The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-12-20
THE EPIC OF THE WEST
PART PLAYED BY THE UPSTREAM
MAN" IN DEVELOPING IT.
IN 1910 Linsey- -Woolssy Was Won in Ken
tueky, Onto Pounded Corn In - Hoi-
low stump aud the Remainder OF the
Country Wac stiu Primitive.

IN 1910 Linsey- w oolssy Was Won in Ken
tueky, ohio Pounded Corn in - Hoi-
low stump aud the Remainder OF the
Country wss stin Primitive.
one of the features of the Century
Is the second instalment Of The Set
ilement of the West; 4 Study in Trans
portation." 10y Emerson Hough. with
pictures 10y Frederic Remington. This
chapter OF the Epic Of the West is en-
titled Against the Waters" IL he.
gins with an account of the upstream
man."
In 1910 the Western frontier OF the
United States slanted like the roof OF
house from Maine to Louisiana. The
centre Of the population was almost
exactly upon the site OF the city Of
Washington. The West was a distinct
section, and IL was section which
had begun 10 develop an aristocracy.
We still wore linscy- In Ken
lucky; still pounded our corn in hol.
low stump in Ohio; still killed our In.
dians with the ancient weapons OF
cur fathers; still took our produce Ia
New orleans in nathoats; still were
primitive in many ways, None the
less we had among us an aristocrat.
man who classified himself as bet
ter than his fellow.men There had
been born that early captain of trans.
portation, the keel-hoaman. the man
who could go upstream. The latter
had for the stationary or semi-sta tion.
ary man vast and genuine contempt,
aS nomad man has ever had for the
man OF anchored habit There was
warrant for this feeling Of superiority.
tor the kcol.boat epoch was great
enc in American history. Had this
clumsy craft never been supplanted
Nv the steamboat. It's victories would
have been OF greater value To America
than all the triumphs she ever won
upon the seas.
As for the kcel.hoatmen themselves.
they were n hardy. wild, and reckless
breed. They spent their days in the
blazing sun. their heads dropping over
the settingpolc their feet steadily
trudging the walking.boards OF their
great vessel from morning until night,
aud day after day. 4 wild life. a
merry one and a brief, was that lived
10y this peculiar class of men who
made characters for one OF the vivid
chapters i'm the tale of the early West.
Mike Fink, they tell us, was n king
among the kecl-hoatmen at the date Of
the Introduction OF steam upon
the Ohio and the Mississippi; n man
" medium height. weighing about lS0
pounds, all bone ana Drawn. n cham.
pion with the rifle, master In isti-
cuffs. hard drinker. hard worker,
uf temper alternately sullcn and mer-
~. and Of a sheer physical force which
dominated all ne met In his rude call
ing This Is the man who figures I'm n
well known anccdotc rccountcd 10y dif-
fercnt early writers. II seems that he
had bosom friend named Carpen-
Ter. with whom he was wont TO engage
N n certain risky pastmc Carpenter
and Mike used TO III "A tin cup with
whisky says one chrOnlclcr, "and
place II 10y turns on each others heads
and shoot at II with a rife, At n dis
lance of seventy yards. 1t was always
bored through without injury 10 the
lne on whose head II was placed This
feat is too well authenticated 10 al.
mit of question. II was often per
formed aud they liked the feat the
better because II showed their conf
dpncc i'm each other" Yet IL fell out
hat after long and much-tried friend.
ship these two nj last had n quarrel
which parted them, and IL was som"
time before their friends could bring
about reconciliation. A truce was
patched III. however. and, to bind II,
The two agreed 10 resort 10 their old
test of amlty. Mike won the toss and
Il was Carpenter who was chosen 10y
cate 10 carry the tin cup for the Others
aim Carpenter know what was 10
follow. ana he then and there made
his will. giving his rife, pistols and
equipment TO his friend Talbot. He
was too proud 10 ask for his life,
though hc knew Mike Fink's trcachcry
and rclentlessDcss Folding his arms.
Carpenter stood calm and steady with
the cup on his head. Fink shot him
square through the forehead. and then
calmly chidcd him for spilling the
contents Of the cup. He pretended re-
morse when told that hc nad killed his
friend. Justice or the frontier over
took him, when Talbot. az later day,
shot him with one of the pistols Car
renter had bcqucathcd 20 him.