Henry Elton Elliott was a riverboat captain who worked in that profession for over 30 years. His experiences took him along many interior tributaries such as the Mighty Mississippi River, Illinois, Missouri, Allegheny, Ohio, and Tennessee Rivers, along with many inner coastal waterways. Captain Elliott logged over 7,000 miles of inland waterways in his career. Henry’s older brother Ervin was working at the Houston Ship Channel and introduced him to the profession. Once Henry began his career, he met Captain John, who mentored him. John told Henry if he wanted to make it into a wheelhouse or pilothouse, he could do it in a year’s time. Usually, it took three to four years to get assigned to a wheelhouse. John said it would be a lot of work and lost sleep with no extra pay, but Henry could do it in a year. Henry said he was all in and started the quest on Dec. 22, 1952. On August 8, 1953, 8 months later, he was assigned his first pilothouse watch. The rest is history. If it weren’t for health issues, he would still be on a riverboat. Henry retired in the mid-80s and has no regrets.
Henry was born in 1932 in Trinity, Texas. His mother Mary died when he was 10 years old. His father, Henry Elliott, remarried, and within a couple of years, Henry moved in with Ervin. Ervin, also known as “Cotton,” owned a service station and icehouse in Riverside. The folks used to call Henry “Little Cotton.” He remembers how the town of Riverside started to boom. World War II had started, and soon after, the town started to grow. Henry said there was a bicycle shop, feed and grocery store, dry goods store, filling stations, drug store, post office, an additional grocery store, and a couple of old buildings.
A prisoner of war camp called Country Campus was built in May of 1942. The German camp had the capacity to house 4,800 men. Many of the prisoners were leased as laborers by local farmers. Henry’s uncle had a contract with the camp and made deliveries of ice to Country Campus, and Henry tagged along. The prisoners unloaded the ice, but Henry wasn’t allowed to leave the cab of the truck. The prisoners, some knowing the English language, would strike up conversation with Henry. Many shared that they did not want to return to Germany after the war ended. One in particular confided in Henry that if he were to die, he wanted to be buried in America.
Henry reminisces about his school days when he was living at home. He wasn’t very fond of school and had some struggles during those years. He shared a story of how he was introduced to volleyball and began to practice all the time. He admitted he wasn’t very good at it but did have the ability to strike the ball with extreme force, which resulted in some sore hands of his opponents. He attributes the ability to hit the ball so hard to the work at the icehouse, moving 300-pound blocks when he only weighed 100 pounds himself.
Henry recalls in 1944 he went regularly to the movie theater on Friday night. He asked his daddy for a quarter, and that was enough for admission, popcorn, and a coke. Henry said, “My dad used to call me Baby. He said, ‘Baby, you don’t know how I come about my quarters.’ One Friday, he gave me my quarter and never said anything about it. I wondered as I made my way to the movie theater why my daddy didn’t say anything to me that day.
“About 3:30 the next morning, I found out why he didn’t say anything. After waking me up, we gathered some tools and walked from Trinity to Pagoda. A four-mile hike with a crosscut saw, double-bladed axe, wedges, everything you needed to cut logs. We turned off the main road into the woods just about daylight and cut timber all day long. We got home at dark, and I took a bath and went to bed. We ended up working about 19 hours that day. Sunday morning, I woke up with something clear in my mind. I sure can make my spending money easier than cutting logs for a living. That Friday night was the last time I asked my daddy for a nickel, dime, or any kind of money. I constantly worked to earn my money and became a ‘workaholic’ of sorts. That was a valuable lesson I never forgot. It instilled in me the will to work hard all my life.”
While living with his older brother Ervin, he started delivering ice. He remembers the days were long and hard, but rich with community. He woke up at 3:00 a.m. to drive to Huntsville for ice. He made deliveries to Groveton and returned to Huntsville for another load to take back to the icehouse in Riverside before going to school. After school, he delivered to residential customers. In those days, it was not unusual to put in 14-to-18-hour days. He started driving a bigger truck that didn’t have a driver’s side door. “They told me if I was ever in a spot where I thought I was going to have an accident, that I should jump free of the truck because the force of the ice shifting could kill me,” Henry says. “One day, another vehicle ran me off the road, and I jumped out of the cab. The result of the accident caused the ice to completely flatten the cab of that truck. The Lord was looking out for me that day.”
At 17, Henry joined the air force. He says, “Those were some of the best years of my life.” He was quick to share that he served three years, five months, four days, and 22-1/2 hours in that outfit. When he got out, he was dropped off in Sweeny, Texas, which is close to the Gulf Coast. Henry soon got connected to the riverboats right after he was discharged.
Henry first met his wife Dianne “when she was still in pigtails.” She was the sister of one of his friends. Some years passed, and he saw Dianne working in a local café. He frequented the café often, and the two of them got to know each other better. “Before you know it, we were dating, ended up marrying in 1967, and have been together 58 years.” Henry says, “The secret to being married for so long is just to keep your mouth shut.” Dianne says, “The secret to a long marriage is the determination of both to make it work, no matter what. God deserves the credit because He is who we depend on, and He never fails.”
Henry is now 93 and lives near Tyler, but his mind and spirit are strong. He admits his body causes him to slow down, but he still finds time to do things around the house and occasionally operate his track hoe. He also spends quite a bit of time writing these days. In 2015, he completed a book about his years as a riverboat captain. The book Tows, Locks, and Gator Crossings is available on Amazon. It is comprised of short stories, jokes, and adventures of the best career ever. He has also been working on his memoirs so his family can reflect on all his time here on earth. One thing Henry shared that meant a lot to him is that over the past several years, he prays every morning and gives thanks to God for another day. At night, he prays and gives thanks for allowing him to enjoy the day. “Hank” is a blessed man and leads a gifted life, giving all the glory to his heavenly Father.
