The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-08-04
THE PILOTS STORY.
1t Was About the Spell Cast BY a
Steamboat H0OdOO.

The EaII OF Fire. q Snag That Couldn't Be
Found, a Signalling Cat and the Mystery
of the Shore Lines on the Raft, ALI Due to
Charley, the Deckhand.
Yesterday group of seafaring and river
mon were seated On bench in the friend
" shade of the Flyer office On the North
ern Pacific dock holding an experience
meeting, when the subject drifted to that
of the spell cast upon boat by the hoo
doc.
well, believe there is something in a
boat being hcodooed, and also of having
llocdoos on boat. Gimme chaw of ter
hacker. Whose got some?"
Tho speaker was rather large man,
NTH stopped shoulders and long white
whiskers, resembling Father Time sit
ting in the shade minus his scythe and
hourglass, although when he had finished
his listeners declared he had glass every
hour for several days before he landed on
the wharf
II tell you, believe in 'em," he con-
tinued. II was doing some towing over
on the Columbia river along in the latter
part of 1869 or 1870, if I remember right
ly. I had gone down the river to St.
Helens and was going up the Columbia
slough after raft of logs. Night was
coming on, and when it does get dark up
that slough it's darker than a stack of
black cats, as the fellow says, 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 a sudden 1 saw flash, and ball of
fire appeared upon the water. 1t was
about the size of half bushel measure,
and it bounded along like rubber ball
would on land. If I'd been back in Mis-
souri, in one CT those swaInps, I'd known
it was one of those jack-o' lanterns, but
as we don't have 'em in this country felt
sort of squcamish.
THE ball of fire kept coming right for
the boat and got within 20 feet of the nose
when the thing busted, and it made re-
| port as loud as a shotgun. At the same
| time the boat struck snag hard and
square on the stem. The shock threw
nearly everybody off their feet. I came
near going out of the pilothouse window
over the wheel, but didn't. 7 gave the
bells to stop her and sent the mate down
in the hold with lantern to look for
| leaks. He soon returned and said that
there was no damage or leaks in the hull
1 gave the bells and backed the boat down
little and then came ahead on her slow
| ly. wanted to find out what had struck,
| because I had travelled up and down in
that same track hundreds of times, and I
| knew there was no snag there. And, do
you know, never did find it nor know
| what hit.
| well, we got up to where the raft was
tied up, and we all turned in. About
two hours afterward an Internal old cat
| began to squall on the boat just back of
the texas. I slept in the texas. I stood
the unearthly squalling of that cat for
| half an hour, SO got up and went out
| onto the hurricane deck to chase it away.
| 1t ceased to squall for minute and then
| commenced again at the stern of the boat.
| l went down then, and it commenced
! squalling again back by the texas. soon
got tired Of playing hide and seek with
something couldn't see, SO / called the
Waterman to come up with his lantern.
| 1t was the same thing over again. We
| couldn't see it nor locate it, and yet its
| mewing could seem at times as though
| it was within 10 feet of us. We gave it up
| as bad job, and turned in again, but
| the squalling continued. At daylight we
! hooked onto the raft. and the mate sang
| out to Charley deckhand, to go ashore
| over the raft and let go the line that held
| her fast to shore. Soon after the mate
sang out All clear, sir, and the boat
| commenced backing down the slough and
| paying out the cable. Finally the end
was reached, and we commenced pulling
on the raft, and we pulled for half an hour
without budging it one inch.
II called on the mate to take in the line
and we could go back again to the raft
and see what's the matter with the thing.
| The mate and one of the hands went
ashore; then you ought to have heard that
mate swear. He could do it to perfection
in nine different languages and not slut
| ter either. He found all the lines tied
| hard and fast to the trees as they were be-
fore he sent Charley ashore to let them
| go. Charley declared that he united them
and threw the lines onto the raft which
| statement was verified by others of the
crew.
'sWe got away all right this time, and
by night got the raft up to the mill. I
| went down on the deck and back near the
companion way, and holy horrorsl There
| I met my hoodoo. I called to the mate
and asked who that cross eyed, redheaded
fellow was. Why says he, that's
| Charley all right You let Charley go
in the morning want no redheaded,
cross eyed deckhand on my boat, said.
I am confident he was the cause of that
ball of fire bursting in front of the boat,
| of the striking of a snag that never could
be found, of that internal cat squalling,
| of the untying of the raft that wasn't I'M
| tied-in short, he was the hoodoo of the
| boat. You bet ordered the mate to have
the deck Of that steamer scrubbed with
| lye
"what ever became of hims Well, about
week afterward he shipped on board the
steamer Senator, plying between Port
land and Oregon City. One afternoon
about $50 o'clock the Senator backed out
from her wharf and started on the after
noon trip to Oregon City, and when near
| the Stark street ferry her boiler exploded.
| Four or five men were killed and as MANY