, would be one of vast interest; in which,
small capital thru clever manipulation turned out as its finished product a
city's finest manufacturing enterprise. Its story, too, deals with the big
interests of the east, Wall Street, and of John D. himself.
The earliest history of the Glucose is a story of civic unity
in which the people of Davenport were the builders-the capital furnishers. As
the story is told, it was a sort of socialistic plan in which all of the workers
owned a part of the company they were working for. Even when the Glucose was
bought over by the "trust" in 1904, some of the employes had stock.
Old Plant Heads.
When the plant became the property of the Corn Produce
Refining company in 1904, Mr. L.P. Best was said to be the chief stock holder. A
rather young man in the starch and syrup game by the name of A.W.H. Lenders came
here and took charge in 1900, Prior to its coming, the Glucose was a mecca for
workers. It was considered one of the best places in the city to work-that is,
the workmen were allowed to have one of their companions go to a neighboring
saloon and bring them a pail of "suds". This practice, wit heating a
lunch nine or ten times a day, was thought to be the usual thing.
With the coming of Lenders also came a change in the manner
in which the plant was managed. It was only when they could put something over
on the new superintendent that it was possible to smuggle in the pail of
"suds." Lenders proved to be a success. He stayed at the plant two
years and then went to the Roby street plant in Chicago, where he was made
superintendent. At the present time MR. Lenders is a vice president of the
Penick and Ford interests of Cedar Rapids and New Orleans, one of he largest
concerns of its kind in the world.
Such reads the biographies of many of the superintendents of
the Glucose. It was P.R. King who became the manager of the plant after Lenders
left. He was in charge one year and then entered in the printing business in
Davenport.
Henry Siegle was the chief superintendent of the Glucose
under the supervision of the Corn Products interests. He stayed at the plant
about two years and then went to Pekin, Ill. as superintendent. Pekin is the
plant that had the terrible explosion some 12 months ago. Mr. Siegle has been
dead for eight years.
In 1905 after Mr. Siegle left, Clarence Soverign was
superintendent for about three months. After he left Mr. Harrison, acting
manager of the Corn Products interests, came here for a time as superintendent.
Ground 14,000 Bu. Day
In those early days the ubiquitous reporter had a hard time
in worming a story out of the Glucose officials. Many of the members of the
Fourth Estate who had the Glucose on their "beat" and who are with us
today, remember with what secrecy the news was guarded. But such was the habit
over the entire United States, and with all other kinds of businesses. It wasn't
until a later date that news from the largest manufacturing plants were given
for publication.
The Glucose when it was running full capacity ground from
12,000 o 14,000 bushels of corn every 24 hours. The last seven years that it was
operated it turned all of its raw starch into table syrup-Karo. It was also
during the later years that the hull and fiber of the corn was utilized by
turning it into one of the most expensive feeds on the market today. Prior to
this the wet hulls and fibers were hauled to the river bank and dumped-some was
sold in the wet state to local farmers.
Excellent corn oils, too, were an unthought of thing when the
plant was in its infancy. Even when it was shut down in 1913, the manufacturing
of corn oils was not regarded as a success. During the last years of the plant
the oil was used for soap making.
It is true that Davenport lost one of its finest interests
when it lost the Glucose. It proved to be a fine place of employment for 600 men
and about 50 girls. Altho the wages were not of the highest, as untrained labor
was able to do the bulk of the work, it was only on the harder and more
disagreeable jobs that the foremen were at times seeking new help.
Tom Lund.
One of the best superintendents in the corn products game
today, Charles Ebert, was here from 1906 to '09. While here, he rebuilt the
entire plant into one of the most modern in the country. He is now one of the
officials of the Corn Products company, the inventor of several new methods in
the way of manufacturing starches, syrups and oils.
After Mr. Ebert left in 1909, H.B. Lawton took charge until
the plant was shut down in 1913. Mr. Lawton is still in the game. A factory
superintendent who started at the Glucose in 1903 and stayed until 1911, serving
under the superintendents who were here from one to three years, was T.M. Lund,
known to the factory men as "Tom." He served in nearly every capacity
from a starch shoveler to foreman of various departments. It was during the time
when Lenders came to the plant that Mr. Lund started and when Mr. Lawton, the
last superintendent was in charge that he left. At the present time he is with
the Corn Products interests at Argo, Ill.
And such writes one of the old time employes of the Glucose:
"The old time gang of roremen that used to work at the plant are scattered
over the entire earth. Some are dead, some in another kind of business, some are
unable to leave the 'game.'
Among the old time foremen is T.B. Willhoft, once grain
elevator foreman and now night superintendent of the Argo plant, the largest in
the world. A well known Davenporter, who is with us today and who at one time
was in charge of the pipe fitters, is Mike Lamb. In a starch and syrup plant a
pipe fitter is about as essential as powder to an army.
Other Old Timers.
Others that will be remembered are Jim Dudicker, who had
charge of the syrup refinery for many years; John Clare, syrup mixer; Herman
Wiese, chief miller; James McConwell, chief millwright; and Carson Jacobs, wet
starch foreman.
Old timers will remember that Clare was the oldest employe of
the Glucose-not in years.
How surprised some of the old Glucose men would be could they
step into a modern corn products manufacturing plant. The methods have changed
from manual labor to machines that do the work much more rapidly with a great
savings of money. One of the most talked of jobs at the Glucose was starch
shoveling. It took men of real strength to man the shovels and hoist the wet
starch from the tables into the carts. Now, however, the starch is either
shoveled from the tables by machines, they resembled snow plows, or is flushed
and put thru presses.
The method of syrup making has changed till now it is one of
the most sanitary food products on the market. Not so, in the early days, if all
the stories we hear are to be believed.
The manufacturing of by-products has made the
manufacturing of corn products a dividend payer. Starches, sugars, syrups, oils,
soaps, rubber, grease, acids, feeds, flours and even gun powder are some of the
products made from corn today.
IT WASN'T SO FANCY BUT IT WAS DELICIOUS
How Davenporters of the Early Thirties Prepared Their Food.
Nowadays, when Davenport might be
called "the city of restaurants," there are very few citizens who
would turn up their noses at the delicious, substantial fare enjoyed by their
forebears of the early thirties.
To witness the various processes of cooking in those days
would alike surprise and amuse those accustomed to cooking stoves, ranges and
fireless cookers. Kettles were flung over the large fire, suspended with
pot-hooks, iron or wooden, on the crane, or on poles, one end of which would
rest upon a chain.
The long handled frying pan was used for cooking meat. It was
either held over the blaze by hand or sent down upon coals drawn out upon the
hearth. This pan was also used for baking pancakes, also called
"flap-jacks," batter-cakes, etc. A better article for this, however,
was the cast-iron spider, or Dutch skillet. The best thing for baking bread,
those days, was the flat-bottomed bake kettle, with closely fitting cast iron
cover, and commonly known as the Dutch oven. With coals over and under it, bread
and biscuit would quickly and nicely bake. Turkey and spare-ribs were sometimes
roasted before the fire, suspended by a string, a dish being placed underneath
to catch the drippings.
Hominy and samp were very much used. The hominy, however, was
generally hulled corn-boiled corn from which the hull or bran had been taken by
hot lye; hence sometimes called "lye hominy." True hominy and samp
were made of pounded corn. A popular method of making this, as well as real meal
for bread, was to cut out or burn a large hole in the top of a huge stump, in
the shape of a mortar, and by pounding the corn in this way a maul or beetle
suspended by a swing pole like a well sweep. When the samp was sufficiently
pounded it was taken out, the bran floated off and the delicious grain boiled
like rice.
The chief articles of diet in an early day were corn bread,
hominy or samp, venison, pork, honey, pumpkin (dried pumpkin for more than half
the year), turkey, prairie chicken, squirrel and some other game, with a few
additional vegetables a portion of the year. Wheat bread, tea, coffee and fruit
were luxuries not to be indulged in except on special occasions as when visitors
were present.
ROAST DOG WAS DELICACY MUCH LIKED BY INDIAN
Dog feasts were one of the big events
of Indian life in the days when the redskins roamed the vicinity of Fort
Armstrong. At such celebrations, white men were occasionally the invited guests,
and they were obliged to eat all that was placed before them or else hire some
person to do so. Not to do so was considered a great breach of guest etiquette.
Such feasts usually terminated all afternoon exercises, which
were not only interesting but also highly instructive to those who witnessed
them. Meats, vegetables and pies were served up in such provisions at the Indian
banquets that many armfuls of the leavings were carried off- it being a part of
the ceremony, religiously observed- that all victuals left upon such an occasion
should be taken home. It was usually after the ceremony of painting the post
that dog feasts were held.
Post Painting.
At the post painting, the feats of Wau-co-shaw-she, the
chief, were portrayed. Ten headless figures were painted, signifying that the
chief had killed ten men. Four others were then added one of them smaller than
the others, one of them a child. A line was then run from one figure to another,
terminating in a plume to signify that all had been accomplished by a chief. A
fox was then painted over the plume, which plainly told that the chief was of
the Fox tribe. These characters are so expressive that if an Indian of any tribe
were to see them he would at once understand them.
Following the sign of Pau-tau-co-to, who thus proved himself
a warrior of high degree, were placed 20 headless figures-the number of Sioux he
had slain.
FINEST HOTEL IN THE WEST DURING CIVIL WAR DAYS WAS THE
BURTIS HOUSE AT FIFTH AND IOWA STREETS
Davenport once boasted of having the
finest hotel "in every respect superior to any other in the United
States." That was in 1858, and perhaps it was only a boast, but it was
certainly one of the finest in the West. It was noted for its elegance,
accommodation and beauty of structure."
The building extended 118 feet on Fifth street and 109 feet
on Iowa street, and had a dining room 39 by 81 feet, supported by "iron
columns and magnificently frescoed by Messrs. Paterson & Hildebrand."
The structure rose to a height of five stories including basement.
Hot and Cold Water.
A 35-horsepower engine in the basement and a Worthington pump
forced water to a tank in the fifth story from which in hot and cold jets it was
distributed to every hall in the house. The basement also contained a laundry
room, restaurant, billiard room, smoking room, and store rooms. Steam heat was
used for heating and cooking.
The dining room occupied the center of the main floor and was
lighted by means of a skylight. There were 150 sleeping rooms.
Dr. Burtis himself designed the structure assisted by
Mesrs. Underwood & Cochran and a Mr. Carroll. The eminent doctor had a
reputation with travelers for "those gentlemanly and hospitable attentions
that end so much to lessen the discomfort of travel and to ameliorate the
hardships of absence from home."
Frank Kendrick was assistant manager of the hotel. Frank was
undoubtedly the most suave of managers-except of course, for Dr. Burtis himself.
"To all who know him, " one man said, "nothing need be said in
regard to his qualifications; to others it need merely be said that he is- a
gentleman."
The Chef Extraordinary.
William Coulter was the man who made the old Burtis house
famous all over the United States thru his cooking. In fact, so great was the
improvement in the preparation of the food when he returned to the kitchen after
an absence of a few months that The Democrat spoke glowingly on the following
day, July 2, 1864.
"The boarders at the Burtis house were highly gratified
yesterday at the change of the order of affairs in the culinary department.
There was such a sudden change in the style of cooking that an inquiry was at
once instituted to ascertain the cause. The investigation resulted in bringing
out the fact that the old time and popular Burtis cook-William Coulter-was back
at his post again. Mr. Coulter is one of the best cooks in the country. He was
with the Burtis house from its opening until last spring when he left for a
while. He commands in the kitchen and the public will have the return of those
splendid dinners such as he along knows how to place upon the table."
Previous to coming to the Burtis, Mr. Coulter had made the
LeClaire house noted for its cuisine. He had come to Davenport from Chicago in
1858 and previous to that time had been chef of the Collamore and Globe hotels
of New York, the National at Washington and a number of leading Chicago hotels.
Burtis Once a Dentist.
Dr. J.J. Burtis had been a dentist before he came West from
New York, his native state, and settled in Missouri; but did not seem to enjoy
the profession. He is described as a fine looking man with raven black hair and
a black mustache.
Tho one of the most public-spirited citizens in the history
of Davenport and at one time one of the wealthiest, Dr. Burtis had but $5,000
when he left the city to engage in the hotel business in Topeka, where he
purchased the Taft house, a center of political gathering in the state. Here he
made a success of his venture. Dr. Burtis was born May 27, 1811, and died at
Topeka, July 19, 1883, his funeral being one of the largest ones ever held there
under Masonic aupsices.
TWO THOUSAND DAVENPORTERS MARCH IN HISTORIC PERSONAL LIBERTY PARADE.
Now that Davenport is a clean city the name
of the Civic Federation has been almost forgotten. But 15 years ago or rather
from its birth in 1907 on for some nine years the name of Civic Federation was
on the tongue of every Davenporter.
So strong were the vice powers organized that when the
clean-up movement was formed it was secretly organized. This was in December of
1907. This organization demanded the strict enforcement of the mulct law and won
out only after a hard fight during which many saloons were closed, many
violators were prosecuted and hard feelings between the law enforcement and
wide-open town elements were engendered.
The German press was particularly hostile to the Civic
Federation and dubbed the "Civic Degeneration."
During the entire period of its existence, the meetings were
held in secret and its officers and membership were unknown. Rev. W. H. Blancke
was its active head and H.B Betty its attorney. Every effort was made by the
liberal element of the city to ascertain the identity of its members, but to no
avail. A number of leading citizens were looked upon with suspicion and boycotts
were started against their place of business.
On March 9, 1908, the Federation issued an ultimatum to the
saloon keepers of Davenport giving them until March 14 to rearrange their places
of business to comply with the mulct law and after that date to comply with all
its requirements. That year, 86 saloons were put out of business.
"Personal Liberty" Parade.
During this time occurred the famous "Personal
Liberty" parade, participated in by 2000 marchers. The procession
terminated with a mass meeting in Washington square. Here a number of leading
citizens made speeches attacking the mulct law and the Civic Federation.
This outward display of protest instead of intimidating the
Civic Federation as hoped by the promoters appeared only to stir them to further
and more decided action. They brought outside parties to the city to spy on the
saloon keepers and gather evidence against all violators.
It was after the trial of a case in July, 1908, that one of
those spy witnesses, William Schoenig of Muscatine, was assaulted on Main
street, and was saved from great bodily harm only by the timely arrival of the
police. The attacking party escaped and were never apprehended. Three other
witnesses, all boys who had gathered evidence against Jack McPartland, were
arrested in Rock Island on a warrant issued in Davenport charging them with
perjury. Attorney Betty on behalf of the Civic Federation secured their release
on a habeas corpus procedure.
Some time later, McPartland, thru Attorney Walter H.
Petersen, filed a suit for $50,000 damages against the Civic Federation, its
officers and members, alleging they were in conspiracy to ruin his business.
This suit was looked upon more in the nature of an attempt to "smoke
out" the membership. It contained a prayer to the court asking that the
defendants named be required to answer certain questions the main of which was,
"Who are the members of the Civic Federation and what amount has each
contributed to the fund?" The request was never sustained by the court and
the suit was later dismissed without being called to trial.
Efforts were being made to entice Attorney Betty to Rock
Island on phony telephone calls, presumably to give the gang a chance to beat
him up and at another time he learned of a well defined plot to kidnap him in an
auto. He received hundreds of threatening letters, but passed thru the entire
crusade without being harmed.
