Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1892-03-18

uCcE. I1o Fculhlucu Ou Un0 SO1SG1Cu6lCu
till 1886. During that year the crack
headed, but showed her heels to rival after
rival built expressly to beat her, was
launched near the Wallabout.
When the Swallow was put in commits
sion on the Albany route in 1887, Studwell
was at the lever. He remained in charge
of her engine until she was lost in l845 BY
running on a rock near Athens in a snow
storm. He was then transferred to the
Troy, then running as Il day boat between
New York and Albany. He remained on
the Troy five years, and then took the
engine on the New York, a tugboat, for a
short time. Commodore Vanderbilt was
then building the steamship P~rometheus.
In looking about for the best engineer in
New York harbor. and one that would take
the steamship to Chagres river more quick
~ than any other man, he selected Pop
Allen" 1t was in 1850 that he went out in
her on her first trip. He remained in the
noted commodore's employ about three
years, and had charge successfully of the
Star of the West and the Northern Light.
In the meantime Studwell had built the
tugboat j. D. Secor, and in 1854 he left the
steamship service for the towing business.
He remained in that line till 1885, when he
retired from business.
Studwell vas noted while engineer on
Vanderbilt's steamships for the care that
he took of his men. He never would allow
them to be overworked. He was in bad
humor when he got to Chagres, on the first
trip of the P~rometheus, because his fire
men had been ordered to hoist the ashes
on deck. On the return trip he asked that
the deck hands should be ordered to hoist
the ashes. Captain Churchill objected
and insisted upon the firemen doing that
work. Pop Allen" thereupon told the
captain that if he expected the Prone
theus to reach New York by steam he had
better order the deck hands to hoist these
ashes, for his re1nen should not do it.
The captain was still ob1urate; he wonld
not relent, but ordered the deck hands not
to touch the ashes.
Two hours later, however, he gave in,
for the steamship was creeping along at a
snail's pace. When Captain Churchill or
dered the deck hands to take the ropes for
hosting the ashes the steampship sprang
ahead at the ~liveliest gait that she had
reached during the voyage, and kept it up
till Sandy Hook was sighted. 1t was this
practice of taking such excellent care CT
his men that stood "Old Pop'' in good
stead many times. Other engineers were
roubled with strikes, but Allen never had
any trouble. His men were always sure Of
good food and regular rest whether Allen
got them or not for himself.
While Studwell was engineer on the
Swallow there was much racing on the
Hudson. Whenever a new steamboat was
launched and put on the river she made
for a trial of speed with the Swallow. One
after another was built for the express pur.
pose of beating her, but none were ever
able to catch that fleet steamboat. 1t was
easy to tell when a race was expected, for
the old engineer could always be seen be.
fore the Swallow started pacing from
boiler to boiler, examining the fires care.
fully. At such times he always held a
bunch Of cotton waste in his right hand.
When the 6remen saw Pop" pacing
through the engine room, with the waste
in bis hand, they knew big time was to be
made, n they said to each other, ".Old
Pop is going to put the old BIRDS light
in Albany an hour ahead of any other
boat" And he always did.
As Pop Allen" spent ffty-nine years on
steamboats, and ~sixty-eight years on the
water, all told, he is full of "reminiscences
and tells many interesting stories of the
different methods of running steamboats,
in those early days. The Improvements in
machinery since the days OF the old Con
stitution and the Swallow have been very
numerous n of great Importance. The
application of the Stevens cutoff to ma
chinery, with the balance valve, has rem
dered the handling of an engine a very
easy task. With the old fashioned single
valve 1t took from three to four men to
work an engine. "Pop Allen always had
two fremen assisting him In the early days
when making landings. In those days no