Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Ophelia Hoffmann McGee; a daughter, Miss Mary Marjorie McGee; and two sisters. Funeral services will be held tomorrow morning in Dubuque, Iowa. Burial will be at East Dubuque, Illinois.

FROM THE QUINCY HERALD-WHIG NEWSPAPER

Captain McGee had been a riverman for fifty-two years and captain of Mississippi river excursion steamers for the last twenty years. He was last with the Streckfus Line and brought such familiar steamers as the St. Paul, the JS and the Dubuque to Quincy many times. Clat Adams, whose river-front store is the Quincy headquarters for all rivermen, knew Captain McGee very well. McGee was at one time mate on the old Diamond Jo Lines. Mr. Adams recalled, and was known to most everyone who was acquainted with the river as "Connie" McGee.

Burial services for Captain McGee will be held in East Dubuque.

IT WAS TOLD BY HIS SON RALPH, THAT THOMAS WAS MURDERED WHILE ON ONE OF THE RIVERBOATS. TO DATE ALL WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND IS THE ONE NEWSPAPER OBIT THAT STATES HE DIED FROM APOPLEXY. WE ARE NOT SURE EXACTLY HOW THOMAS DIED.

Thomas was the brother of Captain Cornelius "Connie" McGee who died in April of 1938. Thomas passed away in 1903.

The death of Mr. McGee is the cause of deep sorrow in this vicinity where he was well known and where he was held in high esteem. He was a devout member of St. Raphael's parish and of the St. Vincent De Paul Society.

From the City of Evansville, Indiana March 16, 1936

It States:
To Whom It May Concern:

On Saturday, September 7, 1935, Officer Pitts and I were instructed to report to Captain Lax of Steamer St. Paul at 7:00 P.M. in regard to going out with him on the Moonlight Trip to keep order.

About 9:00 P.M. when we had all our passengers on board and getting ready to leave, Captain Lax who was on the bridge ordered Captain McGee to let go of the shore lines and to hoist stage up which was done. Captain McGee handling the stage fall on capstain. About the time the stage was hoisted, there was a young couple came running down the bank or wharf to get on the boat, Captain Lax ordered McGee to lower down stage again low enough for this couple to step on, which was done and the stage was again hoisted up to its place. Before taking this fall line off of capstain there is about six deck hands takes hold of this fall where it comes down through schieve or pullway at the mast and holds it with their weight till it is taken off of capstain and made fast to cavil close by.

It was while doing this that the colored deck hands either let go or it slipped through their hands before McGee had it made fast to cavil, thus letting the stage fall about ten to twelve feet and causing the fall line to get wrapped around McGee's leg in some manner and pulling it against cavil the line cutting off McGee's leg below the knee. As soon as we heard McGee holler to deck hands to pull down on the fall to take the weight off of his leg, which they could not do, McGee then asked for some one to cut the line but the captain said not to cut it. It was then quite awhile that some colored fellow, I believe they called him Big Jake slipped down in the hull and cut the line. Officer Pitts and I then took charge of McGee and got busy and got a towel from some one and tied it around McGee's leg to stop the flow of blood. In the meantime they were trying to get the stage up on the boat. I asked the captain to come down and when he did come, I told him if they didn't get Captain McGee off to a hospital he would bleed to death. The captain then left the stage on shore and it took some time before they could get the boat up to the Williams Wharf Boat and get McGee in the ambulance which was waiting for him there.

Signed:
Donald H. Zirkelback
Curtis A. Pitts

Captain Hilmar Lax, who had been employed by the Streckfus Steamers, Inc., for about 35 years, died suddenly last night at the York Hotel, where he resided. He was 45.

As a boy of 10, he joined the Streckfus Line at Paducah, KY., as a cabin boy under Captain John S. Streckfus, and worked his way up to the command of steamboats. He was Captain of the St. Paul for a number of years, and for a while also commanded the President and the Washington.

Last night at 10:30 he notified the hotel clerk he was ill and asked that a physician be called. While hotel attaches attended him, Dr. W. Antoine Hall, 1625 Tower Grove Avenue, on arrival found Captain Hilmar Lax on the floor of the bathroom dead.

His wife, from whom he had been divorced, Mrs. Gladys Lax, resides at 1319 Waldron Avenue, University City, with their two children; Hilmar, Jr. 13 and Jane 9.

