The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1906-09-25

his escort of Alabamians made their
way through the underpass and while
negro deck hands held aloft lighted
lanterns. picked their way down the
hill and over the wharf to the Twining,
tied up with its sister boat, the Ala
bama. Mt the wharf.
The Twinlng flew two flags. At its
bow there nuttered in the early morn
ing breeze the red flag with its cas-
tellated design THAT signifed the pres
ence of the United States Engineer in
charge of the river work was aboard.
over the wheel there fluttered the flag
of the United States. A crew of river
experts was aboard the Twining. Over
all was Major W. e. Craighill, station
ed at Noble in charge of the Govern
ment work of this particular section.
There was also on board Capt. W. l..
johnson who has In charge the work
of Improvement that is now going on
on the Alabama River, Major W. L.
Campbell or the United States Ergi-
neerirg Office IN Montgomery.
The party was fortunate enough to
be accompanied by the best known and
the most popular steamboat man that
ever went up and down an Alabama
river. Captain John Quill. who on the
9Th of last April finished fifty years
of active service on the Alabama. Cap
tain Quill had with him as pilot for
the Twining. Pilot w. r. Harris, than
whom no other man knows better the
widening and twisting of the channel
of the Alabama. The crew was COM
pleted by Engineer C. J. Conklin and
l.. H. Merriwether, carpenter and
clerk on the Twining.
The Twining did not make the trip
alone, The Alabama, formerly. the
Mills, which is also government boat.
followed and served as convoy. Her
accompaniment of the Twining down
the Alabama served a double purpose
In the first place the presence of the
Alabama was an assurance that in
case of accident Judge Burton could
be taken off the Twinng and carried
to Selma in order that he would not
break the schedule he had arranged
nor disappoint the committees which
were expecting him in other places.
And again. the Alabama was to return
to Montgomery bringing some of the
things aboard the Twning which did
not make the return rip.
Montgomery Left RehInd.
The clang of the police bell at tho
city building. as 1T rang out the hour
of a m. was echoed on the quiet
river by the changing of the pilots
bell aboard the Twining. as II rang out
the signal to cast off and make the
start. AS the Twining steamed grace
fully around the West End bend a
pink haze overspread the Eastern sky,
the darkness of the river shadows
were tightening. and the arc lights
in the union station shown only dimly
in the approaching dawn. The shrlll
scream of the factory whistles were
heralding for Montgomery the COM
ing of another day of labor and strlv-
ing.
The Twining struck up a twelve
miles clip, and maintained it until
within a few miles OF Selma. and then
the pace was only decreased because
too early arrival would interfere
with the arrangements Of the local
reception committee. A cool breeze
was stirring and the promise made nv
the beautiful dawn was more than full
filled in the perfect day vouchsafed
the steamboat party for its trip down
the Alabama. With hardly sound
from the engine the Twining glided
through the quiet, yellow waters OF
the Alabama, as her great wheel
pushed mile after mile behind her
When darkness had vanished and
the rosy dawn held undsputed sway,
Judge Burton hurried to the pilot
house where, map in hand, with Cap
tain John Quill at mis- elbow he scan
Eed the river, looked over the work
that is now being done on the river,
marked the places that would need in
telligent labor in the future and dis
cussed the features of the proposed
work, which was already familiar 10
him The dredger ana pile driver was
first passed few miles below Mont