Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-12-27
MISSISSIPPI STEAMBOAT RACING.
A VIVID PICTURE

W 10 On Wdtcn DOWN there?n
hollow, unhuman voice rumbled nm
through the tube in answer:
81 am. Second engineer"
GoOd! You want TO stir your stumps now
Harry-the Amar anth's Just turned the noint
and shes just n humping herself, tool
ne pilot took hold OF rope that stretched
out for~ard, terked it twice, and twoimellow
strokes OF the big bell responded. A voice out
on the deck shouted.
"a Stand by, down there, with that labboard
- No, don't want the lead )" said the Mint
q want you. ROust out the old man-tell him
tell him"
"Aye-aye, sir!"
The ''o'd man" was the captain-he is always
called so on steamboats, and ships; Jim" was
S1e other pilot Within two minutes both of
these men were flying up the piIot-house stair
way, three steps at jump. Jim was in his
shnt-seev6s, with his coat anu vest on his arm
He said: -'' OIL A'
Twas just turning in. Where's the glass;,
He took IL ana looked.
" Don't appear TO be any night hawk IN the
jack stah-it's the Amaranth. dead sure!'
Inc captain took good lung look, and only
"Damnation."
George Davis, the pilot on watch, shouted to
the night-watchman on deck
I" HOws she loaded?''
Two inches by the head, sir"
"'1aint enough"
The captain shouted, now:
g. Call the mate. Tell him to call all hands
and get lot OF that sugar forrard-put her ten
inches by the head. Lively, now!"
A riot of shouting and trampling fioated nm
from below presently, and the uneasy steering
OF the boat soon showed that she was getting
The three men In the pilot-house began to
talk in short, sharp sentences. low and earnestly
As their excitement rose their voices went
down. AS fast as one of them put down the
spy-glsss another took it up-but always with
studied air OF calmness. Zach time the verdict
"She's a-gaining..
The 'pt'in spoke through the tube:
hat team are you carryng?"
hundred and forty-two, sill! But she's
getting hotter and hotter all the time.
The boat was stIaining and grooming and
euivering like a monster in pain. Both pil.ts
were at Werk now, one on each side of the
wheel, with their coats and vests of, their bo-
SONS and collars wide open, and the perspra-
ton flowing down their faces. They were hold
ing the boat so close to the shore that the will
lows swept the guards almost from stem to
stern.
"Stand by,- whispered George
AL ready" said jim, under his breath.
% Let her come!''
The boat sprsng away from the bank like
deer. and darted in long diagonal toward the
other shore. She closed in again and thrashed
her fierce way long the willows As before. The
captain put down the glass:
Lord how she Salks W on us! do hate to
"Jim." said George, looking strait ahead
watching the slightest yawning of the boatiand
promptly meeting 1t with the wheel, how'll it
90 to try hsuIderer's Clutter
=" Well, lists taking chances. How was
the cotton wood stump on the false point below
Boardmsns Island this morniug?'
.' Water just touching the roots"
swell, it's pretty close work. That gives six
feet scant in the head OF Murderer's Chute. We
can just barely rub through if we hit it exactly
right. But it's worth irving. She don't dare
tackle it,"-meaning the Amaranth.
In another instant the Boreas plunged into
what seemed a crooked creek, and the ANA
rath's approaching lights were shut out in a
the three men stared ahead into the shadows
and two OF them spun the wheel back and forth
with anxious watchfulness while the steamer
tore along The chute seemed to come to an
end every fifty yards. but alws ys pened out in
time. Now the head 4 1t was at hand. George
tapped the big bel three times. two leadsmen
sprang TO their posts, and in a moment their
weird cries rose on the night air and were
caught up and repeated by two men on the up
per deck:
&" Moo bOttom!''
. "Hslf thIee,"
"Quarter three"
Marx under wa-a-ter three.
4" Half twani'
"Qusrter twain -"
Davis pulled q couple of ropes-there was q
iingiing Of small bells far below, the boats
speed slackened, and the bent steam began to
whistle and the gauge-cocks to scream
"By the mark twain"
"Qusr-ter-ksr-er-tssst twain"
Eight and a half"
"Eight feet,"
" Seven-ana- half"
Another jingIing of little bells and the wheels
ceased turning altogether. The whistling of
the steam was something frightful, now-it al
most drowned all other noises
.. Stand by to meet herl"
standing on spoke.
Gan ready"
The boat hesitated-seemed to hold her
breath, as did the captain and pilots-and then
eye lighted;
leri"
The wheel few to port SO fast that the spokes
blended into spider-web-the swing of the
sub-iled-Sha ed
"Sev-siI and a half"'
Bang! She hit the bottom! George shouted
through the tube:
.SPread her wide open! Whale it at her,''
Pow-yow-chOw! The escape-pipes belchetis
snowy pillars of steam aloft, the boat ground
and surged and tTembled-and slid over
MARX twain"
"fap! tap! tap" Ito signify clay in the
And swsy she went, flying up the willow
No Amaranth in sight!
Ha-hs. boys, we took a cou pie of tricks
that umei" said the captain.
And Just at that moment q red glare ap-
pear ed in the head of the chute and the ANA
ranth came springing after them!
'SWell, i swear"
"Jim. what is the meaning of tn at?"
"Iu tell you what's the meaning OF it. That
bail we had at Napoleon wsslwssh Hastings,
wanting 70 come 20 Cairo-and we didn't stop
He IN that pilot-house, now, sho wing these
mud turtles how 10 hunt for easy water.n
That's it'' thought IL wasn't any slouch
that was running that middle bar in Hog-eye
Bend If it's Wash Hastings-well, what he
don't know about the river amt worth know
Ing-a regular gold-lesf, kid glove, diamond
breastpin pilot Wash Hastings is. We won't
take any tricks of him, old mani"
l wish I'D stopped for him, that's ALL"
The AmsEanth within three hundred
yards Of the Boreas, AMI still gaining. The
-'oid man" spoke through the tube:
What Is she carrying now?'
A hundred and sixty-fve, sir,'
elbows your wood?''
" Pine all out-cypress half gone-eating up
cotton wood like piei"
Break into that rosin on the main deck
pile 10 in, the boat can pay tor it,"
Soon the boat was plunging and quivering-
and screaming more madly than ever. But the
Amaranth's head was almost abreast the
BOreas's stern:
news your steam now, Harry"
hundred and eighty-two, sir!'
break up the casks OF bacon in the forrard
mold! Pile II inl LEVY on that turpentine In