The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-26

flinching bravery at his dying hour COM
mands the admiration of the living.
Such hero was Harry Trip, one of the
most noted gamblers on the river steam
ers in the palmy days of the Mississippi.
"The Oceanus was in the Red hlver
trade out of St. Louis in 1871, SAID an
old steamboat man. "Those were the
days when the Mississippi River steam
boat trade was yet in it's glory. st. Louis
was holding the trade in the richest sec
lions of the South and one of the prosper
Gus concerns in the city then was known
as the St. Louis Merchants Arkansas.
White and Red River Packing Companies
This corporation sent boats down the
Mississippi and up the Arkansas, White
and Red rivers. Some of the best known
men in st. Louis today held salaried
positions with the river transportation
companies in those times. Some of the
big fortunes in ST. Louis today were
made by msn who were at the head of
those river packet lines or were in some
way engaged in commerce connected with
the river. To be connected with the river
trade was something to be proud of.
ss The steamboat Oceanus was in the
Red River trade. Her pilot, in the latter
end of the rivers palmy period, was
Harry Trip. Every old steamboat man
remembers Trip. He was atypical sport
and steamboat man of those days. He
was known from ST. Louis to New
Orleans as q king among sports and a
prince among good fellows. He was tall
and slender, but wiry He was the most
elegant dresser III the city of st. Louis.
His linen was always as immaculate as
the virgin snow; his suits were always OF
the finest black doeskin, which was then
the fashion, and he wore silk hat and
kid or morocco boots with high heels. at
that time it was fashionable for man to
wear diamond cluster in his shirt
bosom, and Harry Trip had cluster
that was the envy of the social and the
sporting world. From each side OF this
| immense cluster of diamonds ran deli
cate gold chain, which was fastened on
| the side of the vest with golden pins.
| Trip was not a loud dresser like the
| sports of today-he was always attired in
| black and his clothing was in excellent
| taste.
although of slight and slender build
| there was no effeminacy in Harry Irlpp. S
nature. 10 the contrary, he was bold,
brave, and daring, and he was noted
along the river as one of the most venture
some gambler that ever dealt card. He
| had physical bravery to equal that OF a
| lion, ami he was handsome to fault
yes, to fault, for he had a sweetheart in
every port. He was perfect typo OF the
| dandy, and women simply raved over
him. He was about 40 years old at the
| time of his death.
''The Oceauus was coming up the
AE. IL aft Tow
| noon of a fine day in 1871 or 1879 when her
boilers blew up just above Cairo. Twelve
or fifteen lives were lost. many persons
were wounded, and the boat was COM
plete wreck. The boat took fire and sank
but the water was low, and the hull
didn't go under. When the boilers let go
Harry Trip was blown from the pilot
house and landed on the forecastle. close
| to the capstan; heavy timber fell across
his legs and he was tied down as securely
as If he had been placed in a monster
wise. When the boat sank the forecastle
rested on bar. Trip lay on the forecas-
| tie. and, although pinned down, he was
| not injured. He had no broken limbs
and was not suffering to any great ex-
| tent apparently. All was excitement after
| the explosion, and itSwas some time be-
| fore Trip succeeded in attracting the at
tention of the officers of the boat and OF
| the survivors, 1t was discovered that the
fire was making rapid Roadway toward
| Trip, and desperate effort was quickly
begun IT, rescue him. Then transpired
one of the most terrible scenes in the an
nails of steamboating in this or any other
country.
"Trip was a very profane man, and at
first he used tongue blistering blasphemy
| while cursing the officers and negro rous-
tabouts in giving them directions how to
save him. He was absolutely unhurt,
| was cool and collected, and he raised
| himself to sitting posture as he talked
| to the men about him and told them how
| to proceed to cut away the heavy timber
which held his lower limbs in vise-like
grip.
"Men used big axes and saws and crow
| bars diligently in an effort to remove the
| large iece of timber, but the wind famed
| the flames into a fury and the men were
working in a fierce heat. The hungry
| flames were fast eating the wrecked fore
| castle and Trip damned and cursed at
| the top of his voice as he urged on his
| rescuers. The flames grew nearer, and
| Trip used less number of oaths. The
surging flames darted still nearer and
nearer, and finally Trip ceased swearing
altogether. Still perfectly cool and col
| lected, he became quiet and talked IN
| lower tones as he gave directions to the
men who were working to save his life.
When he saw death staring him in the
! face he quit cursing and not another oath
! fell from his lips. The angry flames row
surged around the rescuers, and still the
heavy timber held Trip beneath it's cruel
| weight. 1t was now apparent that TripI
could not be saved, and none knew it bet
ter than he. With perfect composure he
said to the men:
Leave me! Leave mel Why sacrifice
or place in danger other lives for me?'
| Realizing the impending fate of being
burned alive. Trip begged the men tc
knock him in the head with an ak before
leaving him, but nobody obeyed his re-
quest for coup de grace. AS one by one
the men were forced by the intense heat
to leave the wreck, Trip shook hands
with them and said good by. Two negro
roustabouts were the last to leave. TripE
begged them to kill him, but they would
not obey his command. The flames now
burned so close that each of the two
negroes struck his last blow at the limb I
and they were forced to jump into the
water and swim to spot on the bar.
The last the survivors saw of Trip he
was in half-sitting posture when the
flames rolled over him and burned him to
crisp. Thus passed away as brave a
man as ever turned a card or pilot