As rapidly as cases were made out, injunction proceedings
were started against violators of the mulct law. The decree entered required the
defendants to live up to the letter of the law, and a violation was regarded as
not only a violation of the mulct law, but brought the defendant also in
contempt of court.
Many citizens arose in their might and declared the campaign
on the Federation to be one of persecution, not prosecution. A committee of
leading business men, after injunctions had been taken out against Turner hall,
Schetzen park, Suburban island, Washington garden, etc., met representatives of
the Civic Federation at the Commercial club and asked for a more lenient
enforcement of the mulct law. The request was denied. Previous to this
conference, a petition signed by a thousand citizens making the same request of
the Federation was ignored by that body.
During the height of the prosecutions, the various breweries
served notice on all saloon keepers stating that inasmuch as many injunctions
and agreements were being violated the only safety for them was to abide by the
law. They therefore would refuse to sell to any saloon keeper who refused to
respect the mulct law.
Fourteen saloons in the country outside of incorporated towns
and therefore in prohibition territory were ordered closed by the Federation.
The St. Julien and Kaiserhof hotels were put out of commission by reason of the
lawlessness governing their managements.
Famous "Sappy" Rink Case.
A test case was started against a saloon keeper by the name
of Charles (Sappy) Rink during the month of February 1909 for re-engaging in the
saloon business. Rink did only what all of the saloon keepers were doing
under like conditions. They would comply anew with all of the provisions of the
mulct law within their power. The Civic Federation contended that they could not
do this under the same general statement of consent under which they had been
enjoined. Judge Bollinger held with the contention of the Federation and Rink
was held to be in contempt of court and sent to jail upon failure to pay a fine
of $200.
Upon the strength of this ruling by the district court, the
Federation issued a statement that all saloonkeepers who had been enjoined and
were found in business by May 1, 1909, would be prosecuted for contempt of
court, and that the owners of the buildings occupied by such saloon keepers
would be proceeded against for contempt. All the enjoined saloon keepers quit
business. About 23 of the places opened up under a new management. Thereupon
contempt proceedings were brought against the owners of these places. The Rink
case was carried to the supreme court by the liquor interests, and the decision
of Judge Bollinger was reversed, which resulted in all of the above contempt
cases being dismissed. The attorney for the Federation argued the Rink case
before the supreme court on a petition for a rehearing which was refused.
A test suit was brought in the district court to test the
legality of the new general statement of consent that was secured in the city of
Davenport in June, 1909. Judge Bollinger decided in favor of the legality of the
new statement of consent.
The 300 Foot Limit.
After practically all the provisions of the mulct law had
been put into force by the Civic Federation, there remained one clause that it
was believed would be overlooked by them. This was the closing of all saloons
and bars within 300 feet of churches, cemeteries and school buildings. But in
this belief the sympathizers reckoned wrongly.
The Federation thru its attorney finally took action on this
clause and demanded its enforcement. In the neighborhood of a dozen places were
affected by it, principally the Commercial club, and the Hotel Davenport. The
former installed the locker system and the hotel escaped the deadline by
changing its bar entrance from Main street to the alley. In order to permit of
this change it was necessary to have the city council alter the alley into a
street and it is now known as Library avenue. Previously it had been designated
Pretzel alley.
HOW DAVENPORT PIONEERS MADE THEIR LOG CABINS: CUSTOMS OF
EARLY DAYS
After the Davenport pioneer of the
early days made his long, arduous journey from the east, he found that the job
of becoming an "old settler" was perhaps not so easy as he had
anticipated. One of the biggest tasks was that of erecting a suitable
habitation.
Selecting a location, the pioneer would all together as
many of his neighbors as were available and have a "house raising."
Trees of uniform size had been chosen and cut into logs of the desired length,
generally 12 to 15 feet, and hauled to the site of the future dwelling.
Each end of every log was saddled, and notched so that
they would lie as close down as possible; the next day the proprietor would
proceed to "chink" and "dash" the cabin to keep out the
rain, wind and cold. The house had to be redaubed every fall, as the rains of
the intervening time would wash out a great part of the mortar.
Cabin 8 Feet High.
The usual height of the house was seven or eight feet. The
gables were formed by shortening the logs gradually at each end of the building
near the top. The roof was made by laying very straight small logs or stout
poles suitable distances apart, and on these were laid the clapboards, somewhat
like shingling, generally about two and a half feet to the weather. These
clapboards were fastened to their place by "weight poles"
corresponding in place with the joists just described and these again were held
in their place by "runs" or "knees" which were chunks of
wood about 18 or 20 inches long fitted between them near the ends.
Clapboards were made from the finest oaks in the vicinity, by
chopping or sawing them into four foot blocks and riving these with a frow,
which was a simple blade fixed at right angles to its handles. This was driven
into the blocks of wood by a mallet. As the frow was wrenched down thru
the wood, the latter was turned alternately over from side to side, one end
being held by a forked piece of timber.
How Chimney Was Made.
The chimney to the Davenport pioneer's cabin was made by
leaving in the original building a large open place in one wall, or by cutting
one after the structure was up, and by building on the outside from the ground
up a stone column, or a column of sticks and mud, the sticks being laid up
cob-house fashion. The fireplace thus made was often large enough to receive
firewood six to eight feet long. Sometimes this wood, especially the "back
log" would be nearly as large as a saw log. The more rapidly the pioneer
could burn up the wood in his vicinity, the sooner he had his little farm
cleared and ready for cultivation.
For a window, a piece about two feet long was cut out of one
of the wall logs, and the hole closed, sometimes by glass, but generally with
greased paper. Even greased deer-hide was sometimes used. A doorway was cut thru
one of the walls if a saw was to be had; otherwise the door would be left by
shortened logs in the original building. The door was made by pinning clapboards
to two or three wood bars, and was hung upon wooden hinges. A wooden latch, with
catch, then finished the door, and the latch was raised by anyone on the outside
by pulling a leather string. For security at night the latch string was drawn
in; but for friends and neighbors, and even strangers, the "latch string
was always hanging out" as a welcome.
The "Mantel"
In the interior of the cabin over the fireplace would be a
shelf, called "the mantel" on which stood the candlestick or lamp,
some cooking and table ware, possibly an old clock, and other articles; in the
fireplace would be the cane, sometimes of iron, sometimes of wood; on it the
pots were hung for cooking; over the door, in forked cleats, hung the ever
trustful rifle and powder horn; in one corner stood the larger bed for the
"old folks" and under it the trundle bed for the children; in another
stood the old fashioned spinning wheel, with a smaller one by its side; in
another the heavy table, the only table, of course, that there was in the house;
in the remaining was a rude cupboard holding the table ware, which consisted of
a few cups and saucers and blue edged plates, standing singly on their edges
against the back to make the display of table furniture more conspicuous, while
around the room were scattered a few splint-bottom or Windsor chairs, and two or
three stools.
These simple cabins were inhabited by a kind and true hearted
people. They were strangers to mock modesty and the traveler seeking lodging for
the night, or desirous of spending a few days in the community, was always
welcome, altho how they were disposed of at night the reader might not easily
imagine; for, as described, a single room was made to answer for kitchen, dining
room, sitting room, bedroom, and parlor, and many families consisted of six or
eight members.
SAU-NE-NUK THE HOME OF A FAMOUS CHIEF, WHERE BLACK HAWK
LIVED IN BARK HOUSE AND RULED ROOST.
Sau-ke-nuk, Black Hawk's town, was
nearly four miles south of Rock Island city, and one mile west of the Milan
bridge, on the north side of the Sinasipi or Rock river at the yellow sand bank.
It was said to number about 2,000 people, which was a large estimate. Many
families had bark houses made by setting poles in the ground, then running small
poles along, lashed to these posts with rawhide things, then siding up and
covering with elm bark. This elm bark siding was procured by the squaws in the
spring.
They would cut thru the bark to the wood of the tree, and
then again would split and open the bark straight downward from one cut to the
other, and then pull it off clear around the tree. This would given an unbroken
strip of bark seven feet high and nine feet wide from a tree three feet in
diameter; and this sides up very rapidly.
Black Hawk's residence was built of bark. It was about 16 by
20 feet, with the doorway at the east end. His bed stood in the northwest
corner. It was made by setting a forked-post in the ground at the southeast
corner, of the bed and then carrying poles from the fork to the cross pieces
that held the siding of the house. Then small sticks were laid across the frame
work thus formed, which made the foundation for the matting, skins, etc. The
opening for the door was usually closed with a hung blanket, tho sometimes a
rush matting or a large skin was used.
This house was close to the bank of the Rock river. A large
majority of the houses were wickiups, constructed by setting willow poles in the
ground in a circle, then bending them together into a rounded shape near seven
feet high in the middle. They were then covered with matting made of rushes
woven closely together a yard wide.
An opening was left in the top for the escape of smoke. The
fire was made on the ground in the center of the wickiup. Another opening was
left for a doorway, closed with a blanket. Matting, hides and dressed robes were
placed all about for sitting and lying. The cooking utensils were mostly of
sheet iron. Spoons were wooden ladles, and there were large and small wooden
bowls, some quite prettily ornamented. Their mode of cooking was, of course,
very different from ours.
Indians Move from Wigwam to Pesthouse.
The Indians confined at Camp McClellan are dying off fast.
There are about 250 left and 50 of these are in the hospital and pesthouse.
Smallpox has got among them and it is thinning them out rapidly. About 20 have
been sent to the pesthouse within a week..---The Democrat, March 11, 1864.
MERCY HOSPITAL WHERE SCIENCE PROTECTS LIFE
OPENED BY CHICAGO SISTERS IN 1869, IT HAS GROWN IN POWER THRUOUT THE YEARS
Mercy Hospital, founded in 1869, is the
pioneer institution of its kind in this section of the country. At the time of
its opening, 55 years ago, it was the only institution outside of a hospital at
St. Louis, west of the Mississippi river.
Prior to 1869 the only public relief for the sick and injured
was transferred to the Poor Farm, four miles out in the country in an open
wagon.
The pauper charges of Scott county and the insane of the
community were crowded together, and conditions were deplorable. The officials,
and especially the Scott County Board of Supervisors, were intensely interested
in the adoption of plans for the betterment of existing conditions. Several
plans had been offered and had later been rejected.
Appeal to Sisters.
One evening in September, 1869, while G.H. Watkins, county
overseer of the poor, was attempting to formulate a better system for the care
of indigent insane and other charges of the county, he decided to appeal to the
Catholics.
Calling upon J. McMonomy, Mr. Watkins explained the plans and
asked if there was not a possibility of persuading the Sisters of Mercy of
Chicago to establish a hospital in Davenport.
A meeting was held at St. Anthony's church and the matter was
given further consideration, in the minutes of the board of supervisors of
October 13, 1869, the following words are recorded:
"Mr. Watkins on the Committee of the Poor reports that
the Sisters of Mercy are willing to open an institution and include in their
plans the care of the poor and insane of Scott County; the general purpose of
the institution to include the care of every class of suffering and sick except
contagion."
Building Provided.
Negotiations between the county officials and the Sisters of
Mercy of Chicago provided that suitable facilities for the establishment of a
hospital should be provided. At that time a Sisters' Academy was located at the
west edge of the city, on the site now occupied by Mercy Hospital. This building
had been erected 14 years previous to 1869. It was now vacant and in sad need of
repairs.
The Board secured permission to convert the building into a
hospital, providing that it should be used for no other purpose than the care of
the sick. Before establishing the hospital the Sisters insisted that at least 10
patients be secured and a loan of $2,000 be secured from Scott county.
Hospital Opened.
The necessary pledges were forthcoming and in November, six
Sisters of Mercy from Chicago arrived in Davenport and assumed charge of the
work of renovating and overhauling the building preparatory to he opening of the
hospital proper. This was soon accomplished and on December 8, the doors were
opened to admit the first patients.
Active in the establishment of the hospital were Dr. Peck,
who had served as an army surgeon during the Civil war; Miss Fejervary; Mrs.
Mitchell; Rev. Father Palamoges, and numerous others who gave liberally not only
of their money but of their time as well. Rev. Mother Borromeo was the first
Mother Superior in charge of the hospital. She passed away several years ago,
and here remains repose beneath a memorial in the rear of the present Mercy
hospital.
The first candidate to join the band of Sisters was
Sister Mary Catherine, who is still living at the hospital and is active despite
her years of unrequited toil among the sick and the needy of the community.
First Year's Work.
During the first year of its existence, Mercy hospital cared
for 76 patients, both general and insane. When the hospital was first opened, a
medical board was formed by the foundress, Reverend Mother Borromeo, assisted by
Dr. Peck. Dr. O.C. Rundy was elected president and Dr. C.S. Maxwell, secretary.
Drs. Maxwell and Greggs comprised the consulting board. The following were
members of the attending board: Drs. W.F. Peck, G. Hoekfner, J. McCourtney, W.A.
Hasford ,W.D. Middleton, and D.C. Roundy, and Henry Braunlich who was for five
years a member of the board and is still active in the work of the hospital.
Immediately after the organization of the hospital the
private hospital operated by Drs. Henry and Carl Matthey and others, closed its
doors and turned their effects to the Sisters.
Cholera Epidemic.
In September, 1877, cholera swept down on the little city of
Davenport like a fog in the night, snuffing out the lives of hundreds of human
beings.
The board of health was hastily reorganized and public
measures adopted to combat the plague, Judge James Grant came to the rescue of
the stricken city and secured rooms for an emergency hospital. In less than five
hours after the opening, the hastily improvised hospital was filled with
patients. But who was there for care for them, to minister to their needs?
Unannounced by the blare of trumpets, at this crisis in the
history of the struggling city two Sisters appeared at the improvised hospital
and offered their services.
The Sisters remained in charge during the epidemic
ministering to the wants of sufferers, cheering them, soothing fevered brows,
and receiving the last messages to those who were about to pass into the Great
Beyond.
Growth of the Hospital.
Mercy hospital filled an urgent need in this pioneer
community, and its growth was rapid. Before the first year was at an end
additional quarters were necessary, and additions were built. From that day to
this the work has gone ahead; addition after addition has been erected, new
buildings planned and constructed until today the hospital ranks as one of the
best equipped in the country.
Accommodations are provided for approximately 200 patients in
the main hospital and for 200 in the buildings for the mentally afflicted.
The 76 general and mental patients of 1869 have increased to
4500 in 1923.
The Nurses' Home which was erected in 1919, is a model
building, accommodating 90 nurses.
Other Foundations.
From the local institution foundations have been sent out to
Iowa City, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and Marshalltown. In addition to
this work, the task of teaching others to carry on the work has been maintained
both here and elsewhere. In every emergency, whether of county or community-
during the Civil war, during the World war, in the cholera and the influenza
epidemics- Mercy hospital has hurried to the call of duty and humanity.
Mercy hospital is situated in the northwest part of the city,
just within the corporate limits. The building fronts on Lombard street, while
the spacious ground look out upon the rich farm lands and the scenic beauty of
the Mississippi bluffs. The site is not surpassed in point of beauty and
healthfulness. Apart from the noise of the city and yet partaking of all its
advantages, the location is ideal for hospital purposes.
The hospital embraces the most improved features of hospital
construction and equipment, and furnishes the best facilities for the care of
the sick.
