The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-05
His Mud Scow Plowed the
Water So Fast the Sparks
Flew.
! The River Lashed to Temperature that
Taxed the Thermometer-Great
Feat in Navigation.
Shout and cheer and drink your beer
No more In shame and pain,
For now the CRY is everywhere,
Our Rrady's home again.

verselet that opens this chapter as he
walked into the club room last night, puff
ing cigarette. He was fined $40, but
threw the dude stick, away when the presi-
dent RENTED the fine, says the Indianapo-
lie News; - ;,
said the patrolman, land has undergone
many changes since last saw it. / visited
New Orleans about seventy years ago. I
was only 80 years old then, but remember
everything relating to my trip with great
distinctness. We didn't have any mile a
minute vestibule trains, nor did we have
any smash-ups on rotten trestles nor jump
ing of Of tracks on bad curves. My
first trip was made down the river on fiat
boat called the Duke of Orleans She
was square-bowed, dat-bottomed craft
that was capable Of great speed, but was SO
ponfounded lazy that about three miles an
hour was the best she would do in high
wind and fast current. We were floating
day. was steering, and on the front end
Of the boat some of my companions were
playing draw poker, tw0-call tive without a
limit. Suddenly perceived something
lhesd of us, directly in the channel.
"'What's that Jack?' I yelled to one OF
(no men 103 oI0e "Ao3s .o0AA"6' Ae
jhouted back:
IAN ace full on kings
I" No, no. I shouted, I mean what's that
in the river ahead of usT
ga sna9,' responded Jack. Throw your
tiller hard TO larboard and you'll miss it. :
for an instant and then bobbed up again a
few hundred feet down the river. was not
satisfied, and calling one of the boys to take
the sweep I went to the bow of the boat.
saw at once what the object was. It was
coming directly for the boat.
"hend hand here, boys ! shouted. !.
the crowd.
"'Catfieh' was all said. But that was
enough. The game was broken up in an in
slant, and the crew, with pale faces, began
buckling on life-preservers, for collision in
midstream with Mississippi river bull cat
a pistol, I fred at the approaching monster.
I saw the bullet strike his mailed back and
fall off into the muddy water. The fish was
flashing the water into foam, and could
see its eyes fastened with wicked glare on
our frail craft. There was not much time
to lose. A few moments and we would be
lost. Then I thought of something. The
fish was within fifty feet of our boat.
Bnatching the anchor, hurled it at the ap-
preaching terror, True to my aim, the
heavy iron struck the fish on the lower jaw.
Thinking evidently that it was something
the anchor, but the fukes caught in his
gullet, and, leaping half out of the water
the huge fish turned and started down
stream. Quick as lightning gave the
anchor rope three turns around the samp-
son posts, and as it pulled taut We began to
The now frightened fish made the
most desperate efforts to release
itself. The anchor was evidently decorating
it's throat and it must be suffering great
pain. First to one side, then to another
down to the bottom of the river, then
fish. The yellow water was blood streaked
foam from bank to bank, and the waves
rolled up the bank with wicked swish.
As may be we'll imagined, our craft was
moving through the water in terrific man.
ner. Sometimes we would sail through the
and again, be 2 feet below the surface
Talk about your lightning express and fast
vestibule trains-they are snails compared
to the speed we were going.
'All at once the smoke began issuing
from the starboard side of the boat. Anew
fast through the water that the friction haG
set our craft on fire. Some of the men or
ganized bucket brigade instanter and soo1
had the flames extinguished, but they were
kept busy putting out the fire that was con
tinually starting in different parts of thu
hull. When the bottom caught the fireme1
had to bore holes through the flooring il
order to pour water on the blaze! Why
gentlemen, there was such q terrible fric
ton that the water was scalding hot-so hot
that for twenty feet on each side of the
boat we could boil eggs and potatoes by
simply throwing them overheard. The sue.
ton was 80 intense that whatever We threw
int, tho kop xuonl1 i'm, nj 10 h.
boat, and our cook got dinner just
ham in The river in exactly 91 sever =
minutes. All he had to do was to throw
the stuff in, keep time on it, and then haul
i out with q long pole. We went past
nished steam for all the factories in town
for over two hours. I think I am safe in
saying that We were towed by that fish fol
fully fifteen hours.
1T was the fastest ride ever took. and
have had several fast rides in my time.
about fifteen hours when suddenly the
anchor rope broke. When it snapped il
made report like the explosion of 8
1O-pound cannon on q Fourth of Jnly
morning. Behind of his drag weight the
fish darted ahead and wassoon out Of sight
Our boat had such Roadway that she ra1
understand, il not fitted up with automatic
air-brakes, and we had no wry d
checking her speed until the momen.
tum was exhausted. It is a mighty
lucky thing for us that the rope did break
Had it not parted we would have been scald
ed to death, sure. The heavy 2-inch oal
planks ont of which the boat was built were
worn down to the thinness of tissue paper
We we're going so fast that the water acted
Just like jack-plane on the wood. A few
hours longer and the boat would have beer
a mere bunch of shavings, and in the boil
ing water We would have suffered horribl.
DEATH"
But the fish?' inquired Capt. Bruce.
II have never seen it since, but met
man in New Orleans last Tuesday who sale
he had seen the fish frequently in the last
few years. It can be generally found, he
says. swimming between Vicksbure an6
Natchez. The pilots are very much in feal
OF It. and several boats have been wrecked
BY it. l don't wonder at the pilots fear
for that catfish is terrible thing to meet il
the river. especially after dark"
Unsurpassed In the world.
The vestibuled trains of the Chicago
1ilwaukee d st. Paul railway, running
daily between st. Paul and Minneapolii