The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1901-08-29

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upon uprights ,two or three feet high
and from these are suspended lines of
various lengths with hooks at the ends.
The bars are lifted from their supports
and dragged in the water, and it was
a pretty sight when they were brought
to the surface, their fringes completed
with the shining shellfsh pendants
Lansing, our first port in Iowa, will
be remembered as the scene of recent
pearl-fndings. This, how
ever, is not a common adjunct of the
industry which consists in the gather
ing of shells, subjecting them to
burning process by which the undesir-
able portions are removed and the
pearl" remaining is then sent to east
ern factories to be converted into but
tons.
y, Toward the close of the afternoon
we passed whole feet of these little
boats and upon the shores near hy was
an extensive s'settlement'' of tent
homes with large adjacent meadows,
where an immense quantity OF hay had
been cut and stacked, denoting that
clam-ishing was not the only occupa-
ton of the inhabitants. A big sign
displayed upon tree which read:
wv. for ice, 4 for milk, for both''
was something of a puzzle until the
'sW" was interpreted "Whistle," when
it became as easy as conundrums are
wont to do when you know them.
We delayed supper to watch for
Prairie-du-Chien of which we obtained,
after all, but heeting view-an island
intervening here-and touched at Nc
Gregor, one of the quaintest old towns
along the route, while at table.
I had almost forgotten to mention
the culinary departm ent of the "Quin-
cy," feature which would have been
by no means of secondary Importance
only that something to be SEEM must
alwaysscome first, The fare and SER
vice are frst-class in every respect and
the boat in all its appointments is
everything that need be desired. To
Mr.. William Keith, the gentlemanly
'purser, would especially introduce
the prospective traveller over this
route. You will find him ever ready
to perform any little act of courtesy
that may add to the comfort and enjoy
ment of his passengers.
81 Our next stop was ut Glen Haven,
Wis, a tiny village mbering 200
souls and it appeared as though the
entire population had come out to
greet our arrival. We were sitting
on the hurricane deck, watching the
unloading of -four and feed here, when
one of the lady-passengers demanded
of Capt Murphy who stood by the bell
near US, the reason for our not sailing
under :'colors." 1--WE are," he asserted
and to prove his statement, brought
forth from his Office tiny flag stuck
in an orange. The lady afterward re-
marked that she was upon the point
of inQuiring if he represented the
''orangemen" but forebore. We doubt
not, however, that the genial captain
would have taken it in good part.
The dance in the cabin was not so
we'll patronized as that of the previous
evening, the air was less cool and all
sat out on deck until a late hour.
Among the diversions of this, our first
day on the river, had been the tossing
of pennies to the lower deck hands,
watching their rough and tumble
scramble for them and the playing of
''craps' in the engine-room afterward.
This is a game savoring of Monte Carlo
or at least worthy of place there but
it is little enough recreation that these
wretched fellows, so aptly, if patheti-
cally, dubbed ''roustabouts, enjoy and
we cannot wonder that they are ready
to grasp any opportunity for amuse-
ment, even though it be questionable
one. - ...
AS we emerged from our stateroom
Friday morning, the boat was just leav-
ing the docks at Clinton, Ia, and the
face of nature appeared quite changed.
Lofty bluffs had disappeared and the
banks presented a gently undulating
surface. The river too, had greatly
widened since the previous evening,
and seemed to have lost it's clearness.
At LIE Claire, Ia, somewhat startling
preparations were made for the pas
sage of the upper rapids. A special
pilot, grown gray in the service, was
taken aboard, huge anchor drawn
out and made ready for emergency,
and we were soon in the midst of the
merry, treacherous little breakers,
worming our way through them in an
erratic manner within easy
snapshot distance of the 'sSignal
Islands" which are as much IN appear