Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1872-09-05

| Frederick Gerstackcr describes the fol
/ lowing adventure on the Mississippi:
/ was in New Orleans, and wanted to
go mp to Cincinnati, but had no money;
SO | shipped ms fireman on one of the
( large Mississippi steamcrS-the ChilliCothc
/ at one dollar day,
( We had reached the upper part of Ten
ncssce with Arkansas on the LETT, and, for
perhaps the tenth time since we left New
/ Orleans, we were looking ont for wood
pile, our supply being nearly out. The
! ChlliCothc was a very large boat with
seven boilers, and consumed, when run
. ming against the stream, from forty to
forty-two cords daily. We therefore
wooded twice day, usually morning
and evening, but sometimes in the night.
/ For this purpose, on the morning G. the
/ itth day OF the trip. VIC ran up close Ia a
/ woodward on the Tennessee shore, The
hell was rung, n man appeared on the
bank, and from the nCne-deCk the
. necessary questions were asked a. to the
/ quality of the wood, the price, etc. Eve
| lything being satisfactory We landed
/ that is, we ran up to the bank, the gang
plank was run out and all the boats
hands were soon at work, assisted hy the
deck passengers, VINO got deduction in
/ their fare for helping AT the wood land
+ mos win mis- force tbc twenty cords
mare mr. Irss.--rlsuallv taken in were soon
/ on board.
On thn ,vnv oue ar moro If the buck.
( oi.-nlart..ip the lsrboard wheel hnb
/ hrooma lnnso which mo-. only kent mn y
continual clo,tering lint nynynn,rd his
wheel from doing as good service as it
/ should ana tharthv ,nol,ipu tho hoot dif
I frnIt tn stcrr The rn,rimrGr had nromis
cd tn have il rcn,ired but npg,pr,rd ia
/ do 50 'nrtiI tbr Mot came down and iop.
/ God his memory Then he qcnt q man
/ inro The whrelto soc vhot was wanted
We fnnnd that il would hn necessary tn
mt in iva new hnclrts aftrr tir., rrmnv
/ inc what Iiftlr remained of the old ones
| was srnt into tbr wheel to os,ist tho
/ c,rucrter We coon had the hroEun
hurkrts ont and the new ones in their
I plares il hpjnr only necessary 10 screw
/ thrm On which was moi casv rs fine hollis
/ wore var,, rnet, and tho h6ckote Rod to
/ ne screwed ON yrry tightly The carnentrr
/ fndinr tho wrpnch ,vc had ineu+ilciept
! sent me 10 his locker, near the stern for
/ a longer and strongcr one We mad been
( foo hnsy to notice what nrooress thew
/ vrr,, making in owooding.h md The en-.
] yrtn lTnnLHn mood
/ law b,d nroh,lI,, entirpl,, forqntt.n that
he had two of his men in one of the
/ wheels The wood was an hoard md
,,aid for and ,hn sienal mai aII was rcodv
( 10 starr mnst have Lpen given u.bilnI was
I Innkinc for tbc wrench for when 7 ran
/ f,ra,ard Vim If 7 wac tbudnretrurk IN
hear The command ,,IIul IN the nlankru
and tbon in tho aa,ne inetant ia
sirnal IN hack in order ia cct ont
into the stream In nm instant the " heels
wore IN uotion | knew tLe rarn,nrcr
cnuld no, have finished HE work. but
had tbrv called him ont 7 could see
rim nowhere. I therefore drnrneI the
wrench and snr,tnp forward to he rngi.
neer CRYING franticalIy. There's a man
in tha wheel there's q man in the
uhceI =, Jha boilers yyorn vnr,, hot and
,,ere hInv,irr nfr steam o. that II ,yos al.
most irnuos.Thlr ia he hoard cried an,
tIree ar fuUr times before Inc he)gtiu.y
Icnripofr understood uyhat ! wae ea,inG.
lrrt whom he did understand he wns MS
terrified as was and STAINED fine engine
Immediately. The piint cried down
I thrr,i,b nix erasLing ,,-ho o. ,tCn. ahead
,,o ahc,d ~ AIDING some Lcorty curses
Int the engineer ala not heed him
r,ic,Iv tnld fnrr ar ar five of the deck.
bande what was tbp matter md we has.
tnral IN rn,er the wheel bouee in search
/ NJ no cornon,rr w. saw him cIinring
~ ono Of tho IoUer arms which form
rateIy wac above t,e water Int dcspite
ali lrir cries he ala nat Stir 81 hand He
Tn,,et really 6ayn cone round ri,ht ortcn
times ana have honn frirh,ened out Of
he senses mi moi ami Of bis phyaical
strcnoth for he chung to the Wheel An
tigbfIv as thougl he had crown 10 it, We
alI clernbcrrd down To- him ae quickly as
nne.ihIs hnt were scarcely able TO loosen
Eis arms. tI,ry seemed rigid and we were
cn,,naflea 4, loosen tbarn m, main force
Thf5 dona We encrrcded with great
dipicplfy in rettipg the unfortunate man
an dock
In the meantime the boat had drirtcd
down stream stern foremost until She
( e,rurk mo I,r,n,l,rs ~ some trees that
I bnny ont aver the river in consequence
/ Of The hank having settled and was fast