The Washingtonian., 1845-07-26
POPULAR sELEcTI o ms
From grave to gay from lively to severe. =
From the Dollar Courier.
SCENES ONTHE MISSISSIPPI

The experienced uoyageur, bearing In mind
the perils of the river, the danger of snags,
sawyers, conaagrations, and explosions, looks
not only for. a wel-constructed and well.ap-
pointed boat, but for what is of vastly more
consequence, one having careful, experienced,
and sober officers. When he sees captain
reckless in his bearing, with staggering, de-
vil-may-care manners, and indications of love
for whiskey in the phiz, no matter how fine
the carpets, how dazzling the mirrors, how
splendid the furniture, or how swift or magni-
ficent the boat, he gives her wide berth.
Take an instance that we had last fall
There was the Lucy Walker, new boat,
"just come out" and puffed by the newspa-
pers as ''crack" steamer, but commanded
by man of the sort above described. She left
Louisville with full load of cabin and deck
passengers. The captain, engineer, fremen,
and all hands, excepting the pilot, were said
TO have been drinking quite freely. As she
was new, to get her name up, or perhaps to
sustain the reputation already given her, they
piled the fuel, and crowded her with steam,
and thus she went rushing down the Ohio.
The shlill whistling noise, and the lack Of
moisture from the escape pipe, very soon in
dicated, as they always do, that the water was
getting low in the boilers The pilot at the
wheel observed her condition, and knew that
she must inevitably explode He left the
pilot house, being the place of greatest danger,
| ~,,I IL. 60. II n.
fiecting that, whatever the peril, his duty re-
] qured him to be at his post, he returned to
his station at the wheel. moment after the
boilers burst, and some thirty or forty souls,
q don't know the precise number,) including
! the captain, clerk, and engineers, were launch
4 ed into eternity. Theepilot escaped, almost
| by miracle with an arm and a leg broken !;
and though thus disabled, is said to have aided
| to rescue some two or three. omen who had
been blown into the water. Had the Lucy
Walker been commanded by careful, expe-
rienced, sober captain this accident could not
! have occurred.
| When you find sedate, intelligent, and bu-
siness man in command of boat, with expe.
rienced pilots and engineers, and gentleman
ly clerk, all sober men, which any one at all
skilled in physiognomy can readily determine,
you may take passage on the boat, and feel
yourself as safe as on any Steam craft that
poughs your eastern waters. The black smoke
rolls in volumes from the chimneys, the steam
bellows from the escape pipe, with an occa-
sional puff, puff, putf-ding, ding, ding dong,
dong, rings the bell, and the novice would sup
pose she is i" off " in moment; an old travel
Ter knows better.
Captain, what do you charge 10 Pittsburgh
Eight dollars"
"You appear crowded; will you give me a
state-room, or mattress on the cabin floor, or
will be driven to a standee on the boiler deck,
if take passage with you!"
"State-room, sir-two left"
"At what time do you leave?'
In two hours, sir"
"Now, Captain, I'm an old traveller on the
river; | like your boat, and intend taking pas.
sage on her, start when she may, but my bu.
siness requires that should know the precise
time when'you will leave. There is all tha,
freight to be taken on board, your clerk is ur
in the city, and | know you won't start in two
hours"
"Well, sir, I'll tell you in confidence, be on
board at four, with your baggage, and you'll
be in time"
Can'tyou give me little longer, Captain7
"Well, say FIVE; that is the utmost minute
Haul in the plank-cast off there-back
her-ting-a-ling-ling. Now we're off"
:" You've done pretty well this time, Cap
tain, its just halfpast seven"
Now let us look about, and see who we
have got on board; about one hundred and
twenty men, and an indefinite number of wo-
men and children. Bless me, what squall-
ing; hope they'll get quiet by and by. Every
boat should be compelled by law to carry a
cask Of paregoric, or some other infantile Sc.
dative. Not an acquaintance among the whole;
well, no matter, I'll soon get acquainted with
somebody. A well-dressed man with genu-
inc western look approaches. How far are
you going on this boat, stranger?"
To Pittsburg."
"Good hand so am |. Come let's go and