Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-04-24
Struck a Lead.
An Original Historic Tale OF
The Upper Lead
Region.
ny s"mes Nj. GOOdhuc, Editor
OIL the Grant County Her.
aid from 1915 IS49
and Founder of the
81. Paul Pr
Oneer.
A MISSISSIPPI STEAMBOAT


then lying at the port of st. Loui,
cast oil her mooriugs and sven
gracefully into the channel of III
Mississippi; and now she breasts IN
torrent with her strong arms. an,
dashes behind her shower of spray
IN which she. is wreathed movin,
rainbow. st. Louis, with her ware
houses, steeples, and STEAMBOATS,
soon disappears in the distance. anl
the Ginning of her evening bell
break indlstinctly upon the ears q
tne psssengerss, while the sun sink,
ike red iron ball behind the wild.
plains OF the west. The Roarer soor
passes the mouth of the Missouri
which rushes down from the Rocky
mountains like herd of affripbted
0uhaloes scamperiDg through one OF
Cooper's novels (no libel intended)
and next she passes the city of All.
ton, reposing on the dusky bank of
th" river; Alton. the city of mapni6.
cent projects and bankrupt pork mer
chants; one OF those mushroom cities
which grew out of the expansion of
bank issues in the years of 1885 and
GA nd which was designed to be the
focus OF live hundred railroads, EN-.
ACTED by the Legislature of Illinois
Forest and bluff echo the coughing
of the high pressure steamboat. the
Roarer; and now she passes tho
mouth OF the sluggish Illinois. which
glides into the Mississippi like an
over-grown eel. Onward struooleo
the Roarer, putting and wheezino.
and trembling in every Joint the
shores dlmly lighted by the blaze of
the boats furnaces, seem still "a wide
asunder as those Of the lower Missis.
sippl. On one shore rises an abrupt
bluff to the height of forty or fiftv
feet, and the other is bank of fresh
crumbling alluvion, being the termi.
nus of wide plain which seems to
be dissolving in the river. And now
as night advances, there is seen far
up the river, a steamboat rushing with
the stream. Her furnaces, like eve |
balls, glare in the darkness-fiames
straan fras.. -l~- : :
she rushes by the Roarer-her name,
"Ione," printed upon her wheel
house is scarcely legible so quickly |
does she pass.
In the cabin Of the Roarer sat
several persons, some of whom Were
playing a game of brag. Two of the
players seem to be professional black
legs. They belonged nowhere in
particular, but inhabited the river
generally, from the Balize to ST. Pet.
ers. Bright shone the chandeliers
suspended above the tables; but the
night was far advanced and many of
the passengers-the careful country
merchant-the English tourist--the
old man on a visit to the Southland
the young man seeking his fortunes
in the West, one after another TO rest
Git not blown up). One of these gen
tlemen in black was engaged in an
interesting game of cards with Jeffer-
son Randolph Rutledge, Esq, whose
father had commissioned him to in
vest fifteen thousand dollars in the
purchase of negroes IN the upper
country. Mr.. Rutledge had great
confidence in his own ability--in his
own ability to beat anybody in the
world at a game of brag or at any
thing else. He is in bad luck that
night. and has already lost thirteen
thousand dollars. Mr. Black, who
was pitted against him, played COOL
". Believing that Rutledge's pile
was nearly exhausted, he determined
to overbrag the young gentleman, and
oversize his pile. Rutledge held
three "bullets" and Dragged thous-
and dollars.
1.-TWO thousand better, says Black.
Rutledge looked dismayed-he
was broke. A stranger standing at
his elbow who had watched the game
and saw that Rutledge held a sure
hand, lent him a large bundle
of bank notes, and whispering
to him, "here, young man are fifty
thousand dollars, brag it ALL" In
the meantime Mr.. Black had Dor
rowed all the funds of his fellow
blacklegs 10 meet the emergency.
"Fifty thousand BETTER" says Mr.
Rutledge.
81 am broke" replies Black, push
inghis pile across the table to his ad
yersary. "Here is only thirty thoas
and for the remaining eleven thous
and, sir, you must take an | 0 U
and thus ended the game of "brag.
The passengers slept; but the engin'
rested not-the fiery furnaces wer'
unquenched, and the Roarer still
dashed onward, and the watchful ey
of the pilot in the wheel house 500
discovered another boat, the "Ori
on" coming in the rear of the Roar
err. "Hurrah tor a race !" shouts tn
mate. "Wood up! boys, wood mp
They say this new low pressur
boat, the Orion, outruns lightning
The Orion came darting along, with
out much apparent exertion; gaun
and slender as greyhound. The fire
men of the Roarer were splittiu
their wood fine; and having dippe
it in barrels of tar, they plunged
into the furnaces. Columns of blac
!, smoke. commingled with the flame
: poured from the flues. The fireme
!, sweated and swore, and swille
n whiskey-the pulsations of the pat
e dies were quickened to fearful raj
/; idity. The Roarer trembled an
e struggled forward like maniac. H'
70 escape pipe whistled the shrill mo-
to OF alarm. but it was smothered b
= adding weight to the safety-valv
D Barrels of rosin were pitched into Il
- furnaces, and lard and hams we
sacrificed bit in vain for the Or
on slowly stole alongside, and u
= two rival boats ran side by side,net
.. by neck, for halt an hour, until
length the Roarer fell gradually in Il