The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1892-09-14
ANIGHTONTHERTvER
THE LAST RUN ON THE MISSOURI
OF THE MARTHA MITCHELL.

Una W AS''~
Pilot of the Mitchell Was Mechanical
and the Boat Went Down.
Never doubt anything you hear about
the treachery Of the Missouri river. The
oldest pilots on the stream-those griz-
zled fellows who went to Fort Benton
on trips that netted from $4,000 TO $780,
900 each-will tell you that a site up"
over night is the only way to insure
the passengers that the morning will
not find them stuck on a bar III mid
stream, or, what Is worse, camped on
shore with the boat pinned by Il snag
and settling in the mud. No modern
snag BOAT can keep the channel clear Of
the heavy logs that are always floating
down from somewhere up along the
Dakota. Iowa or Nebraska shores, green
1T first rs torn from caving banks, but
dead. hard and splintered when most
dangerous. Snags that stick their noses
above the water are little to be feared,
but the hidden logs, those whose limbs
are caught in the mud, while the trunk
swings up within Il foot or two of the
surface, have always made steamboat
lflS Oh Tue FllSHOLlIl a pIeCdIIOuS OCCupd-
ton.
remember one instance, however, in
which IA visible snag sent a good side
wheel BOAT to the bottom on one of the
clearest. brightest nights that ever hung
over the river. 1t was in 1850, or per-
haps Il year later. The boat was the
Martha Mitchell, "A tramp from the low-
or waters, running from Cincinnati to
New Orleans. She was making a trip
10 st. Joseph with provisions for the
plains, mostly bacon; and bacon, let me
tell yOu. was u necessity III the west
then. The passenger list Of the Mitchell
was heavy, so that many of the travellers
N""rc forced to remain on deck. 1t was
- o'clock on a mOOnlit night in August.
The captain had gone to bed for n Won
der, and only a sleepy Waterman who
sat aStcrn represented the executive
among those awake on deck. A dozen
passengers were seated about the big
bell forward, telling stories while they
reveled in the beauties of the night.
The moon was shining with a clear,
white light that made everything for
100 yards ahead as plainly visible as at
MONDAY. There was no noise save the
dull throb, tlrob, throb Of the engines,
the gentle puff Of the released steam
Wv a. '11II"HH'H9 '" '"0 """i VII IN
49, I"''"iT''
H"'"'Sh4! o"IN u'Lel9, " young
i,iio" 'ioii =, HTui9' e"Ee" III
uIo ~ = Op": - o1nVHIS va
a,'''It' "i"'N 0GJ'S' JoS' "'9Ceiniole III
Inc issuance, ASKED:
" i"'" 'ii"C mug, oo!''
y io9 b''o"pIy' returned an olu
inner. 'IhCN re always f1oatlnS about"
b"1 We Oeeh Watchlng IL" Caru,
''e'9 M'"' ''' III" she haShV moved
"'roH'
,"'i'' i"i'f i''hct II 'le "l"cA
""JICi III 'i' "lS'".ce' IL grew palmer
IS tne oo"O ci.ilne" 'he StreahA' Dot not
90 Il ~ were i'd'lnS GOWN Oh the cur
'tht-'ne appr""cn was 100 SLOW.
''' 'H'le. N"!u'heIS eAclalllleu'
saving" rom Slue TO side.
""hN' S"lu the oiu inner, put II
sue u Sh"S 'he Pllot II get around II all
''GnV'
ny 'i'S tlile "l' 81 1T ucck passengers
. "olo IooNl'S @' lhe nIack oDJect. Inc
po"' u" ho' '"""So us COURSE mere
u" '"I '"'''',i''' Al eyes were
,,r'''" va 'i' ""i" spoI III tle river.
WHEN vac o"' was "l'nil lorly 1eet OF
~ 'io "i' inner HPI"hS up ana placlng
~ ''i''I 80 49, '' i"''iIol "D'u' Ills
''oGII I"i''' DAG" - 'hF pilo';
IS''o' up mere
va II" iNp'l, i" Tue nose OF
'"c "'@ """' 'o"''I"e" S'raHShI lor the
o'JTC',
iItl,2' G''pIU .'u lie party
"'H' N""' = |" '""ie Stuh an
i"'"" "et i"'" '' iIrooaru' the ola
.'"''. s"l"' i"'i'" ol3 ShaS twenty
~ ~ il"H''
"tiNS' ana the Passengers III their berths
itll the po"t l'fch violently as the ma
'hhlciE was reversed and the steamer
answered her rudder. But 1t was too
Late. In thirty seconds there was an
othcr Jar, greater than the first. The