The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-08-18
OLD TIMES ON THE MISSISSIPPI.
Leaving Porf-The Long Line OF Boats
The Excitement.

| Leaving Pors-The Long Line OF Boats
The Excitement.
Mark Twain, in one of his character.
lstlc sketches of old times on the Mis-
sIsslppl river, gives us the following
sketch: 1t was always the custom for
the boats to leave New Orleans be
tween four and five o'clock in the after
noon. From three o'clock onward they
would be burning rosin and pitch pine
(the sign of preparatory, and so one
had the picturesque spectacle of q rank.
some two or three miles long, of tall.
ascending columns of coal l-black smoke :
colonnade which supported a sable
roof of the same smoke blended together
and spreading abroad over tho CITY.
Every outward bound boat had its flag
lying at the jack staff, and sometimes a
duplicate on the verge staff astern. Two
or three miles Of mates were command
ing and swearing with more than usual
emphasis; countless professions of
freight barrels and boxes were spinning
down the slant of the levee and flying
abroad the stage-planks; belated pas
sengers were dodging and skipping
among these frantic things, hoping to
reach the forecastle companion way
alive, but having their doubts about it :;
women with reticules and bandboxes
were trying to keep up with husbands
freighted with carpet-sacks and crying
babies, and making failure of it by los
ing their heads in the whirl and roar and
general distraction drays and baggage
vans were gathering hither and thither
IN Wild hurry, every now and then
getting blocked and jammed together,
and then during ten seconds one could
not see them for the profanity, except
vaguely and dimly every windlass con
nected with every fore-hatch, from one
end OF that long array of steamboats, to
the other, was keeping up deafening
whiz and whir, lowering freight into
the hold, and the haif-naked crews of
persplrlng negroes that worked them
were roaring such songs as De Las
Sack De Las Sack INSPIRED to nm
imaginable e1altation by the chaos of
turmoil and racket that was driving
everybody else mad.
BY this time the hurricane and boiler
decks of the steamers would be packed
and black with passengers The "last
bells would begin to clang, all down
the line, and then the powwow seemed
TO double In a moment or two the final
warming came-a simultaneous din of
Chinese gongs, with the cry Cali dat
amt goln, please to git asho' l'-and
behold, the powwow quadrupled Peo-
pie came swarming ashore, overturning
excited stragglers that were trying to
swarm aboard. One more moment later
long array of stage -planks was being
hauled in, each with its customary latest
passenger clinging to the end of it with
teeth, nails, and everything else, and the
customary latest procrastinator making
wild spring shoreward over his head.
Now number of the boats slide back
ward into the stream, leaving wide gaps
IN the serried ranks of steamers. Citi-
zens crowd the decks of boats that are
not to go, in order to see the sight.
Steamer after steamer straightens her
self up, gathers all her strength, and
presently comes swinging by, under a
tremendous head of steam, with flag fly-
ing, black smoke rolling, and her entire
crew of firemen and deck hands (usuaIIy
swarthy negroes) massed together on the
forecastle, the best "voice" in the lot
towering from the midst (being mounted
on the capstan), waving his hat or q flag.
and all roaring mighty chorus, while
the parting cannons boom and the multi
tudinous spectators swing their hats and
huzza Steamer after steamer falls into
line, and the stately procession goes
winging its way up the river.