The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-23

as the eye might see. NO other SOUND
save that cough, cough, cough. no Other
thing in view save the Mississippi: broad
and fat, it's waters sun-touched TO
yellow chocolate TINT two distant banks.
also broad and fiat. fringed by scrubby
willow and bearing some distance back
low growths of sycamore and oak. The
foliage was the red and yellow Of Indian
summer and was distinctly mirrored in the
indolent stream
you zee them light spots'' said Jim
Montgomery. He has thick mustache
like fox's brush, and under 1t his voice
sounded mufIled and indistinot. Those
| are the shallow spots and I've got to keep
her we'll away from them all.
What Ia she drauing3' asked THE SUN
man.
Pretty near thirty inches
And we're makingi'
Bout seven mile an hour"
Cap'n Lie Grimshaw entered the wheel
house and stood at the left Of the wheel,
his scrawny fingers barely touching its
spokes. He heard the last question and
it's answer and volunteered the remark:
She's nifty trick, she Is"
We'll put her behind that island. close
! inshore." the pilot went on, "and then
we've got clean berth for near three
| miles After that it's cross over, dodge the
current and hug the west bank for five
miles If we were coming down from st.
Louis we'd stick To the middle Of the river
and get the advantage OF all that there
current.
! Of the war there was a railroad yard Just
| where we're going now and the river lay
| back four miles TO the east, away behind
| that last line Of timber you see. He's never
content an he's eating his way cross here
an, there I'LL no one can keep tell on him.
this stream just a peeking bit below Alton.
Ten years later. something changed. That
channel filled up and a new one cut Itself
three miles downstream.
Now that's o dIy lana iianS ana T thsy 1 tom
miles it's shifted and now it'll stay for a
time for the Missouri will have to do rock
cutting before he gets any further!'
Been pretty well seasoned on the river,
amt you, Jim9" offered Cap'n Lie by way
OF encouragement
Fifty years last May %. I've steered
them all-packet- boats. excursion-boatss
and tows. I've taken them from st. Paul
to New Orleans, that's 2.loo miles. from
Pittsburg to Cairo. that's i'2H more ,s ana
a stern-wheeler and that's 5000 more each
si've taken that Missouri trip when we'd
start out from St. Louis In the spring, reach
Port Benton. Mon. by Aug, / turn about ,S
| and come up TO the st. Louis levee by the
middle OF October.
If we run up in three months and come
back in two months and half, that wa
good travelling when you take time "a
think Of all the stops for freight and all the
| times you we're bound TO get stuck IN the
mud
Il come on the river that summer Of s:
and let me tell you, young man thing
were humming then There were boats
all up and down the river bringing t Ion.
folks and niggers and all that.
-The st. Louis levee was 40 crowded al
: the time that the packets had to put ,heiI
4. noses In again the shore and stood there
close 10 get her like lot OF cattle In a ~ able
; Il paid 81 900 TO learn the river and thai
was a bargain at that, for good pilot
, was getting $500 a month, 81, 900 a month
, almost any figure that he wanted the
Pilots Association helped him TO get. Thos'
were the golden days Of steamboating,'
The Spread Eagle was rounding bend
Quite hidden around the turn was tin,
) unwashed and unpair.ted Missouri village
The mud bank was caving slowly into Thu
stream from under the very foundation
| OF some Of the houses and swirling thei
| feet In the muddy water WAS a line of flu
ture Tom Sawyers and Huckleberry Firms
who watched the steamboat with langiit
interest.
, In the centre of the village stood bi,
brick structure. evidently town hall o
> court house, and on the sandy levee below
| | Il there was a little group Of passengers
who waited with their baggage for tn
n Spread Eagle. The steamboat blew he
great whistle several times and soundet
her big bell many, many times more, whio
hurriecly brought all the Toms and Huckle
| berries to the scene of excitement
She put her PROV up In the mud droppe.
stage plank upon the levee and an all
y important clerk hurried ashore. He and
0 mate bossed the roustabouts who brough
ashore the baggage. extended a helpin
4 | hand TO the women and settled oonhc
n between a Tom and Huckleberry,
Then the Spread Eagle rang her be-
some more. followed that with a piercin
a blast from her whistle. backed out fror
2 the mud and headed upstream again.
d 1T kept busy like that, said Pilot Mont
{ gomery, resuming his narrative, "righ
= UP to war time and some folks think afte
|; that, but hardly !. We got II hot an
heavy in here for Ave or six years, and
: was just the right age to get my full PAL
. OF 1t all.
: -When they took Camp Jackson tim
: summer Of 90 was a-r,inning the City {
n Ahon and bringing military stores, carg
O after cargo. from the arsenal in South =
Louis. l think we struggled out som
d 81 900 stack Of guns
!, you see the Southerners nj Washingto
ran thin os and filled IN the arsenals ever