Captain William N Air
Dollar Weekly Times, Thursday, 10 July 1856, page 4
Mr. William Air of the Newport ferry, met with an accident yesterday. While riding in a buggy with William Mayo, the horse became frightened and ran away. Mr. Air was first thrown out and severely injured. Mr. Mayo was afterwards pitched out but fortunately escaped with only a few bruises.
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Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, Friday, 25 March 1859, page 3
GUESS THEY WERE AFTER SOMETHING-The attention of the lawyers on
York street Newport, was attracted yesterday morning by quite a number of well dressed
and respectable looking strangers, who from time to time, flocked by the Court
house, some turning up and down Bellevue street, and others up and down Madison
street, now and then stopping to look at this and that residence.
Some one more curious than the rest went in search of Captain Air, of the ferry boat, if possible to have the mystery solved: while another sought out the City Marshal, in the fear that they might be burglars. Captain Air was the man for the emergency. He soon relieved the anxiety of the public mind by giving the information that the individuals looking for houses to rent and lots upon which to create new tenants.
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Penny Press, Cincinnati, Wednesday, 26 October 1859, page 4
Captain William Air, Newport, Captain Hoople, Major Charles Buchanan, Corporal Dunlap, Professor Stein and Dr. Sedam, have just returned from the Ohio, about Berlin, Shelby County, where they have been hunting and fishing for the past week.
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Cincinnati Daily Enquirer, Wednesday, 5 February 1862, page 3
NEWPORT NEWS
PERSONAL-Quartermaster William Air, of Colonel Mark Mundy's Regiment, reached the city yesterday from Lexington, looking hale and hearty. He reports the health of the regiment as excellent.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, Saturday, 11 March 1865, page 2
AN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO COMMIT SUICIDE-Thursday morning, abut 10 o'clock, while Captain Air was collecting fare from passengers on one of the Newport ferry boats, a young man, apparently 23 or 24 years of age, stepped up to him and handing him a five cent postal note, turned quickly around and exclaiming, "Here I go" jumped head foremost into the river.
He remained under water for so long a time that all who witnessed the scene supposed him to be drowned. He finally came up, however, about a hundred yards from the boat, blowing like a porpoise and swimming for dear life. A number of the crew put out after him. He was overtaken at the foot of Main street and pulled into the boat in a very exhausted condition. He refused to give his name or assign any reason for his singular conduct.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, Saturday, 18 December 1875, page 2
CAPTAIN WILLIAM SR. of Newport, returned from the East night before last. The Captain is bound for Council now.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, Monday, 6 January 1879, page 7
NARROW ESCAPE FROM DROWNING
Newport was thrown into a fever of excitement last evening about five o'clock, when a report was started that Captain William N Air had fallen overboard from one of his ferry boats and was drowned. It was only to give the report to make large crowds rush to the river to learn the particulars. Arriving at the river it was ascertained that Captain Air was not drowned but had a very narrow escape from drowning.
He had a gang of men at work cutting ice so that his ferry boat might move backward and forward across the river when a cake of ice that Captain Air was standing on, gave way and he sank going under the ice. The men who were at work cutting the ice, at the risk of their own lives jumped in and saved him from his perilous position. The only damage the Captain received was a cold bath.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, Tuesday, 31 August 1880, page 7
CAPTAIN BILL AIR, of Newport, has gone to Colorado.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, Friday, 26 December 1884, page 7
CAPTAIN WILLIAM AIR, of Newport, is home from Virginia.
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Kentucky Post, Saturday, February 2, 1907, page 5
OLD RIVER MAN SUCCUMBED TO FEVER
Captain William N Air, Who Operated Newport Ferries Is Dead
Captain William N Air, 75, died at an early hour today at his
residence, 206 East Third-st. Newport. He had been in failing health for
some months, but the immediate cause of his death was typhoid fever.
Captain Air was a prominent river man during the war, and operated the ferry boats between Newport and Cincinnati before the present bridges were built. Of late years he was in the contracting business and secured many big operations in Northern Kentucky. A widow, two sons and two daughters survive him.
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Cincinnati Enquirer, Sunday, 3 February
1907, page 7
The funeral of Captain William N Air will take place tomorrow morning with services at the chapel, Evergreen Cemetery, at 10:30 am. The deceased was 73 years of age and was one of the best known residents of Newport. He was born at Pike and Front streets in Cincinnati. His parents came to Newport when he was 10 years of age. His father and Captain Wald operated the first ferryboat that piled between Cincinnati and Newport. In 1817 the first steam ferry boats were brought into use and at the death of his father, Captain Air took charge of the ferryboats.
In the early seventies he sold out his interest in the business to Captain Williamson and turned his attention to the contracting business. Captain Air has been ailing since January with typhoid fever. A widow, one son and two daughters survive him.
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Kentucky Post, Monday, 4 February 1907, page 5
The funeral of Capt. William N Air, of East Third st. Newport, took place this morning. Services were held at 10:30 am in the chapel in Evergreen Cemetery. Deceased was at one time prominent in river circles.