INFORMATION ON THE MAID OF IOWA
8 January 1844 letter of David H. Hollister
in New Orleans
to Joseph Smith in Nauvoo.
Dear Brother Joseph: I have until today delayed writing you
because I could not give you a definite account of what had been done in the
matter pertaining to the Boat 'Maid of Iowa', but will proceed to give you now
the particulars up to the present time. After a long and tedious voyage,
spending many days on sand bars, I arrived at Natchez, Adams County,
Mississippi, in just three weeks from the time I left home, and there learned
that the 'Maid' had ascended Red River and was plying between the raft and Fort
Townsend, about eleven hundred miles from the mouth. I embraced the first
opportunity and started up Red River and, after proceeding a few hundred miles
passed her in the night without any possibility of boarding her and was under
the necessity of proceeding about one hundred miles farther before I could land
and there waited several days before I was able to get passage to New Orleans.
Meeting with so many delays, I was nearly five weeks from the time I left home
before I found the boat and then to my surprise she was in the possession of
the sheriff for a debt contracted at St. Louis and so badly damaged by running
through the raft and in the upper Red River that I doubt whether she would have
brought at auction over $2,000. I call on Jones and offered to charter his
portion of the boat and tried in every practicable manner to get possession and
offered to raise the money through some of my friends and relieve the boat from
her embarrassment, run her in some of the boyoes this
winter and return to Nauvoo in the spring, but he would accede to no
proposition I could make. His wife was commandant in Chief and was fully
determined not to give up the command. She came out on the hurricane deck when
Jones and I were talking and declared that it was just what she had expected a
plan of Joseph to cheat them out of every cent of their hard earned money. I
soon saw that all efforts were futile and the boat must be sold and all claims
against her would by the statutes of the state have the preference to yours,
for two reasons, first you are a partner and secondly no claims of over sixty
days standing against a boat can come in for their pre-rating until after the
new amounts of new claims, cost of suits, lawyers fees, etc., would swallow up
the little boat, bones and all. The claims against her are as follows:
McCallisters
bill, St. Louis
and cost about $160.00
Foundry bill in St. Louis 179.00
Butchers
' 70.00
Due to hands on board 190.00
Store bill 55.00
Due to Hubbard on a
foolish charter, gives him one third in St.
Louis 50.00
Sundry other bills,
supposed to be 40.00
$744.00
With these debts saddled
upon her and her credit gone entirely, and so badly damaged that before she
could do business at least $400.00 must be expended in repairs, two families
and a gang of hands on board eating her up and but the small sum of $64.00 on
hand, I thought best to call on Mr. Derby for the $64.00, remove the deposits,
made an arrangement for the payment of McCallister's
bill for which she was sued and commenced a suit against Jones for a settlement
and attach the boat the only way the thing can be done according to the
statutes of this state. I accordingly set the lawyers at work, but while I was
looking up securities, which was necessary to give Jones sold one half of the
boat to Capt. C. F. Miller who formerly ran the steamboat Des Moines, now owner of the Steamboat
Elizabeth. With this new feature, I thought best to compromise the matter, try
to raise means to do one half of the repairs and get the boat out of debt and
delay litigation until I could hear from you. I suppose that Jones' arrangement
with miller is such a one as he calculates he will get her back again, but if
she should not make money enough to pay her debts within 3 or 4 months the
result is doubtful, and if Miller holds on to her and having the command there
is no way that I can bring her home; for the time being, until I hear from you
I shall remain on board as clerk representing the interest specified in my
charter. She will run in the Bayou La Foache and
Bayou La Thurborne, can make one trip a week, can
carry about 100 hogsheads of sugar and 100 barrels of Molasses which at the
present prices of freight would amount to $350.00 and if up freight and passage
money will pay half of her expenses she will do well. The navigation is
reported to be a safe one; large boats can not enter Bayou La Thurborne as there is but about three feet of water. I feel
in hopes the boat may be able to pay her debts in this trade. I have thus far
been governed by what I considered your best interest. Please acquaint me if it
meets your approbation, and give me such further directions as may wish me to
follow. Jones says he will return to Nauvoo and settle with you honorably, but
he is much incensed against me, Captain Mrs. Jones especially. If you write him
requesting him so to do, I think he will. I understand the consideration for
the one half was $1500, the expense of repairs and debts from said half to come
out. The contract for carpenters' work in repairs is let at $300.00; the
castings for engine $61.00, wages of engineers and other hands while laying her
will be $60.00 or $70.00 more, so that when she leaves port she will owe at
least $1100.00. This will be owing to Captain Miller and the other half I raise
on the charter on my own account; so if Miller is disposed to do right the boat
will not be troubled. There is some business between Miller and Jones which at
present I can not understand, but I guess Miller keeps the half anyway. I shall
look with anxiety for an answer to this. Respectfully yours,
D. S. Hollister [David]
(To General Joseph Smith)
