Steamboat Photos - The Eclipse Eclipse (Rafter/Packet, 1882-1917) Albumen photo from my collection. Detail above, full image below. ECLIPSE Sternwheel Rafter/Packet Way's Packet Directory Number 1695 Built at LeClaire, Iowa, 1882 The Eclipse towed rafts until the mills shut down in 1904. During her days she towed showboats, Golden Rod, Cotton Blossom and Emerson's Floating Palace. She was enrolled at the Port of Burlington, April 29, 1884; Port of Dubuque, May 8, 1888; Rock Island, Illinois, 1894, 1900 and 1902 Then Captain John Lancaster, LeClaire, who held interest in the boat and had commanded her as a rafter, bought Captain John Streckfus's warehouses at Davenport, Iowa and Clinton, Illinois and entered the Eclipse in the trade. This venture was not a success because a street car line had been opened. This was the last effort to run a packet between those cities. She later ran in the Dubuque, Iowa-Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin trade. In 1913 she was laid up and sank in Cat Tail Slough, south of Albany, Illinois. Captain Ralph Emerson Gaches then bought her to tow his showboat. He was making a trip with her from Pittsburgh to Sistersville, West Virginia with an Atlantic Refining Company gasoline barge the night of December 8, 1917. On December 8, 1917 she struck the dike at the foot of Neville Island, Ohio River, burned and sank. digicoll.library.wisc.edu BOAT DESCRIPTION: Sternwheel BOAT TYPE: Rafter/Packet BUILT: LeClaire, Iowa, 1882 FINAL DISPOSITION: December 8, 1917, Neville Island, Ohio River, burned and sank OWNERS: 1882: Lindsay and Phelps Lumber Company; 1886: Cable Lumber Company; 1904: Captain John Lancaster, LeClaire; 1913: Captain Ralph Emerson Gaches OFFICERS & CREW: John McKenzie (master), Al Carpenter (pilot); 1888: E. Lancaster (master); 1896: Captain J. Lancaster, Captain B. Jenks; 1911: Robert F. Isherwood (captain) RIVERS: Mississippi River; Ohio River; Monongahela River OTHER INFORMATION: Ways - 1695; Built in 1882, the Eclipse towed rafts until the mills shut down in 1904. Then Captain John Lancaster, LeClaire, who held interest in the boat and had commanded her as a rafter, bought Captain John Streckfus's warehouses at Davenport, Iowa and Clinton, Illinois and entered the Eclipse in the trade. This venture was not a success because a street car line had been opened. This was the last effort to run a packet between those cities. She later ran in the Dubuque, Iowa-Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin trade. In 1913 she was laid up and sank in Cat Tail Slough, south of Albany, Illinois. Captain Ralph Emerson Gaches then bought her to tow his showboat. He was making a trip with her from Pittsburgh to Sistersville, West Virginia with an Atlantic Refining Company gasoline barge the night of December 8, 1917. She struck the dike at the foot of Neville Island, Ohio River, burned and sank. During her days she towed showboats, Golden Rod, Cotton Blossom and Emerson's Floating Palace. She was enrolled at the Port of Burlington, April 29, 1884; Port of Dubuque, May 8, 1888; Rock Island, Illinois, 1894, 1900 and 1902 Albumen photo with detail and real photo postcard from my collection of the ECLIPSE. an old advertising card for the ECLIPSE The ECLIPSE's name is only seen on the pilot house On the portside "amidships" are the names of her ports of call Clinton, Fulton, Davenport & Rock Island At the stern where the name of a boat was usually painted is the following: Daily Packet American Express On the front of the card upper right (not included in the scan) is written: "Morris - Have you forgotten Capt Lancaster? He sends his greeting to you all. Aunt Lizzie" Morris was evidently Aunt Lizzie's young nephew. The backside of the card is post marked PORT BYRON, ILLINOIS AUG 6, 1906 (Port Byron is on the Mississippi River) and addressed to "Master Morris Boggs - Circleville, Ohio" and postmarked "Received CIRCLEVILLE, OHIO AUG 8, 1906" Circleville is on the Scioto River which doesn't seem to have been navigated to much extent. britannica.com The original American Express Company, was founded on March 18, 1850, through the consolidation of three companies active in the express transport of goods & valuables between New York City and Buffalo, New York, and points in the Midwest: (1) Livingston, Fargo & Company (formerly Western Express), founded in 1845 by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo, later of Wells Fargo fame (2) Wells & Co. (formerly Livingston, Wells & Co.), cofounded by Wells in 1846 and under his ownership at the time of the merger; and (3) Butterfield & Wasson, founded by John Butterfield and James D. Wasson. With the exception of images credited to public institutions, everything on this page is from a private collection. Please contact Steamboats.com for permission for commercial use.* All captions provided by Dave Thomson, Steamboats.com primary contributor and historian.