The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-12

the most desperate efforts to release
decorating its throat. and it must be
sufferir great pain. First to one side, then
to another, down to the bottom Of the river.
then springi0g five or six feet IL the air,
cavortei the fi-h. The yellow water was
blood-streaked foam from bank TO bank.
and the waves rolled up the bank with a
wicked swish As may be well imagined,
our craft was moving through the water IN
a terrific manner. Sometimes we would sail
thrC ugh the air. two feet above the river,
and again be two feet below the surface.
Talk about your lightning express aid fast
vestibue trains-they are snails compared
70 the speed we were going.
"All at once smole began issuing from
the starboard side of the boat. A new dan
ger confronted US. We were going so fast
through the water that the friction had set
our craft on fire. Some of the men organ
lied bucket brigade iustanter and soon
had the flames extinguished, but they were
kept busy putting out the fire that was con-
tinually starting in different parts of the
hull. When the bottom caught the hremen
had TO bore holes through the flooring in
order to pour water on the blaz-! @hy,
gentlemen, there was such a terrible
friction that the water was scsld-
ing hot-so hot that for twenty feet
on each side of the boat we could boil eggs
and potatoes by simply throwing them
overload. The suction was so int sc that
whatever we threw into the water would
renal close 10 the boat, and orr cook got
dinner just that way. Why. he boiled
ham in the river in just seven miuutei All
he had t. do was to throw the stuff III,
keen time on it, and then haul 1t out with
long pole. We went past Memphis so fast
that the boiling river furnished steam for
ali the factories in town for over two hours.
| thi | am safe in saying that we were
towed by that fish for fully fifteen hours.
at was the fastest ride l g err took, and l
have had several fast rides in my time. As
| say, we had been dashing along for aHout
fifteen hours, when suddenly the anchor
rope broke. When it snapped 1t made a
report like the explosion of l0-pound can
non on Fourth of July morning. Being
rid of his drag weight, the fish darted ahead
and was soon out of sight. Our boat had
such Roadway tlat she ran 200 miles before
stopping. A flatboat, you understand. is
not fitted up with automatic air brakes,
and We had no way of checking her
speed until the momentum was exhausted.
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 we're worn down
to the thinness of tissue paper. We we're
going go fast that the water acted just like
Jackplane on the wood. A few hours
longer and the boat would have been a mere
bunch of shavings. and in the boiling water
we would have suffered horrible DEATH
But the fish," Inquired Capt. Bruce.
81 have never seea it since, but met a
man III New Orleans last tuesday who said
he has seen the fish frequently in the last
few years. 1t can be generally found, he
says, swimming between Vicksburg and
Natchez. The pilots are very much in fear
OF IL, and several boats have been wrecked
by it. don't wonder at the pilots fear, for
that catfish is a terrible thing in the river,
especially after dark"