Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-01-15
A STEAMBOAT RACE.


From The Galded Age" by Mark Twain and
Charles ID. Warner.I
At night the boat forged on through the
deep solitudes of the river, hardly ever
discovering light to testify to human
presence-mile after mile and league after
league the vast bends were guarded by
unbrOken walls of forest that had never
been disturbed by the voice or the foot
fall of a man, or felt the edge of his sacri-
legious AK
An hour after supper the moon came
up, and Clay and Washington two boys
assembled TO the hurricane deck to reyel
again in their new realm of enchanUment.
They ran races up and down the deck /;
climbed about the bell; made friends
with the passengerdogs 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 a word,
exhausted the amusement possibilities OF
the deck Then they looked Wistfully up
at the pilothouse, and finally, little by
little Clay yentured up there, followed
efficiently by Washington. The pilot
turned presently TO " get his stern marks, F."
saw the lads, and invited them in. This
IOLN 1EbblG mousse, buIlL SliIliS1} VI glass,
and commanding 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 high bench
and looked miles ahead and saw the
wooded capes fold back and reveal the
the bends beyond; and they looked miles
to the rear and saw the silvery highway
diminish its breadth by degrees and close
itself together III the distance. Presently
the pilot said:
by George, yo4der comes the Anna
ranth"
A spark appeared, close to the water,
several miles down the river The pilot
took his glass and looked at it steadily
for moment, and said, chiefly to him
self:
1T cans be the Blue Wing She
couldn't pick rs up this way. It's the
Amaranth, sure"
He bent over a speaking tube, and said
who's on watch down there?'
A hollow, inhuman voice rumbled UP
through the type in answer:
II am. Second engineer"
"Goodi You want to stir your stumps,
now, Harry-the Amaranth's just turned
the point-and she's just a-humping her
self, toor'
The pilot took hold Of rope that
stretched out forward jerked it twice, and
two mellow strokes Of the big bell res
pended. A voice out on the deck shout
ed:
STAND by, down there, with that lab
board lead!"
No don't want the lead" said the
pilot, Il want goa. Roust out the old
man-tell him the Amaranth's coming.
And 90 and cali Jim-tell him."
Aye, aye, STRIP
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 fly.
ing up the pilot-house stairway, three
steps at jump. Jim was in his shirt
sleeves, with his coat and vest on his arm
He said:
4 was just turning in. Where's the
glass;"
He took it and looked
Don't appear to be any nighthawk on
the iack-statf-it's the Amaranth, dead
sure9'
The Captain took long look, and only
cursed.
George Davis, the pilot on watch,
shouted to the night-watchman on deck
"How's she loaded"
1.-TWO inches by the head sir"
'Taint enOaghp'
The Captain shouted now:
<Clll the mate. Tell him to call al
hands and get lot of that sugar forrard
put her len inches by the head. Lively
noWr'
aye, aye, STRIP
A riot Of shouting and trampling float
ed up from below presently, and the un
easy stearing 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 sentences, low anC
earnestly. As their excitement rose, then
voices went down. AS fast as one o
them put down the spy-glass another tool
it up; but always with studied air o
calmness. Each time the verdict was:
"'She's gainingp'
The Captain spoke through the tube:
"What steam are YOU carrying?n
"a hundred and torty-two, sir! Blu
she's getting hotter and hotter all The
time"
The boat was straining, and groaning
and 0uivering like a monster in pain
Both pilots were at work now, one Oh
each side of the wheel, with their coat
and vests of, their bosoms and collar
wide open, and the perspiration flowing
down their faces They were holding tn
boat 90 close to the shore that the willow
swent the guards almost from from stem
TO stern.
CAL ready p said jim, under hi
breath.
"Let her conner"
The boat sprang away from the banl
like a deer, and darted in long diagona
toward the other shore. She closed L
AGAIN and thrashed her fierce way alon
the willows az before. The Captain pu
down the glass:
Course il, how she walks up on rs!
do hate to be heati"