Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-05-28
JIM KERNEY'S GHOST.
A Nigh in a PiIot.House aad the
Pilots Queer AtOry.
TOilers of the Sea - Running I'm
Close Quarters = several
Kinds of spiftts.

TOilers of the Sea - Running I'm
Close Quarters = several
Kinds Of spifitS.
New York sun.l
eyes," said the pilot, setting
down his nightglass, 81 know
every rock and shoal. ought to !;
l was brought up on the river. Do
all pilots !? They ought to, but
they don't always. Now right
ahead of us is a stretch of two miles
of deep water from bank to bank.
1t don't take no pilot to run her
there. Any fool could run her
there. You could ran there your
self. But just beyond that is one
OF the worst places on the river
broad and shallow, with crooked
channel not more than two hun
dred feet wide. There's been more
than one boat aground there, and
more than one that did her last
mile when she struck"
While the pilot was talking the
big double wheel kept turning and
twisting under the hands OF four
men.
"Why does it take so many of us
to manage the wheel /? Yes, one
man could turn it we'll. That il,
just now he could; but the time
might come when he couldn't. How
so? Do You see that tow coming
down the river? Well, some peo.
pie haven't no sense at all. Tve
seen tcws like that keep well of
from steamer till they was most
together, and then come straight
in her way. Now, suppose that
tow should drop in front of us. No
one man could bring this boat
around quick enough to stop her
from cutting the tow-it would
take all four of us, and be hard
work for us then. If everybody
had any brains this couldn't hap
pen. Besides, when theresa strong
wind she steers very hard-more
than twice as hard as she does on a
still night like this.'
Ever run into little boats? Yes,
sometimes; generally fishermen.
They come out in all sorts of wealth
er, in rowboats, sometimes, with
out lights. When their work is
through, ifit happens to be a heavy
night, they can't find their way
ashore and have to stay all night.
Then comes the whisky bottle, and
in an hour or so they don't know
what they're about Even if they
started with light, it's very apt to
burn out if they don't watch it.
AftSr a while, if they're not too
drunk, they hear noise, and see a
steamboat hundred feet away,
swooping down on them, Then
they begin to yell, and we hear
them; but what can we do2 We
can't see them or tell which way to
turn. They think we ought to stop
and let them row out Of the road.
Why, bless you, you can't stop
this boat in quarter of mile
when she's under full headway. Sc
we strike the boat, the paddles
catch the men in minute, and
the friends of the family are re-
speetfully invited to attend the
fuEerel. Then the newspapers say,
criminal carelessness of pilot,
and give us all fits. They think
we can stop boat as easy as a
street car
Its getting cold in here, and
about two tnmbleys of rum would
straighten things wonderful. But
no man in this pilot house tastes
any spirits while he's on duty.
Any man that drinks may get
drunk, you know, and four drunken
pilots would make things hum
Why don't l shut the window il itl
coldl You can't see straight
through glass. If we happen to
meet another big boat in a narrow
channel and run within twenty
feet Of her we must have a clear
sight. II we should see a littlC
crooked we might have an acci
dent. Accidents don't pay, yor
know. Keep the pilots windows
open on the Sonnd steamers? Yes
they do. When they meet auotheI
steamer they can run of mil,
without any trouble. When W,
meet one sometimes we can't keel
fifty yards away from her. phos,
men on the Sound are sailors, anC
have rough work very often, bu
ours is a great deal finer work