On the first floor are located the hospital offices,
laboratories, pharmacy, rooms for resident physicians, medical library, record
room, operating and Doctors' consulting rooms.
The second, third and fourth floors are devoted mainly to
private rooms. Each floor, however, has four private wards, an auxiliary
pharmacy, diet kitchen, and a linen room aiding toward greater efficiency and
comfortable service.
There are four operating rooms each with its own equipment
for general surgery. Special operating rooms with special equipment are devoted
to eye, ear, nose, throat and genito-urinary surgery. Convenient to each
operating room are two surgical dressing rooms, instrument supply rooms and
complete modern sterilizing apparatus.
The Laboratories occupy eight rooms in the south of the first
floor. The equipment is the latest and best that can be obtained.
The Pharmacy is located on the first floor. It is well
stocked with all chemicals and pharmaceutical preparations that may be of
service in a large hospital. A Sister who is a Registered Pharmacist devotes her
time to the work of this department.
On each floor there are auxiliary medicine rooms supplied
with all the necessities for routine and emergency needs.
The Obstetrical Department to which the entire new wing of
the fourth floor is given is well equipped for efficient service in this special
branch of work.
In the Dietetic Department are prepared diets for the various
conditions of health and disease.
Training School for Nurses.
Mercy Hospital School for Nurses was established in 1895.
Since that time 240 nurses have received diplomas. Graduates
are in great demand and many of them are holding responsible positions as
Hospital and Training School Superintendents, Surgical Nurses, Visiting, Public
Health and Social Service Nurses thruout the United States.
The course of lectures is thorough, comprising all subjects,
medical, surgical, obstetrical, nervous and infectious, needed to complete a
nurses training.
The Training School is accredited by the State.
Religion.
The Training School is non-sectarian. There is no
interference with the religious convictions of the student. The school is
conducted by the Sisters of Mercy, hence it is Catholic in its purpose and
atmosphere. The Nurses, pupil and graduate, enjoy the blessing of an annual
triduum- a pleasure looked forward to and a source of much spiritual good.
Catholic Nurses are to hear Mass in the Hospital Chapel on Sundays and holy
days; it is the custom to receive Holy Communion on Sundays and on the first
Friday of every month.
Officers of Mercy Hospital are Rev. Mother Mary Gertrude,
directress; Sister Mary De Pazzi, superintendent of the hospital; Sister Mary
Loretto, superintendent of the nurses school.
Officers of the Hospital Staff are Dr. A.B. Kuhl, president;
Dr. B. Schmidt, secretary; Dr. R.R. Kulp, treasurer.
The executive committee is composed of Dr. F. Neufeld, Dr.
W.E. Foley, Dr. L. Kornder, Dr. O.A. Dahms, Dr. O.R. Voss.
ST. VINCENT'S ORPHANAGE FOUNDED BY SISTERS OF HUMILITY HERE
IN 1895,
NOW HOME OF 125 BOYS AND GIRLS.
Among Davenport philanthropie and
charitable institutions there are few closer to the hearts of the people that
St. Vincent's orphanage. The reason for this is, no doubt, to be found in the
fact that St. Vincent's is a real home.
This worthy and charitable institution was established in
1895. It was first located on the northwest corner of Fifteenth street and Grand
avenue. The Sisters of the Humility of Mary, whose mother house is located in
Ottumwa, Ia., were invited by Bishop Cosgrove to take charge of the young
institution. Four sisters, with Mother Vincent in charge, took up the laudable
work. In less than a year it was apparent to all the friends of the growing
institution that more commodious quarters were necessary if St. Vincent's were
to meet the demands made upon it.
In 1896, under the immediate supervision of Bishop Cosgrove,
property- about ten acres- was purchased on North Gaines street where St.
Vincent's home now stands. An appeal for funds was sent out and in an incredibly
short time the bishop and sisters were able to erect a substantial three story
brick building that was to serve the needs of the home for some years. The pew
St. Vincent's was opened, Nov. 2 1897. At that time 35 children were cared for
by four sisters.
Bishop Cosgrove Officiates.
This was indeed a happy day for the friends of the struggling
institution. On the occasion of the solemn dedication Bishop Cosgrove
officiated. Addresses were made by the Hon. S.F. Smith, mayor of Davenport, and
the Very Rev. Thomas Machin, pastor of St. Joseph's church, Rock Island. Music
was furnished by Strasser's band and the Orion quartet composed of Messrs.
Brown, Kelly, Huot and Johnson. Articles of incorporation were filed Oct. 31,
1897, and the trustees of the home were Mother Angeline, Mother Vincent and
Mother Joseph- all Sisters of Humility. Mother Angeline passed away May 10,
1903. The other trustees are still living and actively engaged in the work of
the community at the mother house in Ottumwa, Ia.
Now 125 Children.
At the present time St. Vincent's home is caring for 125
children. Eight Sisters of Humility are in charge under the direction of Sister
Visitation. In 1902 it was found necessary to enlarge the building to more than
twice the original size. From time to time more property was acquired. Today,
St. Vincent's has a thoroly modern building fully equipped with all modern
conveniences; 60 acres of land; barns; chicken house; fruit trees; drives and
other equipment necessary for the successful operation of the home.
In 1907 an up-to-date laundry was installed under the
direction of F.J. Lewis, now of Chicago. A few years ago extensive improvements
were made at an expenditure of $20,000. These much needed improvements were made
possible by the munificient legacy left to St. Vincent's by the late Mr. and
Mrs. W.J. Dittoe.
In March, 1917, the articles of incorporation were amended.
According to these amended articles the members of the corporation shall be the
bishop of Davenport and the vicar general by virtue of their positions, and
three priests of the diocese of Davenport. The present directors are Rt. Rev.
James Davis, Very Rev. J.T.A. Flannagan, V.G., Very Rev. A.H. Schoeningh, Rev.
R.J. Renihan and Rev. C.J. Donahue. The officers of the corporation are:
President, James Davis, bishop of Davenport; vice president J.T. A. Flannagan,
V.G.; secretary and treasurer, C.J. Donohue.
Sister Ignatus' Work.
No sketch of St. Vincent's would be complete without special
mention pictures, auto rides, and other by the late lamented Sister Ignatus.
From the founding of the institute to the day of her death, Dec. 7, 1907, during
those struggling years, this true servant of God worked early and late to make
St. Vincent's a real home for the children committed there. To the orphan and
friendless she was a mother and when she died at the post of duty the children
in the home and all others who knew her broad charity and kindness felt they had
lost the truest of friends.
Besides looking after the bodily needs of the children, St.
Vincent's home conducts a regularly graded school. Physically, mentally and
morally, the children committed to St. Vincent's receive every attention to make
them grow up as worthy members of the church and loyal citizens of the state.
During the years of its existence St. Vincent's home has
taken care of 1500 children. Almost 1000 of these have been returned to friends
or relatives. Good homes have been found for those whose relatives have passed
away. But t?? children died at the home. This is certainly a remarkable record
and is a fine tribute to the self-sacrificing work of the devoted sisters
charge.
On account of the ever increasing number of children that
seek a home at St. Vincent's the institution is badly in need of a suitable
contagious hospital. Besides the hospital a gymnasium should also be erected.
With this gymnasium there should be installed more play ground apparatus. The
needs of the home appeal to those anxious to bring sunshine and happiness into
the lives of our less fortunate children.
The Sunshine club of Davenport, a non-sectarian organization,
contributes materially to the well being of the home by furnishing motion
pictures, auto rides and other forms of amusement.
LADIES' INDUSTRIAL RELIEF SOCIETY HARKS BACK TO THE
BENEVOLENT DAYS OF '49. FUNCTIONED DURING CIVIL WAR AS SOLDIERS' RELIEF--GREW
INTO AN ORGANIZATION FOR MORAL, SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL UPLIFT OF HELPLESS WOMEN.
There is probably no older society in
Davenport than the Ladies' Industrial Relief, which had its beginning as the
Ladies' Benevolent society about 1849 and grew into the Soldiers' Relief Society
during the Civil war.
In its present form, the Ladies' Industrial Relief opened its
home Oct. 1, 1892. The home was made possible thru the liberality of Davenport
citizens, notably the philanthropic Nicholas Kuhnen, whose bequest formed a
large part of the fund.
It was a group of devoted women who banded together for
benevolent work and labored with self-denial to aid an comfort the soldiers in
the field during the dark days of the Civil war standing ready when the need for
such work no longer existed for war work to do any humane task. In 1869,
actuated by a desire to improve the moral, social and spiritual condition of
helpless women, the ladies of the society decided to provide and maintain a home
for these unfortunates.
At the Ladies' Christian association, they organized and
adopted a constitution on April 24, 1869. Soon afterward, thirty ladies pledged
their influence to the cause. They made an earnest effort to secure and maintain
a home, rented and furnished a building on the corner of Ripley and Fifth
streets, and welcomed a number of homeless women in a place of refuge until they
could take care of themselves.
Despite all effort, however, the members were obliged to
close their home on Dec. 1, 1869, for want of material support and the furniture
was sold to pay off the indebtedness that had been incurred. The indomitable
spirit of the society remained inactive but a short time, however, for the
Chicago fire of 1871 was a bugle note to which they responded with all the zeal
of war times.
This activity performed, the society rested until the autumn
of 1872, when a new impulse and a new direction were given by the thought of
Mrs. James Armstrong, who in her care for the poor found more than she could do
unaided and called a meeting of the ladies of the Sixth ward to propose that
they organize for relief work.
Learning of this, the ladies who had previously held
membership in the Soldiers' Relief and Christian association of 1869 asked that
the plan of work be enlarged to cover the needs of the whole city. This met with
a ready response, and a call was issued to all women of the city thru the
Y.M.C.A.. The result was the new form of organization known as the Ladies'
Christian Auxiliary to the Y.M.C.A., the object being to relive the wants of the
city's poor.
Open Industrial School.
By change of constitution in 1876, the connection with the
Y.M.C.A. was discontinued but the object remained the same. Then in 1878 a
change was made in the method of helping the poor and the industrial school was
begun. The first department opened was the sewing school for girls of needy
families, to which in 1887 a cooking school was added.
The name was changed at this time to indicate the scope of
the work, and on Dec. 31, 1886, it was voted to be known as the Ladies'
Industrial Relief Society. As such, the society has since stood as one of
Davenport's most useful charitable organizations. Miss Phoebe Sudlow, in whose
honor the East Intermediate school was recently named, was one of the members,
and served as president for many years.
Present Activities.
In the Ladies Industrial Relief Home on Sixth street between
Main and Brady, the poor woman can do her washing with appliances, soap, hot
water-everything necessary-without cost. Here her children are cared for out of
school hours, those too young to go to school are cared for all day while the
mother goes to work. Warm, nourishing food is given to the children, and mothers
are instructed as to how to care for their families with greater efficiency.
Clothing is furnished, and hundreds of Christmas diners are sent out annually.
Girls have been helped thru school by the society.
In one respect the Ladies' Industrial Relief is unique among
Davenport organizations. Never has it conducted a drive. The society is
supported by voluntary contributions which, with the endowment fund, carry on
the work.
Cases Cared For.
The Industrial Relief's object is a constructive family
welfare work, to relieve distress, to promote self-support, and to raise the
standards of home life. The society maintains relief, free employment, day
nursery, and juvenile protective departments.
Among the cases cared for are those of non-resident families
in the county less than a year, transient families, and resident families.
Emergency visits are made when destitute families are unable to call at the
office, and relief is given when needed until the proper organization can be
notified. In the case of family problems, the cooperation of relatives is
enlisted in supplying relief. Other organizations are asked to assist in
removing causes of distress as rapidly as possible and promoting a wholesome
family life.
The Nursery.
The day nursery provides for children of families whose
mother is obliged to work or thru illness or other unfortunate circumstances in
the home is unable to give the proper care. The nursery helps keep such families
together and instructs the heads in proper care for the children and developes a
sense of responsibility as parents. The nursery also assists in the normal
development of the children.
The nursery is open five days a week, Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and is closed on
legal holidays. No distinction is made in respect of nationality, race or
religion, and children from the age of 1 month thru school age are cared for.
Noon meals and lunches are furnished and kindergarten children are taken to and
from school by a nurse.
The free employment bureau furnishes day work for women, such
as laundry work and cleaning, odd jobs for men and boys.
The cases dealth with include school truancy, illegitimacy,
neglected children, extended constructive work for young people, cases referred
by other agencies, delinquency problems of juvenile offenders to the age of 18
years, underprivileged children needing social contracts and correspondence
investigations of outside agencies.
Trustees of the Industrial Relief.
Mrs. C.A. Ficke, president.
Mrs. G.H. Ficke, secretary.
Mrs. J.W. Watzek, treasurer.
Mrs. Nathaniel French.
Mrs. J.A. Crawford.
Mrs. W.H. Kimball.
G. Warren French.
Wm. H. Kern.
Frank D. Throop.
G.M. Bechtel.
S.A. Sahem?
Mr. Mary Ravenhill Dopp, general secretary.
NURSE SERVICE A BOON TO THE COUNTY'S SICK
Splendid Record Achieved by This Department of County Welfare
The Scott County Nursing Service was
organized under the auspices of the Davenport Chapter American Red Cross during
the summer of 1919. In November the work was begun in the Rural Schools of the
County. It was financed by the Red Cross the first year-then jointly by Red
Cross and Scott County Tuberculosis funds. Since July 1921 the work has
been financed by the Board of Supervisors.
The County Nursing Service has free use of the Visiting
Nurse clinics and clinics have been held in various parts of the country-but the
greatest work along this line was the 10 Sheppard-Towner Clinics held recently
where 137 mothers were advised and 204 children examined. Plans are completed
for each town in the county to have a clinic during the summer.
The work in the County is largely educational being
carried on in the schools thru the Modern Crusade which is teaching positive
health and keeping record of health chores performed. It has been organized in
all of the schools in the County, altho not in operation in every school today
but the benefits are very noticeable where the rules are followed.
For the last 3 years several schools have won national
honors by their efforts so we now have several national banners and pennants and
feel we have had a big part in keeping the Silver Cup in Iowa.
The Hot School Lunch has been served in various schools
with great advantage to both pupils and teacher.
Health talks have been given to adult groups- and
nursing care and instruction given in homes-where requested.
During this time 1007 visits have been made to 659
schools, 14,189 children observed-3156 defects found-950 corrections made-732
homes visited-308 meetings attended.
Miss Grace Van Evers, Scott county rural nurse, has
reason to be proud of her work among the sick. She is known to hundreds of
children and their parents as the "good angel" who never fails to come
when needed.
MODERN HOSPITAL CITY'S BEST PROTECTION
GROWTH OF ST. LUKE'S PROOF OF ITS WORTH
School of Nursing Graduates Most Capable in the Profession.
NEW WING IS NEEDED
Latest Scientific Developments Incorporated in Hospital
St. Luke's hospital's phenomenal growth
is not the result of an unusual number of disabilities among the inhabitants of
the community, for the patients cared for in this institution include many from
other cities besides Davenport.
Almost before a year had passed in the new building at 1228
High street, it was seen that another wing would be necessary, and this will
probably be added in the near future.
