History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its cities, towns, resources, people

              THE   STEAM   AND   SAIL   BOAT. 233
caused Mr. Curtis Eeed and, Charles Doty to build the "Menasha" in 1851. Boats ran from Lake Winnebago up river through the Portage canal by July, 1854. lu' June, 1856, the steamboat '^Morgan L. Martin" arrived at Oshkosh from Green Bay, the first steamboat to pass through. In August, 1856, the "Aquilla" arrived from Pittsburg via Ohio, Mississippi, Wis¬ consin and Fox rivers, the first steamboat to pass the entire length of the great waterway.
"On Wednesday the steamers 'Peytona,' 'Barlow' and 'Samp¬ son' arrived here, crowded to their utmost capacity with pas¬ sengers and freight. On Saturday the steamer 'Eureka' and schooner 'Merchant and Trader' landed here," says the "Menasha Advocate" of May 31, 1855.
The steamer "Sampson" was built at Menasha in the winter of 1855 and commenced running in the spring to Fond du Lac. On her return trip her boiler exploded at Calumet, killing- sev¬ eral and mangling others. Steamer "Independent Eepublic," wdth a long name and short engine, had a race with a deer in Lake Winnebago and the deer won out.
John Fitzgerald purchased in 1855 the entire steamboat force on the river and systematized the business, running regular lines. At one time this aroused Jere Crowley, of the "Advocate," be¬ cause they raised the passage rate from Fond du Lac to Menasha from $1 to $1.50. In 1856 the steamboat fleet had the added names of "Queen City," "Eureka," "Menominee" and "Shioc." The "Ajax" and "Pioneer" passed the locks and canals below Appleton by June 11, 1856. The "Aquilla" had for some weeks previous made regular trips from Oshkosh to Appleton through the Neenah lock.
In 1861 "Fannie Fisk" was added to the fleet, the "Tigress" in 1870 and "Flora Webster" in 1872, built by Webster & Law- son, of Menasha, as a freight boat for logs, having a power crane for handling logs. "Steamer 'Energy,' Captain Gordon, cleared from Menasha for Dubuque with spokes and hubs from Webster and Lawson, May 25, 1870. The week before the 'P. V. Lawson' cleared with two barges loaded with hubs and spokes, tubs, pails and barrel stock for Prairie du Chien."—-Menasha "Press."
For many years Capt. Holly S. Thurston ran the "Island City" on the river route. In 1872 he bumped into the lower gates of the Alenasha lock and broke them down. The force of the water loosened the upper gates and this let the whole canal rush into the lower lake.    The boat was helpless on the floods and rushed