The Cairo bulletin., 1907-01-15
The PASSENGER
WAS ON Time
Distinction Won by a Florida
Cracker.

Tho father, who was to sail Tor
Europe, saw the child's outstretched
arms. rushed down the gang plank,
gave the little one hug and kiss
and would have missed getting aboard
| If the men at the tackles had not heid
the plank suspended for him while
YOU could count ten, The story,
| continued the man, smiling, REMIND
ed me Of the holding Of steamship
for three-duarters Of an hour Tor one
steeragc passenger.
1T was about the time OF inc
Charleston earthquake In those days
you went TO Charleston from Ne"
York Dy the vessels of the old Charles
ton line. and from there to Jackson
vile, Fla and landings on the ot'
Johns river as far up as Palatka by
trim little steamship, the City OF
Palatka Capt. Leo Vogel was hef
master.
'tHe was al sea with his vessel OH
Charleston when that city was parity
wrecked by earthquake. At that sea
son Of the year, when some or the
regular boats were laid off for their
summer repairs. the City Of Palatka
made the entire trip TO New YORK
calling at Charleston each way NheA
he arrived at New York just after the
earthquake Capt, Nogel gave a re-
porter an interesting story OF how the
earthquake affected his vessel at sea.
THE City Of Palatka, By the way
was perhaps the only steamship OF
her time that made part Of her regular
trim through four or five feet OF mud,
This she did every time she crossed
the bar in the narrows Of the st.
Johns river just below Paatka
she was sold eventually for use on
the Pacific side, went around the
Horn and was burned a few years
later at some port, l think, on Puget
Sound. Capt. Vogel afterward was
with the Clyde line as pilot for all
their Florida steamships over the dan
cerous st. Johns river bar at May
port BY hustling back by rail from
Charleston to Jacksonville and vice
versa he managed to pilot every
steamship in the service in those days
across the bar going in and coming
out
We'll. to get back tn my story, one
afternoon when the City Of Palatka,
bound up the river, came along to the
Green Cove Spring landing, forty-five
miles north Of Palatka typical
Cracker from back in the pine woods,
CARRYING a black oilcloth satchei,
started to board the vessel On being
asked where he was going he allowed
he was bound for York
Gle had been told. he said, that the
shin would not make the Green Cove
Spring landing on coming down the
next morning and he reekoned he mad
better get aboard now
Capt. yogel overheard the talk and
said to the Cracker
1.-The City of Palatka will be at
this landing on her way to New York
AT 3 o'clock tomorrow morning. BE
here then. and you will get aboard all
right"
"But maybe youH get here and go
on before that, and / won't git to
York, said the Cracker.
"'You be here at o'clock said the
captain, and you won't get left
"The next morning at about 7
o'clock the City Of Palatka rounded
the channel beacon off Green Cove
| Spring. and in fifteen minutes was
alongside the landing The Cracker
| passenger was not among those wait
ing on the pier.
HE had not shown up when every
/ body and everything else that was
going north was aboard. Then began
roaring Of the ships steam gong
that rcsounded through the pine
woods and woke M the owls in the
water oaks along shore.
For fortv-fve minutes the steam.
| shin lay at the pier and kept her gong
sounding. The passengers, many OF
them well to do Northerners bound
up from their winter homes, began
| to talk as to the cause of the delay
"One explanation had it that Pierre
Loriilard had telegraphed from down
tho river. offering q large sum to have
the vessel held till he could come az
in his steam yacht and take passage
for New York
AT about three minutes before
o'clock there was seen coming leisure
~ down the pier a two wheeled car
drawn by a gray mule On the bot
tom boards of the cart, with her baci
toward the mule, sat a Cracker Wo
man in a calico gown and checkere'
bingham sunbonneJ, and with he
feet hanging over the rear Of tn
cart
In the cart was black oilclotl
= satchcl and astridr the gray mule va
a Cracker man. ~ the head Of tn
pier he leisurely alighted, took tn
satchel from the cart and said Good
by. MANDY. To his wife
As he WAS going ~ the gangplanl
with his big silver watch in his ham
he =nied Capt Vogel who had heei
walking the bridge for more than hal
an hour with an untranslatable loo
in his face. and hailed him with:
Mornin. Cap. Jest s O'CLOCK