The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-06-26
A STORY FROM INDIANAPOLIS.
A Terrible and Eventful Ride Boat
Hauled by Huge Cat Fish.

The Ananias club welcomed Patrol.
man Brady back from New Orleans as
he walked into the clubroom the other
night. F.,
said the patrolman, ''and has under
gone many changes since last saw it.
1 visited New Orleans about seventy
years ago. 1 was only so years old
then, but l remember everything re-
lating to my trip with great distinct
nees. We didn't have any mile min
ute vestibule trains, ,Sr did we have
any smash ups or rotten trestlcs nor
jumping off of tracks on bad curves.
My first trip was made down the river
on q fiat boat called the Duke of Or
leans She was square bowed flat
bottom craft that was capable OF great
speed, but was so COMPOUNDED lazy that
about three miles an hour was the
best she would do in high wind and
fast current. We were floating down
the Mississippi one bright summer day.
| was steering on the front end OF the
boat. Suddenly perceived something
ahead of us directly in the channel.
What's that, JACKIE yelled to one
of the men for'ard. Without looking
he shouted back:
"a snag, responded Jack. Throw
your tiller hard to larboard and you'll
INSIST. Just then the supposed snag
disappeared for IN instant and then
bobbed up again few hundred feet
down the river | was not satisfied,
and calling one of the boys to take the
sweep | went to the bow of the boat.
l saw at once what the object was. 1t
was coming directly for the boat.
Lend lis a hand here, boys, I
shouted.
"What is the matter, Jim2 asked
one of the crowd.
Catfish, was all l said But that
was enough. The crew, with pale
faces, began buckling on life prescrv-
ers, for collision III midstrcam with
Mississippi river bull catfish is no
triiling affair. | did not propose to
give up our boat SO easily, and draw
ing pistol, fired at the approaching
monster. | saw the bullet strike his
mailed back and fall off into the mud
dy water The fish was flashing the
water into foam, and It's eyes were
fastened with 4 wicked glare on our
frail craft. There WAS not much time
to lose y few moments and we would
be lost. Then thought of something.
The fish was within fifty feet of our
boat. Snatching the anchor hurled
it ut the approaching terror. True to
my aim, the heavy iron struck the fish
on the lower jaw. Thinking evidently
that ii was something good to eat, the
fish attempted to swallow the anchor,
but the tlulics caught in his gullet,
and leaping half way out of the water,
the huge fish turned and started down
stream Quick as lightning gave the
anchor rope three turns around the
sampson posts, and as it pulled taut
we began to move through the water
with great speed. The now frightened
fish made The most desperate efforts to
release itself. The anchor was evil
IDENTIFY decorating It's throat and it must
be suffering great pain. First to one
side, then to another, down to the bot
tom of the river, then springing five or
six feet in the air, cavortcd the fish.
The yellow water was blood streaked
foam from bank TO bank, and the
waves rolled up the bank with wick
ed swish. AS may well be imagined.
our craft was moving through the
water in terrific manner. Sometimes
we would sail through the air, two
So 81, > l,n hA.n,,, IF Tho o,,I
again be two feet below the surface
Talk about your lightning express and
fast vcstibule trains--they are snails
compared TO the speed we were going.
All at once smoke began issuing
from the starboard side of the boat. a
new danger confronted us. We were
going so fast through the water that
tue friction had set our craft on fire.
Some of the men organized Il bucket
brigade instanter and soon had the
flames extinguished, but they were
kept busy putting out the fire that
was continually starting in different
parts of the hull. When the bottom
caught the tiremen had to bore holes
through the flooring i'll order TO pour
water on the blaze! Why, gentlemen,
there was such terrible friction that
the water was scalding hot-so hot
that for twenty feet OH leach side of the
boat we could boil eggs and potatoes
by simply throwing them overheard.
The suction was so intense that what
ever we threw into the water would
remain close to the boat and our cook
got dinner that way Why, he boiled
a ham in the river in exactly seven
minutes. All we had to do was to
throw the stuff in, keep time on it, and
then haul it out with long pole. We
went past Memphis so fast that the
boiling river furnished steam for all
the factories in town for over two
hours. I think [ am safe in saying
that we were towed by that fish for
fully fifteen hours.
1T was the fastest ride / ever took,
and have had several fast rides III my
time. AS I say, we had been dashing
along for about fifteen hours, when
suddenly the anchor rope broke.
When it snapped it made report like
the explosion of q ten pound cannon
on a Fourth of July morning. Re
lieved of his drag weight, the fish dart
ed ahead and was soon out of sight.
Our boat had such Roadway that she
ran two hundred miles before stop
ping; a tlatboat, you understand, is
not fitted up with automatic brakes,
and we had no way of checking her
speed until the momentum was ex-
hausted. 1t is mighty lucky thing
for us that the rope did break. Had it
not parted we would have been scalded
to death, sure. The heavy three inch
oak planks out of which the boat was
built were worn down to the thinnest
of tissue paper. We were going SO
fast that the water acted just like a
iackplane on the wood. A few hours
longer and the boat would have been
a mere bunch of shavings, and in the