The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-09
INDIAN JOHN.
Captured Drifting Boat Full
of NitrO-Glycerine.
Courageous Deed That Probably
Averted a Catastrophe.

"John Jeffersy, or Indian John, as he
was called, who died near Tionista, Pa,
the other day." said q. z. McDermott,
a western Pennsylvania lumber operator,
"was one OF the last OF the old-time
river pilots, the men who guided the
immense pine RATS from the headwaters
to Pittsburg in the days before the big
steam mills and the railroads came into
the wilderness and made rafting thing
of the past. He was an Indian OF the
Cornplanter family, and must have been
well on toward hundred years old.
They tell hundreds OF tales of Indian
Johns exploits as a raftsman, a calling
| that was attended with constant danger
and great hardship. ! remember well one
act OF his that showed the GOODNESS and
bravery of the man.
"It was in the days when the lower
Pennsylvania oil districts were supplied
with nitro-glycerine from the isolated
factories in the woods OF Warren and
Mexican counties. The explosive wasn't
manufactured elewhere In the region then
TO any extent. The enitro-glycerine was run
down the Allegheny In stiiletto shaped
boats 80 feet long and four feet wide.
Each boat carried about TO- pounds of
the stuff, and each boat was manned by
two men. They ran swiftly in the cur
rent, and the weight of their cargo was
so great that in case OF q collision be-
tween one of these boats and other craft
in the river the chances were ten to one
that Ii would be- followed by horrible
consequences, and everything else on the
river gave them wide berth.
The men who ran these nitro-glycer-
Inc boats had strict orders to tie up
wherever night overlook them, and not
to run minute after dark. These men,
as may well be imagined, were absolutely
without fear, and managed their death
bearing craft with a nonchalance and
independence that was a source of per-
petuaI terror to the crews OF ordinary
boats, to raftmen and TO the citizens OF
the towns past which they ran, or near
whicn they tied up
"On one occasion the crew of nitro
glycerine boat were overtaken by dark
ness at lonely spot where there was
nothing but deep woods on either side.
The night was cold, and 1t Is presumed
that the men were hungry. The men
were Jake Barry aud Dick Spooner, better
known as Devil Dick. from his reckless
ness in handling nitro-giycerine while
hauling 1t in wagons to the mills or in
unloading 1t. II is known that these were
the men, because they had started down
the river with boat load OF nitro-glycer-
inc, which they never delivered at its
destination, and they were not seen in
the oil regions again. 1t is supposed that
after being overtaken by dark ness they
decided to keep on until they got near to
Brady's Bend village before they tied up.
Of this i am positive, anyhow-it was a
dark night. know this, because was
a passenger on one OF my RATS, which In
dian John was plotting, and we were
making for Brady's Bend ourselves for
the night. We were nearing the place,
and the raft was being gradually pulled
ashore, when we heard some one shout
out of the darkness, not far astern:
"'Look out there, you fellows Jumpv
"Then We heard two splashes i'm the
water. We didn't know what it meant
We couldn't see anything behind us, and
the men on the raft kept pulling in for
shore. Then out OF the darkness an OBJ
ject bore down upon US dimly, scraped
the hind end OF the raft, and came gently
on down, gliding noiselessly along the
side OF the raft. Then one OF our men
yelled:
ga torpedo boat,'
"For a moment we were all terror
stricken but quickly raw that all danger
TO us from the boat was past. Everything
was plain to US now. The boat had been
abandoned by its crew when they dscov-
cred us ahead in the darkness, and ex-
pecteu the collision that woud have rent
us to atoms. But Indian John, though,
quicker and further ahead than we did.
Like flash he thought 1t out that II the
boat went on down the river with It's
cargo OF destruction II would surely
come in contact with something afioat or
ashore with consequences horrible to con-
template. He no sooner thought than ne
acted. The boat had gone on past us,
or rather our raft, drifting shoreward,
had parted from the boat. IL was no
longer visible, at least TO me. Indian
John jumped overheard and likewise dis
appeared. II could not have been more
than 10 seconds when the old Innian's
voice shouted to us from somewhere out
in the river;
:" Met got 1t him Me run it him in
and tiep
"And so he did. He guided the nitro
glycerine boat through the darkness that
was by this time utterly impenetra bic.
and brought II TO shore at place OF
safety. When 1t is known that slight
miseolculation of distance or locality
might have brought that deadly craft
into forcible collision with n rock on the
shore or bottom, and its pilot would have
been scattered TO the winds, the nerve
and skill 1t required for that old river
man TO voluntarily take the risk to avert
possible greater loss OF life ana destruc-
tion may be ime gined.
"Wbether jake Barry ana Devil Dick
succeeded I'm getting ashore or whether
they were drowned no one ever knew. N
they did get ashore they didn't show
themselves In Brsdy's Bend. IN thew
had, after the news got around. tbev
might just as we'll have been drowned or
stayed on their boat and been blown nm
for they never would have seen caylivht