The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-01-22

We must learn to stop and think!
For the HERALD Dec. 81, 1873.
STEAMBOAT RACE.
An hour after supper the moon
came up, and Clay and Washington
two boys) ascended the hurricane
deck to revel again in their new
realm of enchantment. They ran
races up and down the deck clim bed
about the bell; made friends with
the passenger dogs chained under
the life boat; tried to make friends
with passenger bear fastened to
the verge staff, but were not en-.
couraged "skinned the cat" on the
hog chain; in word exhausted the
amusement possibilities Of the deck.
Then they looked wistfully up at the
pilot-house, finally, little By little,
Clay ventured up there, followed
diffidently by Washington. The
pilot turned presently to get his
stern Marks saw the lads, and in
vited them in. This cosy little house,
built entirely of glass, and command
ing a marvellous prospect in every
direction, was a magician's throne to
them, and their enjoyment of the
place was simply boundless.
They sat them down on a high
bench and looked miles ahead, and
saw the wooden capes fold back and
reveal the bends beyond; and they
looked miles to the rear and saw the
silvery highway diminish it's breadth
by degrees and close itself together
in the distance. Presently the pilot
said
by George, yonder comes the
Amarantr
A spark appeared close to the wa
ter several miles down the river.
The pilot took his glass and looked
at it steadily for moment, and then
said, chiefly to himself:
1T can't be the Blue Wing. She
couldn't pick up this way. It's the
Amaranth, sure
He bent over speaking-tube, and
who's on the watch there p
A hollow, inhumap voice rumbled
up through the tube iu answer:
i am. Second engineer
Good +! You want to stir your
stumps, now Harry-the Amaranth's e
just turned the point-and she's
a.humping herself, too!'
The pilot took hold of rope that
stretched out forward, jerked it
twice, and two mellow strokes of the
big bell responded. A voice out on
the deck shouted:
Stand by, down there, with that
larboard lead =
mo, don't want the lead,' said
the pilot. Il want you. Roust out
! the old man-tell him the Anna
ranth's coming. And go and call
Jim-tell him.
'Aye, aye, sir! =
The 'old man. was the captain-he
is always called SO on steamboats,
and Ships; Jim was the other pilot.
Within two minutes both of these
men were flying up the pilot
stairway, three steps at a jump. Jim
was in his shirt sleeves, with his coat
and vest on his arm. He said:
Il was just turning in. Where is
the glass p
He took and looked.
Don't appear to be any night, hawk
on the jsckstaff-it is the Amaranth,
dead sure =
The captain took long look, and
cnly said:
'Damnation
George Davis, the pilot on watch,
shouted to the night watchman on
deck:
'How's she loaded p
two inches by the head, SIR
'Taint enough =
The captain shouted now:
'Call the mate. Tell him to call
all hands and get a lot of that sugar
forward-put her ten inches by the
head. Lively, nown
AYE, aye, sir!
A riot of shouting and trampling
| foated up from below, presently,
| and the uneasy steering of the boat
soon showed that she was getting
down by the head
The three men in the pilothouse
began to talk in short, sharp SEN
tences, low and earnestly. AS their
excitement rose, their voices went
down. AS fast as one of them put
down the spy-glass another took it
up; but always with studied air of
calmness. Each time the verdict
was:
She's gaining!
The captain spoke through the
tube:
what steam are you carryingr
"A hundred and forty.two, sir !!
But she's getting hotter and hotter
all the time.
The boat was straining, and groan
ing, and quivering like monster in
pain. Both pilots were at work nov,
one on each side of the wheel, with
their coats and vests off, their
bosoms and collars wide open, and
the perspiration flowing down their
faces. They were holding the boat
so close to the shore that the willows
swept the guards almost from stem
to stern.
Stand byr whispered George.
'All ready!' said Jim, under his
breath.
Let her come y
The boat sprang away from the
bank like deer, and darted in a
long diagonal tow ard the other shore.
She closed in again and threshed her
fe ce way along the willows as bs.
tore. The captain put down the
glass.
lord, how she walks upon as ]
do hate to be beat
Jim,' said George, looking straight