The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-17

would pfobaYn come down on tho River Belle.
worse tIat there was no possible chance OF her
recovery. As the interment would be In Co
ilp rom Ss q rs tbs w jSHtSey "a down. ,sT' Mte c T%TSS'n H. Sar sss
stop the Hlyet Belle and, explain matters, and
Yes. tie purser would stop the River Belle,
and did. The two bonts met suddenlyon n bend,
and tho Apnlachee blew her whistle four times,
the other fellow 10 stop. Both boats stopped
but the swift current Instantly took hold Of tho
bauta, and seized upon tho Apalachec and hurled
her sEelnst q soft spot o. the Stat Of He9rs.n;
paused for breath and then began 10 back and
move ahead, 10 pass and repnss at Assistance, to
g" up str.s iR,a sn 5ir noT IN, stream ssann, a1 ~. 70 on moy ian az
would have done the business, which was SIDE
After many vain efforts the two boats lay eide
by side Ia midstream, and the inevitable plank
was nut out. Colored. cooks in white caps and
Of %pantries and Kitchens to see whnt was going
on. The rolstabouts OF the soclnhlc boats ex-
sexes. all in their summer dress, crowded tho
adjoining upper decks and the narrow galleries
that run Just ontsidc the staterooms. It was q
distinCtIvely southern sCenc, and a time OF
jollity and socinbility for few OF the people on
either boat knew why the stop had been made.
Smith had died on Monday evening soon after
the boat left a palachicola and her relatives had
been Informed by telegraph and had not started.
Fort Gaines, on the Georgia side. IL one of tho
landings that must linger long IT. n travellers'
ins the county seat Of Clay county, and the ter
minus OK % railroad that runs to the river. but
does not cross It. But the only things visible
from the river are long. flights of wooden steps
leading up the bluff, with n small building on
the summit, an inclined railway that is not very
down. and a big wagon bridge acrossthe river,
mounted on tall brick piers, Everything aboutthe
aerial order. The bridge IL high IN mir, tine
brick piers mounting skywerd like tall chlm-
neys. Steam toat men call this the most danger
ms nnint n m the river fhR TmTrnuf Ia 40 aNVl1t
and Tho piers so much in the way. 1t was one of
those pliers that sent n Steamboat to the bottom
and she went down like a shot. and her passen-
gers had to swim ashore. Some who could not
The traveller is more likely to worry over his
own safety At Fort Gaines, however, than over
nm 14e sa'e q d 81 Shf S. Post. s the w Sf,sr ., siGps so Ims
flights with a railing and some without, here a
step missing, there two steps gone. Two or
down, and one, old man has to be almost carried.
" beautiful man trap that" THE Sun man
suggests to one Of the pilots.
oh, what y,.o9p can see Of Il is nothing at All"
b b. sn SS, nro nj aw ,hs You You e get a to The top ono OF t th,s
you can't " see y from u here: u and npo more IA s" up
there take you to the foot Of a third, where
there are still more steps. The town Is up ut the
the shores are low; Above Fort Gaines there
river and stops A. hrst the unaccus!omed
hNtiltT Is SuTpTlStu 10 see Tile boat STOP ~ SuCn
places. with not a house or q human being in
sight. Halfa mile below the landing the whistle
Ginning SaGTs Long nsd al batd 19sd the to l anaGnne Is 1ss sea' q
long line Of hacks appears. coming apparently
from the depths of the cotton fields. Two, |
three, hve. sometimes q dozen hacks, every one
down here. Mule. wagons come, too. to
p paiss sea s ss, On " sna ot fiFe'f hie sa das e ne%f lsnS g.
ing becomes within five minutes place Of iife
lS Deserted AMI lonely again All fhlQ mpana |
that there Is a town somewhere in the neishbor-
hood. hidden from view perhaps by a hill. per-
II it were only making landings and measure
ing cord wood. steatn boating on the Chattahoo-
trouble. Here, some distance above Fort Gains,
current. There is a sharp bend just below. an.
other sharp bend Just above: and turning these
reIne ri I a, j; fi.1 rse e. anSies, int IT,. " r, dozen !. cn .,Ss
hat 4 i. too shallow for navigation. and in the
il river navigation y presents sasfs it sen'a II tse beas
Seeps In the middle, of tho channel, the con-
hugs the sand bar she will be thrown upon It.
i shs keeps close In to shore the stream will
.Rins sf Il p n em sure to 1h sa Dusnes and 9n ,h OF ct thfss
3 only a choice Of evils. The Apalachee kept
to shore. and the result came quickly.
Or going ahead could do no Us good, for for
he + big current striking the Georgia bank at
hV WIN uiu thCuT usHlnk mhuly a0TOSB IN the
shore had her In Its grasp. and was
moving her gently. but surely sideways Into the
' S,ass% euu %u do NO az HO saH s.hSS tho bassi M srSH ss she 5RiiI lot
alabama. and was as helpless in the grasp of
he current AS an ocean liner on the Jersey
snds. II was not striking the shore that the
bout; i was what they knew was st to foii TSSeu
deck. as part of the Alabama forest
wept aboard and wiped away IA bunch OF a
iHseh fo faa''1 r. ne ssd e to FIX f oSe, e and hG0k mer Rps
,nshed aboard In creator force. There were
mall hushes. making a thick, tropical-loOking
t]randlns. and what did follow il, was a wedge
~ along shore with a tree Just in front Of the
'ow and another tree just aft of the wheel.
~ u impossible to move either forward or
r .Snnp look 90 Lively there +. shouted the mate to
hEee OF you, end get the poles out /"
The poor fellows knew what it meant, but
hey dig not hesitate. Two of them sprang from
yer produced In the state OF Alabama, in
ihich they instantly sank to the thighs, shoes,
splashed with the mud. Big poles were
and jamned into the mud close by the
sainst the ends OF tina poles. al and mem ON p1sdh enff
ulling. the boat moved out perhaps ak Inches.
hey we're powerful fellow" thes 20 r rns tmbpShs.
ut their strength wts tothinE when the river
For more than half an hour this war between
team and muscle on one side and hydraulic
over on the other continued. and 1t began to
,ok as u the ApRlachee were doomed to remain
D the Alabama mud till the summer rains came,
hen suddenly, without any shouting or any
xtra pushing. she began to move slowly away
the shore. and in two minutes more she
as IN mldchannel. and her engine, was driv-
irther difficulty. That Is one OF the mysteries
I shallow river navigation that the boatmen
nd"rstand, but the passenger cannot quite
rAsp. Inc current had thrown The boat against
10 shore. and. having shown It's power. IL re-
'nted after a while and carried Il ont again to
een, water. The poles and rOnsiab0uts were
mall factors In he contradictory movements,
When, Columbus WAS within two or three
ours tile rousthbOuts were called IN one by
ne to receive their semi.monthly, wages.
ng order given by the purser to one Of the
."wards; aud III u minute or two a coal. black
of the office.
urser asked.
" 40, sab; nothip' tall. sab" he answered.
Let me see said the puTser. iOoking at his {
BOX "dtdn't you lake one OF the pictures ="
oh, yes, sah," Jetf answered, Il D'lieye l
ID, sah.''
" Well, that's fifty cents" said the purser,
didn't ! give you q dollar and a half when 1