Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1894-10-06

q
of Tacoma amused themselves the
other night at the expense OF an I'm
sophisticated newspaper man, by
hanging the steamboat hOodoo out
in the harbor II created much
anu cement along the water front
ana started the old seadogs to spin
ming their mythical yarns anew
We'll. / believe there is some
thing in o1at being hoOlooed. ana
also OF having hoodoos on boat.
Gimme a chaw OF terbaccer. Whose
got some?"
The speaker was rather large
man, with stopped shoulders and
long white whiskers, resembling
Father Time. sitting in the shade
minus his scythe and hour glass al
though. when he had finished, his
listeners declared he had had glass
every hour for several dars before he
landed on the wharf.
II tell you believe in EN-,
he continued Il was doing some
towing over on the Columbia river
along in the latter part OF 1859 or
1870, il remember rightly. had
1 gone down the river to st Helens
and was going up the Columbia
| slough after raft OF logs.
might was coming on and when II
| does get dark up that slough It's
| darker than a stack of black cats, as
the fellows say, but I'd been up In
there hundreds OF times. The water
was deep, no snags. and all | had
to do was to keep her off the banks
and let her go. I'd gone up about
five miles when all of sudden | saw
a flash and ball OF fire appeared
upon the water 1t was about the
size of half bushel measure, and It
bounded along like a rubber ball
would on land. If I'd been back IN
| Missouri in one Of those swamps. I'D
known it was one of those jack o.
lanterns, but as we don't have EN-
out in this country. | felt sort OF
souemish The ball OF fire kept
coming right for the boat, aud got
within twenty feet of the nose when
the thing busted, and it made a re-
port as loud as a shot gun. At the
same time the boat struck Q snag
hard and square on the stem. The
shock threw nearly everybody of Q
their feet; came near going Out
OF the pilot house window over
the wheel, but | didn't.
gave the bell to stop her anC
sent the mate down in the
hold with a lantern to look foi
leaks. He soon returned and sale
that there was no damage or leak
in the hull. l gave the bells anC
backed the boat down a little ant
then came ahead on her slowly.
wanted to find out what had struck
because | had travelled up and dow
in that same track hundreds of time
and knew there was no snag there
And, do you know, | never did fin
it, nor knew what / hit Well, W
got up to Where the raft was tied u
and we all turned in. About tw'
hours afterward an internal old ca
, began to squall on the boat just bac
of the texas. slept in the texas
stood the unearthly slualling Q
that cat for half an hour; so 60
up and went out onto the hurrican
deck to chase it away. 1t ceased t
squall for a minute and then com
menccd again at the stern OF tn
boat | went down then and it com
menced squalling again back OF tn
! texas | soon got tired OF playin
hide-and-seek with something
couldn't see, so l called the watch
man to come up with his lantern
It was the same thing over again
We could not see it nor locate il
: and yet its mewing would seem a
times as though it was within te
feet Of us. We gave it up as a ba
: job and turned in again, but tn
j.. squalling continued. At daylight
: we hooked onto the raft and tn
. mate sang out to Charley, dec
hand, to go ashore over the raft an
let go the line that held her fast t
:. the shore. Soon after the mate san
= out, all clear sir, and the boa
commenced backing down tn
! slough, and paying out the cable
: Finally the end was reached and W
commenced pulling on the raft. an
we pulled for half an hour withou
! budging it one inch. / called on til
LIobC w bdhC III buG line anu "
would go back again to the raft an
! see what's the matter with the thing
. The mate and .one OF the hands wen
: ashore; then you ought TO hav
!. heard that mate swear. He coul
n do it to perfection in nine differer
8 languages, and not stutter, either
He found all the lines tie
!. hard and fast to the trees a
they we're before he sent Charlie
n ashore to let them go. Charley dc
4 clared that he united them an
3 threw the lines onto the raft, whic
+ statement was verified to by other
= of the crew. We got away all RICH
q this time, and 10y n ght got the raj
d up to the mill. | went down on tn
d deck and back near the companio
n way. and holy horrors! there / me
! my hoodoo. called 10 the mate an
!. asked who that crOss-eyed red
!. headed fellow was. Why says ht
that's Charley all right You le
Charley go in the morning. want n
red headed, cross-eved deck hand n