The union Democrat., 1870-04-23

from January TO the eQuluoctial days OF
March, that icy wonder stood on the banks CT
the Neva. Bcfors April il had vanished. and
disappeared again in the bosom Of the stream
from whence it arose.
|
Aaventnres Or Flasbeasmam.
A Chattanooga correspondent OF the Louis
vile Courier-Joaraaf is responsible for the
| following Tennessee story:
| One Of the most notable distractions upon
the Upper Tennessee river has been what is
called the Pot, which was peculiarly annoy
ing because it was only dangerous TO naviga-
tion during high water, when the other OBJ
structions had ceased to exist. The Pot was
a whirlpool caused by points of reck jutting
out into the river aud causing cross currents.
and the higher the water the fercer the
whirl. In very high foods, nothing could
pass the whirl. and it's vortex was large
enough to engulf the larger of the river boats.
In ordinary high water its passage was very
difficult and dangerous, while at common
boating stages, fatboat would be carried
round and round by the current, and steam
boat found much trouble in passing through.
Some amusing tales are told in refer
ence to this locality and the troubles Of the
carly navigators here during the palmy days
of flatboating. 1t is related of an inexperi-
enced fatboatman. who was going down the
river in those days, that one dark night he
saw cabin on the shore, from which pro-
ceeded the sound of music and dancing. Be-
ing of jovial disposition. he tied his boat
and went in to take a drink
He was urged to stay and spend the night,
but pleaded an anxiety to be on his way,
though he didn't mind taking drop or two
to cheer him on his voyage. So he united
his boat and pursued his course. In about
ten minutes he came, as he thought, to an
other cabin, where they were having, if pos
sibie, still more joyful time than at the one
where he had taken few drinks little
while before. He did not get off this time,
as ho did not believe in drinking between
drinks, but continued to iorney on for ten
minutes or so more, when 10 another scene
of revelry appeard.
"Well." he soliloqnized, ''this here is n
mighty lively country, believe I'll 60 and
see this frolic."
AS he entered, he thought he recognized
some faces that he had seen at the last stop
ping place, but as they were so near together
he supposed they bad come over on visit,
add so our navigator imbibed pretty freely
with them to renewal of friendships, and
agsin pursued his voyage, pleading o want Of
time, as before, for his excuse in declining
other invitations to stop all night.
At regular intervals Of ten or fifteen min
utes he passed two or three more log cabins,
whence the inspiring sound of the fiddle aud
the cheering, clinking of bottles were borne
to his ears. But he felt too tired to stop
again, and so remand reclining on his boat
in stupefed amazement while as hejourneyed
along all night there came to his ears con-
tinuatv broken snatckes of the Fishers Horn
pipe, Old Dan Tucker, and the Irish flasher
tcoman, and his wondering eyes beheld at eye-
ry quarter of mile a log cabin. where the
l,ve!iest kind of a frolic was going on. AT
length morning dawned and he saw on the
shore cabin whose proprietor was just GO
ing down to the river to waeh his face, look
ing very much as though he had been up ell
night indulging in dissipation. Him he hail
ed:
"Hello, stranger was you on frolic last
night. too ?''
"You'd think it," was the reply.
! swell, I'll be dogoned If this arn't the
liveliest country have ever saw! What
State is this stranger ?"
Tennessee, Marion county,"
| Tennessee, hey? Marion county? Well,
it are merry un. Stranger. it just beats
anything ever seed in all my born days.
was raised up here in Jefferson, where they
are some on frolicing, but this here just
knocks the centre plumb out of that. Why,
stranger, I've been travelling down this river
all night. must have come thirty miles at
least, and I'll be darned if there wasn't a
cabin every half mile. and the biggest kind
of a fr0lic going on in every one of them
whisky and fddlin' and dancin' till you
couldn't rest. It's just the dogon6est. liveli-
est country ever | seed |"
/ By this time the owner of the cabin had
! finished his ablutions and stood attentively
regarding him.
"Whar did you say you was raised, stran-
ger?"
"Up here in Jefferson, on the French Broad.
It's mighty fine country. stranger, but it
can't hold candle to this
| "Well, you wasn't made for o traveller,
that's certain ! any man that quit a crowd
like we had here last night, to go floating
round and round on this cussed Pot, instead
of sticking like man to his whisky and dane
in, can't look to 90 on much in the world.
How far did you say you come last night?"
"Thirty miles, if it's a foot ?"
"And how many cabins did you see with
frolics going on ?"
"There must have been hundred, sure ~
/ "Well. will be dogoned Stranger, you
didn't travel half mile last night. The on
ly cabin you saw was this here one of mine.
| You come ashore twice, and took some mighty
good horns of whisky and apple brandy. but
they warn't enough to make man 80 drunk
as you must have been to make hundred
cabins ou.un this un."
A light began to dawn upon the vision of
the vcyager from the French Broad.
Have just been floating round and round
here all night?"
'sYou just have"
| "Stranger, come aboard here. and take
drink of old peach, and then lend me a hand
to get out of this. 1t amt such id lively
country after all. /"
| This was in the old tines, which will new
er come back again. and the discontinue OF
THE unlucky fatboasman can never again be
the fate Of other voyagers ON rhe Tennessee
river.
Old Lady.-s'Doctor, is it true that snul
Injuries the brains %