Port Royal standard and commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1876-01-13
JIM WHALEN'S DEATH.


The Story Of Brave Pilot---How he Died.
"It makes me feel kinder sad," said
the pilot, pointing to the bank as the
boat was blowing the current near Lake
Providence, seventy-fve miles above
vicksburg. "When they buried him,
twenty years ago, the grave was dozen
rods from the water, but the treacherous
current has eaten and eaten at the bank
till another week will float poor Jim
away"
The passengers saw the end of coffin
sticking out of the bank, six or eight
inches above water. It is lonely spot
on the river, with no sound to break the
desolation except the beat OF paddle
wheels as the steamers hurry along.
cit was Jim Whalen," continued the
pilot, as the passengers turned to him
for an explanation. He had wife
and babe in Orleans, and was straight
man. He knew every snag and bar In
the river, and he could put his boat
through any shute in the darkest night
YOU ever saw. Jim didn't brag, and
some of the pilots called him a chicken.
Chickenl He was the biggest eagle
that ever few up or down this creek,
and that ar coffin proves it!
He showed the boat out little, an.
swered signal from an ascending steam,
er, and continued:
"I was a cub then-just learning the
business of Jim. You never seed q
man who'd do his level best for boy as
kindly as Jim would. No swearing O,
cussing or cutting, but as quiet and soft.
spoken as born lady. When they laid
him away down there I couldn't have
felt worse if the old man himself had
been pitched into heaven"
He asked for chew of tobacco, and
having settled it against his left cheek
he said:
"Over there by that gloomy cane
brake, at midnight, nigh on to twenty
years ago, the General Taylor took fire
+ was asleep in the texas, Jim at the
wheel, and q hundred passengers were
asleep. How the fire started no one
knew. The whole boat blazed right ur
in aminute, scorching and roasting people
afore they had heard the alarm. Whew
but wasn't it awful 2 went overheard
with nothing on but my cotton, and my
heels blistering, and passengers and
crew tumbled after" J.
The pilot rolled up his sleeve to ex'
hibit the marks of the flame, and then
continued
"Not all of 'em. Thirty or forty ran
for'ard, wild like, and afraid to jump.
The texas was afre before / jumped,
and as I foated in the river I saw the
red tongues of flames leaping around
the pilot house. Jim was thar, and
thar he staid. The water was up, the
current heavy, and the wind blowing
agin us, keeping the fire back. If jim
went overheard it was goodbye to fifty
human souls. He saw it, and that's
where glory covered him from head to
foot. He held her dead level up-she
ran till the engines stopped-till half tho
boat was burned-till the flames burned
every hair off his head, and roasted him
as the women serve piece of meat.
When the engines stopped the boat
drifted down, and at last help came from
other steamers. Jim was picked up in
the river, swimming Like a duck, but
died in fve minutes. 81,
There was long pause, and then he
added -. a-:--s Ga .a!i
"Jim Whalen's backbone saved al
them folks. He died afore they could
thank him. There wasn't passenger
or deck hand who didn't cry like child
but all they could do was to bury the
poor roasted body and press the sod'
down lightly. Year by year the rive,
has been eating its way to the grave
and while we ehan miss it, weu all fee
as if the big river had more right to The
coffin of brave Jim Whalen than the
shore. It's only his bones lying there
only his dust which will float away ; fol
though the gate of heaven is narrow, il
was open plenty wide enough for jim
Whalen to go in with all steam on."-
Vicksb,rq Herald.