It was away back in 1894 that the hospital was established
thru the efforts of Davenport physicians and officials of the Episcopal diocese,
the first building being in the old Newcomb home at the corner of Main and
Eighth streets. It grew from the start and additional quarters were soon added.
The new building on East high street was completed in 1918,
and has continued to occupy a prominent position among the leading institutions
of its kind in the Tri-Cities.
The excellent care and treatment of patients is the result of
the policy adopted by the trustees and superintendent, Miss I. Craig-Anderson,
of adhering to a high standard of equipment and proficiency in the nursing
personnel. Many Davenporters are not aware that each member of the school of
nursing receives four months of special work at the University of Iowa, and that
at the hospital the school is under the strict supervision of the
superintendent. So highly are its graduates esteemed that they may by
examination become registered nurses in the state.
The course is both scientific and practical and in order to
conserve the pupil a large amount of theoretical work has been planned for the
preliminary course. The teaching is done by trained instructors including
doctors and nurses of the staff.
The excellent treatment received by the student nurses has
resulted in a flood of applications for entrance to the school, more than can be
accommodated. The students receive an allowance more than covering the cost of
books, uniforms, shoes, and other incidentals; they reside in a beautiful
residence adjacent to the hospital building; and are kept from drudgery that has
no place in nursing routine. Furthermore, a vacation of three weeks annually is
given to the students.
Wonderful Equipment.
One of the things that impress visitors to the institution is
the absence of disinfectant odors common to the hospitals. Nothing but soap and
water is used as a cleansing agent so fare as floors and furniture and walls are
concerned. The sick-room atmosphere, so depressing in most instances, is
conspicuously absent.
Immaculateness is evident at every turn in St. Luke's. And
the pleasant personality of the staff from superintendent down to the newest
nurse is not unnoticed by visitors. The rooms are large, light and airy, and the
color of the walls is such as to make them restful to the eye. There are no
glaring white walls except in the operating rooms. The class room for the school
of nursing is beautifully situated on the top floor.
Sun porches and a solarium on the roof add to the excellent
treatment by the nursing staff that natural therapy which has been recognized as
the greatest of all in convalescence. The building itself is in the center of a
large tract of land, large enough to furnish space for a huge garden from which
fresh vegetables are taken daily as one of the food sources of the institution.
Many Innovations.
In new scientific apparatus, St. Luke's is always interest,
and devices of recognized worth are in many instances purchased and used here
for the first time in the Tri-Cities. The baby necklace, for instance, which is
now being acclaimed as the greatest of all identification systems for infants in
hospitals, was used by St. Luke's a year ago. Before the baby is born a necklace
containing the beads spelling out the surname of the new arrival is place in the
basket containing the instruments for the obstetrician after being shown to the
mother to assure her that there will be no mix-up in babies.
Another device adopted early by St. Luke's is Dr. Abt's
breast pump on the obstetrical floor. Then, too, St. Luke's was the first
Tri-City hospital to use ethylene gas as an anaesthetic. In recent months it has
been administered quite frequently.
Obstetrical Department.
Babies are the most interesting things in the world, and
their arrival at St. Luke's hospital is anticipated with appropriate apparatus
of the latest type. The delivery room is modern in its equipment, and the
nursery with its rows of sleeping youngsters would be crowded continuously with
visitors if they were allowed to come in. As it is, they can peep thru the glass
partition, and smile as they watch Davenport's newest citizens peacefully
slumbering. Each is in a separate little bed or basket, where it spend its first
earthly hours for the most part in sleep. Occasionally one wakes up, gives a
cry, then goes back to sleep.
Great care is taken to keep the linen, beds, and other
equipment for the babies immaculate. Every morning each youngster is laid up on
a bath mat, where it receives a shower bath of the proper temperature. Cotton is
used in lieu of towels, and after such use is discarded. There is no possibility
of infection by this means. Every precaution is taken in order that babies may
get a proper start in the world.
One of the interesting sights in the hospital is a premature
baby, seven and a half months old, which occupies a room all by itself. This
baby's life was saved by incubation, the temperature being maintained in the
proper degree, and feeding is affected thru a stomach tube.
Surgery.
In its equipment the operating room of St. Luke's is not
surpassed in the Tri-Cities. Of course the four operating rooms are
spotless, light and airy. They constitute a suite on the top floor of the
building.
One of the precautions taken against shock in the case of
critical patients being removed to ????? from the operating room is the
stretcher with large, rubber-tired casters and rubber buffers on the edge. This
is the same height as the operating tables, expediting the removal of the
patient thereto.
All Steel Furniture.
In an effort to keep the hospital immaculate, the
superintendent and trustees recently decided to remove from the patients' rooms
all wooden furniture and replace it with the all-steel variety.
Fourteen rooms are being equipped with this all-steel
furniture. The beds are fitted with devices that permit the raising or lowering
by means of a crank either the head or foot of the bed. The bureaus and other
articles of furniture are likewise of steel, which can be washed with soap and
water thoroughly when the room has been vacated and a new patient is to be
received.
Labor Saving Devices.
In the department of cuisine as in other departments,
labor-saving devices are installed wherever possible. In the kitchen a giant
four-speed mixer performs the various functions of beating potatoes, dicing
vegetables, mixing creams, and slicing meats. A refrigerating plant in the
basement keeps the food in excellent condition and a large, well-stocked store
room contains food of the highest quality.
Crowded for Room.
So popular has St. Luke's hospital been that at times it has
been necessary for as many as four incoming patients to postpone the reception.
The superintendent has given up her apartment on three different occasions to be
used for those undergoing treatment and sun porches were for a time equipped
with beds in an effort to take care of the many who have chosen this institution
for treatment.
MEDICAL STAFF OF ST. LUKE'S
Dr. William L. Allen, Dr. F. Bendixen, Dr. W.G. Boyer, Dr. G. Braunlich, Dr. C.E.
Block, Dr. J.D. Cantwell, Dr. R. Carney, Dr. G.E. Decker, Dr. H. Decker, Dr. A.P.
Donahue, Dr. J. Dunn, Dr. A.W. Elmer, Dr. E.O. Ficke, Dr. W.E. Foley, Dr. W.C.
Goenne, Dr. L. Guldner, Dr. A.F. Hageboeck, Dr. J.T. Haller, Dr. G.F. Harkness,
Dr. S.G. Hands, Dr. R.R. Jameson, Ray Kulp, Dr. F. Lamp, Dr. F. Lambach, Dr. J.I.
Marker, Dr. D.J. McCarthy, Dr. C. Middleton, Dr. F. Neufeld, Dr. R.E. Peck, Dr.
J.E. Rock, Dr. W. REndleman, Dr. O.P. Sala, Dr. L.E. Shafer, Dr. Ben Schmidt,
Dr. P.A. Schroeder, Dr. W.F. Skelley, Dr. E.F. Strohbehn, Dr. K. Vollmer, Dr.
Lee Weber, Dr. G. Willie, Dr. Paul White.
Trustees and Managers of St. Luke's.
Trustees.
Right Rev. T.N. Morrison, president.
Dr. W.L. Allen, vice president.
C.M. Cochrane, secretary-treasurer.
Right Rev. Marmaduke Hare, Dr. George E. Decker, Dick R.
Lane, Joseph L. Hecht, Martin L. Parker, George White, Ira R. Tabor, Seth J.
Temple.
Board of Managers.
Mrs. J.A. Crawford, president.
Mrs. Nellie Whitaker, vice president.
Mrs. C.V. Dart, secretary.
Miss Lillie Preston, Mrs. J.W. Datzek, Mrs. Geo. W. French,
Mrs. Leopold Simon, Dr. Jennie McCowan, Mrs. J.L. Hecht, Mrs. Geo Decker, Mrs.
W.H. Rendleman, Mrs. Dick Lane, Dr. William Allen.
DRED SCOTT AND HIS OWNER ONCE RESIDED HERE
NEGRO GAVE NAME TO FAMOUS SUPREME COURT CASE ON SLAVERY.
Dr. John Emerson, owner of "Dred"
Scott, whose name gave title to one of the most famous and momentous decisions
ever handed down by the supreme court of the United States, once lived in
Davenport and practiced medicine here. He was familiar with many of the old
residents, having been their family physician.
The Dred Scott case became the most important slavery case
ever held in a U.S. court. The final decision meant a great deal to the negro.
It meant that if a negro went into free soil with his master and returned that
he was not a free negro.
Dred Scott, the negro, was also at one time a resident of
Davenport. The home of his master was where the Beck safe now stands. No doubt
Dred Scott was a well known figure in Davenport.
The remains of Doctor Emerson are buried in Davenport. He was
first buried in the LeClaire cemetery at the intersection of LeClaire and
Sixth streets. Later the body was removed to either the city or St. Mary's
Church yard cemetery.
An Important Case.
The case of Dred Scott is an interesting one and every school
child has read it. After Dred Scott returned to Missouri with his master,
Francis P. Blair, a rising young lawyer, who was interested in anti-slavery,
sought Dred Scott as a client. He wished to test the rights of slavery to
reclaim persons once on free soil.
After Dred Scott was whipped by Doctor Emerson, he had the
doctor arrested on assault and battery charge, claiming that he was a free man
and had that right. But since Dred Scott was not a citizen of the United States,
the charge had no effect.
While Doctor Emerson was serving his country as a surgeon to
the garrison on Rock Island the Black Hawk purchase carried him across the river
with other settlers who were homesteading on the new land. He built a
substantial home where now Beck's cafe now stands and entered a claim on the
banks of the Mississippi adjoining the claim of Antoine LeClaire. Since Dred
Scott was his slave, the doctor had him live on the land and fulfill the
requirements expected of him. Later the doctor sold the tract for $1,000.
The Dred Scott decision came in 1856 when Chief Justice
Taney was in office. It is one of the most lengthy of decisions and is one of
great interest.
Can't Be Citizen.
It reads in part: " A free Negro of the African race
whose ancestors were brought to this country and sold as slaves is not a
'citizen' within the meaning of the Constitution. According to the constitution
Dred Scott was not able to sue in that character.
The plaintiff himself acquired no title to freedom by being
taken to free territory and back to Missouri. A negro is not free of the owner
takes him to a state where slavery is not permitted, and afterwards back to
Missouri.
Action was brought for his freedom in circuit court of St.
Louis County, Missouri, where there was a verdict and judgment in his favor. On
a writ of error to the Supreme court of the state, the judgment was reversed,
and the case remanded to the district court."
Briefly in the following paragraphs is told the story of Dred
Scott and how he became involved in one of the most famous cases in the history
of our supreme court.
In the year 1834, Dred Scott, a negro slave, belonging to
Doctor Emerson, who was a surgeon in the army of the United States, came north
with his master. Doctor Emerson took Scott from the state of Missouri to a
military post in Rock Island, Illinois. Later to Fort Snelling, Minn., then
known as Upper Louisiana. He held Scott there until 1833.
It was in the year 1836 that Scott married a Negro woman by
the name of Harriet. They had two children, Eliza and Lizzie.
14th Amendment.
The decision of the supreme court remained a U.S. law until
the passing of the 14th amendment after the Civil war.
A story is told that at one time Dred Scott escaped from his
master and hid in a building on the outskirts of the town for several days.
"Nigger" runners who were working in Davenport then traced him and
delivered him to Doctor Emerson. While earning a title for his master's
homestead, however, Scott remained a faithful slave. It was the fact that he was
torn away from his loved ones that made him fight for freedom.
It was the fight and the audacity of the young attorney,
Blair, who was able to win Scott his freedom in the state of Missouri, only to
have the decision reversed by the supreme court. At that time pro and
anti-slavery politics played a great part in the government of our country. It
meant a great deal to slave owners if a Negro could go into Free Soil and become
a free man. But the Constitution of the United States was against them. The
framers had taken care of the slavery question until the passing of the 14th
amendment.
Just where Doctor Emerson's grave is located, no one seems to
know. It certainly would be a spot of national historic interest.
"ALWAYS ROOM AT THE TOP" THE MOTTO OF PAT WALSH,
ONE OF THE ABLEST OF DAVENPORT BUILDERS.
Cities are but men magnified; their
histories are definitely formed and their development as truly shaped by
characteristics and decided by simple events which controlled their destinies as
any man's. The glamour of their rise to high position and their accession of
power is no less wonderful than that of the individuals who make up the
municipality.
Few there were perhaps in LeClaire's day who dared to let
their imagination pierce the future but little more than three quarters of a
century away to visualize a city on the Mississippi with industries which
reached to all parts of the world, with buildings scarcely then conceived in the
minds of the builders in the civilization they had left. Even fewer, then were
there who in the activities about the French & Davies mill of the '66's saw
in the lad packing shingles at that plant, a bui8lder who in four decades was to
be so nationally known that the United States of America would invite him to bid
upon its first Panama canal project; few, too, of those who toiled in the
stone-yards at the Rock Island Arsenal a decade later would believe that before
their own span of life had finished, their fellow-worker, Patrick T. Walsh,
native of Davenport, was to direct railroad construction works throughout the
nation; handling contracts whose totals annually mounted into millions.
It seemed a far journey from a humble home and struggling
family of eight to dazzling pinnacle of command in the engineering world, but it
was Pat Walsh's journey and he accomplished it. No magic formula of success was
his; he held no Aladdin lamp to fortune.
"Success can be classified as that quality which prompts
the average individual to 'move up' as he enters a crowded street car," Pat
Walsh once explained. "About the entrance, the crowd huddles together
and the congestion is being gradually added to by the incoming passengers.
Finally, someone gets aboard whose disposition and temperament is to 'move up'
where there is more room and tho he bumps some of the passengers and gets
jostled himself, he reaches the place where there is more room and a better
atmosphere and really makes it more satisfactory for the crowd he passed on his
way to comfort."
"Moving Up" Always.
That was Pat's creed. His life exemplified the "moving
up" process. Those who caught his spirit moved along with him as
biographies of half a dozen of his associates can attest and they found him
quick to recognize the same quality in others that he himself possessed. No
little of his success in life can be attributed to his fidelity and keen
judgment of his aides. Men who proved their worth in his early years rose with
him to high position in the Walsh ranks.
Born March 17, 1855, of parents but lately come from County
Clare, Ireland, and settled in this community, he was one of a family of eight.
An elder, too, upon whom early fell some of the responsibilities of providing
for the home. Thus the summer when he was 11, Pat went into the world of wage
earners, a shingle packer and probably general errand boy. Two summers of this
and the next year found him carrying water for men engaged in the "Big
Cut" in West Davenport- his first association with railroad construction
gangs and the initial touch of the romance of the builders. Then the Rock Island
Arsenal was booming and for the lad who seemed destined to earn his livelihood
by the toil of his brow, the stonemason's art held promise of future sustenance.
For a decade he worked there.
In the '80s, tho, the men sought better working hours and in
the difficulties which ensued Walsh took an uncompromising stand. The men won
their contention. Their working conditions were adjusted to their satisfaction,
but Walsh, tho a victor in the fight- emerged defeated- a defeat which started
him on the high-road to wealth and prominence. He was not returned to the
Arsenal and his years of faithful service seemed to have been lost.
He didn't turn from his chosen occupation nor from his home.
With no financial backing and only such equipment he could assemble by his
limited means, he sought minor contracts, digging cellars, and similar
supplementary excavation jobs. But Pat had a line of action. He was in the crowd
at the entrance to life's reward and he determined to "move up."
