The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-08
BOATS DID NOT HIT
Governor Hech Denies the
''Fred Hartweg' Story.
Pilot Made Himself a Nuisance
to Fleet.
sCARES THEGOVERNOR
Awakened by Cry of ''The Boat
Is SINKING
Proved to Be Practical Joke OF
Newspaper Men.

Governor Hoch, on his return from his
Mississippi river trip, declared that the
report that the steamboat Erred Hart
weg,'' whose pilot has been disbarred
from further work on the river by or
ders of President Roosevelt, had col
lided with the presidents boat, is
fake.
There was no collision" says Cover
nor Hoch, but this Pittsburg boat had
been making itself very disagreeable
throughout the trip. The trip down the
Mississippi was arranged with the pres
ident as a guest of honor, and his boat
headed the line. 1t was planned that
a tender should follow this boat, and
then come the boat used by the COVER
nors of the various states. Then there
were a number of outside boats, con-
tanning excursionists, who really had no
connection with the official party. The
Fred Hartweg was one of these inter-
lopers, and it was continually running
up alongside of the presidents boat,
cutting in between the boats in the line,
and frequently coming very close to the
other boats. The pilot on our boat was
greatly annoyed by the actions OF the
Hartweg, and had to keep lodging about
to avoid colliding with that boat 1t
was q very foolish thing, at least, for
the pilot on the Hartweg to do as he
did for it might have resulted in
serious accident. There was no critic
ism that I heard of the presidents ac-
tion.'
Governor Hoch also related an inter-
esting and unpublished incident of the
trip.
Il was only scared once during the
trip" said the governor, "and that was
on the second night out There were
none but men on board our boat, and
it was q rather hilarious crowd. There
were lot of newspaper men on board
fa6 for
awakened at the dead of night by some
body pounding on my stateroom door
and shouting Get up! Get up! The
boats sinking.' OF course it mutually
startles a man somewhat to be walked
up out of sound sleep in that way,
and / hardly knew where I was for
minute. But as started for the door,
heard people faughipg, and heard a
big base drum beating. Then suspect
ed it was a joke. I looked out Of the
door and saw one of the newspaper men
pounding away at typewriter, and tnen
/ went back to my bed. About hal1
of the governors on the boat got out
and went up on deck in their night
shirts and BAHAMAS, and I expect the
newspaper men who put up the joke felt
that they had made the trip worth While.
They went to the room of one OF the
governors and pounded on the door, ana
told him that the boat was on fire.
Won't I have time to put on some
clothes?' he asked. NO, no, hurry up,
come as yau are they replied. And he
came"
Speaking of President Roosevelt, Gov
ernor Hoch said: II never saw man
who is so intense about everything all
the time. He seems to be at top ten
sion. even in ordinary conversation, and
makes gestures, and also makes faces,
to emphasize what he is saying. 1 don't
see how he can stand it to keep him.
self keyed up that way. He came over
to the boat with the governors one eV-
ening at o'clock, took dinner with US
and STAYED until midnight. He is very
entertaining talker. but he likes to do
all the talking himself He don't want
to listen to anybody else.