The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1875-03-11

that had an established reputation for
setting good tables. All visiting pi-
lots were useful, for they were always
ready and willing, winter or summer,
night or day, to 60 out in the yawl
and help buoy the channel or assist
the boats pilots in any way they
could. They were likewise welcome
because all pilots are ,ireless takers,
when gathered together, and 40 they
talked only about the river, they are
always understood and ale always in
teres'ing. Your true pilot cares moth
ing about anything on earth bu, the
river, aud his pride in his occupation
surpasses the pride of kings.
We had a fine company of these
river inspectors along this trip
There were eight or ten, and there
was abundance Of room for them in
our great piIot-house. Two or three
OF them wore polished silk hats, elab-
crate shirt fronts, diamond breastpins,
kid gloves and patent leather boots.
They were choice in their Eng ish,
and bore themselves with = dignity
proper to men of solid means and
p.odiyious reputation As pilots. The
others were more or less loosely clad,
and wore upon their heads tall felt
cones that were suggestive Of the
Commonwealth.
l was u cipher in this august com.
pany, and felt subdued, not to say
torpid. ] was not even If sufficient
consequ nee to assist at the wheel
when it WAS necessary to Pur the til
Ter hard down in hurry; the guest
thar stood nearest did that when oc-
casion required and his was pretty
much all the time, bee .use of the
crookedness of he channel and the
scan, water. l stood in corner, and
the talk / listened 70 took the hope
al out Of me. Oae visitor said to an
other:
"Jim, how did you run. Plum Point,
coming up?"
1T was IN the night, there, and |
ran it the way one OF the boys on the
Dan. told me; started out about
tiflv yards a ,ove the ,od pile on the
false point, and held on the cabin un-
der Plum Point rill l raised he reef
quarter less twzin-then straight
ened up ior the mindle bar ill got
we'll abrea>, the old one-limbed cot.
ton wood in the bend, then got my
stern on the tito, wo ID and head on
tho low place above the point, and
came through booming -nine and
y half"
.Pretty square eros ling amt it?'
ayes, but the upper bar is work
ing down fast"
Another pilot spoke up and said:
81 had better water than that, and
ran it lower down, started out from
the false point-mark twain--raised
,he second reef abreast the big snag
ia the bend, and had quarter less
twain
One of the gorgeous ones remark
ed: 81 don't want 10 find fault with
your leadsmen, but that's = good deal
Of water for Plum Point, it seems to
me-"
There was an approving nod all
around =, this quiet snub dropped on
the boaster and settled him. And
90 they went on talk. talk talking
Meantime, the thug that was running
in my mind WAS, Now, if my ears
hear Alright, | have not only to get
the names Of all the towns and islands
and bends, and SO on, by heart, but |
must even get up warm personal
acquaintanceship with every old snag
and one limbed cottonwood and OBJ
scure woodpile that ornaments the
banks of this river for twelve hundred
miles: and more than that, must
actually know where these things are
in the dark, unless the guests are
gifted with ewes than can pierce
through two miles Of solid blackness;
l wish the pilot'ng business was in
Jericho and had never thought Of il.
At dusk Mr.. b tapped the big
bell three times (the signal to land),
and the captain emerged from his
drawing room in the forward part of
the texas, and looked up inquiringly.
Mr.. b said:
1--WE will lay up here all night, cap
tain
"Very we'll, sir"
That was all. The boat came to
shore aud was tied up for the night.
1t seemed to me a fine thing the pi-
lot could do as he pleased without
asking $, grand captains prrmis-
sion took my supper and went
immediately TO bed, discouraged hy
my DAYS observations and exper-
,ences. My late voyages notebook
ing was but confusion of m -aning-
less names. It had tangled me all up
m knot every time had Looked at
it in the day time. l now hoped for
r. spite IN sleep; but no, it tr,veed all
thr ugh my head till sunrise aga n,
frautlc and tireless nightmare.
Next morning l frlt pretty rusty
and low spirited. We went booming
along, taking a good many chances,
for we were anxious to ''ge' out Of
the liver" (as getting out TO Cairo
was calle.) bel r.. night should over
lake Us. Bat Mr.. BIS putner,
the o,her pilot, presently grounded
the boat, AID We lost SO much time
i" ge, i,g her off that it was p ain
the dark Tess would overtake US long
way above he month. THIS was q
great misfortune especially to certain
Of our visiting pilots, whose boats
would have to wait for their return ;
no matter how long that might be-
1t sobered the pilot house talk a
good deal. Coming up stream pilots
did not mind low water or any kind
Of darkness; nothing stopped them
but fog. But down stream, work
was different; a boat was TOO nearly
helpless with stiff current pushing
behind her; SO it was not CUSTOMARY
to run down stream ut night in low
water.
There seemed to be one small hope
however; if we could get through the
intricate and dangerous Hat Island
crossing before night, we would ven.
ture the rest, for We would have
palmer sailing and better water, hui