Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-01-05

"We're gaining a little" said the
captain.
"Precious little" said Pilot Dobbin.
Again the speaking-tube.
''How much steam is on?"
Hundred and fifty" came back in a
sepulchral tone.
''Pile her onl Stick her up to seven
ty-fve."
''She'll stand that" said Doblin, soto
roce. as the four hands made half a
dozen rapid turns of the wheel, and
the bows took an acute angle for the
farther shore.
"She'll have to carry more than
that before she catches that flyer
ahead" said the other.
To the feverish passengers who were
watching the leading boat, the inter
val between them seemed the same for
hours. 1t was in fact very slowly clos
ing. The half-mile was reduced to a
quarter. At a speed against the cur
rent that caused the immense boat to
tremble in every fiber, foot by foot,
yard by yard, she gained on her rival.
The mass of faces at her stern could
be separated and almost counted with
the naked eye. Then the Prentiss
took a sudden squirt, and cheer from
her crowded decks showed that she
was increasing her lead.
The captain of the Queen ragged
round the pilot-house, ana shook
his fist at the other boat.
"What steam?'' he shouted down
through the pipe.
Hundred and eighty-and every
thing redhot and groaning. Dunno
how much more she'll bear"
"We've got to find out!' yelled back
the captain. keep the water buckets
ready to drown the furnace when
we've passed her by mile or so, and
crack on the steam. Pile it up, l tell
you!''
Under the terrific impulse of head
of steam which no man would have or
dered but lunatic or the captain Of
a Mississippi river steamer in race,
the Queen literally dashed at her rival.
The loss in distance was made up, was
doubled The captain, leaning far out
in the effort to better observe the gain
of his boat, heard again the hoarse
murnur of the tube from the engine
room.
what is it?'
''The pine is used up and the cypress
don't burn we'll"
There's a hundred hams and
shoulders for'ard that belong to those
Baton Rouge passengers. Tell the
niggers to get 'em and chuck 'em in.
If the boat won't pay, / will"
Steadily the Queen pulled up on the
Prentiss, her officers almost coming to
blows with some of the passengers in
the effort to keep more of them amid
ships. The leading boat was quivering
and vibrating and her pipes belched
forth pail of smoke SO black that it
needed not the smell that came from it
to show that it came from burning
turpentine. The Queen drew on, and
from her bow the officers of the
Prentiss were seen driving some of the
people from her stern. Both captains
frantically shouted for more steam.
The bow of the pursuing boat was
past the stern of the other Foot by
foot she gained. Her bow reached
the paddle box. A prolonged, exultant
cheer arose from her decks. Yells of
defiance came from the Prentiss. Fists
were shaken over the rails A Babel of
human voices arose.
But these and all other sounds were
swallowed by a roar that seemed to
shake the heavens, mingled with ter
rife and prolonged rush of escaping
steam. The smoke pipes of the Queen
tottered and fell with a crash on the
deck forward; the steam flooded every
thing to the bows; bright glare shot up
amidships, and the poor rent, ruined,
burning Queen drifted down with the
current, her decks ringing with the ag-
onizing shrieks of dozens of victims,
while the river was black with others
who leaped overheard.
The Prentiss was put about, and
every effort was made to save the pas
sengers and crew Of her lucl1less rival.
Her boats picked up many of the
wretches who struggled in the water;
many more were drowned. Bodies
were found floating miles below. the
next day; some with arms or legs Bit
ten off by alligators. The Queen
grounded on point two miles down
from the place of the explosion. Many
of those who were fortunate enough to
be aft of the engine escaped to the
shore; others were burned alive as
they lay mangled and scalded. Two
hundred and thirty-nine human beings
killed or dreadfully hurt was the price
paid for the effort to determine which
of these boats was the faster