The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1896-08-21
A CHANNEL STORY.
BY CLYDE FORD.

One may travel far without seeing
more charming stretch of river scenery
than can be found along our northern
boundary between Lake Superior ard
Lake Huron. The picturesquencss
really begins at the rapids OF st. NarH's
river, which have been called the 500
since the times of the French nccura-
ton. Old Fort Brady. with its drill
ground facing the river and some old
iilapidatcd cabins of the half-DreedS.
and their forSaken burying ground are
the only reminders of the modern.
prosperous town of the olden time
when Jesuit priests said mass IN the
mission chapel. and the hardy voy-
agcurs traded on the river.
Two or three miles below the 500 the
river divides around Sugar island; one
arm making a bend To the east, and tie
other continuing nearly straight down
for some miles through Hay lake. The
two branches unite at the Ncehish-
Up TO within year or so the longer and
more crooked channel on the east side
has been the only navigable one; but
years of dredging and blasting and
Scrapiug have opened the more direct
course. and now vessels usually pass by
the new channel
One cold May day a strange tiotitla
might have been seen leaving the 500
1t was the tug Tam O'Shanter, m"v-
ing Dredge No. and her two dump
ing scows down below Little rapids in
the new channel. where some dredging
was to begin. Such scenes were com
mon enough to people on the river. and
no one thought. of lOoiling twice at the
unwicIdy procession. unless to remark
hot b.F ~ hpEIn
q pretty easy time of it chased down
stream by them big tows."
Along in the middle of the summer
the Tam O'ShanIer was transferred to
a dredgc at Nine Mile point, and an
other tug. the w II. Maxwell took her
place with No !. The new tug did not
bring a very agreeable crew 10 the
river ~odS on Grams dredge. The new
captain was an old man who minded his
business and regarded his pilot house
as his castle. The engineer was
slow. phlegmatic German. whose lOng
and. to the tongue of the river nm
pronouECable name. Jacob IinZnndOTf.
was speedily changed into ''.iIkey|
This was FIRSTLY. for utililariah reasons
and secondly, because the coEmunc o.
The river lost every mans identity III
the ya@ueness of a nickname as SoGu
as possible. There never was any req
ular fireman on the W. II. Maxwell.
The old man" as the men called the
captain. but not on account Of his age
was too irasciblc to live with. and
.Jalley too taciturn. The latter's most
extended effort at conversation never
exceeded this one phrase with which he
used to admonish his nondescript fire
man: Say. pOy. Wy yOu no foira up?
Does you thinks / no need hot wasScr
any more?"
From some reason or other ,IalIey was
regarded Il man without spirit per
sonification of German simplicity He
never talked with anybody bUt himself.
and the men reasoned that his inner ma
-ur,e mustactually be in need Of invigor-
alton and cNcitcment- ard so they pro
Cecdcd To league together for .Ialey's
mutual good. .Iakey himself never said
whether he liked this mutual benefit as
sociation or not. At any rate not till
some time after this.
Meals ON No. ! were served in good
sized room in the rear of the dred@e.
The washroom was down below by the
side Of the boiler. and as ssoon as noon
or siN o'clock came, the men mad a pre-
cipitate rush for the wash trough.
Sometimes the tug was ont to The dump
ing grounds with a ScoN. and got back
II few minutes late As soon as .lallcy
| appeared in the waShroom he was huS-
| lied about. and was usually the last one
To get 10 the wash trough. OF course he
round the water soapy and greasy, but
he said nothing-at least nothing audi
| hlv. No sooner would he bend over and
begin washing, too faStidiously, th'
men thought, than some fellow would
| throw piece of soap and hit him in the
ear, or crowd him along under the big
| spout and turn the faucet ON him But
| Jakcv evidently regarded all this as
! manifestation of some evil spirit of
! chance. for he said notIlin%-not till
| later The beni@hted understanding of
| the river did not know anything about
| the German speculative mind, and the
great comfort it derives from abstruse
| and silent meditation. So Jakeys 81
| fcnce passed for meekness-
However. it was at mealtime that
.!akev's philosophy was put to the test.
! II needed only wink To give Jakey's
coffee, which came travelling from hand
| 10 hand along the side of the table. II
salty flavor. When pudding was served,
pork gravy was usually passed to him
| IS sauce for it, but not n word sad
| Fakev. He helped himself to what he
| could reach, and met all designs upon
| him with this remark: "Poys, w viii
YOU forever shoke? -
Jakey took great pride in his engine
which he was always repairing, and on
no and rubbing. He used to hum some
| German song to himself as he worked
some song chat carried linn back 10 a
| little village in the Rhcingau, where has
mother lived; buj how could the drcdse
men know that his eyes grew misty AT
IecolIections of home, or that the
strange words OF his Song had mourn
ful strain in them? So his martyTdom
went on Wrenches began 10 disappear
from the engine-room, and his tobacco
never lasted long.