Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-03

as to build, sailing along on the water like
a duck with scarcely a ripple except for
her paddle wheels. She cost S5ooOoo ana
no half-million dollars was ever better
expended than in her building.
81 was her pilot when she was launched.
1 was twenty-five years old then and you
can naturally imagine the affection and
pride / felt for a boat like the Ruth. She
piled between ST. Louis and New Orleans.
Six trips we made fine as you please
without the least sign of hitch. When
we returned to ST. Louis at the end of
the sixth trip we laid up while for re-
pairs and while the boat was being over
hauled and cleaned hung around her as
though she was child of mine.
I'VE pulled out of st. Louis one bright
Monday morning with the bands playing
and the flags flying. We made fast trip
was not the slightest mishap to mar our
trip as We drew near the city. Slowly we
steamed toward our wharf. the band play
ing Home Sweet Home and the flags
flying in the brisk breeze.
I'VE were in mid stream and slowly
turning. A great crowd was on the wharf
to greet us. ! blew our whistle four times.
Then from the depths of the steamer
came a great deafening roar. a crash that
seemed to fairly tear the life out of
everything on board. Great tongues OF
flame Ieaped a hundred feet in the air
and twisted masses of wood and metal
hurtled through space and fell In the
river Two minutes after the terrible ex-
plosion the steamer was at the bottom of
the Mississippi river, half-million- dollar
wreck that would never again be of use
TO mortal man.
when the explosion shattered the sides
OF the Ruth ran to the side of the YES
sci and ieaped over board. l was not Il
second too soon Hardly had I struck the
water when the steamboat started TO
sink ! clutched plank and by fighting.
aimlessly. yet with all my strength
against the suction that sought to drag
me down with the doomed steamer l eS-
capped death. Exhausted l chung to the
plank and drifted down with the tide for
several hours.
1.-THE cold water revived me after time
and though 1 was still weak I was able
to push the plank slowly toward the
shore I was scarcely able to walk when
l reached land. Slowly and painfully |
dragged myself to a nearby log cabin.
where dwelt an aged negro and his wife
There l remained for three days under
their care. On the fourth day steamer.
the Marble City, was tagged and 1 was
taken back to Cairo Ill. There 1t was
that I learned what caused the explosion.
The Ruth before she started had been in
trusted with the money with which tn
nav off Grants troops at Vicksburg The
money was supposed to have been put on
board secretly. but in some way the Con
federates had learned Of its whereabouts
and had placed bomb in the coal. The
bomb was supposed to have been loa-eu
in with the coal by some man in the EN-
ploy of the Confederate government. 1t
was near the bottom and was not shovel
ed into the furnace until we had almost
arrived at Cairo, our first coaling sta
ton.
The joy of my wife When I got back
to st. Louis knew no bounds. She was
one of the happiest women 1 ever saw
when she met me at the station after L
had wired home that I was safe. Nearly
every passenger on the Ruth was drown
ed when the steamer blew up"
Having started on the path of REM
iniscence. Pilot Heating was inclined TO
continue. Many and strange were the
tales he told.
"One of the liveliest times l ever saw
said he, "was on the Belle Creole, an old
steamer, but a fast one, engaged in
freighting cotton up from New Orleans.
Because of a parsimonious management
we were not allowed to use coverings
over the cotton even when ii was piled up
within ten feet of the boilers. There was
always more or less danger of pine
knot exploding in the furnace AS we
opened the door of the furnace and
throwing sparks on the cotton. But as