Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-02-06
as we shot by DEVILS Island, Enoch-


my pard in the. wheelhouse, Enoch
King-turned to me and said:
"'WeIl cut right through it, Jesse?'
"'Of course / said.
1.-The news that we got the next
morning, that the Natchez had tied up,
dazed us. She had been holding on like
a bull-d dog to a book agent clear up to
Cairo, and when Enoch and I were
waited out into midstream on coal
schow to board the Lee and hunt easy
water for her into ST. Louis we could
look down the bend and see the Nat
CHEFS smoke filling the air like the
Battle Of Waterloo. The river then
between Cairo and st. Louis compris-
ed about 200 miles Of the toughest pi-
loting you ever saw around these parts
anywhere. There wasn't lighthouse
from end to end of the run. and there
were snags, bars and overhanging
trees enough to discourage a Pilgrim
ghost. Jim Pell and Wes Connors,
who had steered all the way out Of
New Orleans, were as tickled as
schoolboys to see us. You see, they
had only studied the river to Louis
Vile, and we were sent down by rail
to take the racer into the st. Louis
terminal.
"The fog shook hands with us at
Devils Island. We supposed, as a
matter Of course, the Natchez would
tackle it, and we never thought Of do
ing anything else. At that stage Of the
game a blow-up wouldn't have been
worse than to have trailed in behind.
The experiences Of that night turn
ed Jamison's hair white The Natchez
which had been hanging on the rear of
the Lee all the time, was lost in the
fog. Jamison did not know where she
was All night long he strained his
ears to catch the whir Of his rivals
paddles and the pumping Of her pis-
tons. At last he became possessed
with a fear that the Natchez had
passed. Not until he was within IS
miles Of st. Louis did he know he had
won.
There the Lee was met with great
delegation from st. Louis. The fastest
boats in the harbor had come down to
escort the winner in.
Colonel Hunter Ben Jenkins, at that
time second clerk on the Glasgow,
which was then plying on the Missouri
river, was on the water front to catch
the time Of the winning boat. Mark
Twain, the author, also was there to
take the time. Jenkins is now secre-
tary Of the National and Pilots, Har-
Dor %. Speaking Of the finish Of the
race, he said:
1T was a glorious Fourth Of July.
The sky was clear and crowd Of
10000 was on the river banks to see
the finish. The mate Of the Lee was
a sawed-off fellow with a commanding
voice. Proud Of the victory he shout
ed to the negroes as the boat drew in.
Launch out those stages, launch out
those stages The stages are the
planks down which the passengers go
in disembarking. In those days there
were no swinging stages and they had
to be lowered by hand. They were all
in position ready to hit the ground
when the Lee scraped against the
wharf boat.
THE time was three days, eighteen
hours and thirty minutes. Captain
Leathers was miffed at his defeat. In
stead Of coming to the landing he
steamed up stream for mile or so
and then turned around and came back
to the landing.
"A great banquet was given to the
officers Of the rival boats at the old
Southern Hotel Leathers at first de-
clined to attend the banquet, but later
accepted the invitation. Before morn
ing he was ready to take his defeat
with good grace"
Leathers explained his defeat was
due to the fog and to a broken pump.
He said otherwise he would have beat
en- the Lee by 20 minutes had fate not
been against him. His pilots would not
risk the fog and he did not suppose
Cannon would be daredevil enough to
do so.-St. Paul Pioneer Press.