Wichita eagle., 1888-11-15
THE OLD MAN AND THE LIGHT.
Experience of Q Pilot q Esr1er7 Days
with Elecfrioftv.
Especial Correspondence ]

with Electrioify.
Especial Correspondence.l
ABERDEEN. D. T., Oct. 6-Cape David
Tibbs, of this city, retired Missouri river
steamboat captain, made trip to New Or
leans last winter, and has been talking ever
since, when congenial listener could be
found of the changes that have come about
in river navigation during the past twenty
years
Never did hear the old captain admit
that any change for the better had been
made until few evenings ago
We were sitting upon the piazza Of the
captains hotel, smoking a twilight cigar,
when the large are light in front of the hotel
suddenly blaZed out IN its cold and searching
brllllaIce. The captain started and half
rose from his chair. as he invariably does at
this nightly recurrence OF this, to him,
strange and unusual phenomenon.
II can't somehow get used to that darna-
ton light that flares out all Of a sudden"
said he. Somehow it seems as If something
is going to explode, and the first time saw
it jumped right up and yelled: Draw the
fires and let off steam, just as if was back
on the old John Pexton, with my bow grind
ing on q bar"
assured the old gentleman that it was the
most natural thing in the world for a man
of his years to be startled, and confessed to
a certain sensation OF surprise and momen-
tary fear whenever the trained ignus-f fatuus
of science suddenly burst out upon the dark
ness of the street.
Queer thing, queer thing,n reflected the
old man, queer thing this electricity Why,
you remember | went down the river last
OF &C. r
old river nen?'
Yes, | renlembered-had indeed as distinct
recollection of the fact as some forty re-
citals Of the fact, coupled with various Incl
dents of the trip, could give
Yes, captain, believe you told me you
went to New Orleans" l replied, preparing
myself for the inevitable tale of decadence,
wrong and oppression in everything along
the river between Fort Sully and the gulf
"Weil, I'll never forget one night just below
Memphis. had been stopping off along the
river, and at Memphis got on to a new line
steamer with all the modern contrivarces,
but none of the life and dash that river
steamer carried in old time river days
Well, as l was saying, l stood on the deck
smoking cigar. 1t was as dark a night as
ever tried pilots knowledge of the stream;
you couldn't see dozen yards from the boat
There wasn't no torch on the jack staff, such
as you would see flaming out over the prov
years ago, and scattering blood red redec-
tions ahead But all of sudden, way out
ahead, a mile or SO, saw a circle Of hight
drop onto a clump of pine trees on a
head land, and then, quicker than flash,
jump across stream, and land square
on the roof OF niger cabin just off tho
shore. Well, now, that puzzled me- l
looked around to see where 1t came from, and
there it was dancing along the piles Of
cotton landing half mile up stream 1t
made me feel queer. I'd seen the glow balls
jump and vanish above a swamp, but 1t was
not that kind of light. Just then the cap
tain came up with a lantern. He saw l was
looking kind amazed, and says he: Our
pilot is finding landmarks with an electric
light We went forrard, and there, sure
enough, was a contrivance like an engine
headlight moving around ON pivot and
shooting those shots up and down the river
feeling OF the darkness, as it were. The
power dynamo, they call it, was down by the
engine, and the pilot could turn it on and Off
when he wanted to- From the pilot house he
could switch that big flaming eye to any
point of the compass. Well, | tell you,
when l thought Of how many times used
to tie up at night just because my pilot had
missed or couldn't make out a land mark to
dead certainty, realized what really
good thing those shore searching lights are,
anyhow. But after all, I've seen men that,
give 'ern cage full of blazing pitch fire on
the jackstatf, and they would go through the
most ticklish spots on the river without
scraping snag or nosing onto single bar"
And the captain, as if ashamed of his mo-
mentary disloyalty to the past, opened with
more than usual fire upon his favorite topic,
the destruction of the great river traffic by
railway combinations
FRANK F. WILLIAMS