Lands First Contract.
Cellar work led to sewer-drains and street improvement and
his field was gradually expanding until one happy day he landed a contract for
the "fill" on the Burlington right-of-way at Galva. That was a crucial
point in his life for from then on, Walsh Construction company, under various
names and in varied combinations, forged slowly to the front as a railroad
construction concern. On the Newer larger roads, the Walsh crews were
continuously employed.
Success of these later days never turned Pat's head. He was
ever thotful of the needy. His charity was broad and once he learned of a sick
or crippled youngster and their needs he never failed to remember them by
generous gift. His civic pride kept pace with his own charity. Institutions and
causes have occasion to remember his generosity as those of his aides who
advanced with their leader to important places.
In the construction field the Walsh interests were centered.
Later years brought a diversification of his enterprises. The Walsh Construction
company which was the development and focal point of all his engineering
activities represented the merger of half a dozen companies which had operated
under his controlling genius; the Blackhawk hotel will stand a monument to his
civic industry and pride as well as his art as a builder, the Sacred Heart
Cathedral, another of his local projects, was his particular pride.
So, this is the story of a boy who rode from water-carrier to
ride in his private car, who lost in victory and turned defeat to success, who
never failed to take note of faithful service and rewarded it, whose charity
grew as his means.
BATTLE OF CAMPBELL'S ISLAND OVER A CENTURY AGO
ONE OF FAMOUS LOCAL HISTORY EVENTS
Few of the Davenporters to whom
Campbell's Island is a familiar place realized that one of the most important
events of the city's history took place there when Lieutenant Campbell,
traveling up the river to Prairie Du Chien, was attacked by Indians under the
command of Chief Black Hawk.
The battle was one of the most exciting in the long
record of those early encounters, when the settlers warred with an unfriendly
race besides with the unfriendly elements.
Early in July, 1814, and expedition under the command
of Captain John Campbell, First United States infantry, left St. Louis and
proceeded to Prairie Du Chien to strengthen the garrison at that place. The
expedition, consisting of 42 regulars, 66 rangers and about 21 other persons,
including boatmen, women, and the sutler's establishment, went up the river in
three jeel-boats as far as Rock Island, near which place the expedition was
attacked by the Indians and nearly destroyed.
Expedition Reaches Rock Island.
Lieutenant Campbell commanded the boat with the regulars, and
Captain Stephen Rector and Lieutenant Riggs the other two barges manned by the
rangers. The expedition reached Rock Island in peace, but the Sac and Fox
Indians, in great numbers, swarmed around the boats while still professing
peace. The barge commanded by Rector was navigated by the French of Cahokia, who
were good sailors and soldiers. During the night while the boats lay still at
Rock Island, the Indians were making hollow professions of friendship. Many of
the French, knowing the Indians too well, informed Lieutenant Campbell of their
treachery. But the Lieutenant could not be convinced that the Indians were
anything but friendly. Not without reason were the fears of the French; the
Indians wanted them to leave the Americans and go home. They would squeeze the
hands of the French, pulling their hands down the river, indicating to leave.
The Indians disliked to fight their old friend the French.
"Campbell's Island"
When the fleet set sail in the morning the wind above Rock
Island blew so hard that Campbell's boat was forced on a lee shore and lodged on
a small island near the mainland known from this circumstance as
"Campbell's Island." Commanded by Black Hawk the Indians began an
attack on the boat as soon as it hit the shore. Ahead, the boats of Rector and
Riggs could see the smoke of the fire arms but could not hear the report of the
guns. The two ships returned to assist Campbell, but the wind was so high that
their barges were almost unmanageable; they were forced to anchor at some
distance from Campbell, unable to help him because the storm raged so severely.
Driven ashore by the wind, Campbell's men began cooking their
breakfast. But despite the sentinels that Campbell had placed out, the enemy
rushed in on them by the hundreds, killing many on the spot. The survivors took
rescue in the boat where, on and around it, the warriors kept up a continuous
attack until they succeeded setting the boat on fire.
Rector to the Rescue.
Campbell's men had almost ceased firing when Rector and his
men came to the rescue. The bottom of the burning boat was covered with the dead
and wounded; Campbell himself lay wounded in the midst of his dying men. Rector
and his men, unable to remain inactive spectators to the destruction of Campbell
and his men, had raised their anchor in a tempest of wind and in the face of
almost a thousand Indians, had imperiled their lives to rush to the scene of
action.
During the rest of the war in the west, no act of
daring and bravery surpassed the rescue of Campbell. The French rangers under
Rector were well acquainted with managing a boat in such a crisis, while neither
the commander nor his men lacked in chivalry and patriotism.
Rector's boat had first been lightened by casting
overboard quantities of provisions. Many of the crew then actually got out of
the boat into the water, and leaving the vessel between them and the fire of the
enemy, pushed their boat against the fire the entire distance to Campbell's
boat, which was in the possession of the Indians. Rector and his 40 men made a
steady advance until, forging their barge to the burning boat, they faced nearly
a thousand of the enemy and carried the wounded and living soldiers, together
with their commander, to safety.
Return to St. Louis.
By his superior knowledge of the management of a vessel, a
saltwater sailor by the name of Doadley did gallant service in the daring
enterprise.
Rector took all the live men from Campbell's boat into
his while his men, in the water, hauled their own boat out into the stream. The
Indians fasted on the abandoned boat of Campbell.
With his boat crowded with wounded and dying, Rector
rowed night and day until they reached St. Louis. The boat of Riggs was supposed
to have been captured by the enemy, but the vessel, strongly fortified lay in
the hands of the enemy for several hours, the enemy in possession of the
outside, the whites the inside. In the evening the wind subsided so that Riggs
got his boat off, leaving the Indians in the lurch.
There was a general jubilee in St. Louis when Riggs,
without losing many men, arrived to safety. But Rector and Riggs, with their
troops, presented a distressing sight; those who were not wounded were worn down
to skeletons by labor and fatigue.
HOW IOWA CAME INTO EXISTENCE AND STATEHOOD
Territory's Settled Portion for Long Only a Narrow Strip on River.
In 1833 settlers began to stake out claims in
Iowa. The principal crossings of the Mississippi were at Davenport, Burlington,
and Dubuque, where ferries were located.
In June, 1824, the whole region lying between the Mississippi
and the Missouri rivers and extending from the state of Missouri to the British
possessions on the north was annexed to Michigan territory. When the council met
in September the Black Hawk purchase was divided into two counties, the division
line running due west from the lower end of Rock Island. The northern county was
called Dubuque and the southern Demoine. For judicial purposes the two counties
were attached to what was Iowa county, Michigan territory. In court parlance the
three counties thus united were called the Iowa district, of which David Irving
was made a judge.
As an assurance of peace on the frontier, the war department
stationed three companies of the First United States Dragoons on the Iowa bank
of the Mississippi river a short distance above the mouth of the Des Moines,
called Camp De Moines.
Take Census.
In 1836 a census was taken of the territory, when the four
counties east of the Mississippi returned a population of 11,687 and the two
counties west, 10,531, of which 6,257 were in the county of Demoine and 4,274 in
Dubuque. The apportionment for the election to be held in September of that year
was based on the population for Demoine county ten members in the two houses of
the territorial legislature and for Dubuque county eight, making eighteen
members in all against nineteen elected from the east side of the river. In the
election, George W. Jones was returned to congress. The council elected met at
Belmont in what is now Wisconsin, Oct. 5, 1836, when Peter Engle of Dubuque
county was elected president of the lower house.
At this session Demoine county was subdivided into counties
as they now exist, except that the southern part of what is Scott county was
then called Cook.
On Nov. 6, 1837, the first legislative body met in what is
now Iowa, being the second session of the first territorial council of
Wisconsin. A temporary building erected for the meeting was destroyed by fire so
the council met in a Methodist church to which the name Old Zion was given. At
this session Dubuque county was subdivided into the smaller counties as they now
exist.
On June 12, 1838, President Martin Van Buren signed the bill
by which Iowa territory came into existence on the fourth of July of that year.
First Territorial Government.
Despite its immense size, Iowa territory's settled portion
was confined to a narrow strip along the Mississippi. Of this vast domain
President Van Buren made Robert Lucas of Ohio governor and Wm. B. Conway of
Pennsylvania secretary. As justices of the supreme court the president appointed
Charles Mason chief justice and Joseph Williams and Thomas S. Wilson associate
justice.
Governor Lucas was a Methodist, a strict moralist, who
abhorred drinking and gambling and announced he would appoint to office no man
addicted to these habits.
Secretary Conway, who is described as not always scrupulous,
arrived on the scene before the governor and virtually assumed the office of
governor. As governor pro tempore he divided the territory into judicial
districts and assigned the judges to their places. He went to Davenport and
entered into negotiations to make it the capital, and was on the point of
issuing a proclamation for legislative districts, when the governor himself
arrived.
The governor proceeded to inspect his domain and desired to
locate the temporary capital. Dubuque was the largest city. Here he met a young
man named John Plumbe, jr., whose townsmen said he was crazy on the subject of a
transcontinental railroad. Bellevue in Jackson county was well established;
there was a settlement at Lyons, but Clinton was still unknown.
Davenport was a new town, the creation of Antoine LeClaire
and the trader after whom it was named. Rockingham opposite the mouth of the
Rock River and Buffalo a few miles lower still regarded themselves as rivals of
Davenport. Muscatine was then called Bloomington. The governor finally made
Burlington the temporary capital of the territory.
CIRCUIT RIDERS BROUGHT GOSPEL TO EARLY DAVENPORT
Peter Cartwright, Famous Backwoods Preacher, Rode Circuit Here in Early Days
Religious services in the twentieth century
are held in edifices so magnificent that it is difficult to realize the
difference between present-day worship and that of the days when Davenport had
not yet become a town.
Back in 1828, Peter Cartwright, the most picturesque of the
many backwoods preachers, traveled a circuit from Galena to Kentucky and it was
then that Methodism first reached Iowa. Wm. D.R. Crotter first broke ground in
Iowa at Burlington. Cartwright, his father-in-law, followed soon after.
"There was but a scattered population," Cartwright
says of his first preaching in Iowa. "Yet when they came out to meeting the
cabins were so small that not one in the settlement would hold all. We repaired
to a grove and hastily prepared seats. With an old bent-over tree trunk as a
pulpit, I declared the unsearchable riches of the gospel of Jesus Christ."
The Old Time Religion.
Religion today is a dignified ceremony compared to the time
when Cartwright rode the circuit. Decorum characterizes the worship of our huge
cathedrals. Occasionally there is a revival, and people hit the sawdust trail;
but even a red-hot revival produces no such varieties of religious experience as
Cartwright frequently witnessed.
"A new exercise broke out among us called the
jerks," he says, "which was overwhelming in its effects upon the
bodies and minds of the people. Whether saints or sinners, they would be taken
under a warm song or sermon and seized with a convulsive jerking all over, which
they could not avoid. I have seen more than 100 persons jerking at one time. To
obtain relief they would rise up and dance. Some would run, but could not get
away.
"To see these proud young gentlemen and young ladies
dressed in their silks, jewelry and prunella from top to toe, take the jerks
could often excite my risibilities. The first jerk or so, you could see their
fine bonnets, caps and combs fly; and so sudden would be the jerking of the head
that their long loose hair would crack almost as loud as a wagoner's whop.
Riding the Circuit.
Cartwright was appointed to the Quincy district in 1832 and
cared for a number of missions commencing at the mouth of the Illinois river and
running up the Mississippi to Galena. There were 1400 Methodists in the
district.
His district consisted of new settlements. His travel
entailed long hard rides, cabin parlors, straw beds and bedsteads made of barked
saplings, and puncheon bedcords, but the people were kind, and showed genuine
frontier hospitality. The men were hardy, industrious, enterprising. The women
were also hardy- would think nothing of turning out and helping raise cabins,
and would mount a horse and trot 10 to 15 miles to meeting or to see the sick!
Disliked "Hothouse Plants"
Cartwright did not like the ladies of fashion. Of them he
says they would faint if they had to walk 100 yards in the sun without a
parasol; that they were braced and stayed to such and extent that they could not
step more than six or eight inches at a time. "Should they by an accident
happen to lose their moorings and fall, they were imprisoned with so many
unmentionables that they could not get up again."
Almost Pawns His "Benny."
It was in the late 30's or early 40's that Cartwright first
visited the mission at Rock Island, in charge of Philip T. Cordier, " a man
of feeble talents, unstable, one who did but little good, and was finally
expelled." The mission was located at what was then called Wells'
settlement, a few miles above the mouth of Rock river.
The river was high, and the preacher did not want to swim. He
asked the ferryman to take him across, promising to pay him on Monday. The
ferryman, " a very mean man who charged high and imposed travelers,"
would not do it without Cartwrights pawning something. He suggested that an
overcoat be left. Cartwright needed the coat, and so was unable to ride. A
little further, he saw a horseman fording the river, which appeared not to be
deep, and crossed.
When he asked the stranger about his experience with the
ferryman, the latter said, "You have made a blessed escape, for if you had
left your overcoat you never would have got it again. He is a great rascal and
makes his living by foul means."
Falls in the River.
On another visit to a quarterly meeting on the Rock Island
mission, he was accompanied by Brother Summers, a traveling presiding elder. The
two decided to cross the upper ford on Rock river. Both were riding horses and
carrying many religious books. Cartwright's horse slipped on a rock in the
middle of the stream and fell. The saddle turned and Cartwright was thrown into
the stream. He left his horse and swam after his saddle bags, which he recovered
just before they began to sink. His books and clothes were ruined.
His Visit of 1861.
In his 76th year, Cartwright returned to Rock Island to
preach. The Davenport Gazette for Oct. 3, 1861, said: "This octogenarian
lectures this evening at the Methodist church in Rock Island this evening. In
all probability it will be the last opportunity our citizens will have to hear
the celebrated man. They should avail themselves of it. The proceeds of the
lecture are to be given to the Methodist church of Rock Island."
A Picturesque Character.
The noted circuit-rider was born in Amhurst county on the
James river in Virginia, Sept. 1, 1785, and died near Pleasant Prairie, Ill.,
Sept. 1, 1872, in his 87th year. His work among the pioneers suffered many
hardships. When the slavery question, which split the Methodist church into two
factions that are not attempting to unite, was broached to him, he said, "I
believe that the most successful way to ameliorate the condition of the slaves
and Christianize them and finally secure their freedom is to treat their owners
kindly and not to meddle politically with slavery."
Talks with Mormon Leader.
At Springfield, Cartwright once met Joseph Smith, who was
head of the Mormon church, at Nauvoo, where it took refuge after having been
expelled from Missouri. They fell into a conversation on the subject of
religion. "I found him to be a very illiterate and impudent desperado in
morals, but at the same time he had a vast fund of low cunning," Cartwright
said of the incident. "He made his onset by flattery and laid on the soft
sodder thick and fast, called me one of God's noblest creatures. He believed
that among all the churches in the world the Methodist was nearest right, as far
as they went, but had stopped short by claiming the gift of tongues, prophecy,
and miracles, and quoted a batch of scripture to prove his positions correct.
Pretty well for clumsy Joe, I gave him rope."
Later Smith said of the circuit rider, I will show you that I
will raise up a government in these United States that will overturn the present
government; I will raise up a new religion that will overthrow every other form
in the country."
