The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-04-28


There used to be an excellent plios
- -ivcr. a Mr.. y, who was a
oOonnombulist. 1t is said that II his
mind was troubled about a bad piece
Of river be was pretty sure to &C.
:, and walk in his sleep and 20
TRANCE things. He was once fellow
Milo, for a trip or two with George
on a great New Orleans pas
senper packet. Late D night the
boa3 was approaching Helena Ark;
,be water was low, and the crossing
sbove the town in a very bad eondi-
ton X had seen the crossing since
- bad, and as the night was par
ticularly drizzly, %sulleD, and da[k,
F. was considering whether ne
had not better have y called to as
sist in running the place. when tne
door opened and y walked H. r..
LET me take Der, Mr.. I" sc
seen this place since you have ana
Il i so crooked that / reckon ! can
;, ~orseIf easier than / could tell
ven how to do IT," d,
~, "a lind Of you, and | swear !
am willing. / haven't got another
Sron Of perspiration left in me. !
have been spinning around and
ground the wheel like q squirrel IL
% dark | can't tell which way she
: suinging till she is coming arosnd
Ike a w~hirligig."
81 Took q seat on the bench,
,ooting and breathless. Y assumed
,be wheel without saying anything,
steadied the waltzing steamer with
a turn or two, and then stood at
ease. eoaxisg her a little to this side
and then 10 that, as gently and sweet
" as if the time had been MONDAY.
when E. observed this marvel OF
steering. be wished be had not con-
fessed lie stared and wondered, and
finally said
"Well. | thought knew how to
steer q steamboat, but that was an
other mistake Of mine"
Y said nothing, but went %serene.y
on with bis work. He rang for leads
be rang to SLOW down steam; be
worked the boat carefully and neatly
into visible marks, then stood at the
centre Of the wheel and pefred out
blandly into the b~lackness, fore and
aft. to verify his position as the
leads shoaled more and more, De stop
ped the engines entirely, and the
dead silence snd suspense Of DRIFT
ingr followed when the shoalesi
water was struck be cracked on the
steam. carried her handsomely over.
and thch began to work Der warily
into the next system Of shoal marks
the same patient, heedful use Of leads
and engines followed; the boat slip
ped through without touching bot
tom. and entered upon the third and
last intrscacy Of the crossing; i'm.
perceptibly she moved through The
gloom, crept by inches into her marks
drifte1 tediously till the shOalest wa
ter was cried, and then under a tire
mendOus head Of steam. went swing
ing over the reef and away into deer
water and safety
E-let bis long Pent breath pour
out in a long relieving sigh and said
That's the sweetest piece Of pilot
ing that was ever done on the Mis-
sissippi riverl ! wouldn't have be-
lieyed It could be done, if | hadn't
seen it.n
There was no reply, and be added
Just hold her five minutes longer,
partner. and let me run down and get
a cup If coffee"
A minute later E was biting
into a pie down in the texas" and
comforting himself with coffee. just
then the night Waterman happened
in, and vas about to happen out
again, when he noticed E and
exclaimed
"Who is at the wheel, sir ?"
x
Dart for the pilot house quicker
than lightning"
The next moment both men were
flying up the pilot house companion
way three steps at a jump. Nobody
therel The great steamer was whist
ling down the middle of the river al
her own sweet will The Waterman
shot out q. the place again E
seized the wheel, set an engine back
with power, and held bis breath
while the boat reluctantly swung
away from a "towbead" which she
was about to knock into the middle
of the Gulf of Mexico.
BY and by the Waterman came
back and said:
Didn't that lunatic tell yoo be
was asleep when be FIRST came up
here p
"Ne.n
well, be was. | found him walk
ing along on top of the pailiRgs, just
as un~concerned as another man
would walk a pavement and l put
him 20 bed. Now just this minute
there be was again, away astern, 60
ing through that sort Of tightrope
the same as before"
"Well, | think III stay by, next
time be has one Of those cts. But l
hope he'll have them often. You
just ought to have seer him take
this boat through Helena crossing
l never saw anything so gaudy be-
fore. And if be can do such gold
leaf, kid-glove, diamond-breastpin
plotting when be is sound asleep,
what couldn't be dc if be was dead !"
Mark Ttrain.