The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-11-20
BAD LUCK OF The PHANTOM

What do you think OF it?'
p" I don't know: what OF ito / asked
with little laugh that was half de-
risive. half jocular
III tell you what ! think of IL
mighty durn'd QUick-I think this boat
VIII never have no good luck That 5
what / think, and / don't care who
knows il. And / never like 10 be on
a boat that has a preacher and a white
morse aboard. neither. ] knew a boat
that took on board an old Methodist
preacher and his old gray mare down
at Neblett's Landing. and when she
got just little above Memphis She
busted her boilers. and out OF $50 per-
sons on board only twenty-five lived
( 10 tell the tale. and some of them were
lying on COTS in a hospital at -AIem-
phis soalded almost 10 death as they
told their experience to the new spaper
fellows. And cat the first trip Is
I worse than all, but the captain Is
one Of your schoolish chaps and don't
pay no heed 10 signs that we know
. Is true as Gospel; but he'll see his mis-
take some day when this boat goes
down in sixty foot of water or them
Underwriters get their wits so tangled
about her that she can't get loose from
the levee down at Orleans and no
rouster darsn't let loose the head line
Now / have often heard ii said that
you had better not ship on a boat When
the rats leave her. and l know that
some folks laugh at that and say 'tain'f
nothing in il; but / know better and [
can prove ii. You remember the burn
ing OF the Unicorn on the Yazoo river.
Captain Gwartney OF New Orleans was
IN command, and she burned about
O'Clock in the evening just below Pa
lartia. She was loaded with cotton.
They run her ashore and no lives were
lost but some turkeys were tied on the
hurricane deck, and when the flames
were about To reach them one of the
pilots went aboard and cut them loose
and then had 10 swim ashore. He got
badly burned, too. while saving them
turkeys. Now the Unicorn had rats to
leave her Just before she started on
that trip.
And thus he regaled me with stories
OF superstition so prevalent among the
uneducated class of rivermen until il
was time for him to so on the hurricane
roof.
Nothing of Importance occurred on
the down trip, but it was a gala run
all the way. At Cairo Memphis. Vicks-
burg. Natchez and New Orleans d great
number of people, should say up in
the thousands-visited the boat.
Speeches of welcome were made by or
ators at different cities Champagne
spanked with the efferNescence of the
wit that flowed, and all together our
course southwark was a series of ova-
tons and bon voyages. When we had
made fast at New Orleans the captain
said to me;
Wen, you see, nothing happened,
Bill, after all We are here as safe and
sound as the United States government,
n ct a N =
spotted cat all the way from Pecan
Point to Pride's Point, and 1 saw the
boy give the cat to John Miller. who
keeps that big store near the landing
so You see there is nothing in these
signs, after ALL
I didn't say that anything would
happen the first trip, did ~
No, you didn't, but you animated
mighty strong that something might
happen
Here the mate came up and said
Well, captain, you may laugh at me as
much as YOU durn please, but I tell you
this boat is just bound to have misfor-
tune. I don't know what sort il will be,
and I don't know when, but She amt
going TO run in the sunshine all the
time
The captain made no reply and
turned on his heel and went away gent
~ whistling, Listen to the Mocking
Bird The Phantom remained in port
three days and then departed for her
regular trade in the upper coast. Moth
ing out of the usual occurred except we
got caught in fog which came up out
of the marshes and lay across the river
for several hours, causing US 10 run
under slow bells and TO sound the
fog whistle at two-minute intervals
The fourth trip the head steward died
and the doctor got out of fix So we
were delayed and missed a big freight
pile that our rival got The mate said
TO me: 1t looks like we are getting it
already. Bill. don't it?
Rather I replied
The season had almost gone and (
was told that the profits were very (
small if any at all. The captain re- /
marked: 1t looks like she ought TO be I
doing better, but somehow she is al 7