The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-06-07

supposed was doing you n beneyo-
lence; hut i begin 10 think That i am
the partytEat wants favor done. Are
you acting under o law Of the con-
eyes"
.show it to me-"
So they stepped into the association
rooms, and the secretary soon satisfied
the captain, who said:
"Well, what am / to dol I have
hired Mr.. s. for the entire season. !"
~ will provide for you,p said the
secretary. ~ will detail pilot TO 20
with you, andhe shall be on board at
twelve O'clock l-
"But II ] discharge s., he will
come on me for the whole seasons
wages.p y 'sf7' IT
"of course That is q matter between
you and Mr.. s., captain. We cannot
meddle in your private afairs. "
The captain stormed, but TO no pur-
pose. In the end he had to discharge
s., pay him about o thousand dollars,
and take an association pilot IN his
place. The laugh was beginning 10
turn the other way, now. Every day,
thenceforwn-d, new victim fell; every
day some outraged captain discharged
q non.association pet, with tears and
profanity, and installed hated associa.
tion man in his berth. Ina very little
while, idle non-associ ociationists began to be
pretty plenty, brisk as business was, and
much as their services were desired,
Soona all the laughers that were left
were the owiiers and crews Of boats that
had two non.asSociahon pilots. But
their triumph was not very long lived:
For this reason: 1t was q rigid rule Of
the association that its members shonld
never, under any circumstances what
ever, give information about the channel
10 any outsider" Bythis time about
half the boats had none but association
pilots, and the other half had none but
outsiders. Atthe first glance one wonld
suppose that when it came 10 forbidding
information about the river those two
parties could play equally ut that game;
but this was not so. AT every good
sized town from ono end Of the river TO
the other, there was o awharf-boat to
land Of, instead of a wharf or q pier.
Freight WIS stored in 1t for trnnsporta-
ton, waiting passengers slept in lis cab
ms. Upon each Of these wharf.boats
the aasocistion's officers placed q strong
box, fastened with o peculiar lock which
was used in no other service but one
the United States mail service. It was
the letter.bag lock, q sacrcd govern
mental thing. Bydint Of much beseech-
ing the government had been persuaded
10 allow the association to use this lock.
Every association man carried o key
which would open these boxet. That
key, or rather peculiar way Of holding
it in the hand when its owner was asked
for river information bya stranger-ior
the success Of the ST. Louis and New
Orleans association Ind now bred toll.
erably thriving branches in o dozen
neighboring steamboat trades-was the
association mans sign and diploma Of
membership; and IL the stranger did not
respond by yproducing q similar key and
holding IL in o certain manner duly pre-
scribed, his question waspolftely ignored.
From the association'a secretary each
member received q package Of more or
less gorgeous blanks, printed like q bill
head, on handsome paper, properly ruled
in columns. y g9fsfl N 'kfi3I
These blanks were filledup, day by
day, as the voyage progressed, and de-
posted in the several wharf.boat boxes.
For instance, tls soon as the first cross
ing, out from st. Louis, was completed,
the items would be entered upon the
blank, under the appropriate heading,
thus:
ast. Louis. Nine and half (feet)s
Stern on court house; head on dead
cottonwood above woodward, until you
raise the first reel, then pull up square.
Then under head Of Remarks ECO
Just outside tho wrecks; this is impor-
tant. New snagi Just where you straighten
down; go above It."
The pilot who deposited that blank in
the Cairo box (aiter adding toi 1t the de.
tails Of every crossing oil the way down
from st. Louis) took out and read half o
dozen fresh reports (from upward bound
steamers) conforming the river between
Cairo and Memphis, posted himself
thoroughly, returned them TO the box,
and went back aboard his boat again 80
armed against accident that he could |
not possibly. get his boatinto trouble
without bringing the most ingenious
carelessness TO his pid. =. ~ y
Imagine the benefits 81 20 adrnirablea o
system ii o piece Of river twelve or
thirteen hundred miles long, whose
channel was shifting every dayl The
pilot who had formerly been obliged to
nut up with seeing o shoal place once or
possibly twicen month, had hundred
sharp ewes TO watch 1t for him, nov, and
bushels Of intelligent brains " tell him
how to run IL His information about It
VIA seldom twenty-four hours old. II
tie reports in the last boz CHANGED to
leave any lnisgiyings on his mind con.
cernine q ireacherous crossing, he had
IN remedy; he blew his steam whistle
IN n peculiar way as soon as he sawa
boat approaching; the signal was an
swered In D peculiar way II TINT boats
pilots were association men and then
Ina two steamer, ranged alongside and
ali uncertainties were swept away by
iresh information furnished to the in-
auirer by word Of month and in minute
'sj The first thing a pilot did when he
reached New OfleansIor st. Iotis was
10 take his final and elaborate report to
tbe association parlors and hing 1t up
therel after which he was free to visit
his family.
d. - =, - .i.a,,iax ,,iaca tnItnaAt md az.