Title: George G Ealer

RivermenandRiverboats > Steamboat Pilots > Steamboat Pilots

Go to subcategory： Introduction To This Site—— IntroductionInformation On Other Riverboats—— Information On Other Riverboats 2Streckfus Steamers—— Streckfus Steamers IntroMazie Krebs Introduction—— Mazie KrebsThe Streckfus Brothers Introduction—— The Streckfus BrothersEarly Steamboat Days—— Early Steamboat DaysDay Of Wreckoning—— Day Of WreckoningWood To Fuel Oil—— Wood To Fuel OilMary Greene—— Mary GreeneBelle of Louisville—— Belle of LouisvilleCaptain Donald J. Sanders—— Captain Donald J. SandersJohn Hartford Tribute—— John Hartford TributeCheyenneCheyenne—— CheyenneCheyenneTommy Towboater—— Tommy TowboaterInfo On Cornelius McGee—— Info On Cornelius McGeeTidbits Of Information I & II—— Tidbits Of Information I & IICalliopes—— CalliopesFultons Folly—— Fultons FollyIf Twain Came Back—— If Twain Came BackTwains Degree—— Twains DegreeQuotes—— QuotesTwain As A Pilot—— Twain As A PilotSteamboat Pilots—— Steamboat PilotsPoints Of Interest—— Points Of InterestThe Super Flood 1937 ~Paducah~—— The Super Flood 1937 ~Paducah~The Ohio River In 1937—— The Ohio River In 1937Olde Saying—— Olde SayingMisselhornSketches—— MisselhornSketchesWrights On The Ohio River—— Wrights On The Ohio RiverFlatboats—— FlatboatsBio. Sketch-Jacob Von Scyster—— Bio. Sketch-Jacob Von ScysterShanty Boats—— Shanty BoatsGenealogy Tidbits—— Genealogy TidbitsGenealogy Of Conrad McGee—— Genealogy Of Conrad McGee††Obituaries††—— ObituariesInteresting Books—— Interesting BooksGeneral—— General DiscussionCategory

