Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-08-22
Passing Hat Island.


mother stopped them but fog. But
down stream work was different; 4
boat was too nearly helpless, with stiff
current pushing behind her; so it was
not customary to run down stream al
at night in low water.
There seemed to be one small hope,
however; if we could get through the
intricate and dangerous Hat Island
crossing before night We could venture
the rest, for we would have palmer sail
| ing and better water. But it would be
insanity to attempt Hat Island at night
So there was deal of looking at watch
es all the rest of the day, and a con-
slant ciphering upon the speed we were
making; Hat Island was the eternal
subject; sometimes hope was high and
sometimes We were delayed by bad
crossing and down it went again. For
hours all hands lay under the burden
of this suppressed excitement; it was
even communicated to Inc, and | got
to feel SO solicitous about Hat Island,
and under such an awful pressure of
responsibility, that | wished | might
have five minutes on shore to draw a
good, full, relieving breath of air and
start over again. We were standing no
regular watches. Each of our pilots
ran such portions of the river as he had
run when coming upstream, because
of his familiarity with it; but both re-
manned i'll the pilot house constantly.
An hour before sunst Mr.. Bixby took
the Wheel and Mr.. W stepped
aside. For the next thirty minutes
every man held his watch in his hand
and was restless, silent and uneasy. At
last somebody said, with doomful
sigh:
well; yOnder's Hat Island-and We
can't make it,
All the watches closed with snap,
everybody sighed and muttered some
thing about 1t being too bad, too bad
ah ii we could only have got here half
an hour sOoner!" and the place was
thick with the atmosphere of diSappoint-
ment. Some started to go out, but
loitered, hearing 10 beIl-tap To land.
The sun dipped behind the horizon, the
boat went on. Inquiring looks passed
fIOm one guest to another, and one who
had his hand on the door knob turned
back again. We bore steadily down
the bend. More looks were exchanged
and mods of surprised admjration-but
no words. Insensibly the men drew
together behind Mr. BiXby. as the sky
darkened and one or two dim stars came
out. The dead silence and sense of
waiting became oppressive. Mr.. BiXby
pulled the cord, and two deep, mellow
notes from the big bell floated off on
the night. Then pause, and one more
note was struck. The watchman's
voice followed, from the hurricane
deck!
''Labboard lead, there, Stabboard
lead'l
The cries of the leadsmen began to
rise out of the distance, and were gruf-
fly repeated by the word-passers on the
hurricane deck.
MARK three!-M-a-r-k three
Quarter-less-thTee!-Ilalf twainl--
Quarter twain.-M-a-r-k twain
QuarterlesS'-
Mr.. BiXby pulled two bell-ropel, and
was answered by faint jinglings far be-
low III the engine room, and our speed
slackened. The steam began 10 whistle
through the gauge-cocks. The cries of
the leIdsmen went on-and it is a weird
sound, always, III the night. Every
pilot in the lot was watching now with
fixed eyes and talking under his breath.
Nobody was calm and easy but Mr..
BiXby. lie would put his wheel down
and stand on a spoke, and as the steam
er swung into her-to me-utterly in
IL
the midst of wide and gloomy sea he
would meet and fasten her there Out
Of the murmur of half-audIble talk one
caught a coherent sentence now and
then-such as:
''There; she's over the first reef all
rightl'
After pause another subdued voice:
Her stern's coming down just exact
ly right, by George!"
''Now she's in the marks; over she
goesl"
Somebody else muttered:
''Oh, it was done beautiful-beauti-
ful!''
Now the engines were stopped alto
gether and we drifted with the current
Not that | could see the boat drift, for
| could not, the stars being all gone by
this time. This drifting was the dis
malest work; it held ones heart still.
Presently discovered a HACKER gloom
than that which surrounded us. 1t was
the head of the island. We were clos
ing right down upon it. We entered
its deeper shadow, and so imminent
seemed the peril that l was likely to
suffOcate; and | had the strongest i'm
pulse to do something, anything TO save
the vessel. But still Mr.. BiXby stood
by the wheel, silent, intent as cat,
and all the pilots stood shoulder to
shoulder at his back.
''She'll not make it," somebody whis-
pered.
The water grew shoaler and shoaler,
by the leadman's cries, till it was down
To-
Eight -and-a-half!- !-E-i-g-h-t feet
feetl-Seven-and''-
Mr.. Bixby said warningly through
his speaking tube to the engineer:
''Stand by, now!"
AYE, aye, sir?'
; ''Seven-and-a-half! Seven feet. Six.
and"-
We touched bottom. Instantly Mr..
Bixby set lot of bells ringing. shouted
tie tube, ''Now, let her have
it-every ounce you've got!'' then to
his partner, Put her hard down!
snatch herl snatch her!' The boat |
rasped and ground her way through the
sand, hung upon the apex of disaster a
single tremendous instant, and then
over she wenti And such shout as
went up at Mr.. Bixhy's back never
loosened the roof of pilot-house be-
forel
There was no more trouble after that |
Mr.. Bixby was hero that night; and
it was some little time, to, before his
exploit ceased to be talked about by
river men.
Paper Mills.
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