The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1875-02-12
PILOT wYLrE. m w
Lie on tho ''ol'I HrassnsIpp."
By DAN DB oU1LIE.

JuuJ Iuuu6 my lhmOuS prlum puhl
start from the good old city Of 81
louis, Missouri, on the steamer Bull
arabia for New Orleans, and now.
propose to briefly inform you why
never planted foot anywhere With
five hundred miles of New Orleans
The story is Of still another cas-,
of coolness in the midst of wrecl
and disaster, and prinaipally relate
to "Pilot Wylie."
The Bully Arabia, Captain San
Bowen (well known at st. Louis anc
all up and down the river) le st
Louis with call below" full of hay
in bales.
We got off about the middle Of thu
afternoon all right and went bowling
along down the river at a slashine
rate. AS long as daylight we die
well-daylight and the pilot who wal
then at the wheel.
Some time along in the night Pilo
Wylie WAS called up to take hi
watch. He came up full Of Bourbon
as the lower deck was full of hay,
but kept his mouth shut and lookec
wise.
Captain Sam Bowen was-as all
know who have ever travelled mucl
on the lower Missisippi-one of the
mildest and most eyen-tempered mer
in the world. He was also very po-
lite and gentlemanly in his inter
course with all of his officers and
men II appeared to be positively
painful for him to swear, but some
times, in the discharge of his duties,
it became necessary for him to dc
that violence to his feelings.
Captain Bowen did not discover
that there was anything wrong with
Pilot Wylie when that gentleman
came up to take the wheel.
We went booming along down the
river at great rate, carrying full
head of steam and with Wylie at the
wheel, turning it back and forth in
the most sedate and exemplary man
ner.
Presently we sloshed into the left
bank of the river against some trees
and tore out the barber-shop.
Up rushed Captain Bowen, crying;
"Mr. Wylie, how is this? You have
been into the bank and have raked
out the barber-shopp
Eyes, said Wylie, II heard sort
Of o rip as i bore off from shore.
On we went again for eight or ten
miles, when we slapped into The
right4hand shore and tore out the
pantry.
Captain Bowen ran up to the pi-
dollhouse in hot haste. "Well, Mr..
Wylie," said he, "you are playing
hell-to-nightl"
eyes, said Pilot Wylie, "did you
ever hear such rattling of dishes in
all your lifel"
Without deigning o reply Captain
Bowen turned and went below, while
Wylie went on with his "screwin on
her up" as "A Yankee passenger
termed the business Of steering the
vessel. ...
Away we went, bowling aid
screeohing down the river, with the
black smoke streaming back from the
chimneys. r7
Wylie was industriously engaged
in "screwin' on her up" and in ring
ing the engineers bells-"tap, tap,
tapl' now this way and now that
only stopping occasionally to slip
small flask out Of his pocket and take
q "nip."
Presently the engineer sung out
from below through the speaking
tube; r4u -aT '' 'esla
t'AIr. Wylie, no man III the world
could make out those bell!" 4N
"The bells are all right Mind the
bellsp sententiously answered back
Pilot Wylie.
Afow minutes after, as we went
zigzagging down the river, we "pick-
cd W" q snag that ripped nearly the
whole bottoni out of the boat, ,- gra
There we stuck, rapidly settling in
about eight feet of water,
Captain Bowen bounded up to the
pilot-house and said: "Well, Mr.
Wylie, by Godl sir, you've made
killing OF it this timer
eyes, said Wylie, "I think so,
Do you see them bales o hay a-hoat-
ing out of her?"
"She's down in eight feet of water,
Mr.. Wylie," said the Captain.
"About that | should think, sir, >
said Wylie.
After making this remark, Pilot
Wylie "lit out oyor the 'front.'" and
going down into the "texas," got his
old fiddle, when he sat down and
went to playing the ARKANSAS Tray
eler." His busines was finished, and
he was indulging in his fayorito rec
reation.
A Dioo mess we were inl How.
ever, about an hour after the snag-
ging of the boat, we heard some
distance down the river u fearful
howl from a steam whistle.
"The Glducusi the Glducusl" cried
several Of tho passengers in breath.
"No other boat has such a whistle
II is the Glaucus coming upl
This was not the old Glaucus, as
she was burned at ST. Louis in 1852
or 1853, but was a new Glducas, built
by the sama owners and provided
with second edition of the same
unearthly whistle which rendered the
old Giaaeus famous all along the
Mississippi.
Well, we made signals Of distress
and the GiaUcus came alongside,
when we passengers were soon trans
ferred 10 her decks.
"AIr. Clemens, said Captain Bow
on, addressing the pilot of the Gid,t-
Gus Samuel l.. Clemens, now better
known as Mark Twain-"Mr. Glenn
ems, / can hardly understand how
Won cOnld rncOmnand Mr. Wvlia IN