Author

Content

Fiddlinsue
Rank：none Score：220 Posts：220 From：USA Register：11/11/2008 8:17 AM	Date Posted：02/17/2009 6:31 AMCopy HTML   George G. Ealer lived from 1829-1866.  George was the co-pilot on the steamboats Pennsylvania and Alfred T. Lacey on which Sam Clemens was a cub pilot.  He doubtlessly influenced the cub's education by readin the classics aloud to the cub pilot (Shakespeare and Oliver Goldsmith were his bibles).  Clemens recalled arguing the author- ship of the Shakespeare plays and for the sake  of discussion Clemens took the position that Francis Bacon was the author maintaining that Shake- speare lacked the background in law.  Among Ealer's other accomplishments were playing chess and the flute.  George Ealer is probably the most famous chess-playing flautist in American literature. Clemens worked on the Pennsylvania with Ealer in November, 1857 and from February 6 to June 5 in 1858.  Occasionally during his layovers in New Orleans--Sam Clemens would work at night guarding freight on the docks.  He never stopped writing letters home; some letters encouraged his younger brother, Henry, to follow in his footsteps. Sam found him his first job in the river trade as a clerk. Henry was a 20-year old boy, intelligent and hand- some of whom Sam was justifiably proud.  Henry was third clerk of the Pennsylvania.  The pilots were George Ealer and William Brown.  It was under Brown whom Sam, unfortunately, was the cub pilot. Brown was a middle-aged, long, slim, bony, smooth- shaven, fault-finding, mote-magnifying tyrant; and from the moment the boat left St. Louis he made Sam's life unbearable.  Henry and George Ealer helped somewhat to ease the pressures of Brown's unceasing criticisms. One day on the downriver trip to New Orleans, Brown missed a freight landing and blamed Henry for not calling out the landing loud enough, even though everyone heard Henry make the call.  In confronting the young clerk Brown struck him. In a rage of temper Sam Clemens grabbed a stool and struck Brown.  He then jumped on the pilot and pounded him until he was pulled off. The event could have ended his career but everyone on board, including the captain, supported Sam.  He was called into the cabin by the captain and advised to lay for Brown ashore. Sam was offered Brown's place as the regular pilot on the return trip aboard the Pennsylvania but he did not feel he was ready for the responsibility.  The captain secured passage for Sam's return to St. Louis aboard the Alfred T. Lacey. The "Lacey" started up the river two days behind the "Pennsylvania".  We touched at Greenville, Mississippi, a couple of days out, and somebody shouted--- The "Pennsylvania" is blown up at Ship Island, and a hundred and fifty lives lost!! This is the sorrowful story-- It was six o'clock on a hot summer morning.  The "Pennsylvania" was creeping along, north of Ship Island, about sixty miles below Memphis on a half- head of steam, towing a wood-flat which was fast being emptied.  George Ealer was in the pilot-house alone I think;......... The wood being nearly all out of the flat now, Ealer rang to "come ahead" full steam, and the next moment four of the eight boilers exploded with a thunderous crash, and the whole forward third of the boat was hoisted toward the sky!  The main part of the mass, with the chimneys, dropped upon the boat again, a mountain of riddled and chaotic rubbish and then, after a little, fire broke out. Many people were flung to considerable distances, and fell in the river. When George Ealer saw the chimneys plunging aloft in front of him, he knew what the matter was; so he muffled his face in the lapels of his coat, and pressed both hands there tightly to keep this protection in its place so that no steam could get to his nose or mouth. He had ample time to attend to these details while he was going up and returning.  He presently landed on top of the unexploded boilers, forty feet below the former pilot-house, accompanied by his wheel and a rain of other stuff, and enveloped in a cloud of scalding steam.  All of the many who breathed that steam died; none escaped.  But Ealer breathed none of it.  He made his way to the free air as quickly as he could; and when the steam cleared away he returned and climbing up on the boilers again, and patiently hunted out each and everyone of his chessmen and the several joints os his flute. Henry Clemens was asleep when he was blown up, then fell back on the hot boilers, and I suppose that rubbish fell on him, for he is in- jured internally.  He got in the water and swam to shore. In a letter to his sister-in-law, Mollie, Sam writes, For forty-eight hours I labored at the bedside of my poor burned and bruised, but uncomplaining brother, and then the star of my hope went out and left me in the gloom of despair. He blamed himself for Henry's death; for having urged him to take the job on the Pennsylvania and for the fight with Brown which led to his absence when the steamboat blew up. He bore the burden all his life; only after fifty years could he bear to tell the story of that tragic night when the star of my hope went out. George G. Ealer died of tuberculosis at the age of 37 on December 10, 1866.  He is interred in Bellefontaine Cemetery in the lot purchased by his brother, Henry.  There are twelve in- terments in the lot but only one weather-worn marble marker.  George's grave is among the unmarked. Henry A. Ealer was also a pilot and the builder of the steamboats H. D. Bacon, Planet and J. H. Oglesby.  His personal river experiences, in the form of letter, are in "Gould's History of River Navigation." George G. Ealer is located in the Bellefontaine Cemetery in Block 67, Lot 484. The image used on this page is from my own personal cd collection.  The information that I have on this page was compiled through genealogy research and some information was taken from resources through the Bellefontaine Cemetery records.
Fiddlinsue	Share to: #1
Rank：none Score：220 Posts：220 From：USA Register：11/11/2008 8:17 AM	Re：George G Ealer Date Posted：07/27/2010 2:13 PMCopy HTML  Thank you for such a wonderful presentation.  There was another pilot by the name of George Ealer.  He was also born in 1830.  He is enumerated in the 1860 US Census in New Orleans.  Also, a 14 mo. old George Ealer died in New Orleans in 1851.
Fiddlinsue	Share to: #2
Rank：none Score：220 Posts：220 From：USA Register：11/11/2008 8:17 AM	Re：George G Ealer Date Posted：08/24/2010 7:02 AMCopy HTML That is very interesting information. Thank you so much!  I had no idea. Feel free to comment anytime. Suzanne a.k.a. Fiddlinsue
Fiddlinsue	Share to: #3
Rank：none Score：220 Posts：220 From：USA Register：11/11/2008 8:17 AM	Re：George G Ealer Date Posted：11/29/2010 5:53 AMCopy HTML  The above academy award-nominated French extra sits on a hard-sided replica handbags attache in an age-old railway station. What’s do you think? Both the iconic damier canvas and beginning damier azur canvas accompany different airy breeding to these adequate thongs. Personally I accede the damier canvas abundant added acceptable for men while the damier azur archetypal women’s style.