Arizona weekly citizen., 1890-06-14
AZ OLD PILOTS ReMrr1scrnces.
Shat Capt. J. w. Campbell Has to Say
 About the Upper Mississippi.

shat Capt. J. w. Campbell Has to Say
 About the Upper Mississippi
 Capt. J. ". Campbell, of Fort Madi- son, la, d pioneer pilot of the upper Mis- 5issippi, writes thus about the past and present: II emerged from the hazel 5rdsh in northeast Missouri in 1914 to take a first peep at the wide world be- yOnd. Having been infatuated in early youth with the cat fish and drift log bus i1ess, it was but natural I should seSk | nautical pursuit. Consequently drift. ed on board an upper Mississippi steam boat and began to serve as a cub pilot along shore between St. Louis and Fort Smelling. The first duty of a cub is tc designate the difference between fOre and aft-larboard and sta<lsOard-and with brains enough to determine if the current of the river runs to the north or south.
 "He is then permitted to enter the pi- lot house and take the wbeel, while his senior lights his ,'ipe, and being consti- tutionally tired seats himself on an ele- vated bench ill tine rear and looks com placently on. Presently, under the ma- nipUlation of the verdant cub, the wheel begins to spin from right to left-left to right-hard up and hard down; he strikes with his clumsy paws at the revolving xheel with the awkwardness of his ma 'ured namesaks and involuntarily his pedal extremitiei come in contact with .he spokes of the inner circle of the rheel below, thereby illustrating the re- suits of centrifugal force by throwing him outside of the pilot house.
 ''Dut after few more experiments of . similar kind he becomes more skillful, and with less exertion guides the boat steadily along, and then begins his great sst task by learning the shores that he may distinguish unerringly one locality from another in the darkest night, after which he is directed to observe the fol- lowing landmarks: Head of Island, Foot of Bend, Cut Bank, Willow Tow head. Big Hollow, High Bluff, Point-no Point, Dead Cottonwood Tree, Tall Syca usoTe,' with many more, all of which bg es' ociation become indelibly painted urcn the panorama of the mind, and when they are recognized by the cub they become welcomed companions to him in the darkness of the night-a warning sentinel by which he avoids the breakers and reefs ahead.
 He is now prepared to stand watch, is no longer dubbed the cub, but is en- titled to promotion and receives the cog aOmen of star gazer.'
 Ut was much harder when I began :or one 10 learn than at present, for the country above Prairie du Chien was un- inhabited, except by Indians and few white traders, but now we have villages and cities from ten to twenty miles apart, with government lights located at every difficult crossing on the river. Whi!e on my first voyage I was directed on passing the head of Coon slough to hold her on Wild Cat bluff, where now nestles beneath its shadows the prosper ous village of Brownsville, and on as- ending ten miles farther up we land on thc cast side of Prairie La Crosse, con- aiming then but two houses. The upper 0ne was occupied by Mr. Mirick, used jointly as a residence and warehouse, and 1Co yards below stood log hut ,pnanteI by Mir. White, while the bar ren sand banks intermediate were dotted with Winnebago wigwanls.
 "On this bleak and lonely sand prairie 1f the past we behold at present mag ical change. The name is abbreviated to plain La Crosse. Instead of two resi- icnts, we iiEd here now population of over 30, coo people. We hear the sound Jf the buZzing saw of mills less than a hundred yards apart for over five miles up and down the river, while in front along the shore are millions upon mill ions of pine lumber and saw logs await ;nS to be lowed down the river to supply he increasing demands of the great southwest.
 Tn place of one solitary steamboat anding here semi-monthly, we see them ;o;ne and go by the dozen every twenty four hours, for more of them are owned in La Crosse than at any other point be- tween St. Louis and St. Paul, and my companions in days of yOre, with the acdglings of today, have organized a pilot association here with over 150 mem 5ers, who question the propriety of the government in appointing an inspector whom they deem inexperienced.
 Again we are under way, passing Ipon cur left majestic bluffs arising sev- sr;i hundred rect above the waters edge, while upoa oUf right we view for miles n IEe distance the valley of Black river, wn"se pine 1tnDer has since added mill ;ons 10 tue aeaI;n of tie pioneer settler. After steammg eighteen miles farther up his rock bound mountain shore l Ob- served pine trees growing upon ledge of rocks, and on the the face below was etched the words George Catlir.' On viewing again this once familiar lame, but by me then almost forgotten, my thoughts reverted quickly back to child hoods happy hours, passed in gathering soedcs along shore for this great Amer ;Can traveller, an ever welcome guest al ,he savage wiSwam CT princely palace We cross over to the right hand shore md the valley is in our rear, wl.i.e in front we behold the greatI st curiosity on the Mississippi river, conical island mount, .r, 700 feet in height, commonIz called Mount StrombOlo,' but by the early French vOyagers La Monta;gne que trompe reau. ."-Chicago Timcs.
 Misleading Statistics.
 Too implicit a trust should not b- placed in extraordinarily low dcatL rates, says London statistician. It ii frequently stated that the death rate