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

| the fOf000otA0, auO g0of0 was NO PUN
handful Of deck hands. fremen and reus
abOuts down there. but . whole battalio
of men. The fires were tiercely glarin
from long row Of furnaces, and over thel
were eight huge boilers This was unutte
able pOmp. The mighty engines--b
enough of this I had never felt go fin
before. And when 4 found that the reg
ment of natty servants respectfully Sir
me- my satisfaction was complete.
When l returned to the pilot house s.
Louis was gone and l was lost. Here wa
a piece of river which was all down In N
book, but l could make neither head no
tail of it; you understand, it was turne
around. l had seen If, when coming u
stream. but had never faced about to Sc
how it looked when it was behind me. NJ
heart broke again, for it was plain that
had got to learn this troublesome river bot
ways.
The pilot house was full of pilots. goin
down to 'lOOk at the river" What is Gale,
the supper river" (the two hundred mile
between st. Louis and Cairo, where tn
Ohio comes in), was low; and the Missie
sippi changes IT'S channel so constantly tina
the pilots used to always find it necessar,
to run down to Cairo to take O fresh look
| when their boats were to lie in port week
| that is, when the water was at low stage
A deal of this docking at the river" wa
done by poor fellows who seldom had
berth. and whose only hope of getting on,
lay in their always being freshly posted
and therefore ready to drop into the shoes
| on account of such pilots sudden illness,
| Or some ether necessity. And a goot
many of them constantly ran up anG
down Inspecting the river, not because they
ever really hopnd to get a berth, but because
they being guests of the bost) it was
cheaper to 'look at the river" than sta;
ashore and pay board. In time these feI
lows grew dainty in their tastes, and only
infested boats that had an established repn
tation for setting good tables. All visiting
pilots were useful, for they were always
ready and willing, winter or summer,
night or day. to go out in the yawl and help
buoy the channel or assist the boats pilots
in any way they could. They we're likewise
welcome because all pilots are tireless talk.
ers when gathered together, and as they
talk only about the river they are always
understood and are always interesting.
Your true pilot cares nothing about any.
thing on earth but the river, and his pride
Ia his occupation surpasses the pride OF
kings.
We had fine company Of these river in.
spectors along this trip. There were eight
or ten. and there was abundance of room
for them in our great pilot house. Two or
three of them wore polished silk hats,
elaborate shirt fronts, diamond breastpips.
kid gloves and patent leather boots. They
were choice in their English and bore them
selves with dignity proper to men of solid
means and prodigious reputation as pilots
The Others were more or less loosely clad,
and wore upon their heads tall felt cones
that were suggestive of the days Of the
Commonwealth.
was cipher IN this august company and
felt subdued, not to say torpid. was not
even of sufficient consequence to assist at
the wheel when it was ne cessary to put the
tiiler hard down in a hurry; the guest that
stood nearest did that when occasion re
qu!red-and this was pretty much all the
time, because of the croOkedpess of the
channel and scant water. l stood in
hope all out of me. One visitor said to
another:
"Jim. how did you run Plum Point,
coming up9"
ut was in the night, there, and ran it
The way one of the boys on the Diana told
ne; started out about fifty yards above the
wood pile on the false point and held on
he cabin under Plum Point till raised the
less twain-then Strengthened |
Up for the middle oar till got we'll abreast |
he Old one iimbed cottonwood in the bend,
ead on the low place above the point, and |
anne through a-bOoming- and half"
Pretty square crossing. amt it I"
Yes, but the upper bars working down |
asst"
Another pilot spoke I'D and said:
Il had better water than that, and ran it
)wer down; started out from the false |
oint-mark twain-raised the second reef
breast the big snag in the bend, and had
uarter less twain"
One of the gorgeous ones remarked: II
ant to lind fault with your leadsmep, but !
,at's good deal OF water for Plum Point,
seems to me-"
There was an approving nod all around
this quiet snub dropped on the bOaster
I'D "settled" him. And SO they went on |
'lk,talk-talking. Meantime, the thing
lat was running in my mind was, "Now
my ears hear Alright, have not only to
Id bends, and so on, by heart, but l must
en get up warm personal acquaintance
mp with every old snag and 0ne-limbed |
tton wood and obscure wood pile that or.
'ments the banks of this river for 1900
lies; and more than that l must actually | ;
low where these things are in the dark,
'iess these guests are gifted with eyes that
n pierce through two miles of solid black
sss;, wish the plotting business was in
hANsV anu huU uCSCl tAUuSuG VI u. | .
At dusk Mr. B tapped the big bell :.
rec times 1.-THE signal to land), and the !
plain emerged from his drawingroOm in | !
= forward end of the texas, and looked | i
inquiringly. Mr. - said:
We will lay up here ali night, captain" +
Very we'll, sir
That was all. The boat came to shore and ,
g tied up for the night 1t seemed to me =
me thing that the pilot could do as he =
ased without asking so grand captains .
l took my supper and went | -
mediately to bed, discouraged by nv >,
Us observations and experiences. Nv -
Q voyage nOte-booking was but contu- =
q OF meaningless names. 1t had tangled
all mp Ia knot every. time had looked ! !;
t IN the daytime. l now hoped for respite ! =,
'leep; but no. it reveied all through my g.
I'd until sunrise again, a frantic and tire q,
j nightmare. =,
Text morning felt pretty rusty and low r.
rited. We went booming along, taking g,
pod many chances, for We were anxious b,
get ont of the river" las getting out to 70
70 was caued) before night should over Liz
e us. But Elr. BIS partner, the other of
It, presently grounded the boat, and we tb
20 much time getting her off that it was co
n the darkness would overtake us a n
d way above the mouth. This was 81
1t misfortune, especially to certain OF
visiting pilots, whose boats would have
7ait for their return, no matter how long yo
might be. 1t sobered the pilot house tn
, good deal. Coming up stream pilots
not mind low water or any kind of
zness; nothing stopped them but fog. 1t
down stream work was different a mi
was too nearly helpless, with stiff be
ent pushing behind her; SO it was not | wi
omary to run down stream at night in ba
water. so,
lere seemed to be one small hope, how
:; if we could get through the intricate fra
dangerous Hat Island crossing before
{. we could venture the rest, for we Jus
Id have palmer sailing and hetter lat