Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-07-23

! up tie wounded soldiers and take
/ them TO the hospital in St. Louis
/ Capt. Hight says that he heard the
musketry in the battle plainly, the
/ boat having landed about six miles be-
| low the city. After a few days sharp
! fighting the City of Memphis came up
20 the mouth of the Arkansas river,
| half way between Vicksburg and Mem
phis. After a brief stay here the crew
| came on UP to ST Louis. having gath
| cred up the wounded soldiers after
bitter siege. Different trips were
made by the hospital boat in hauling
! the wounded to St. Louis.
| In the spring of 1863, Capt. Hight
came north on the steamer Sucker
! State. owned by the Northern Packet
| company. which did a thriving bust
ness in those days. running boats out
| of ST. Louis and St Paul daily, besides
making shorter trips along the river
at different points. On the Sucker
| State the captain ran between St.
! Louis and St. Paul. He stayed with
| this company a number of years. Dur
| ing the winter he worked on the river
south out of St Louis In the fall of
| 1876 he commenced plotting out OF
St. Louis for the Mississippi Valley
Transportation company. which con
Quoted what was called a barge line,
| between st. Louis and New Orleans.
Works on Lover River.
In the spring of 1880 the captain. af-
ter acquainting himself with the river
between ST. Louis and New Orleans
secured a pilots license, allowing him
20 run between ST. Louis and New
Orleans. He had carried a license per
hitting him TO ply between st. Louis
and St. Paul for some years. Between
St. Louis and New Orleans Capt. Hight
ran on the Port Eads as steersman.
Later in the season of lSSO-Sl he pi-
lOted between those points. In 1882
he came north again and assisted on
a boat towing ice between Dubuque
and ST. Louis. In those days. when
manufactured ice was unheard of
large quantities of ice was towed for
long distances.
In June, 1882. Capt. Hight became
an employee of the Diamond 10 line
plotting its boats over the Rock Island
rapids, and he has been with the com
pany ever since. The company pays
ZIG "a 'tcllli 90 tbt CdNl Nlllit ut lbAloiS
q boat over the rapids, or SIG round
trip.
In speaking of the wages paid river
men nowadays as compared with those
in the olden days, the captain said
that the men don't receive nearly so
| much money as they formerly did. He
said that at present the pilots are
paid on an average OF $110 per month,
while at the close OF the civil war they
received as high as $3.50 per month.
OF course. this is no fair comparison,
as in those days river pilots were
scarce and they could get most any
| wage demanded. But for years fol-
lowing. when the effects of the war
had worn away. pilots were paid much
more than they are now. The bust
ness on the river then was immense
~ larger that il is now in the days
of sharp railroad competition. In
1865 the captain was pilot on the
MusCatinC, which was built at cost
of $4,000 and which was used a great
deal i'll carrying returning soldiers
from the war to their home. An idea
of the enormous business done in
those days in river traffic may be had
cleared $4,000 that year
In Two River Wrecks.
Capt. Hight has been fortunate
Most river men of a long service have
had many exciting experiences. but
the captain hasn't. The only boats
that he sank were the Denmark, in
1852, 20 miles south of Hannibal, Mo-,
owned by the Northern Line Packet
company, and the Libbie ConSer, own
ed by the Diamond 10 line. The Con
ger went down near Campbelrs chain,
in the vicinity of Hampton Both
/ boats were wrecked on the rocks. The
river at that time was not so easily
! piled as it now is since the many river
! improvements have been made. The
! Denmark was so badly demolished
| that she was never raised. but a bulk
! head was erected around the Conger
and she was raised and found TO be
| only slightly damaged.
In 1852 Capt Hight and Miss Fran
| CeSco Stewart. who was of English
| descent. and born in Cuba. were mar
ried. She died y years ago in St.
| Louis. To this union were born four
| sons and three daughters. All of the
! children died while young with the
| exception of two sons. George b. and
Sherman. Sherman resides near Dali
las, Texas. and the last heard of
George was three years ago when he
went 10 Cuba.
II is probable that there are but
two Mississippi rivermcn who are
older and have been in the river ser
vice longer than Capt. Hight Those
TWO men are Capts. Edward Gala
han and John Mcbride. both Of whom
reside in St Louis and work on the
river. Capt. Callahan. with whom
Capt. Hight used TO work. is now en-
ployed by the government.
SPECIAL THIS EVENING