The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1913-01-22
the CANDLE BUOY
A Friend OF the Mississippi Pilots
In the Old Days.
QUEER LITTLE LIcHTsHiPS,

ivy W" V'S~Aoo ana AnCnoT0o u
Tire Channel of the River on Darl
Nights and Showed the Navigator o.
Down Trips Where Reefs Wore No.
In the Old steamboat days on til,
Mississippi. before the government hi,
undertaken the duty Of marking cn(
lighting the CROSSINGS where the
channel swings over from one bank t.
the other. the river pilots had to devise
their own means Of finding their wa,
through these difficult and dangerou.
places.
In the daytime it was not hard to do
and on moonlight nights the landmarks
which every piio1 knew BY heart. could
be seen plainly enough to make the
crossing possible. But there were
many nights 50 dark or fosgy that the
shore marks we're not visible; then til.
reefs had to be "ra:id,ed."
Gambling was reSoried to only on til,
down trip. Going IN TIE river the pilot
might feel" of the reef with his Ioat,
and IT he did not find the best water
the first time he could back off and try
again Il little to one side or the other
wherever the sOundings showed thu,
deepest water to I've
In going down the river, however.
that was impossible. The pilot had to
IND he channel the first time. for If
the boat struck the current would drive
her hard on the reef or else swing her
broadside on the bar and in ten min
utes imbed her in the very midst of it
with tons Of drifting sand.
To guard against such a disaster
when nearing Pigs Eye. Beef Slough
or T~rempeleau bars-or any one of Il
dozen bars Of equal dificulty--on a
dark or hazy night the pilot stopped
the boat at the head Of the reef. With
two men to row. Il mate or Waterman
to steer. a cub" pilot to manipulate
the "candle buoys'' and an older pilot
to take soundings. the yawl was low.
cred and permitted to drop down the
channel below the steamboat.
After the pilot had determined the
best course by taking soundings the
cub" under his direction. anchored
two, three or Y four of the candle
buoys, one after the other. in the cen
ter Of the channel. and then the men
let the yawl drop down below the reef.
where it lay Il little outside the chan.
mel. Then one Of the men swung a
la%ntern-a signal at which the pilot on
watch came ahead. steering for the
tiny lighthouses and running over
them, one by me-. until the reef was
passed.
The candle buoy was made of a piece
OF two inch light pine plank, beveled
for four inches ut the 'bow" in order
to prevent its diving" as the current
pressed against it. A tin ''sconce'
with three legs. three or four inches
long, Was tackled down to the plank
Half of a common candle was placed
in each sconce. and after being lighted
an oiled paper chimney. with a base
corresponding to that of the candle
stick. was placed over the light to pro-
tect it from the wind. The outer ends
Of the tin legs" of the sconce We're
turned back FER the base of the paper
chimney to hold it in place. and the
buoy was ready for launching.
A hole was bored about six inches
from the end Of the plank. Through
the hole a small cord some ten or
twelve feet In length was rove and
knotted, and to this cord a lump of
coal weighing perhaps ten pounds
was tied. This served as an anchor
to hold the buoy in it's place in the en-
ter of the channel.
Such was the procedure fifty years
ago or r Since the government
boats began %patrolling the river and
establishing permanent lights at all
bad crossings it Is seldom necessary
for the pilots to 90 out in a sounding
boat. although it is not an unheard of
proceeding even now.
But the candle buoy is a thing Of the
past. Probably there are scores of
present day pilots who never ven
heard Of the makeshift little lightships
that their puzzled predecessors We're
wont to launch amid the darkness and
doubt of former years.-Youth's Com
panion.