He Was One of Great Steamboat Men of the Ohio Valley.

Capt. Wash Honshell, the veteran steamboatman, and one of the best known citizens of Catlettsburg, Ky., died at his home in that city at 9 o'clock Wednesday evening.

He has been ill for several weeks, suffering from stomach and kidney trouble, and for the last few days was unable to take any nourishment.

Capt. Honshell was one of the pioneer steamboatmen of the Ohio valley, and it is probable that during his long life he was interested in more steamboats than any other man on the Ohio river.

He began steamboating along about 1851-2 when he became employed on the "Relief," then running in the Portsmouth and Big Sandy trade. About 1856 he became associated with others in the ownership of the "Cabinet." Later he and his partners bought the Boston and put her in the Cincinnati and Pomeroy trade. It burned and then they chartered the Izetta and ran her for awhile.

Along about the beginning of the war Capt. Honshell was associated with David Gibson, Hiram Campbell, John Means of Ashland, and others, and this company built the first steamer Telegraph. Later they built the Fleetwood, and then organized the Cincinnati, Portsmouth, Pomeroy and Big Sandy Packet Co., more popularly known as the "White Collar Line," a name which it obtained from the fact that all its boats, from the beginning, wore, as they still wear, two white collars on each chimney. The Clipper, a little boat, owned by the company at its first organization, had its chimneys so adorned, the model was followed on other boats and so the white collars on the chimneys became the distinguishing mark of all boats of the Big Sandy Packet Company.

Capt. Honshell served as master on the various boats of the line and being one of the heaviest stockholders eventually became the general manager of the company, a position he held for a long time.

During the early seventies, he, with others, organized the Huntington and St. Louis towboat line which became known as "the red barge line" and has continued to retain large interest in that line.

During the seventies, too, he became interested with Capt. W. H. Kerr, Shade Ward, George Williams, and James Rees in the Granite State, which boat also adopted the white collars, though never owned by the Big Sandy packet company.

About the year 1881 Capt. Honshell became associated with the Bay Bros.' and the Portsmouth and Pomeroy Packet Co., was organized, and owned and operated the Fannie Dugan, City of Ironton, Minnie Bay, Lizzie Bay, Henry M. Stanley and other boats. He was a director in this company from its organization till its affairs were wound up recently.

During his time, too, Capt. Honshell was interested in the Andes, Exchange, Buckeye State, New Granite State, and other boats. In addition to his steamboat interests the deceased was interested in several Ironton Institutions and at the time of his death was a director of the First National Bank and the Belfont Iron Works.

His wife and four children survive him. His children are: Mrs. Lindsey Kelly* of Ironton, Mrs. M. F. Hampton and Mrs. Rush Williamson of Catlettsburg, and Mr. Gus Honshell of Huntington, who is also widely known in the steamboat and railroad circles. The funeral took place at 2 o'clock p.m. Friday, at Catlettsburg.

* Mrs. Lindsey Kelly was later known as Nannie Kelly Wright...