St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-08-20

was in the spring time, and both boats
left the wharf at st. Louis within half
an hour of each other, the Au!l being i'm
the lead. Each was fairly loaded with
mel chandlSe, most of the passengers
being men in search Of fortune in the
boundleSs West. BY midnight both had
turned from the broad Mississippi into
tie dark waters of the big Muddy"
and when daylight broke the boats were
Ill sight of each other. BY and by they
got so close that young fellow on the
Auil shouted tauEting remark back to
the tombstone. A reply in kind was re-
turned. and then Capt. Sorgenson, of
the Aull. said:
IL didn't come into these waters to
race. but If Capt. BriStOw wants to see
what kind of boat this is, guess |
VIII have 10 accommodate him." In five
minutes from the lime the law flow of
smoke from the stacks was changed 10
Two rushing volumes, the boats began
To tear through the wat,r and the race
was on.
All day the boats sped along and each
hour the Aull gained a trfie. Another
evening found the sky again clear-a
perfect night for racing on the river.
Not breath of air stirred. The still
ness was only broken by the regular
deep-toned thrOb Of the engines as the
boats cut through the water. Washing
ton. Portland, Jefferson City-the little
state capital high on the bluffs-all had
been passed in the afternoon with a
whistle that brought the inhabitants
out to see the speeding boats.
Soon after passing jefferson, Cant.
BriSt0w called the passengers on deck.
what L want to say, friends" he
began, sis this: Wen be in good water
before very Tonga narrow river with a
deep channel and rock bottom. It's
the best water in the river. Now we
can beat that boat ahead of US easy
enough with one thing. II will take
some grease. If can buy few Sides
of meat from the cargo we can go
ahead.n
st. Louis trader was on hoard with
several hundred "sides." lie stepped
forward in an instant. You Shalt have
lem, Cap" he said, land for nothin'.''
1t was right jolly cheer that wen.
MP. Bristow hardly bowed his thanks,
so hurriedly did he get away from the
cabin and $50 below.
Turn the boys loose, JIM" he yelled
to the engineer, and before his words
had died away across the water the
choicest of ntiammable material was
being raInmed into the yawniug furnace.
The hand on the steam gauge craWled
up slowly, and as it advanced the en-
ginrer opened the valves wider, The
increased speed was noted at once So
close together did the thr0bs OF the en-
CINE come th"t they appeared like a
steady vibration. In twenty minutes
the Aull was so close that her every
outline was clearly visible in the brill
liant moonlight. Her capain saw that
the JohnstOne was gaining rapidly, and
the volume OF sparks that poured from
a = N q of i,,lyt ~
that S0rgenSOn meant 10 keep ahead if
the expenditure of fuel would do it.
The tombstone gained steadily. In
two hours the boats were abreast, ten
yards apart.
pile on the bacon, boySrp Bristog
now shouted, ana with yell the grease
was hurried into the furnaces. The
AulFS captain felt that he was beaten.
He had used the best of his fuel eatly
in the race.
pile her on, boys" shouted Bristow.
"Keep her hotp
Inch by inch the Johnstone moved
ahead.
There's butter on boardr' cried Miss
Bernard. ore of the AuH's passengers.
'Burnit and Pll pay. The Aull must
WIN"
So butter in cakes and baskets was
smeaTed over sticks of wood, and fed to
the greedy flames in the boats furnaces.
Her engines responded, too, for the
slight gain that the tombstone had &C.
c0mplished was soon overcome and the
Aull passed the other boat. Bristow
shouted orders and the measured "choo,
choo" Of the exhaust pipes became
hoarser than ever. 1t was neck and
neck. Then the tombstone began to
gain again. There was bend ahead