New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-01-31

| started to 20 out. but lOitered, hearing 8
bell tap to land. The sun dipped behind
the horizon, the boat went on. Inquirins
looks passed from one guest to another, and
and had turned it, waited, then presently
took his hand away and let the knob tul =
| back again. We bore steadily down the
| bend. More looks were exchanged, and
! mods of surprised admiratiOn-but no words
Insensibly the men drew together behind
MIR. b as the sun darkened and one or two
dim stars came out. The dead silence and
| sense Of waiting became oppressive. Mr.
b pulled the cord, and two deep, mel
ioT n"tes from the big bell ioated off on
th3 night. Then a pause, and one more
note was struck. The watchman's voice
followed, from the hurricane roof:
'Labboard lead, there! Stabboard leadr'
The cries of the leadsmen began TO rise
| out of the distance, and were grutfly re-
| peated by the word passers on the hur-
ricane deck.
Mark three! Mark three! Quarter
less three! Half twain! Quarter twain!
Mar twain! Quarter Less.
Mr. B-pulied two bell ropes, and was
answered by faint nglings far below in the
engine room, and our speed slackened. The
steam began to whistle through the gauge
cocks. The cries Of the leadsmen went on
and it is weird sound, always, in the
night. Every pilot in the lot was watching
now with fixed eyes, and talking under his
breath. Nobody was cain and easy but Mr.
b. He would put his wheel down and
stand On q spoke. and as the steamer swung
into her Ito mel utterly invisible marks
for we seemed to be in the midst of wide
and gloomy sea-he would meet and fasten
her there. Talk was going Oh now in low
voices:
There; she's over the frat reef all right"
After pause, another subdued voice:
Her stern's coming down just exactly
right, by Ceorge!' Now she's in the marks;
over she gOesf'
Somebody else muttered:
"Oh, it was done beautiful-beantiful
now the engines were stopped altogether,
and we dritted with the current. Not that
could see the boat drift, for could not.
the stars being all gone BY this time. This
drifting was the dismalist work; it held
ones heart still. Presently discovered a
blacker gloom than that which surrounded
US. 1t was the head of the island. We
were closing right down upon it. We en-.
tered its deeper shadow, and so imminent
seemed the peril that l was likely to suffo-
cate, and had the strongest impulse to do
something, anything, to save tha vessel.
But still MIR. b stood by his wheel,
silent, intent as a cat, and all the pilots
stood shoulder to shoulder at his back.
'Sheu not make il" somebody whis-
pered.
The water grew shoaler and shoaler by
the leadsmens cries. till it was down to
Eight and halt! Eight feet! Eight
feet! Seven audi
Mr. B said warningly through his
speaking tube to the engineer:
"Stand by, nOw!
AYE, aye, sir"
Seven and half! Seven fee,. Six
and
We touched bottom! Instantly Mr. B
set lot CT bells ringing, shouted through |
the tube. ''Now let her have it-every !
ounce you've got!' then to his partner, "Put |
her hard down! snatch her! snatch hertz |
The boat rasped and ground her way
through the sand, hung upon the apex OF
disaster single tremendous instant, and !
hen over she went! And such shout as
vent up at Mr.. BIS back never loos
med the roof Of pilot house before!
There was no more trouble after that
Ar. b - was hero that night, and it was
ome little time, too, before his exploit
leased to be talked about by river men.
Fully to realize the marvellous precision |
equred in laying the great steamer in her
marks IN that murky waste Of water, one
hould know that not only must she pick
er intricate way through snags and blind
eets. and then shave the head of the island
D closely as to brush the overhanging foN.
&c with her stern, but one place she must
ass almost within arms reach of a sunken
nd invisible wreck that would snatch the
ull timbers from under her if she should
'rike it, and destroy quarter of million
ollars' worth of steamboat and cargo in
We minutes. and maybe hundred and
fly human lives in to the bargain.
The last remark l heard that night was
'mpliment to Mr.. b. uttered IN soil
guy and with junction by one of our
lests. He said
"By the Shadow Of Death, but he is a
5htning pilot. Monthly.