Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-01-05
RANGE MARINERS.
rMEN WHO PASS THE LARGE cir
les DURING THE NIGHT.

Transport the Dreadful NitrogIyccrin.
BITS Have Great Respect For the boats
fh n Little Red Fiag-Avoidod ~ II
~ Were the Cholera.
y (lttimes by night, whom the twin cities
@IHrappcd IN sluinbcr, when obly tho
W1Kht owls" ore out, md every sound
b heard with greater case than In the
@t(Iinc, n close observer. stationed On one
43Ne many bridges that cross tho Ale.
|t<ny river frcm city TO city, might detect
i mol craft perhaps n skiff, going down
~ dver. II IN attempt were mndc 10
~ more nbout tho buat and its occu-
|Ir|3 OF cargo, IL is probable that tho self
|HI11Inted Investigator would ut once DO
= Bed.
BIN the mysterious actions OF this
rs crow any ordinary mortal wonld
~ innocently and naturally suppose
III would be flt subject for police In
|I11eaiion. The observer could call up
|1|1E3es he may have read Of the river rats
u Ubndon," who frequcnted the old piers
Z (be historic London bridge that has
Nm falling down In the songs OF child
tood for many decades, hut which still
|nstsins tho weight OF tramping multi.
|ud6a. Tho Thames river Is yet so infcst-
q with river thieves that separate and
system OF police service patrols Its
rntors nightly and explores Its secret
plnoaa. whom they may DO discovered
However, tho Allegheny river docs not
,ornparo In any way with the Shiny mud
III fSshed Thames, neither arc tho cities of
plrn>,urg and Allegheny infested with tho
~ les known as "river rats, the worst
a. thieves and thugs Tho man that
= 5l,e In tho littlO boat and Keeps so
belly away from all things animate
Intimate Is not employed in any qucs.
bio work, but, ON the contrary, Is on
"a In calling that is most strictly
Isl and terribly dangerous. Tho curl
~ Observer, whose inquisittvcncss might
u housed, would, II he know the business
y ibis exclusive individual, give him q
n Ide berth and hoayo u great sigh Of relief
When lie disappeared.
Isis quito possible, and, more than pos
1ble, 1t Is probable Tint the thousands OF
Ileepcrs In tho down town districts Of the
lwoic itivs and the hundreds of night toll
ntaabd idlcrs may some night bo uwnk-
Md and startled by tho noise of the most
I1U1INId0uh litolhhf NUN Ao NiAi 0AlNAH
tha Merry foundations OF the cities and leave
DO trlce of Its destruction unless 1t be tho
remains Of few spans OF several bridges,
Tor those men who slip through so silently
md ,unobtrusively on the waterway ho-
tuoen tho shores OF Pittsbnrg and Allie
akADy arc engaged In carrying that dread
a Explosive, nitrorlycerin, from where 1t
y fnhde up the Allegheny river to places
down tho Ohio and on the Mississippi
md pthor rivers.
This greasy explosive cannot be trans
ported by railroads for obvious reasons, and
only men who by constant contact with tho
and who have had bred in them
q contempt or carelessnoss for Its dangers,
can be induced to take IL, for even u short
in wagons fitted with tho incest
adjustmcnt and safest springs. Thus tho
placid waterways are perhaps the safest
highways whereby this most dangerous
substance can be transported
Hall dozen or perhaps moro mon nre
sngngcd In this pcrilous occupation. They
90 past large places like Pfttsburg In tho
when thoy will encounter very
little traffic, and when tho waters nro ut
rost. They are tho terrors Of riyormGn.
No matter how anxious pilot may be to
reach port, tho sight of the little rod flag
nhorn by these wanderers Of tho water.
~nys Is more than sufficient for him to
lave the engines stop to let tho boats glide
V6kt each other with MS little agitation ON
The aqueous rs possible.
IA year or more ago tho towboat Pacific
Vi Pittsburg for Cincinnati. IL had not
1onc down the Ohio very far when lone
boat asked for lift IL Is customary On
the river for man who may be out In II
skin TO tic to tow, and thus BIO taken the
length OF his journey.
This individual tied up and went along
all day. II was noticed that whcnovor an
cthcr boat passed he would go out and
keep his skin away from tho barges ard
wns altogether very solicitous regarding
itH welfare. This strungn caution ind the
str1aiucd manners OF the louo traveller cx-
Cited the suspicious OF the captain and
crew, and 1t wns demanded Of him what
tho boat contained, to which he replied
that no was taking load Of elyccrln to be
she's In tho oil and gas wells OF Indiana.
Thh Information blnnchOd the faces Of the
CroU, who recognized thnt they were bnr-
boring Instant death, aud they gave him
wuminutes TO cut loose and got away.
10 do not, and the captain very gingerly
holpcd push the boat away, so that II
wuuld not accidentally bump against tho
barncs.
Awltness TO the terrible explosion out
In stbo river from Parkorsburg several
works ago, during tho hot spell early In
June, told Lender man that the cxplo-
slou was probably due to the excessive
heat or sudden change Of temperature,
He Bald hg saw tho man wet blanket
4ndlny 1t over something rs il to protect
ltfroin tho sun. Tho next instant ho heard
: iniphty detonation and saw the dash Of
Tho awful explosion.
Mpny steamboat men arc of the opinion
Gina the steamer Cargo, which blow up In
llcghany riyor opposite Eleventh
seyon years ago, was blown up by
Elyccrin. IL Is thought that can
pmehow been dropped into the river
an4 flashed to the city, where the boat
STRUCK 1t. A big hole In tho river bottom
aftertho explosion made this theory very
plausible.
, These men are ostracizod lust about n
much as they ostraoize other people fol
their own safety. Whom on their trips
thslr lives hang on tho nero possibility Of
their being able &c Keep their boat from
bcing Jared. They ire avoided as though
they were tho living reality Of AslatIS
oholera Pittsburg Leader.
500 The Dark Horse.
The "dark horse" probably originated
I'm nie,oan u-bn in ttThn Xnnp,