The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-01-20

was forced to seek. q little rest. At
length nj night a short distance above
the little point where the Bijou Hills
lie piled along the left bank. knowing
ahead and that everything was going
smoothly on board. he surrendered the
wheel to his partner at about midnight,
and retired to bed. But he had scarce
~ fallen asleep when the Waterman
rushed into his cabin. crying that the
ing out, he captain found her damned
up on the bar at the head Of the Bijou
Hills Reach, two miles put of her
proper course. He was greatly in
censed. while his cub pilot. John Belt,
became so furious at LaBarge that he
true western style, when Captain Marsh
took his revolver away from him and
threw 1t in the river.
Vigorous efforts wero at once begun
to get the boat of. but before they
were successful, the Far West came
past and continued down the river.
The Nellie Peck was so long in regain
ing deep water that she could not re-
cover her lead. and the Far West beat
her into Sioux City by three hours,
thus securing for herself the coveted
supremacy OF h river. She continued
to hold 1t to the end, for q few years
later, Captain Marsh himself. in the
most dramatic steamboat trip Of the
Missouri rivers thrilling history. made
with her a speed record which never
has been and probably never will be
eQualed.
Each Clears $4,000.
"In the race to Sioux City, however,
Captain Marsh's partner-pilot seemed
to receive as many congratulations
error in navigation which had cost the
Nellie Peck the race. az did the crew
OF the Far West themselves. One nrrn.
at least, In Sioux City, which had
money wagered on the race, presented
him with a memento of the occasion
IN the form Of an expensive auit Of
clothing. But neither boat had given
the owners any cause for complaint,
for each cleared about $12, 900 on the
voyage, and each beat by several days
all previous records for the round trip
between Sioux City and Fort Benton"
Incidentally the book contains many
good stories. Here. for example, IL one
Illustrating the independence Of the
antebellum river pilot:
,, Joe Oldham, the Pilot.
ION Of these pilots was Joe Oldham.
a man famous in his time for three
things: his skill as a pilot, his inde-
pendence and his ex.savagance in per-
sonal adornment. His was the distinc-
ton Of possessing the largest, heaviest
and most expensive gold watch on the
river. Its stem contained a diamond
worth $500, and he wore 1t suspended
about his neck by a massive gold chain.
In winter he wore huge fur mittens
reaching to his elbows, and in the
summer, kid gloves Of the most delicate
hue.
"Onc day a small. side-wheel packet.
the Moses Greenwood, on her way up
from the Ohio bound for Weston, Mo-.
came into st. Louis looking for q Mis-
souri, river pilot. 1t happened that Old
ham was the only one in town, and
when the captain came to him he
blandly stated that he would take the
Moses Greenwood to Weston and back.
about a weeks trip, for 1000. The cap
tain demurred, but after several DAYS.
during which no other pilots appeared.
n being in a hurry, he went to Old
ham and said that he would pay the
price.
"'Well, I can't accept now, captain
answered the pilot, nonchalantly. I'm
going to a picnic this afternoon
"Pleadings were Of no avail, and to
the picnic he went.
On another occasion the steamer
Post Boy, Captain Rider, came into st.
Louis on her way to Leavenworth. Cap
tain Rider sent for Oldham, who was,
again the only member Of the craft In
town, and he came down to the levee
bedecked with diamonds, as usual,
wearing q silk hat and patent leather
shoes, and shielding himself from the
summer sun with q gold handled, silk
umbrella.