The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-10
.LURED BY BEACON LIGHTS
POLICE TINFAMILIARITY WITH UN-
CYE SAI7,S SIGNAL CODE CAUSES
STEAMBOATS, TROUBLE
RED LIGHTS ON HIGH BRIDGE
Placed There to Keep Teams From
Falling Through a Hole, They
Were Mistaken for Regu-
latiOn Signals.

River men are at odds with the city Of
st. Paul because someone placed danger
lights on either side of hole in the
planking of the high bridge Sunday night
The city is at odds with the government
because it believes that Uncle Sam ought
to attend to his own lights. Government
representatives in st. Paul are at odds
with both, because they say it's nohe CT
their business and the river men and the
city ought by this time to know the pro
cess of red tape by which the proper
lights for a bridge can be ascertained
And back Of all this. there are something
like 105 young ladies, whose Sunday night
trip with their "gen'lemen friends" up
river was interrupted by a sand bar acct
dent, who are willing to fight any one
who has any vague connection with riv-
p sr lights. And this is the story of how
1t all happened.
When the high bridge was built, the
government decided that a bridge must
have lights. The matter was referred to
the ninth assistant secretary Of the light
house board, and an exhaustive treatise
on lights compiled, published and fled
away in a store room. Then the river
men got accustomed to travelling under
the bridge in the dark
Last year Mayor Kiefer ordered signal
lights placed on the bridge After navi-
cation had been open for some months
two red lamps were placed on the west
end of the bridge, where there was no
possible chance of vessel passing, and
the lights gradually became the butt Of
certain rude jokes on the part of the
gentle burghers~ Those who passed that
way and saw them were in the custom
of saying that his honor had ordered tho
lights placed there for the convenience
of such as wished a long jump and deep
water Tor suicide purposes. All this time
the government pamphlet on lights re-
malned slowed away, and the common
herd haG TO way of learning it's concen-
trated wisdom on the matter of lights
That's why rude persons joked.
In the process of time, bad boys broke
the lights and in the winter months un-
ladylilIe persons stole all the fixtures, to.
gether with certain gas pipe ratings
about a mile long, which decorated the
high bridge. This season there We're no
lights During the winter, the ninth as.
sistaEt secretary was displaced for draw
ing caricatures of Mckinley, and an
other, ignorant of the wisdom in the
bridge light pamphlets, was given his
place Thus the little pamphlets found
resting place in q bonfire, and the city
officials who thirsted for knowledge OF
lights were unappeased.
Last Sunday the master of the steamer
Cumming Layte" took an excursion
party up river. In the meantime bad
boys played with matches on the high
bridge and started a fire, which burned
the hole in the planks. Then the police
on 4 "a Will 10
a wandering ray of wisdom, they hung
them on poles, one on each side of the
hole which was near the center of the
bridge, over the island.
Towards the small hours the master of
the Cumming Layte" piped all hands
for home run and started his craft
down stream. The first mate, who, Sun
days is acting navigator chief of the
chart room, and on week days a waiter
in a Robert street restaurant, quit a
game of penny ante with the second as
sstant engineer, hoisted a white light
in a dumb waiter between the smoke
stacks and went forward to guide the
vessel through the night. AS the craft
approached the high bridge the red lights
over the island shone out like a cats
eyes in the dark Approaching the man
at the Wheel he observed:
"Shiver my sauce plates if they amt
got lights over the channel" he OBJ
served.
STOW yer cuff" responded the pilot
surily, but he saw the lights and steered
for the channel supposed to be under
meath, just the same All the young
ladies and their friends were scattered
around in the shadowy places. A few
minutes later the boat struck the island,
with the red lights shining overhead, and
pandemonium broke loose. All the young
ladies wanted to get off and walk, and
it was not until the crew got off near
the place where the last load of garbage
was dumped, and shoveed his way across
the east channel to shore to get help
that the boat was pulled out of the mud
Now all the people who took the trip
want q rebate for the two hours during
which they were hung up on the sand
bank.
But lights are to be furnished just
the same That's the good which ac-
companies the trouble. The government
has promised to make the ninth assistant
secretary furnish information stating
that red lights are placed on bridges of
the usual type only to show where boats
should not go, and that green lights are
used to show the channel. Red, white
and green lights are used on draw bridges
in combination. The high bridge will be
furnished with a green light showing
red lights will go back to the long
jump place, indicating that there is
danger on that side.
pANH D0ppTDc OATTn1Tr