Yes, Uncle Joe, but my bible tells me 'the bloody and
deceitful man shall not live out half his days'; and I expect the Lord will send
the devil after you some of these days and take you out of the way."
"No sir, I shall live and prosper while you will die in
your sins."
"Well, sir," Cartwright came back, "if you
live and prosper you must quit your stealing."- and here the preacher made
an illusion to Smith's polygamy in no polite terms. "Thus we parted to meet
no more on earth; for in a few years after this an outraged and deeply hurt
people took the law into their own hands and killed him and drove the Mormons
from the state."
STORY OF A MAN WHO MADE A LADDER FROM HIS CROSS
Palmer School Growth the Life Work of Man Who Fought Great Odds
Birth of Chiropractic in Davenport Brought Era of Good Health
A bright star must have been shining in the
heavens that night. It must have been such a star that in 1881 years before had
shone in the heavens, leading the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem and heralding a
new day for the earthborn. But there were no three wise men to see this star 38
years ago. It was 14 long years before the world caught the radiance of the new
light.
The star of 1881 saw the birth of a new healer of humanity,
one who was healed by the "laying on of hands," who also trod a path
of stones and carried a cross, the cross of bigotry and hatred for long years
before the world accepted him. It has accepted him now, this greatest healer of
the sick since Christ, and it calls him B.J. Palmer, of whom the world learned
thru his message to suffering humanity, spelled with the letters
C-H-I-R-O-P-R-A-C-T-I-C.
Like the greater Master he came into the world without a
retinue. He was born in poverty. He grew up a little barefoot boy, a
bright-eyed, mischievous youngster loving nature and all living things; but so
poor that his little friends in What Cheer, Iowa, pointed him out as one not of
themselves. He differed from them; however, in a way they did not know.
B.J. was not an ordinary boy. He did unheard-of things,
supplied his own ideas, supplied them for the entire neighborhood. During B.J.'s
boyhood, the father removed to Davenport with no prophets to herald his arrival.
The father was a healer of the sick, a man who had never studied in a college or
received a diploma. Hence the public called him a "quack". He had
found medicine unable to cure the ills of life and had tossed it aside. He
called medicine "quackery."
The heavy hand of physicians fell on him, and he was found
guilty of practicing medicine without a license and thrown into jail. He came
out determined that the grave alone should end his fight against medicine. Gone,
now, his standard has not gone down in the dust. The reputation of the father
was tacked on to the son, who saw in the things that were bad for a child to see
only their opposites, the better things of life.
Cures the Deaf.
It was an accident that led B.J.'s footsteps on the path to
fame - at the age of 14. An old janitor in the building where the father of the
Child of Destiny had his office had been deaf for 18 years. Physicians and
medicine had failed him. He came to the Palmer office. The magnetic healer ran
his finger along the patient's backbone. He felt a bump as if one of the
vertebrae had been misplaced, pressed on it, and the bump disappeared. Three
days later the janitor, Harvey Lilliard, could hear as well as anyone.
Chiropractic Was Born.
Like every other great movement that has startled the world,
it was born of accident. Chiropractic is the simplest science of adjusting the
causes of human ills the world has known. The chiropractor says disease results
from lack of mental impulse nourishment to some part of the body. Mental impulse
energy goes out from the brain to all parts of the body thru the spinal column
as a distributing station. The nerves come out of the spinal column at vertebral
joints. If a vertebrae is out of place, it impinges on or pinches the nerve. The
normal impulse current can not flow thru the pinched nerve. Hence the organ or
muscle or bone does not get its proper current and nourishment. "THE HOSE
HAS BEEN STEPPED ON. GET OFF THE HOSE," the Chiropractor says. The process
of putting the vertebrae back in place is called "adjustment." The
Chiropractor feels down the spine, locates the subluxated vertebrae, and sends
it back into place with a quick and firm movement of the hand.
Dr. Palmer now has the largest collection of spines in the
world, his museum showing over 10,000 specimens, revealing in a subluxated
vertebrae the disease of which the patient died. The second largest collection
is at Harvard University.
Name the Science.
In 1895, knowing his discovery would startle the scientific
world, the father had sought for it an adequate name. Rev. S.H. Weed of
Monmouth, Ill., who had been restored to health thru it, coined the word
"chiropractic" from the Greek words "chiro" and
"practice", meaning "done by the hands." No sooner had the
science been christened than it came under a baptism of fire from the medical
profession. The father was old. A stronger spirit was needed to bear his banner,
and it was found in the son, who brought the faith, the enthusiasm of youth,
boundless energy, the soul of a crusader fighting for his convictions.
The sick were ready for this enthusiast to lead, but his
enemies- entrenched behind wealth, prestige, popular opinion, the laws of the
land- were in the field. The medical profession saw in the young B.J. Palmer an
antagonist to be feared, however, and a fight was begun against him that has
been raged relentlessly to this day. Huge sums of money were collected and
skilled legal talent was engaged to put him out of business. The cross was
gradually made heavier, Grand juries were invaded, and a desperate effort was
made to locy the chiropractor behind prison doors. The effort failed because
people had been cured of long sickness and testified in B.J. Palmer's behalf. In
gratitude they bent their shoulders to his cross.
But that didn't stop the battle. B.J. had begun teaching the
science when but a lad of 14 years. Every graduate got some of the doctor's
business and all this but multiplied the size of his target. The arrows of
injustice increased so fast that the battle spread all over the country. It is
all over the world today.
Started With 3 Students.
Beginning at the bottom of the ladder with three students and
a little bedroom for his school, B.J. had built up an embryo Chiropractic
college. A small bedroom 24 years ago- today a wonderful institution cover over
two city blocks, pulsating with activity with its thousands of people daily
sending its message of health thru stricken humanity to the corners of the
earth.
He began to teach when a child as Christ had done when he
revolutionized the world's ideas on the one thing greater than health-
immortality. It scarcely seemed the work of earth or of man.
The first students were people whom Chiropractic had cured,
zealots of a new religion of healing their fellow men. They went into the world
and spread the teachings of the master as the disciples of the greater Master
had gone centuries before. The college of Chiropractic grew like a spring
torrent. B.J. grew with his students. His only education had been in the school
of experience.
The youthful teacher soon outgrew his little school and cast
his eyes to the top of a hill covered with churches and fine old mansions
overlooking the busy marts of commerce below. Little did he dream that his
school was to grow into an institution representing an investment of nearly a
million dollars. His new school at the top of the hill grew amazingly and became
known as "the fountain head," the source of pure gospel of true
Chiropractic. The gospel took root in many places; school sprang up in other
cities; but their founders lacked the deep purpose, the rare insight and the
unflagging energy, of B.J. Palmer. They taught a business, not a principle; they
saw the dollars- he saw lives. They never usurped the place of "the
fountain head." Schools were even built next door on a Chiropractic name
with antipodal teachings, but today the "school of revenge" is in
bankruptcy.
Today the Palmer school still remains the mecca of the
incurables of all diseases, the alma mater of the science of Chiropractic.
Wonderful individual tho he is, B.J. has not done all this
alone. He met among his patients a girl who outranked all his friends. She was
of deeply scientific mind, but above all else she was a woman such as could not
be found in a thousand, nay, a million. They were married- Miss Mabel Heath and
B.J. Palmer. She shared all his trials, bore with him all his burdens. To her he
turned for sage counsel. When his spirit wavered, her faith bore him up.
Together they burned the midnight oil. Passers-by in the early morning saw two
heads over a student lamp. Intently they studied together mastering the
knowledge fate had placed in their safe-keeping. They worked together as they
work together today, teaching classes, developing the science thru research and
experiment, each helping the other toward a common goal.
To one who knows Mrs. Palmer- and there are many who pride
themselves on her friendship - it is no wonder that the husband calls his wife
"My better seven-eighths."
Mrs. Palmer is now the most widely known woman as well as
anatomist in the Chiropractic profession. She conducts all the advanced classes
in anatomy, and is a world-wide authority on the subject. Her lectures on
anatomy have been published in book form and have had wide circulation. Her
great scientific knowledge and her active work of teaching did not prevent her
crowning her womanhood with motherhood, however. Their only son, David, is a
worthy successor to his illustrious father.
No Social Ladder to Climb.
Dr. and Mrs. Palmer care nothing for society. The social
activities of the Palmer school keep them busy. They belong to few social clubs.
They do some entertaining, but are not often entertained. They are workers, not
wasters.
Today the Palmer school is known where Yale and Harvard have
never been heard of. It is the ranking Chiropractic school of the world.
Students throng its halls from all parts of the earth. Its buildings,
laboratories, collections, equipment, and other assets could not be bought for
less than a million dollars.
A whole professional army has climbed upon the ladder Gen.
B.J. Palmer has built out of his cross. The army is led by 10,000 lieutenants,
the chiropractic graduates. Twenty million privates- their patients- compose the
vast army.
$70,000 A YEAR MADE BY SOME RIVER PACKETS
Emergency Runs Occasionally Brought Owners as High as $1,000 a Day.
LARGE GRAIN BUSINESS.
Two Hundred Carloads of Wheat and Flour Not an Unusual Cargo.
It was in 1860 that the boats on the
Mississippi enjoyed their largest profits. By the end of the war they carried
immense volumes of freight and made prodigious sums. One boat carried over 200
carloads of wheat and flour, and at the end of that year its accounts showed a
profit of $70,000 after running expenses and repairs had been paid.
Large elevators were erected at East Dubuque, Prairie du
Chien, Winona and LaCrosse, and barges carrying from 5,000 to 10,000 bushels
each were used for the traffic. At first the grain had been handled in
two-bushel sacks, but the bulk shipment method superseded the former practice.
Every boat made money, and all received as much business as
they could accommodate. It was not unusual for a boat to make $1,000 a day and
sometimes more. The swiftest returns ever known here-abouts were made by Captain
D.S. Harris of the War Eagle, who at the end of the season, when ready to quit,
received official notice from the packet company that a large amount of freight
must come down the river.
Company rates were fixed and the captain enjoyed no
discretion. Captain Harris got as far as Hastings, Minn., and within four days
was back loaded. When he reached Galena he was unrighteously mad, as was the
clerk. Asked the reason, he replied emphatically that he had set out to make
$10,000 on the run but had cleaned up only $9,700.
WOOD ONLY FUEL USED FOR STEAM BOATS ON RIVER.
Wood was the sole fuel used by steamboats on
the upper Mississippi in the fifties and sixties. Small flue boilers in which
coal could not be burned were used.
Fortunately, there was an abundance of excellent wood all
along the river. This was paid for in cash. Wood yards were opened up at many
points. On the steamer Yankee, $1.25 a cord was paid for good dry wood; on the
Northern Light, as high as $4.
At first the boats landed to "wood-up"; later, as
time became more valuable, wood was taken on while the boat was running. The
woodyard kept a barge or two with a capacity of 30 or 40 cords. Captains
desiring wood would have a loaded barge dashed to his boat and proceed while the
cargo was being transferred the the deck of his boat. The empty barge would drop
down the river after unloading.
Thirty or 40 cords was as much as a boat usually took at a
time. A three-boiler boat with an 18-inch cylinder would burn about 30 cords of
wood in 24 hours; a 22-inch cylinder about 40 cords.
HOW IOWA CAME INTO EXISTENCE AND STATEHOOD
Territory's Settled Portion for Long Only a Narrow Strip on River.
In 1833 settlers began to stake out
claims to Iowa. The principal crossings of the Mississippi were at Davenport,
Burlington, and Dubuque, where ferries were located.
In June, 1824, the whole region lying between the
Mississippi and the Missouri rivers and extending from the state of Missouri to
the British processions on the north was annexed to Michigan territory. When the
council met in September the Black Hawk purchase was divided into two counties,
the division line running due west from the lower end of Rock Island. The
northern county was called Dubuque and the southern Demoine. For judicial
purposed, the two counties were attached to what was Iowa county, Michigan
territory. In court parlance, the three counties thus united were called the
Iowa district, of which David Irving was made justice.
As an assurance of peace on the frontier, the war department
stationed three companies of the First United States Dragoons on the Iowa bank
of the Mississippi river a short distance above the mouth of the Des Moines,
called Camp Des Moines.
Take Census.
In 1836 a census was taken of the territory, when the four
counties east of the Mississippi returned a population of 11,687 and the two
counties west, 10,531, of which 6257 were in the county of Demoine and 4274 in
Dubuque. The apportionment for the election to be held in September of that year
was based on this population, for Demoine county ten members in the two houses
of the territorial legislature and for Dubuque county eight, making eighteen
members in all against nineteen elected from the east side of the river. In the
election, George W. Jones was returned to congress. The council elected met at
Belmont in what is now Wisconsin, Oct. 5, 1836, when Peter Engle of Dubuque
county was elected president of the lower house.
At this session Demoine county was subdivided into counties
as they now exist, except that the southern part of what is Scott county was
then called Cook.
On Nov. 6, 1837, the first legislative body in what is now
Iowa, being the second session of the first territorial council of Wisconsin. A
temporary building was erected for the meeting was destroyed by fire, so the
council met in a Methodist church to which the name Old Zion was given. At this
session Dubuque county was subdivided into the smaller counties as they now
exist.
On June 12, 1838, President Martin Van Buren signed the bill
by which Iowa territory came into existence on the fourth of July of that year.
First Territorial Government.
Despite its immense size, Iowa territory's settled portion
was confined to a narrow strip along the Mississippi. Of this vast domain
President Van Buren made Robert Lucas of Ohio governor and Wm. B. Conway of
Pennsylvania secretary. As justices of the supreme court the president appointed
Charles Mason chief justice and Joseph Williams and Thomas S. Wilson associate
justice.
Governor Lucas was a Methodist, a strict moralist, who
abhorred drinking and gambling and announced he would appoint to office no man
addicted to those habits.
Secretary Conway, who is described as not always scrupulous,
arrived on the scene before the governor and virtually assumed the office of
governor. As governor pro tempore he divided the territory into judicial
districts and assigned the judges to their places. He went to Davenport and
entered into negotiations to make it into the capital, and was on the point of
issuing a proclamation for legislative elections when the governor himself
arrived.
The governor proceeded to inspect his domain and desired to
locate the temporary capital. Dubuque was the largest city. Here he met a young
man named John Plumbe, jr, whose townsmen said he was crazy on the subject of a
transcontinental railroad. Bellevue in Jackson county was well established;
there was a settlement at Lyons, but Clinton was still unknown.
Davenport was a new town, the creation of Antoine LeClaire
and the trade after whom it was named. Rockingham opposite the mouth of Rock
river and Buffalo a few miles lower still regarded themselves rivals of
Davenport. Muscatine was then called Bloomington. The governor finally made
Burlington the temporary capital of the territory.
ARMY OF IMMIGRANTS, LED BY FATHER ANTHONY PELAMOURGUES,
BUILT FIRST CATHOLIC CHURCH IN DAVENPORT IN THE EARLY FIFTIES.
It was the great army of immigrants which
began to pour into the country during the decade of years immediately following
1850 that carried the cross beyond the mountain wildernesses of the Alleghanies
into the great open country of the West. Flinging westward the boundaries of the
nation, this already moving procession of human life was indeed the joyous
realization of that idea conceived by Mathias Loras, first bishop of Dubuque, to
build in the land of the Mississippi communities and institutions of enduring
usefulness. Across the great river they came at the invitation of the saintly
Loras to assume their part in the shaping of the destinies of the Iowa
commonwealth.
