The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-06-10
Continued from last week
cHAT'TEi, V.

- The town was ablaze with fire.
works, for local celebration Of the
close Of the war was In progress nv he
made his way un ihe slope OF tho levee
through narrow passagewny that ran
between two mountainous piles OF cot.
ton bales. At other points there were
equally great piles Of corn and oats In
sacks. pork In barrels hams and bacon
In boxes and finer goods OF every kind
In bales and packing eases, for Cairo
was Just al that time tho busiest en-
trcpot In Nil the Mississippi valley.
The town was small but its business
was larger than that Of many great
cities. The little city lay nt the point
where the Ohio river runs into the Mis-
slssIppi From np mud down the Mis-
sissIppi, from the Ohio from the Ten.
ncsacc and the Cumberland and even
from far NJ the Missouri great fleets
OF steamboats, were landing at Cairo
every day 10 load aud unload cargoes
representing n wealth nN great M that
OF the indies. 4 double hcndcd rail
road from the north carrying the prod.
uce Of half q dozen states and con
Meeting by other roads with all the
great cities or the land made It's terml.
nus az Cairo, Two railroads from the
south a~ tfnvcrsing Ave states a@ ended
their lines at Columbus II little farther
down the river aud we're connected
with the northern lines by steamboats,
from Cairo
Cairo wns the meeting place Of com
merce between the north and the south.
Out OF the upper rivers came light
draft steamers Plying the river below
were steamers Of far different con
struction by reason OF the easier con
ditions Of navigation, At Cairo every
steamboat whether from north or
south, unloaded It's freight for reahip.
ment up or down the river. as the case
might be. upon steamboats, OF n differ.
snt type or by rail. And all the freight
brought north or south by rail must
also be transferred at Cairo. either TO
river steamers or to railroad cars.
The south was still thronged with
northern troops numbering hundreds OF
thousands. who must be fed and cloth.
Cd and otherwise supplied, and 40 the
governments own traffic through the
town was In itself trade OF vast pro.
portions. But that was the smallest
part OF the matter. Now that the war
was at an end tho south was setting
to work to rebuild itself. From the
Cumberland and the Tennessee rivers.
from the lower Mississippi. from the
Arkansas. the Yazoo, the Red river.
Che White. the st. Francis and all the
ssst Of the waterways OF the south en-.
ergetic men Of broken fortune were
hurrying to market all the cotton that
they had managed TO grow and TO save
during the war, In order that they
might get money with which to buy
the supplies needed for the cultivation
Of new crops.
Pretty nearly oil this cotton came to
Cairo, either for sale to edger buyers
there or for shipment to the east and
n market.
In return the planters and the south
ern merchants through whom they did
business were clamorous for such
goods a. they needed. Grain, hay,
pork, bacon, agricultural implements,
seed potatoes, lime, plaster, lumber
and nvnRgthtnR Atgn 10 he
rebuilding OF southern homes and In
dustries was pouring into Cairo and
out again by train loads and steam.
boat cargoes night and day.
As Guilford Duncan emerged from
the alleyway between the cotton bales
and reached the street at top of the
levee n still burning fragment Of the
fireworks fell upon bale OF which the
bagging was badly torn, exposing the
lint cotton In way very tempting to
fire. With the instinct Of the soldier
he instantly climbed to the top Of the
pile, tore away the burning punches of
lint cotton and threw them to the
ground, thus preventing further harm,
As he climbed down again man
confronted him. ~ .~
Are you a watchman" asked the
man.
"No; I'm only man In search of
work." W ssy,rJ
"Why did you do4that, then?'' querled
the stranger pointing to the still burn, |
ing cotton scattered on the ground.
ION general principles, I suppose"
answered Duncan. There would have,
been a terrible fire II hadn't" i
whats your nameT'
"Guilford Duncan" e,sy
%Want workT
eyes" sd,
"What sortT"
"Any sort--for good wages That
last phrase was tho result OF his stoker |
experience.
"Well, do you want to watch this
cotton tonight and see that no harm
comes to 1t, either from fire or-what's |
worse-the cotton thieves that 20 down
the alleys, pulling out all the lint they |
can from the torn bales?"
"Yes, II l can have fair wages"
"Will So for the night be fair
wagesI"