The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-03-29
The LILY OF KLAMATH LAKE
ITS 4 BOAT, AND H HAS Az
ENGINE WITH 4 RECORD.
Boiler Tried Harvesting anil LAUNDERING
Before II Took 10 SteAmbOating Gets
ALONG NlCely n ! gu Let Il Alone. Luke
Brown. the Engineer, WIN Tell You.

Boiler Tried HarN osting ami LAUNDERING
Before II TOOK 10 SteAmbOating Gets
ALONG Nicely n ' gu Let L. Alone. Luke
Brown. tho Engineer, WIN Tell You.
There are two sights to be seen at the
little town Of Klamath Falls, which lies
about thirty miles OF the railroad on err at
the edge Of the lava beds in southern
Oregon. One Of these sights Is the snake
den, which lie not especially unusual The
second is the steamer.
Not since the Gays Of Robert Fulton
and his Clermont has there been such a
steamer as that which plies between
klamath Falls and the upper reaches Of
klamath ! AXE, a body Of water second in
size to Salt Lake Of all the lakes Of the
West and set in a crack Of the Cascades
high above the seq, The steamer has been
there since the lava bed fight with the
Modocs thirty years ago, and while the
country around has become dotted with
villages this craft has refused 10 run with
progress.
The Lily, for that is the crafts name,
has a hull made o. rough hewn logs with
the bark still on the outside. The logs come
to a snub nosed point, which is called a
prov merely by courtesy because when
she moves the Lily usually moves the way
the prov is pointing. There is a d~eo&holse
VI weather beaten clapboards bIilt arolnd
the engine, with a pilot hoGse perohed
rakishly on the hurricane deck. The pas
sengers are disposed anywhere OF the
steamer out Of the way Of the wet.
The Lily's chief title TO fame lies in her
engine, Its merits are best tcld In the
words OF Luke Brown, one Of tho CIJsta.
Springs Browns, who happened to he en-
gineer one sumner a few years ago.
One Of a party Of three sportsmen, raw
city folks from San Francisco, who took
passage on the Lily from Klamath Falls
for Pelican Bay, forty-odd miles up at the
other end Of the lake, drew Luke oft on
the subject Of that engine. Luke was
sitting away up in the forward part OF the
boat at the time. The engine was roaring
and complaining thirty feet behind.
"Yol see | always ait up here" ex-
planned Luke, until | have 10 fire or let a
little water in the boiler, | am still a young
man and | have plans for getting my marsh
hay in two months from now.
THE old mar has promised to get a
new boiler next spring; but he has made
that same promise for the last six wears.
He finds 1t cheaper to get new engineers
each spring No mar works at this lob
longer than one season, Some only work
one trip, I'm reckless and come Of a reck-
less family; that's why | have made six
runs with the Lily.
That teapot that you hear singing It's
little song back there was a harvester
engine down in Siskiyou county, CnIifor-
mia. before ] was born. | think IL was one
OF the first harvester engines in the country
II worked for about fifteen years and hen
blew up nice and tidily one day and killed
three mules, to gay nothing Of the fellow
who was stocking.
We'll, they patched up that engine and
toted her up to the divide OF the Siskiyous
to use as a bull donkey in a lumber camp,
She snaked logs out Of the CANYONS for
ten years more and then blew up once more,
killing only a Chlnaman.
Some county constable or other con.
demned her and they had to sell her OF
to an Oregon mar TO get her out Of the
State, Her Oregon history is shady. All
| know is that when old man Silvers built
the Lily the same summer they killed Shay
nasty Jim In the Modoc war he put in this
rproaring, lettering, llghtheaded old lady,
hat ought TO have been on the scrap heap
twenty years ago,
The Old man Get her in the middle OF
the boat, SOS she couldn't jump into the
drink II her bearings became too hot, and
he ran a link chain twenty feet from her
piston wheel back TO the paddle In the
stern. That's the chain that makes that
t%witterng sound; she breaks about nee
each trip and We have to wire her up before
continuing the voyage
Luke Brown stepped ginEerly back.
walked twice around tbs engine and then
with a dash threw open the door and hurled
wooden slabs into the hrebox. He
came back presently.
'Shs always spits hot water out Of her