Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-07-27
s1.5o PER ANNUM.
before we reached Yankton as the
dinner was ordered to Fort Randall.

before we reached Yankton as the
dinner was ordered to Fort Randall.
After the Miner was secured to the
Alabama, the work of transferring
the Alabama's cargo of -four to the
Miner began and was carried on all
night, and by daylight next morning
the Miner had 200 tons Of -four on
board, which was to be landed at
Fort Randall for the troops.
The Alabama did not sink in the
river. She was lying up against
the Nebraska bank when we found
her, and her entire deck was high
and dry as every sack Of -four on the
main deck was removed in good con-
dition as stated. She struck a snag
which broke her ribs and was run
against the bank at once and was
made fast. She was not worth repair
ing and was we'll insured.
If any of the boys at VermilliOn
are smacking their lips over the pros
pect of finding SO barrels Of SO year
old whisky in the remains of that
old boat they will be awfully disap-
pointed when they get through dig
ging. The boys ought to save their
lips for the girls and babies.
Most people along the river in
those days used whisky and many
kept a supply on hand for snake bites
as doctors were scarce, and it seems
like inviting contempt for the early
settlers to think that any of them
would allow SO barrels Of whisky to
sink down into the sands when they
could see it and smell it. Oh. no,
my dear Vermillion friend, yeu don't
seem to know much about the pio-
neers. Some Of them were in the
habit of taking gallons Of whisky
home on Saturday night to sober up
on. Do you think such men would
sit on the river bank and see such
useless destruction Of valuable pro
perty?
There was no fifty barrels Of whis-
ky on the Alabama. When the wreck
ers got through there was nothing
left but the old hull. !.
AS to the turkey.
When pilot Belk hunted for his
turkey next morning he didn't find
it, and John could use some awful
hot language when there was trouble
on hand. Every suspicious bundle,
box, or roll of blankets between the
wreck and Sioux City was searched
for that turkey, and the Sioux City
eating houses were looked into. John
was furious. He never suspected
that his big turkey got onto the Min
err.
The writer didn't care to go up to
Fort Randall with the Miner and
was anxious to get a bit Of that tur-
key before the steamer landed at
Yankton. The Captain and cook
put up deal and fixed it so that no
dinner was served till after the
steamer left Yankton, thus we had
to miss our turkey or go on up the
river with the boys. We decided to
go to Fort Benton rather than miss
that turkey dinner.
About fifteen years after we asked
John Belk If he lost wild turkey
the night the North Alabama sunk.
Yes said John "but l could never
find out where it went" We told
him some one on the Miner must
have found it as we had wild turkey
for dinner the next day. Then we
set up the cigars and told him how
good that turkey was. Fifteen years
had softened Johns temper.
'Captain Hawley was one of the
best men that ever navigated the
"Big Muddy" said John, land I
shall never forget the day the Indians
at Standing Rock began pumping
lead into the pilot house when the
Captain was standing my shift at the
wheel.'
Captain William Gould Of the gov
ernment snag boat, and Captain John
Belk are all that is left in the upper
county of that once magnificent body
of fresh water sailors.