The times., 1898-10-27
WHY TIRE IA race FAILED
There Was Nd Negro Squat on
the Safety Valve.
STEAMBOAT RACE A TIE
Lee Revive the Old Steamboat
Memories-They Run u Dead Heat
on the OhiO-Was Failure Be-
cause There Was No Jim BludsOe.


the Chicago Tribune. gives an account OF
steamboat race which revived old
memories. 1t says: Jim Bludsoe's ghost
came back today from the wreck OF the
Prairie Belle and danced along the yell
low Ohio. There was a steamboat race
on the river, real race, the kind they
used to have when steamboats, carried
the commerce of the country, when
steamboats, were floating palaces and
steamboat men were kings, and when the
fact that the Kate Adams had beaten the
Jim Lee into Memphis was bigger news
item down South" than the assassina-
ton of a Gar
Today Cairo revived the glories of the
past as one of the features of its great
fair. The Dick Fowler and the Georgia
Lee raced down the Ohio River from
Cache Creek to Cairo. The white-hair-
ed old citizens of Cairo ran along the
bank of the river and almost whooped
their heads off with excitement The
younger generation caught the infection
and shrieked and yelled.
There was only one trouble with the
race that kept 1t from being just like
old times. 1t was a draw. Time was
when racing steambots either won or
blew up. Twenty years ago 1t was 100
bales of cotton to a 1ewsharp that II the
Dick Folwer hadn't beaten the Georgia
Lee IL would have been because the boil
ers of the Fowler We're at the bottom OF
the river and the deckhands and passen-
gers who were still alive were swimming
to shore on the loose furniture. And if
the Georgia Lee hadn't won 1t would
have been because the man at the
wheel was burned up before the race was
over.
But considering that as far as steam
boating is concerned this is degenerate
age the race of .he Georgia Lee and the
Dick Fowler was a success. OF course
the boats burnt considerable coal instead
of nothing but resin and pine as they
used to do, and worst OF all neither one
had a large, fat colored individual sub
timely perched on the safety valve. That
was the sad part of the race to the old
citizens of Cairo.
They air a burnin' of coal, sah," said
one wire-bearded colonel from Kentucky,
regretfully, "and the spectatahs on those
boats, sab. don't look as If they expect
ed 10 swim, sab. But the worst part of
1t all is, sab. that neither one of those
steamahs, sab, has got a niger Asset
tin on the safety-ralve. They most GER
tainly ought to have Niger a-settin'
on that safety-valve."
At 10 minutes after 2 the Dick Fowler
pulled out from the wharf boat and drop
ped down stream, and then headed up a
point opposite the head of the wharf.
The Georgia Lee cast of its lines and
dropped down stream. Then II headed up
stream under full head of steam. and
passed the Fowler which had stood aui-
etly in the river waiting. The two
boats, side by side. started for the mouth
of Cache Creek. where they were 10
come out and race beack to Cairo.
As they passed along the crowds on the
banks cheered and the cheers must
have reached. Jim. ,Bludsoe. The Fowler
was gaily decked out in flags and bunt-
ing, and had big crowd of spectators
on board. The Judges of the race, Capt
Fred Bennett, Capt. H. o. Brace. and
Reed Green, also stood on the deck OF
the Fowler. These committeeman were
selected because of their great popularity
but they couldn't be elected constables
OF Cairo tonight, because they didn't
make the captains OF the boats put dar-
kies on the safety-valves.
The Georgia Lee had not a flag r
sight, but was stripped clean for the
race. Capt. McNeeley was in command
OF the Georgia Lee, and Jim Conway a
the wheel. while Capt. Cole commanded
the Fowler, and Arthur Cole stood a
the wheel.
Up the river went the boats. with th'
black smoke pouring out of the smoke
stacks and the bands playing their live
hest airs. The steamers reached the mouti
of Cache Creek. headed about, started
down stream. and the race had begun
The stacks belched smoke and the firemeI
worked like the firemen used to do wheI
the captains would promise every maj
a gold watch If their boat was the frs
into Memphis. They worked at disad
vantage. They had to shovel coal instead
of jamming in the pine knots and side
of bacon. And, besides, when they go
the steam up 1t blew off in a most dis
tressing manner. There certainly ough
to have been some colored persons sitting
on those safety valves.
Down the river the boats came. Th
indicator showed pressure that mad
the passengers turn white and clutch al
the loose furniture they could find. B.
rights those indicators ought to have ha,
paper pasted over them so that no on
could have seen the arrow juggling
around Besides, if there had been some
body of African descent sitting on thos
safety valves the indicators-but ther
wasn't The water churned furiously il
the wakes of the two boats as they spe
along. The crowds ran along the bank
| and howled.
| tlTSt II looked as tlle DICK OWE
would win, and then the Georgia Lee wa
seen to be leading. The firemen jamme,
coal and then more coal into the fur
naces and when they had the fire boxe
so full that the live Goals rolled out a
| their feet they frantically shook thei
| shovels at the furnaces and yelled. TIL
bands played for awhile but finally tn
pounding engines and the excitemen
was too much for the horn-blowers. an
some of them went down to help tn
| firemen. The others thought of Jill
Bludsoe, who went up with the Prairi
Belle, and wondered If the pilots on tn
Dick Fowler and the Georgia Lee, lik
Jim Biudsoe, would stand by the whet
It'll the last galoot was ashore
Faster and faster went the boats, br
just when they were moving like the oil
boats did in the old days a spurt {
steam shot up from the Fowler, and the
from the Georgia Lee; The thing ha
happened that everybody was afrai
would happen. The steam had got to
high and the safety valves had opened
If there had only been somebody squa
ting on those safety valves it woul
have been a real race.
Both boats lost way and they passe
the wharf boat at Cairo on line. tt