The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-01-24

10 Walk NneD L reached ldDU. SLOWLY
and painfully I dragged myself to a
nearby log cabin, where dwelt an aged
negro and mis- wife.
'There I remained for three days
under their care On the fourth day
a steamer, the Marble City. was flag
ged and | was taken back to Cairo.
III. There it was that [ learned what
caused the explosion. The Ruth be-
fore she started had been intrusted
with the money with which to pay off
Grant s troops at Vicksburg. The
money was supposed to have been put
on board secretly, but in some way the
Confederates had learned of its where
abouts and had placed bomb in the
coal. The bomb was supposed to have
been loaded in with the coal by some
man in the employ of the Confederate
government. 1t was near the bottom
and was not shoveled into the furnace
until we had almost arrived at Cairo,
our first coaling station.
X X X
"The joy of my wife when I got
back to St. Louis knew no bounds
She was one of the happiest women
| ever saw when she met me at the
station after [ had wired home that
/ was safe. Nearly every passenger on
the Ruth was drowned when the steam
err blew up
Having started on the path of rem
iniscence, Pilot Heating was inclined
to continue. Many and strange were
the tales he told.
cone of the liveliest times I ever
saw said he, twas on the Belle
Creole, an old steamer, but a fast one,
engaged in freighting cotton up from
New Orleans. Because of a parsimoni-
Gus management we were not allowed
to use coverings over the cotton even
when it was piled up within ten feet
of the boilers. There was always more
or less danger of pine knot explod-
ing in the furnace as we open the door
of the furnace and throwing sparks on
the cotton. But as the Belle Creole
had made many trips without mishap
the men on deck became more care
less.
cat that time / knew a young wo-
man in Memphis who had always ex
pressed strong desire to travel on a
steamboat as far as New Orleans. I
arranged for a trip after overcoming
her parents objections by explaining
that / would carefully look out for
her
cit was near midnight on the sec
ond day out that I was alarmed by
an overpowering smell of thick, heavy
smoke-not the smoke of burning
wood, but the kind that arises from
oiled rags. 1t strangled and blinded.
A man came running up the companion
way, his face white as a sheet, and
as he passed me he cried: For God s
sake, Heating, get the boat ashore.
The whole hold of the boat s in flames
and in ten minutes everything will be
on fire.!
Naturally, T didn't waste much
time with the wheel after that. [ had
a girl to take care of, and | fell down
the stairs leading to the cabin in my
haste to get to her cabin. Choked by
smoke--a thick smoke that filed every
nook and corner of the saloon-I ran
to her berth and beat on the door.
Twice I struck without getting an
answer. Then I pushed the door in.
dressed, evidently having fallen into a
faint after trying to escape from the
place. picked her up and carried her
to the boat IS side, and the cool night
air revived her.
:" Now, be brave, I cautioned
IN going to jump overheard with
you, and YOU must keep tight hold on
me until we find something drifting
that will support us. Keep tight
hold
"I dom t thing she heard what
said, although she seemed conscious
A moment later | jumped from the
burning steamer and did not stoI
swimming until / was ten feet away
| I held the girl with my left arm and
exerting myself just enough to keeI
above water, looked about me. Near
ms was a huge bale of cotton, which
had been thrown overheard by the mer
| when the fire started. 1t formed g
| splendid raft. ! paddle over to it and
| lifted the girl on it hoping that
| might be able to push it toward shore
/ The bale was too heavy to be moved
against the swiftly running current
and after a few futile efforts | climbed
on it beside the girl.
TNow, | have padded canoes in {
storm. and | have sailed in boats that
leaked but for craft that is without
balance or equilibrium, for champion
water razzle- dazzle, give me a cotton
bale every time. 1t is impossible Il
imagine the sensations one can &c
while drifting along on cotton bale
| One moment the thing is floating alons
on an even keel and you are thinkin!
of offering up little prayer of thank
fulness. and the next moment tn
whole thing takes tilt without an,
apparent reason. The slightest move
ment will set the thing rocking, unit
you imagine it will never get leve
again.
81 sailed down the river on tina
bale, and with frail girl, 50 you ca
imagine what my responsibilities were
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