Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-10-14
HE WALklhe-REAM BOY.
Peculiar Advertisement of an old stean

,dSsaMEsza xNes boat. 1a -saEl1EzzilskA
 In 1sS6 the steam whistle had not yet been introduced on the boats of the western rivers. Upon approaching towns and cities in those days vessels resorted to all manner of schemes and contrivances to attract attention. They were compelled to do so in order to se- cure their share of freight and passen- gers, so spirited was the competition between steamboats from 1886 to 1S40. There were no railroads in the west (indeed, there were but one or two in the east), and all traffic was by water. Consequently, steamboat men had all they could do to handle the crowds ot passengers and the tons of merchandise offered them.
 Shippers and passengers had thet favorite packets The former had theh huge piles of freight stacked upon the wharves, and needed the earliest possi ble intelligence of the approach of the packet so that they might promptly summon clerks and carriers to the shore. The passengers, lettering 1n neighboring hotels, demanded some system of warning of favorite steam CTS coming, that they might avoid tho disagreeable alternative of pacing the muddy levees for hours at a time, oI running the risk of being left behind. Without whistle, how was a boat to let the people know 1t was coming, es- pecially if some of those sharp bends of which the Ohio river is famous inter. vened to deaden the splashing stroke ot l it's huge paddle-wheels or the regular puff, puff, puff, puff of it's steam ex' haust pipes?
 The necessity originated several crude | signs, chief among which was the noise created by a sudden escapement o1 steam either from the rarely used boiler waste tubes close to the surface of the river, or through the safety-valve l above.
 It was reserved for the steamboat Champion" to carry this idea a little further. It purposed to ca tch the eye of the patron as we'll as his ear. The Champion was one of the best known vessels plying on the Mississippi in 1886. It was propelled by walking beam en- zine.
 One day it was discovered that the Champions escapement tubes were broken, and no signal could be given to a landing place not far ahead. A rival steamboat was just little in advance, and bade fair to capture the large amount of freight known to be at the the landing.
 'Tl1 make them see us, sir!' cried a bright boy, who seemed to be about fourteen years old, who stood on the deck close to where the captain was be, wailing his misfortune.
 ! Without another word the lad climbed up over the roof of the forecastle, and fearlessly catching hold of the walking beam when it inclined toward him witE the next oscillation of the engine swung himself lightly on top of the ma chinery. It was with some difficulty that he maintained his balance, but he succeeded in sticking there for fifteer minutes. He had taken off his coat and he was swinging it to and fro.
 The plan succeeded. Although the other boat beat the Champion into port the crowd there had seen the odd spec tacle of a person mounted on the walk ing g-beam of the second vessel, and wondering over the cause, paid no at tentfon to the landing of the first boat but awaited the arrival of the other.
 The incident gave the master of the Champion an idea. He took the boy a! permanent member of the crew, anc assigned him to the post of walking
 beam boy" buying for him large anC
 beautiful fag.-L. E. Stofel, in St | Nicholas.