The double funeral of Capt. Cornelius McGee and his sister; Miss Anna McGee, were held Friday morning from the Bennett and Ashworth Funeral Home to St. Raphael's Cathedral at 9 o'clock. The Right Rev. Monsignor James V. Casey, pastor, sang the high mass of requiem, and preached the sermon. Pallbearers for Captain McGee were Frank P. McCaffrey, Patrick Fury, Richard Burke, William Foley, James Doyle and Peter McCarthy. Pallbearers for Miss McGee were Harry Cosgrove, Roy Tierney, Roy Williams, Vincent and Joseph McCaffrey and Frank Williams. Grandnephews of Captain McGee and his sister were mass servers.

Funeral services for Captain Walter Atcheson Blair, 83, from the McGinnis funeral home at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday will mark the close of one of the most colorful chapters in Mississippi River lore.

A veteran of more than half a century's piloting on the broad stream he loved, Captain Blair died at his home, 2342 East Eleventh Street, Davenport, Iowa at 12:35 a.m. Sunday after an illness of six weeks.

From the time of his birth in Galena, Ill.; November 17, 1856; the Captain had made the Mississippi River a part of his life, his home always within sight of it when he wasn't at the wheel of a steamer. He was the son of Margaret and Andrew Blair, who moved to Princeton, Iowa in October of 1869. It was here that the romance of early day shipping on the Mississippi captured his interest and determined his course.

First River Job in 1878

His first river experience came in March of 1878, after a period during which he was a school teacher in Princeton, on the old LeClaire Belle. Although he returned to teaching for a short time, the river had won his first interest, and he obtained a pilot's license in 1882.

The following year he purchased his first boat, the J. W. Mills, first of a line of inland vessels which were to bring him recognition and acquaintances along the entire course of the river both as a pilot and business man.

One of the interesting highlights of his career came when he formed a partnership with Captain Samuuel R. Van Sant, later governor of Minnesota. Together they operated seven boats in a rafting business. Four other boats owned by Van Sant were also kept busy. These were thriving days on the river.

Formed Packet Company

Moving ahead with the progress of shipping, Captain Blair associated himself with a group of Davenport, Keokuk, Burlington and Quincy. Successful from its inception, the company served 125,000 passengers and carried 15,000 tons of freight annually. Among boats used were the Helen Blair, Black Hawk and Keokuk.

The enterprising captain saw the decline of river traffic with the growth of rail service, but never lost faith in the importance of water to transportation. He, himself, had retired as a pilot only within recent years and had watched with interest the steady progress of the river's comeback as a vital transportation factor following the completion of nine-foot channel project by the U.S. army engineers.

When construction work on the river in recent years created a demand for tow boats, he bought the "Fury". a one time government tow boat, and had handled tows for the contractors, thus contributing to navigation history when he was well beyond the proverbial three score years and ten. Captain Blair married Elizabeth Bard in LeClaire, December 7, 1882, and the couple made their home in Davenport. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church here, Trinity Lodge No. 208 A.F. & A.M., and Snow Lodge; LeClaire.

Besides the widow, a daughter, Mrs. Hugh T. Smith of Philadelphia, PA; two sons, George W. Blair of Mishawaka, Indiana; and Bard B. Blair of Tulsa, Oklahoma; three sisters, Mrs. R.E. White of Monmouth, Illinois; Mrs. Fred Wyman and Mrs. G.S. Johnson both of Davenport; two brothers, W.H. Blair of Davenport and A.L. Blair of Highland Park, Illinois, and three grandchildren, Mrs. H.E. Brucklin of Elkhart, Indiana, George W. Blair, Jr. of Winfield, Kansas and Frederick E. Blair of Mishawaka, survive. A son, Paul, died November 2, 1898. Burial will be in Oakdale Cemetery.

submitted by: FIDDLINSUE@aol.com

Captain Leslie R. Broadfoot, 60, of 1415 South Third Street, member of a family of river pilots, died Saturday afternoon at 1:10 o'clock after a long illness.

Captain Broadfoot was widely known among rivermen on the Ohio and other inland rivers, and operated as a master and pilot with the Fowler and other lines for many years. He was forced to retire several years ago because of ill health. He is survived by a daughter, Miss Anita H. Broadfoot; and sister, Mrs. Ethel Broadfoot Hoffman, Captain Nelson M. Broadfoot of Paducah, is cousin. Private funeral services will be held Monday morning at 10:30 o'clock at Roth Funeral Chapel. Friends may call at Roth's preceding the rites. Burial will be in Oak Grove Cemetery.

Pallbearers will include Forest Crutchfield, Sam Felts, Harley Robinette, Ralph Bishop, Harry Lloyd and William Findley.

Pallbearers were: J.C. Breidendach, Robert Moore, Robert Dallas, Sam Orr, Clyde Emerson, Thayo Furnan.