The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-04-08
A sO31NAMBULIsT PILOT.
coaxng . steanaboat Through Crooked
fass In the Dsrk--One Of the Mysteries
OF Mississippi River Navigation.
From the Aaantic Monthlv.

somnambulist. 1t was said that ifhis
mind was troubled about bad piece
OF river he was pretty sure to get up
and walk in his sleep and do strange
things. He was once fellow pilot for
trip or two with George E., on
great New Orleans passenger pack
ct. Late one night the boat was ap
preaching Helena, Ark. the water
was low, and the crossing above the
town in very blind and tangled
condition. x. had seen the crossing
since E. had, and as the night
was particularly drizzly, sullen and
dark, E was considering whether
ne had not better have x. called to
assist in running the place, when the
door opened and x. walked in.
"Let me take her, Mr.. Ell I've
seen this place since you have, and it
is so crooked that I reckon I can run
it myself easier than I could tell YOU
| how to do it."
"It is kind of you, and swear I
am willing: I haven't got another
drop Of perspiration left in me. I
have been spinning round and round
the wheel like a squirrel. It is SO
! dark I can't tell which way she is
swinging till she is coming around
like whirligig."
So F. took a seat on the bench,
painting and breathless. K as
sumed the wheel without saying any,
thing, steadied the waltzing steamer
with turn or two, and then stood at
ease, coaxing her little to this side
and then to that, as gently and as
sweetly as if the time had been noon
day. When E. observed this
marvel Of steering, he wished he had
not confessed He stared and Won
dered and finally said:
"Well, thought I knew how to
steer steamboat, but that was anoth-
er mistake of mine"
K. said nothing, but went serene
ly on with his work. He rang for
leads; he rang to slow down the
steam he worked the boat carefully
and neatly into invisible marks, then
stood at the centre of the wheel and
peered out blandly into the blacknes,
fore and aft, to verify his position
as the leads shoaled more and more,
he stopped the engines entirely, and
the dead silence and suspense of
"drifting' followed: when the shoal-
est water was struck he cracked on
the steam, carried her handsomely
over, and then began to work her
warily into the next system Of shoal
marks; the same patient, heedful use
Of leads and engines followed the
boat slipped through without touch
ing bottom, and entered upon the
third and last intricacy Of the cross
ing; imperceptibly she moved
through the gloom, crept by inches
into her marks, drifted tediously till
the shoalest water was cried, and then,
under a tremendous head Of steam,
went swinging over the reef and away
into deep water and safety!
| E let his long pent breath pour
out in long, relieving sigh, and
said:
"That's the sweetest piece of plotting
that was ever done on the Mississippi
river! I wouldn't have believed il
could be done, if I hadn't seen it.
There was no reply, and he added
"Just hold her five minutes longer
partner, and let me run down and gel
a cup Of Coffee
| A minute later E. was biting
into a pie down in the "texas,' anc
comforting himself with coffee. Jus
then the night watchman happened
in, and was about to happen ou
again, when he noticed E. ant
exclaimed:
"Who is at the wheel, sir?"
"X-."
"Dart for the pilot house quicker
than lightning
The next moment both men wert
flying up the pilot house companio,
way three steps at a jump! Ncbod,
there! The great steamer was whis
tling down the middle of the river a
her own sweet will! The watchmal
shot out of the place again; E.
seized the wheel, set an engine bacl
with power, and held his breath
while the boat reluctantly swunt
away from a ''towhead'' which sh'
was about to knock into the middle
of the Gulf of Mexico!
By and by the watchman cam
back and said:
"Didn't that lunatic tell you he wa
asleep when he first came up here 2
"No."
"Well, he was. I found him walk
ing along on top of the ratings, jus
as unconcerned as another man woul,
walk pavement and I put him t
bed. Now just this minute there b
was again, away astern, going through
that sort of tight rope deviltry tn
same as before"
"Well, I think I'll stay by, mex
time he has one Of those fits. But
hope he'll have them often. Yo,
just ought to have seen him take thi
boat through Helena crossing.
never saw anything so gaudy before
And if he can do such gold-leaf, kid
glove, diamond-breastpin pilotin,
when he is sound asleep, what coulde'