Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-14
A DANGEROUS DRAW.
Some Old Stories ConcsrninE the Rock
Island Bsidgo.

Island Bulge.
In an article on ''Old Time Steam
boating" in the Chicago Record, .
writer from Memphis. Tenn, tells of
the queer crafts and queer boatmen
Of those days. Of the dangers and
trials of those good old days of
steam boating, of which one hears 30
much. The Rock Island bridge,
which, according to the writer, was
then the only bridge spanning the
river, wss the scene OF some Of these
stories. In view OF the recent COM
pletion of the massive new struc-
lure that now spans the Father of
Waters here, the second since the
original structure, however. one Of
them told of an old river pilot will
DO Of interest to the people here. It
10 %. fellows:
..Of oil the multitude of men who
navigsted the upper Mississippi in
the palmy days Of steamboating none
was more widely known than was
Tom Brown. Tom was q great, bluff
Irish-American in the broadcast sense
Of the term. Big boned and big
hearted. he was as ready for . fight
a. he was for nursing q sick child.
and whether on duty in the pilot
house on OH duty at the bar he was
always an entertaining talker, and
people loved TO hear him sum up
the fsct1. as he saw them, Of any
mooted question. Tom lived in that
golden age of steam boating when the
pilot was the most independent de-
pendent on earth. The captain or
owner employed him, and when at
the bank could discharge him. but
when the boat was under way he
was the man to say when and how
the boat should 60. This environ
ment, coupled with great force OF
character, developed in Brown dis.
regard for all forms and customs
which did not agree with his notions
OF the eternal fitness of things. II
an idea came into his head he acted
upon 1t regardless of what might be
in other heads. All this WAS excused
in Tom rs the eccentricities Of gen.
ius, for with all his crochets there
was no other pilot who could keep q
boat of sandbars and snags better
than he.
| Old Bridge Mads Trouble.
ut was in those days that thu
Rock Island bridge made steam boats
the most trouble. The narrowes
point in the river had been chosen
Just at the foot Of the government
island, where the current WAS swift
est Of any place in the whole length
Of the river. But, to make matter,
worse. the draw pier was set Nttl'
crosswise Of the current. so that In ap
preaching IL from above q boat hal
to come far out In front Of the pie
and then, when at the proper point
shoot across the current into the mar
row draw. Only the best pilot
could make that bridge, and man
we're the disasters at that point
Years afterward the government re
moved rocks in the channel an
made it easier to pass, but in tn
time Of Tom Brown no one but
mailman would attempt to run |,
large boat through the bridge o
night or in . high wind. Brown wa
On one Of the largest Of the OIL
Northern line boats when the ere,
WAS straining every nerve to max
the bridge before dark. but the
picked up 90 much freight and ha
so many passengers that it becam
evident a. they left Port Byron tbs
they could not get through. Al the
got along toward the middle of th
island. the captain suggested tbs
perhaps they vonld better tie n
there. But Tom merely said 'nt
yet,' and held ON his way amid Il
rocks and vbirlpools which dotte
the rapids. When the distant light
Of the bridge were in sight the cal
tain became little anxious. for !
knew Toms eccentricities and kne
: not what mad notion he might hay
in mind. But no one else in Il
boat even dreamed of passing Il
bridge that Aight. 1t was soon n
: parent. however, that Tom WAS &
J ing TO try 1t. and the bridge opene
: in answer to the whistle.
,sI All WAS excitement on board whe
1t was known the bridge was to |