In these years, particularly, there was arising in the state
of the Mississippi valley a new people whose lifeblood was to embody the best
energies a well as the fairest social and political aspirations of various
nations. Many of them found in the then primitive town of Davenport a place
where their efforts might be sustained in the years that were to follow; so
many, indeed, that those among them who were children of Catholic lands crowded
beyond its capacity the venerable church of St. Anthony, on Fourth and Main
streets, Davenport's first religious structure and the second oldest Catholic
church in the state of Iowa. And so to provide for the increasing Catholic
population of the city it was decided that there should be erected on the
eastern bluffs another permanent and exclusive place for the service of the
altar. This was the beginning of the present Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.
Antoine Le Claire and Old Saint Marguerite's
Irrevocably linked with the beginning
of the city and the city's religious history is the name of Antoine LeClaire.
Sacred to his memory, likewise, is the Catholic Cathedral of the city of
Davenport.
When the news was given that there should be another
religious structure to hold on high the Cross of Christ, the generosity of this
early settler prompted him to offer the church authorities a square of land as
the site for its proposed edifice. This plot of ground, bordered by Iowa,
LeClaire, Ten and Eleventh streets, was accepted for the church by the Reverend
A. Trevis, who had been sent by Bishop Loras to take possession of the property.
On the twenty-ninth of June, 1856, the first stone of St.
Marguerite's, as the church was called, was blessed by Bishop Loras in the
presence of a great concourse of people. The work went rapidly forward and on
the third Sunday of the following October the structure was dedicated by the
pioneer priest of Davenport, the Reverend Anthony Pelamourgues. All the needed
furniture for the church was provided by the same generous founder who later
built and furnished the parochial residence. Pre-eminent, indeed, stands the
figure of Antoine LeClaire in the religious history of Davenport; his name
should be ever laid in benediction not only by the parishioners of the Cathedral
parish but also by the Catholics of this community.
The first priest in charge of St. Marguerite's was the
Reverend A. Trevis whose six year's pastorate was blessed with excellent
results. The most important and indeed the most lasting of Father Trevis' labors
is the parochial school was was founded in 1860; that which he dared to
prevision in those early days has by constant effort and sacrifice on the part
of those who came after him became the ride of the Cathedral parish. In 1862
Father Trevis was obliged on account of illness to give up his duties as pastor
of St. Marguerite's, leaving his young assistant, the Reverend Henry Cosgrove,
in charge of that rapidly growing parish.
The Reverend Henry Cosgrove
Father Cosgrove came to assist Father Trevis
when St. Marguerite's was but one year old and when he himself had been ordained
priest but eleven days before. With zeal and energy he entered upon his duties
as assistant and for five years he served in this capacity. When full charge of
the church was placed in his hands he proceeded at once to meet efficiently the
wants of the large congregation that had grown up in the parish. It was a just
tribute to his labors of so many years, that when in 1881 Davenport was raised
to the dignity of an episcopal see Father Cosgrove was named vicar-general of
the diocese by the newly appointed and consecrated bishop, the Right Reverend
John McMullen, D.D. St. Marguerite's Church was at this time chosen as the
Cathedral for the diocese.
The work of Davenport's first bishop had scarcely begun when
death came to close his career, one that held so much promise for the church in
the new see city. But the young diocese was not long left an orphan. The Holy
See recognizing the worth, the labor, the plety and the wisdom of the
vicar-general, named as second bishop of the diocese the long time pastor of St.
Marguerite's. His consecration took place on Sept. 14, 1884, and immediately he
took up the work so lately commenced by Bishop McMullen. Obliged to relinquish
the duties as pastor of St. Marguerite's, Bishop Cosgrove selected as his
vicar-general and successor one from St. Marguerite's earliest hour was
identified with its creation, its history and its duties.
Father Trevis Again Pastor at St. Marguerite's
When Father Trevis returned from France,
whither he had gone to regain his health, he was given charge of Mercy Hospital.
It was, therefore, fitting that Bishop Cosgrove should call to the pastorate of
St. Marguerite's its first priest, his own guide and preceptor under whose
direction his priestly character was formed and the lines of his wise useful
life were marked out. Father Trevis continued as pastor of St. Marguerite's
until 1889.
For some time previous to this date the inadequate facilities
of the church that had been used as the Cathedral of the diocese were
appreciated and lamented. It was finally decided to erect by the side of the old
church a cathedral that would be adequate to the needs of the parish and of the
dioceses. For the accomplishment of this laborious work, strong and willing
hands were necessary. In view of the heavy weight of years under which he
labored, Father Trevis felt that the task would be too great for him and upon
younger shoulders should fall the burden of the rectorship of St. Marguerite's
with its new added duties. So in the fall of 1889 he sent his resignation to
Bishop Cosgrove and asked for a successor.
The Reverend James. J. Davis
From among the faithful hand of his able
priests, Bishop Cosgrove could not have selected a man better fitted in every
respect to win the regard and confidence of his parishioners and to carry on the
work of erecting the new cathedral than the Reverend James J. Davis. The people
of St. Marguerite's responded generously to the appeal of their energetic,
zealous and able leader and with the aid that was given them thruout the diocese
the Sacred Heart cathedral is today a monument to the worth, aspirations and
labors of the bishop of the diocese and of the pastor and people of this
congregation. The cornerstone was laid April 27, 1890, with Bishop Cosgrove
officiating. The name of the cathedral was changed from that of Saint Marguerite
as it had been decided to dedicate the first church of the diocese to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus. Within the cornerstone it contained the inscription:
The former church among the trees of the secular forest at
the eastern part of this ground, built and given by A. LeClaire to them that
were first to arrive, and in these days gives place to a new structure to which
it is worthy to give it an increase. The beginning of the good work - the
Inspirer of generosity - The Protector of the whole place - is the most Sacred
Heart of Jesus.
On Sunday, Nov. 15, 1891, the dedications of the cathedral
took place with imposing ceremonies. Today it is the pride and joy not only of
the parishioners of the cathedral parish itself bug also of the Catholics of the
city and indeed of the whole diocese. While there is but little trace of the
primitive Saint Marguerite's, with its humble dimensions of 40x80 feet, yet the
work which those pioneers inaugurated so long ago continues to advance and
prosper in the imposing Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, an efficacious reminder
of the great thins accomplished by hard work and much sacrifice by those who
have gone before us on these very scenes.
For 17 years Father Davis gave the best that was in him to
the cause of religion in the cathedral parish. Two years before his death,
Bishop Cosgrove was given a coadjutor in the person of Father Davis who had been
his vicar-general since Dec. 18, 1896. The consecration took place Nov. 30,
1904, and two years later Bishop Davis succeeded Bishop Cosgrove, upon the
latter's death, as the third bishop of Davenport.
The Very Rev. J.T.A. Flannagan, V.G.
Bishop Davis was followed in the cathedral by
the Very Reverend John T.A. Flannagan, who for 22 years had served first as
professor, then as vice president and finally as president of Saint Ambrose
college. Father Flannagan was given also the duties of vicar-general and has now
for 17 years capably and efficiently executed his two-fold office. It was
particularly through his efforts ad personal generosity that the splendid
parochial school attached to the cathedral was erected for and given over to the
children of the Sacred Heart parish. The cornerstone was laid in July, 1914, and
the building dedicated in July, 1915. This noble monument, which speaks so much
for the pastor and people of the Sacred Heart cathedral parish, to bring to
countless little ones of Christ the blessings of a good and thoro education was
made possible at the expenditure of $125,000. Eleven Sisters of Charity have
under their care over 400 pupils, the promise and hope of the future Cathedral
parish.
Today there are approximately 500 families within the
boundaries of the parish, totaling nearly 2,500 souls. Flourishing sodalities
help to keep the light of faith a burning flame in the hearts of the young and
old whose privilege it is to worship in the cathedral of the Sacred Heart the
worthy successor of the venerable Saint Marguerite's.
CHURCH FOR 57 YEARS REWARD OF ST. MARY'S
The Church at St. Mary's is one of the oldest
churches in the city, being the fourth Catholic edifice for worship that was
erected in Davenport.
Need of a New Parish
The growth of the western end of the city,
particularly in what is known as the Mitchell Additions, was rapid and at least
150 Catholic families had established themselves there (prior to the '40s). In
1855 a stone church dedicated to St. Kunigunda was erected by Rev. Michael
Flamming in the Mitchell Additions, the land being donated by Judge G.C.R.
Mitchell. This church gave way in 1882 to St. Joseph's church, a distinctly
German parish church. The 150 Catholic families residing beyond it felt it a
hardship to be compelled to go to St. Anthony's to hear mass, so they cried out
for a church of their own. In response Rt. Rev. John Hennessey, D.D., bishop of
Dubuque, commissioned that famous pioneer priest, Rev. J.A.M. Pelamourgues, of
St. Anthony's to establish a new parish. Accordingly, a church was built and on
July 27, 1867, the cornerstone was laid. The following year, 1868, it was
dedicated to the Virgin under the title of St. Mary's. Rt. Rev. John Hennessey,
D.D., attended the services of dedication and was assisted by Rev. J.M.
Pelamourgues, Rev. A. Trevis, and Rev. Baumgartner, of this city.
The church edifice is of brick, and is handsomely furnished.
A picture by Rene of the Madonna is among its treasures, which also includes a
series of 14 Stations of the Cross painted by Fick and donated by Horace
Bradley. It was erected at a cost of $25,000, and in the same year the priest's
residence, costing $8,000 was built on the lot adjoining the church on the
south.
Across the street, on the corner now occupied by the new
school, was erected the two storied school house which served the parish until
the Sisters of Mercy erected a building on Eighth and Fillmore streets, now used
as a home for working girls.
The old St. Mary's school, taught from the beginning by the
Sisters of Mercy from Mercy hospital, was established in 1868 by Mother Baptist.
Rev. Maurice Flavin, who on May 15 of this year succeeded Father Pelamourgues,
erected this school. After one year Father Maurice Flavin resigned on account of
ill health, and was succeeded by his brother. Later the Sisters erected a school
at 1326 West Eighth street, which accommodated the parish until 1900. In 1872
Father Maurice Flavin died and his memory is commemorated by a marble
entablature on the north wall of St. Mary's church.
Second Pastor.
Rev. Michael Flavin was born in Ireland,
April 12, 1841, was educated in Mount Mellary seminary and graduated in Carlow
seminary in 1865. He came to America immediately, where he entered Cape
Girardeau, Mo. college, pursued a theological course and was ordained in July,
1869. After one year spent at the Cathedral in Dubuque he assumed, in 1872,
pastorate of St. Mary's church, and protectorate of St. Mary's school, which he
retained until the death of Father Brazil of St. Ambrose church in Des Moines,
when he was given charge of the capital congregation where he now has an
irremovable pastorate.
With Father Flavin's promotion to Des Moines, Rev. J.P. Ryan
was named pastor of St. Mary's. Rev. Father Ryan was born in Ireland and reared
in Muscatine.
TWO OF SCHOOLS BUILT IN 1858 STILL STANDING
Adams School Dates Back to 1843 When It Was Privately Managed
STONE SCHOOL IN 1853
Sixth and Warren Building Erected in the Year 1856.
Among the group of 24 buildings, exclusive of
the administration building, devoted exclusively to public school use in the
city of Davenport, only two now standing were in existence when the district
formed in 1858.
These two buildings are the Jefferson school at Sixth and
Warren streets, and the Adams school at Seventh and Perry streets. The former
was abandoned several years ago and is no longer used for school purposes. The
Adams school was closed for a time and later re-opened.
The history of the Adams school dates back to 1843 when
it was operated as a private school by a Mr. Prescott. The building was then
located at Fourth and Perry streets and was a frame structure built of oak
timbers sawed or hewed at the Duck Creek mill.
In 1853 the present stone school house, heralded as an
architectural triumph, was erected at Seventh and Perry streets, at a cost of
$5,000. This school building, the oldest in the city, is still in use. It has
been remodeled from time to time but its general architectural lines are
practically the same as the original building erected in 1853.
Jefferson school was formerly located at Fifth and Scott
streets in a little frame structure. This was in 1853. Two years later, the
school was moved to Third street between Gaines and Brown streets, and in 1856
the present building was erected at Sixth and Warren streets.
Three other buildings now in use were both built in the '60s.
They are the Washington school, East Twelfth street and Mississippi
avenue, 1865; Madison school, Main and Locust street, 1865, and the Monroe
school, West Third street near Division street, 1868.
The Harrison school Fourth and Ripley streets, was built in
1871 and the Polk school, Eighth and Marquette streets, in 1878, Lincoln school,
formerly the high school, Seventh and Iowa streets, was built in 1875.
Tyler school, Grand avenue between Locust and High streets,
was built in 1892 and remodeled in 1902. Taylor school, Fifteenth and Warren
streets, was built in 1897 and Van Buren school, Redwood street and Lincoln
avenue, was also built during the same year. Jackson school, Sixteenth and
Fillmore streets, was built in 1893 and remodeled in 1902. Fillmore school,
Fourth and Warren streets, was erected in 1898.
Among the schools built since 1900 are the Pierce school,
East Twelfth street and Christie avenue; Buchanan school, Sixth and Oakes
street: Johnson school, Locust street and Wilkes avenue; Grant school, Main and
Hayes streets; the three intermediates, West, J.B. Young and the Sudlow in 1918
and 1919, and the two new grade schools, Garfield, Twenty-ninth street and
Arlington avenue, and the Hayes Concord street and McKinley avenue. The last two
named schools will be completed in time for the opening of the new school
semester in September.
Practically all of the above schools, including the three
intermediate schools and excepting of course the Garfield and Hayes schools,
have been remodeled from time to time. Additions were added to each of the
intermediate schools this year at a cost of $150,000.
The present high school was completed in 1907. An Industrial
Arts building for the manual training department was later erected at the corner
of Eleventh and Main streets.
G.A.R. LEADERS IN DAVENPORT'S PATRIOTISM
Davenport Grand Army a Bulwark of Patriotism for Over a
Half Century
Why was April 6 set aside to be known as
Grand Army Day thruout the nation?
The 40 living members of the Grand Army, in our community,
will tell you, with a good deal of enthusiasm, that the day was brought about by
a certain important historical event known as the organization of the Grand Army
of the Republic. This event took place on April 6, 1866, at Decatur, Ill., and
so it seemed to fit to the nation to set that date aside as a memorial day to
those veterans who served so faithfully in the Grand Army.
The G.A.R., as it has become known, is a patriotic
organization of men organized in the interest of the soldiers and sailors of the
Civil war, their families, and the perpetuation of those principles of sacrifice
and patriotism for which so many of our nation's brave made the supreme
sacrifice during the days of the struggle between the North and South. And honor
is done not only to those who made the great sacrifice, but also to those great
number of the army who were maimed for life.
Long Patriotic Service
The patriotism of the Boys in Blue did not
end with the close of the war; they have ever carried their love of their
country in their hearts - on thru the years of peace that have passed since that
great struggle to which they gave their youth. Thruout the years the Boys in the
Blue have stacked arms in response to the final roll call until today there is
but a remnant of the men who represent the G.A.R. Loyalty to the cause for which
they fought is still uppermost in the minds of the living veterans. They believe
that the observance of Grand Army Day thruout the state and nation has upheld
and perpetuated the spirit of Christian patriotism which has made the United
States the greatest democracy in the world.
