(non-dated newpaper article circa 1900)

Capt. Patrick Cunningham, the biggest man on the river and well known in every river town from St. Paul to New Orleans, died at St Louis last week. He was nearly six feet tall and weighed three hundred and twenty pounds. His great weight caused him to retire from active service much against his will three years ago.
During his forty years of river life he has filled every position on a steamboat from second clerk to captain, and yet it was said of him that a word of profanity had never escaped his lips.
His conscientious scruples in regard to the use of profane language prompted him to adopt a vocabulary of his own in directing the work of his subordinates. Those who have listened to him say that his language when executed was stronger than that of the most godless mate that ever trod a lower deck, and more original than Chimmie Fadden's.
Captain Cunningham was in charge of the ill-fated "City of Quincy" when it burned, and was one of the few survivors of the accident. He had been in four explosions, but was never injured until seven years ago, when he fell from a gang plank and sustained a fracture of his left knee cap. This accident, coupled with his increasing weight, hastened his retirement.