Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1900-06-14
BROKE OUT OF BOTH
SMOKESTACKS.

the island had acquired. Below, few
miles, was Gen. Pope, with his army
at New Madrid, surrounded by the food
that accompanied the spring rise. He
could neither retreat nor advance, and
was in danger of the enemy. It was
vitality important to reach him, and we
Gid it.
Late in March the Carondelet, under
command of Capt. Henry Wake, was
selected to run the island, and prepare
lions were at once begun to make the
trip. A barge was procured and dashed
to the port side of the boat and loaded
with cotton bales, cordwood and baled
hay to protect the upper works of the
gunboat. It was decided to make the
trip on the first dark night, and we
lay inactive for several days, suffer
ing more from the terror of anticipa-
ton than we did from the reality of the
trip.
On the evening of April clouds
gathered in the south and a storm blew
up far down the river. The clouds
gathered darker and mounted higher
above us. The lightning fiickered
brighter and the thunder rolled cease
lessky. A fierce wind came up the river
and the white tops began to blow off
the yellow waves. Under just enough
steam to give steerageway we cast off
and drifted down the river toward the
island. The steam exhaust pipes had
been cut out of the smokestack and
led into the wheel boxes, so that no
sound of the exhaust would be heard
when we got up a full head of steam,
and we drifted down the river looking
like a farm wagon overheard. [ was
in the pilot house with my partner,
Dan Weaver, and Tip Fishback, a re-
porter on the ST. Louis Democrat.
Weaver had the wheel and I watched
the liver, for I was familiar with the
shore of the island and could direct the
steering of the boat
"Outside. First Master Hoel was on
the starboard side of the pilot house,
watching the Missouri shore. We
drifted down the river slowly in the
teeth of the wind, and the roar of the
thunder and the splash of the muddy
waves breaking against the two boats
drowned every other sound, and with
our eyes strained to see through the
blackness of the night, made more dark
by the flashes of lightning, we drifted
down opposite the head of the island,
where the batteries were ready to blow
US out OF the water. We could see the
shore of the island plainly when the
flashes came and were fearful of dis
covery, but we drifted on slowly. and
Weaver whispered down the tube to the
engineer for more steam. Ifelt the old
boat CULVER and the rush of water be-
gan to show up white over her bow as
we went faster. Full speed was called
for, and as we gathered way I could
see the island drifting past faster and
faster. The tension was terrible. Not
a shot had been fired at US, and we
were beginning to think we would slip
past safely, when al of minute flames
broke out Of Doth smokestacks and
down the river we went, carrying two
great torches, 20 feet high on each pipe.
Weaver sang down through the tube
to the engineer: Give her h-1!' and
she jumped ahead faster than ever
Fishback sat down on the floor and
started writing out notes by the light
from the smokestack, and the banks
of No. 10 began to roar and flash.
ST will never forget it as long as I
ive-the flashing of the lightning and
cannon from the rebel batteries; the
roar of the guns and the strange color
of the river where the light from the
burning SCOT in our smokestacks fell
on it. The river looked as yellow as