August Wentz Post.
In 1862 General A.H. Sanders, deputy
department commander, organized a patriotic association in Davenport. General
Sanders was colonel of the 16th Iowa regiment, a pioneer settler in our city and
the editor and publisher of the Gazette. Great pride was taken by General
Sanders in organizing this first patriotic association in Iowa within our own
city, Davenport. Captain Robert Littler was the first commander of this post.
The organization fell on stormy days; however, and disbanded about 1870.
In 1882 the G.A.R. was reorganized by department officers
from Des Moines. Major Andrews was elected the first commander. This post was
named in honor of August Wentz, who was the first commissioned officer killed in
action, from Scott County. The remains were brought her for burial and laid in
state at the opera house. Comrade Wentz was a soldier of commanding presence and
every inch a man. Mrs. Julia Karwath was among the large number who attended the
funeral service. The riderless horse was led beside the hearse, with the saber
and boots of Mr. Wentz fastened upon either side of the saddle. The remains were
laid to rest in Oakdale cemetery.
Pledge to Comradeship
A stirring incident occurred in 1875 when
Francis Calligan was found dead on a little bale of straw in a secluded room in
the building where Blackhawk hotel now stands. Rev. John Cavitt, Methodist
minister and first lieutenant of Company E, 20th Iowa, regiment, discovered the
body. Going to Henry Karwath, the only member of the first Davenport post living
at the present time, Rev. Cavitt said, "Henry, I have sad news. We have
lost one of our boys." Rev. Cavitt went on to relate the condition under
which he had found the body.
Together, Rev. Cavitt and Mr. Karwath went to the undertaker,
John Siems, a veteran of the Civil war. After preparing the body for burial,
Lewis Doah, attorney, who had served as fife major in Company E 20th Iowa
regiment, accompanied the remains to the lowly grave and there interred them. At
the grave the four men - all veterans of the Civil war - crossed hands over the
open grave pledging each other that not another soldier would die such a lonely
death of negligence and be buried under such desolate conditions as had the
comrade who had just been called away.
Organization Formed
Following the service the four veterans
published a request for all soldiers to meet at the court house to effect some
kind of organization. About 400 men responded to the cal and "The Veterans'
Benevolent Organization of Scott County" was organized, with Major Andrews
commander. This organization continued until the organization of the Wentz post.
Rev. John Cavitt was the last commander, and Henry Karwath was the last adjutant
of the organization.
Many changes have taken place since those early days but the
Grand Army of the Republic remains true to the basic principles of the
representative government, the defense of the constitution and of unselfish
patriotism for which it was organized.
Women Also Organize
In May, 1884, the Women's Relief Corps was
organized in Davenport. There are but three living members of that organization.
They are: Mrs. Margaret Hamm, Mrs. Mary Ruedy and Mrs. Julia Karwath. There were
80 charter members. Mrs. Augusta Marks, wife of Major Marks, was the first
president. The Women's Relief corps has maintained an active organization since
the day of its founding. The present officers are Mrs. Maude Smith, president;
Mrs. Eva Hinkley, secretary; Mrs. Mamie Muhs, treasurer; Mrs. Julia Karwath,
worthy chaplain. Today the Women's Relief corps has a membership of 250.
At a recent meeting, Mrs. Ida Groves moved that the corps
plant a tree in the courthouse yard in memory of the G.A.R. The motion was
unanimously passed, and a committee was appointed to make full arrangements with
Mrs. Mary Dilly chairman.
The G.A.R. has always had past Capt. S.E. Walcott has been
charge of Davenport's Memorial Day exercises and for several years grand marshal
of the day.
Old Guard in the Van of G.A.R. 1924 Activities, August Wentz Post
The following are the officers of August
Wentz Post, No. 1, G.A.R.:
Senior vice commander - August Reading, 921 East Locust.
Junior vice commander - Peter V. Quick, 2718 Bridge avenue.
Post commander - M. Quittins, 420 Kirkwood boulevard.
Adjutant - Fred Wendt, 430 1-3 West Third.
Quartermaster - S.E. Walcott, 432 1/2 West Third.
Assistant quartermaster - John H. Jordan, 1309 Perry street.
Sergeant major - Jonathan Macey, city.
Chaplain - Frank Miller, 1002 West Fifth.
Officer of the day - Lawrence Doyle, 1125 East Twenty-ninth.
Guard - Milton H. Smith, 1531 Judson.
Surgeon - W.E. Benton, 305 1/2 Harrison.
1924 Roster, August Wentz Post
The following are members in good standing of
August Wentz Post No 1, G.A.R. :
Joseph D.Barnes, LeClaire, Ia, Co E, 20th Iowa Infantry.
George W. Bagley, LeClaire, Ia. Co I, 14th Iowa Infantry.
W.E. Benton, Davenport, 305 1/2 Harrison St. Co I, 47th Iowa Infantry.
F.H. Bartemyer, Davenport, Co E, 11th Regiment, US Ship
H. Barmettier, Los Angeles, Cal., C E 45th NY Infantry.
H.P. Brown, Marshalltown, Co C, 16th Iowa Infantry.
J.H. Clark, City, 7th Iowa Cavalry
Lither Crammar, Marshalltown, Co D, 25th Iowa Infantry
Lawrence Doyle, 1125 East Twenty-ninth St, Co C, 14th Iowa Infantry
M.J. Eagal, Los Angeles Cal, Co H, 69th Illinois Infantry
Leroy R Ely, City, Co A, 41st Ohio Infantry
W.B. Flanigan, 1026 East River, Co G, 24th Michigan Infantry
D. Grupe, 217 East Fourteenth St, Co G, 25th Iowa Infantry
Frank Grace, Hollywood, Calif, Co C, 20th Iowa Infantry
M. Gittins, 420 Kirkwood Blvd, Co ?, 61st Penn Infantry
E.B. Hayward, 902 Bridge Ave, Co H, 5th NY Cavalry
William Harrington, Buffalo, Ia., Co ?, 57th Ohio Infantry
C.H. Harris, Marshalltown, Co H, 112th Illinois Infantry
H.H. Holt, Montpelier, Ia, Co D, 140th Illinois Infantry
J.C. Highly, 225 East Thirteenth St, Co A, 16th Iowa Infantry
John Irwin, 1405 LeClaire St, Co M, 16th US Infantry
John Jehring, 1201 N Pine St, Musician, 46th Illinois Infantry
John H. Jordan, 1309 Perry St, Co E, 13th Illinois Infantry
Henry Karwath, 1938 Main St, Co E, 20th Iowa Infantry
Carl Kahler, 955 Harrison St, Co E, 14th Iowa Infantry
Henry Lau, City, 2nd Iowa Cavalry
Edward Lee, 515 Kirkwood Blvd, Co K, 147th NY Infantry
Frank Miller, 1002 West Fifth St, Co E, 20th Iowa Infantry
Simeon Meyers, Buffalo, Ia., Co K, 20th Iowa Infantry
Jonathan Masey, City, Co D, 132nd Ohio Infantry
Peter V. Quick, 2719 Bridge Avenue, Co L, 7th Illinois Cavalry
J.P. Risley, Des Moines, Co D, 20th Iowa Infantry
August Reading, 921 East Locust, Co D, 20th Iowa Infantry
E.A. Rugan, Louisville, Ky, Co E, 149th Ind Infantry
E.P. Raff, 2221 Farnam St, Co A, 104th Ohio Infantry
John A.Reeves, Moline, Ill, Co D, 4th Ohio Infantry
Milton H Smith, 1531 Judson St, Co F, 60th US Infantry
S.E. Wolcott, 432 1/2 West Third St, Co D, 23rd NY Infantry, Co E, 12th NY
Cavalry
W.A. Shirk, LeClaire, Co E, 13th Iowa Infantry
Joseph C Snyder, 1328 East Eleventh, Co F, 93rd Illinois Infantry
Fred Wendt, 430 1/2 West Third St, Co C, 20th Iowa Infantry
Fred Worth, 309 1/2 Harrison St, Co E, 5th NY Heavy Artillery
F.G.M. Yarren, 2818 1/2 Telegraph Road, Co G, 35th Mass Infantry
Peter F, Burns, Davenport, Unit not listed.
Old Drum Major Directs Affairs of G.A.R. Post
[Picture of August Reading]
After drumming his way thru the Civil war as
drum major for the old 20th Iowa Infantry, August Reading, 921 East Locust
street, senior vice commander of August Wentz Post No. 1, G.A.R., is today one
of the most active members of the post in Davenport.
TEN GREAT FLOODS IN THE HISTORY OF DAVENPORT
Venice Has Nothing on Us During the Flood Stage
RAMPAGES OF GREAT STREAM COST MILLIONS
Worst Flood in Local History Occurred in '92 - Stage Was 19.4 Feet
TWO FLOODS IN 1881
Overflows of Mississippi in 1920 and 1922 Remembered by All.
Ten times since the year 1872, when the
Weather bureau began to make flood records here, has the Mississippi river
flooded its basin with a resulting loss of millions of dollars to crops and
buildings in almost every instance.
Davenporters will remember the floods of 1920 and of 1922
very distinctly. On each occasion a flood stage of 17.1 feet was reached. Water
stood well above the railroad tracks on Front street upon both occasions.
Neither of these floods, however, compared with the flood of
1892, which was by far the worst in local history. In that year the river
reached a stage of 19.4 feet on June 27, and according to the "old
timers," it was possible to use a canoe on Second street. That was before
the days of improved levees and the flood caused probably more havoc than would
be the case if the water were to stand at the same height today.
Some Other Floods.
The first big flood recorded here, was in 1874, or two years
after the Weather bureau commenced to make daily records of the river stages,
and the flood taught the people of the vicinity the immense value of the
bureau's work. Tradition tells of previous occasions in which the Father of
Waters attempted to claim for her own the floor of the mighty valley thru which
she flows, but none were officially noted.
It was on March 9 that the high water mark of the flood of
1874 was reached. The stage was 15.6 feet. Davenport was then a comparatively
small city but considerable damage was reported. That, however, was not an
excessive flood.
The year of 1880, however, saw the third worst flood on
record here. June 26 found the water standing at 18.4 feet.
Two Floods in One Year.
Then came the year of 1881, unique in local weather records,
because of the fact that two floods were recorded during the one year. There was
both a spring flood and an autumn flood.
On April 12 the crest of the spring flood, 16.5 feet, was
recorded. Then in October the waters again washed up towards the business
section of the city. On October 25 a stage of 17.7 feet was reached and for two
days the Mississippi stood stubbornly at that height. It could come no further,
but neither would it recede. This second flood of 1881 was the only fall flood
ever recorded here. All of the others occurred in the months from March to June,
April being the month most frequently marked by high waters.
Other Big Floods.
Other big floods occurred in 1888, in 1892 and 1897. Stages
of 18.6, of 19.4, and of 15.1 feet were reported in these years.
Then there was a period of 19 years when the Father of Waters
rolled quietly down thru her channel. Not once in the entire period did the
waters rise above the so called flood stage for this point. The flood stage is
at that point on the official gauge at which damaging overflow begins, or in the
case of Davenport, 15 feet of water.
On the last three floods, which occurred here, - the floods
of 1916, 1920 and 1922,- the records of the advance of the flood and of the
amount of damage is much more accurate than on any of the previous floods. J.M.
Sherier, for many years in charge of the local station, and Andrew M. Hamrick,
who is now meteorologist for the Davenport district, both devoted much time and
study to the rising and falling of the restless river.
Work is now being carried on by Mr. Hamrick which it is
believed will make it possible within the next decade to forecast in the time of
a flood the exact spots at which the water will stand when a certain crest is
reached. An immense map has been prepared at the local office on which the flood
conditions are charted.
The report of Mr. Sherier tell the story of the flood of
1916.
Flood of 1916.
The flood of 1916 was due to a heavy accumulation of snow in
Minnesota and Wisconsin. As early as January of that year the water stood at
14.2 feet, which was the highest that had been recorded in two decades.
On April 11 the rising waters caused a flood warning to be
sent out. The water receded slowly and stubbornly. Then there came a great
snowstorm over the northern states followed by a rapid melting spell. From all
the creeks and tributaries the snow water poured into the Mississippi. Again the
flood warnings were sent out. On May 5 and 6 the high water mark for the flood
of 15.6 feet was reached.
One of the features of the flood that year was the breaking
of the dike at Muscatine. South Muscatine as well as Drury Township, Ill, across
the river, were flooded. This probably saved Davenport and Bettendorf from more
serious trouble.
Damage to buildings amounted to more than $75,000 while crop
damage, it was estimated, amounted to more than half a million dollars.
Flood of 1920.
Damage from the flood of 1920, when a crest of 17.? feet was
reached amounted to almost four millions of dollars. Loss to crops in the
counties of Illinois in this section of the river were placed at more than
$3,000,000. The land in this section was under water so long that it was
impossible to plant any crops that year. Loss of city buildings was $134,000.
Heavy snows were responsible for the 1920 flood as they had
been for the flood of 1916. The crest of 17.? feet was recorded on April 9. The
Bettendorf shops were in danger of being inundated for several days and crew of
men were kept at work building dikes. A great "L" shaped mound
extended several miles along the shore near the plant and made a big hook to
protect the Zimmerman Steel company buildings also. Many houses were under water
in the Mexican section of Bettendorf known as the "Holy City."
Still Another Flood.
Two years later occurred the flood of 1922, the most recent
and best remembered of the Mississippi floods in the district.
Rainfall during the month of March in 1922 was more than an
inch above normal thruout this territory and when the rains continued thru early
April it became apparent that Davenport was to experience another flood.
Forecast of rising waters were made daily and interested parties were notified
of the impending high water.
So accurate had the business of flood forecasting become that
on this occasion it was possible for A.M. Hamrick, now in charge of the
Davenport station to forecast one tenth of a foot the stages that would be
reached at LeClaire, Clinton, Davenport and Muscatine. The flood here reached
17.1 feet.
As had been the case in 1920, water came up to the railroad
tracks on Front street and the Milwaukee Station, the Lagomarcino Gdupe
warehouses, the River Park and other buildings were in several feet of water.
The Bettendorf plant was not so seriously menaced as the dike of 1920 had been
allowed to stand.
Loss on this flood was comparatively light despite the fact
that the water reached the same crest as in 1920. It was estimated that the loss
in Davenport and other towns did not exceed $100,000. No accurate figures upon
farm losses were secured.
Rainfall and Flood.
Under average conditions one inch of rainfall in 24 hours
over all of the territory between Dubuque and Davenport will cause a rise of
about one half a foot in the Mississippi river at Davenport. The crest of the
rise due to that rainfall will reach Davenport between two and a half and three
days after the precipitation occurs.
With a rising river and with saturated soil over the
watershed, a similar raise of .7 of a foot while with a falling river and no
recent rains the same amount will only bring the river to a stand.
The average low water at Davenport is .8 of a foot above
zero. When the river stands at that height, the distance across the water to
Rock Island at the Ferry Landing is 2.360 feet or a little more than half a
mile. When the river is higher the distance is about three-quarters of a mile.
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