Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-04-25
Miseellansous &sadins.
RACING ON THE MISSISSIPPI.
Mark Twain's Description Of the Con-
test Between the Amaranth and the


Boreas.
The twenty-first of April will be
the first anniversary of the death of
Mark Twain" In the short twelve
months since the passing OF Americas
famous humorist his legion Of friends
in his native state have shown COM
mendable energy in their plans to do
conspicuous honor to his memory.
When these are carried out no depart
ed hero along the 4,20O-mile stretch of
the Mississippi river will have received
a grander and more lasting tribute.
Lovers Leap" Is a noble promon-
tory at Hannibal worthy Of the tragedy
of his name. 1t towers nearly 300 feet
above the mighty stream which gave
to the ambitious printer boy his real
start in life. On this magnificent en-
inence will be erected a large statue
of the pilot whose craft has been dock
cd on the evergreen shore.
A large tract of land leading up to
the rocky height has been purchased
and is being made into a memorial
park. 1t is' spot almost in the heart
of the operations of Tom Sawyer"
''Huck Finn" and Joe Harper" The
view up and down the river is beauti-
full. Below is the long, narrow island,
on which was located the headquarters
of the desperate sea rovers."
Upstream the river Is broad and
deep, dotted here and there with en-
erald islands.
From the pinnacle of Lovers Leap"
the gang" watched the boats come
round the bend, and envied the men
RUNNING them until it became the life
and death ambition for every boy to
go On the river"
AS the young pilot Mark Twain"
studied the river as the earnest student
imbibed the teachings of his books.
Plotting was the one craft of which he
was intensely proud. He thought 1t
was his real vocation, although he
admits that time and again he was
on the point of surrendering when con-
fronted with the interminable mass Of
detail Horace Bixby, his tutor, placed
before him. He didn't believe any man
could get up a fraternal acquaintance
with every reef, sandbar and snag be-
tween st. Louis and New Orleans, and
that is what Bixby told him he had to
do.
During these brain-racking years Of
his apprenticeship as pilot, Mark
Twain was acquiring the information
which afterward made him the great
est press agent the Mississippi river
ever had. De Soto, European, was
the first white person to explore 1t.
That was in 1541. In 1871 Mark
Twain" went over De Soto's trail and
wrote Life on the Mississippi" In two
parts. The first part described the
craft Of plotting as he saw 1t when
young man, at a date when the
greater percentage Of the valleys
traffic was handled on the river. The
second part was picture OF the river
twenty-one years after, when steam
boating had about thrown up the
fight with the railroads. This book
gave the river a wider fame than 1t
had ever enjoyed before, but 1t was a
fame that came in the twilight OF its
glory, like a beautiful song to the
memory Of the dead.
Then the levee was alive with
steamboats, from Carondelet up to and
beyond North Market. A year later
the decline began, decline that mas
continued steadily until the river
traffic hardly figures as an element
in the country's development. Mark
Twain has given a description or a
steamboat race in the old days, which
Is a classic. When a captain was In
charge of a good boat death was pref
erable to seeing a rival come up be-
hind and pass him. The mortifca-
ton of a defeat in the presence OF
large passenger list was beyond en-
durance. In consequence, EXPLOSIONS
were frequent from overtaxed boilers.
Following is an extract from Mark
Twain's story Of the race between the
Amaranth and the Boreas, as seen
from the pilot house Of the latter
boat:
Davis pulled a couple Of ropes
there was jangling Of small bells
far below, the boats speed slackened,
and the pent steam began to whistle
and the gauge cocks to scream:
by the mark twain!"
"Quar-ter-her- -er-less twain!'
Eight and half"
Eight feet!"
"Seven-ana-halfi"
Another jingling of little bells and
the wheels ceased turning altogether.
The whistling Of the steam was some-
thing frightful now-it almost drown
ed all other noises.
stand by to meet herr
George had the wheel hard down
and was standing on a spoke.
"All ready"
The boat hesitated--seemed to hold
her breath, as did the captain and pi-
lots-and then she began to fall away
to starboard and every eye lighted:
Now then! Meet her! Meet her!
Snatch her!"
The wheel flew to port so fast that
the spoke blended into a spider web
the swing Of the boat subsided-she
steadied herself
Seven feet!"
"Sev-six and half"
six feetv Six f."
Bang She hit the bottom George
shouted through the tube:
Spread her wide open. Whaie II
at her!"
ow-wow-chow! The escape
pipes belched snowy pillows of steam
aloft. the boat groaned and surged
and trembled-and slid over into
MARK twain!"
"Quarter-her-"
Tap! tap! tap" Ito signify, Lay
in the leads.D
And away she went, flying up the
willow shore. with the whole silver
sea Of the Mississippi stretching
abroad on every hand.
No Amaranth in sight.
"Ha-ha, boys, we took couple OF
tricks that time" said the captain.
And just at that moment red glare
appeared in the head Of the chute
and the Amaranth came springing az
ter them!
well, I swear!" .,,
Jim, what Is the meaning of that?'
I'll tell you what's the meaning
of it. That hail we had at Napoleon
was Wash Hastings wanting to come
to Cairo, and we didn't stop. He's
in that pilot house now, showing those
mud turtles how to hunt for easy
water"
That's it. 1 thought 1t wasn't any
slouch that was running that middle
bar in Hog-Eye Bend. If It's WASH
Hastings-well what he don't know
about the river amt worth knowing
"a regular goldleaf, kid glove, dia-
mond- -breastpin pilot Wash Hastings
is. We won't take any tricks off OF
him, old mani"
II wish I'd a stopped for him, that's
ALL"
The Amaranth was within 800 yards
of the Boreas and still gaining. The
"old man" spoke through the tube:
What Is she carrying now"
"A hundred and sixty five, sir"
"HOw's YOUR wood?"