The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1874-02-13
A STEAMBOAT RACE.
IT'S EXCITING INCIDENTS AND IT'S TERRIBLE
RESULT.


ly ever discovering light to testify
to q human presence-mile after mile
league after league, the vast bends
were guarded by unbroken walls o.
forest that had never been disturbed
by the voice or football of man, ol
felt the edge of his sacriigious ak.
An hour after supper the moor
came up, and Clay and Washington
1.-TWO boys) ascended to the hurricane
deck to revel again in their new realm
of enchantment. They ran races uI
and down the deck, climbed about
the bell, made friends with the pas
senger dogs chained under the life
boat, tried to make friends with q
passenger bear fastened to the verge
staff, but were not encouraged,
skinned the cat" on the hog-chains
in q word, exhausted the amuse-
ment possibilities of the deck. Then
they looked wistfully up at the pilot
house, and finally, little by little,
Clay ventured up there, followed diff
fidently by Washington. The pilot
turned presently to "get his stern
marks" saw the lads, and invited
them in. The cosy little house, built
entirely of glass, and commanding a
marvellous prospect in every direc-
ton, was magician's throne to them,
and their enjoyment of the place was
simply boundless.
They sat themselves down on
bench and looked miles ahead, and
saw the wooded caps fold back and
reveal the bends beyond and they
looked miles to the rear and saw the
silvery highway diminish its breadth
by degrees and close itself together
in the distance. Presently the pilot
said
"By George, yonder comes the
Amaranth!'
A spark appeared close to the
water, several miles down the river.
The pilot took his glassand looked at
it steadily for a moment, and said,
chiefly to himself
cit can't be the Blue Wing. She
couldn't pick us up this way. It's
the Amaranth, sure"
He bent over speaking tube and
said:
"Who's on watch there ?"
A hollow, unhuman voice rumbled
up through the tube in answer;
Il am. Second engineer.
"Good! You want to stir your
stumps, now, Harry-the Amaranth's
just turned the point, and she's just
a-humping herself, too"
The pilot took hold of a rope that
out forward, jerked ittwice,
and two mellow strokes of the big
bell responded. A voice out on the
deck shouted:
"Stand by, down there, with that
larboard leadl"
"No; I don't want the lead, said
the pilot, 81 want you. Roust out
the old man-tellh him the Amaranth' S
And go and call Jim-tell
him.. "
"Aye, aye, sir p
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-houso
three steps at a jump. Jim
was in his shirt-sleeves, with his coat
and vest on his arm. He said:
81 was just turning in. Where's
the glass;"
He took it and looked.
"Don't appear to be any night
hawk on the jack-staf-it's the ANA
ranth, dead sure"
The Captain took long look, and
only said;
"DartnationW
George Davis, the pilot on watch,
to the night watchman on
deck:
"How's she loaded?"
"Two inches blythe head, sill"
"'Taint enougRF'
The Captain shouted now;
"Call the mate. Tell him to call
all hands, and get lot of sugar for
rard-put herten inches by the head.
Lively, nowP'
"Aye, aye, sir!'
A riot Of shouting and trampling
doated 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 pilot house
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 a studied air Of
calmness. Each time the verdict
"She's a-gainingp
The Captain spoke through the
tube
"What steam are you carryingY
ga hundred and forty-two, sirl
But she's getting hotter and hotter
all the time"
The boat was straining and groan-
ing, and quiyering like a monster in
pain. Both pilots were atwork now.
one on each side of the wheel, with
their coats and vests off, their bosoms
and collars wide open, and the per-
spiration flowing down their faces.
They were holding the boat so close
10 the shore that the willows swept
the guards from stem to stern.
"Stand byp whispered George.
"All readyF' said Jim, under his
breath.
"Let her come y
The boat sprang away from the
bank like a deer, and darted in along
iiagonal toward the other shore, She
,losed in again, and thTashed her
ierce way along the willows as be-
ore. The Captain put down the
glass.
"Lord. how she walks up on usl /