The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1875-03-11
with it, and both remained in the pi-
lot t-house constantly.

with il, and both remained in the pi.
ot-house constantly.
An hour before sunset. Mr.. B
took the wheel, and Mr.. W step.
ped aside. For the next thirty min.
utes every man held his watch in his
hand and was restless, silent and un.
easy. At last somebody said, with a
d oomfull sigh:
"Well, yonder's Hat Island and
We can't make it."
All the watches closed with snap,
everybody sighed aud muttered some
thing about it being 'too bad, too
bad-ah, If we could only got here
half an hour sooner" aud the place
WAS thick with the atmosphere Of dis
appointment. Some started to go
out. but loitered, hearing no bell t,p
to land. The sun dipped behind the
horizon, the boat went on. lnquiring
looks passed from one guest 10 an-
other; and one who had his hand on
The door-knob, aud had turned il.
waited, then presently took away his
hand and let the knob turn back
agatn. We bore steadily down the
bend. More looks were exchanged,
AMI mods Of surprised admiration
but no words Irst.ntly the men
drew together behind Mr.. b - a,
the sun da, kene and one or two dim
stars came out. The dead 5 nee aud
sense Of waiting became Oppressive.
Mr.. B pulled the cord, aud two
deep, mellow notes from the big bell
4 ,ated off on The night air. Then a
p,use, and one more note WAS struck.
The watchman's voice followed from
the hurricane deck:
"Labboard lead, there. Sta5board
leadm
The cries Of the leadsmen began to
raise ou, of the distance, and we're
gruffly repeated by the word passers
on he hurricane deck:
M ar k three. Mar k three =
Qnarterless hree! Halftwain. Quar-
yer twain! Mark twain! Quarter
less
Mr.. B. pulled two bell ropes,
and was answered by faint jinglings
far below in the engine room, and
our speed slackened. The steam he
gan to whistle through the gauge
cocks. The cries OF the leaimen
went o,l--and it is weird sound,
always, in the night. Every pilo; in
tn, lot was Watching now with fixed
eyes, and talking under his i.reath.--
Nobody was CAIN hut Mr.. b. He
wouid put his wheel down aud sand
ON spoke,a and as the steamer swung
into her Ito me) utte,ly invisible
mark>--for we Sc ecm d To be in the
midst Of wide aud gloomy sea-he
would meet and fasten her ,here.--
Talk was going Ola now in low voices:
There, she's over the first reef all
right
After a pause, another subdued
voice:
"Her stern's coming down just
exactly right by George. Now she's
in the marks; over she goes!
Somebody else muttered:
"Oh, it was done beautiful, beau,
tifulr'
Now the engines were stopped al
together, and we drifted 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 dismalest work: it
held oue's heart still. Presently |
discovered blacker glo m than that
which surrounded US. Ii was the
head of the island. We are closing
down upon it. We entered its deep
er shadow. and SO imminent seemed
the peril tha, | was like to suffocate,
aud l had The strongest impulse to dc
something, anything, to save the yes
sci. But sill Mr.. b stood by his
wheel. silent, intent as a cat, and all
the pilots stood shoulder to shoulder
at his back.
sShe'll not make it !" somebody
whispered.
The water grew shoaler and shoal-
er by the lead>mens CRIES, till it was
down to-
"Eight-andahalf! Eight feet!
E-i-y-h-t feet. Seven and"
Mr.. B said warningly through
his speaking tube o the engineer:
"Stand by, now"
AYE. aye, SRI
.Seven- and -a-half Seven feet
Slx-and'-
We touched bottom !! lnstan ly
Mr.. B SIT q lot of bells ,lngiug.
shouled through the tube, snow let
her have it; every ounce you've got''
then 10 his pa, tner, Put hrr hard
down! snatch her! snatch her." The
boat rasped and ground Ter way
through the sand. hanging upon the
apex of disaster a single trenen-
dous instant, and then over she went
And such shout as went up at Mr..
BIS back never loosened the
roof Of pilot house beiorel
There was no more trouble after
that. Mr.. B-- was hero that
nigh. and it was some little time, too,
before his exploit ceased 10 be talked
about by river men.
Fully to ,ealize the marvellous pre-
cision required in laying the great
steamer ~ her marks in tha' murky
waste Of water, one should know that
not only must she pick her way
through sn,gs and blind r. eFs, and
then shave tie head ni the island SC
closely Ms to brush he oveIhanging
foliage with her stern, but in one
lace she must pass almost within al
arms reach of sunken and invisible
wreck that would snatch the hull tim
bers from under her if she shoulc
strike it; and destroy quarter of q
million dollars worth of steamboat
and cargo in FIVE minutes, and maybe
a hundred and fifty lives in the bar
gain.
The last remark | heard that nigh
WAS = compliment to Mr.. b
uttered in . soliloquy aud with unc
ton by one of our guests. He said
"By the Shadow of Death, but he
. lightning pilot"
i In Augusta, Maine, no provisio