Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-01-04

named, was under full head of steam.
1t was a strange land, and an I'm.
known river. What cargo on that
steamer! What news for the country!
What story to carry to the govern
ment to Fort Lincoln to the widows.
It was rushing from field Of havoc
to nation of mourners. The steamer
Far West" never received the credit
due her. Neither has the gallant
Marsh, nor the pilots-David Camp
bell and John Johnson. Marsh, too,
acted as pilot. 1t required all their
endurance and skill. They proved the
men for the emergency The engineer
whose name is not known now. did
his duty. Everyone tfhe crew is en-
titled to the same Acknowledgement.
They felt no sacrifice was too great
upon that journey, and in behalf of
the wounded heroes. A very moder-
ate imagination can picture the scene
upon that.
Floating Hospital.
There we're wounds OF every char
acter, and more dead than alive. The
suffering as not terminated with the
removal from the field to the boiler
deck. 1t continued and ended in
death more than, once before Fort
Lincoln was haifsd. Porter watched
for iifty-four hours. He stood the test.
The Big Horn river is full of islands
and successful passage even on the
bosom of June rise" is not an easy
feat. The Ear West" would take a
short run on this or that side of an
island as the quick Judgment of the
pilot would dictate. 1t is not a river
in the eastern sense of that word, it
is only creek. A steamboat moving
as fast as a railway train in a mar
row, winding stream is not pleas
ure. 1t was no pleasant sensation to
be dashing straight at a headland,
and the pilot the only power to save.
Occasionally the bank would be
touched and the men would topple
over like tenpins. 1t was a reminder
Of what the result would be if a snag
WAS struck Down the Big Horn the
steamer went, missing islands,
snaggs and shore. 1t was thrilling
voyage. The rate of speed was un-
rivalled in the annals of boating.
Into the Yellowstone the staunch
craft shot, and down that sealed river.
20 pilots, she made over 20 miles an
hour The bold captain was. taking
chances, but he scarcely thought of
them. He was under flying orders,
lives were at stake. His engineer was
instructed to keep up steam at the
highest pitch. Once the gauge mark
ed a pressure that turned his cool
head and made every nerve in his
powerful frame culver. The crisis
passed and the Far West" escaped a
fate more terrible than Clusters. Once
a stop was made and shallow grave
explained the reason. He still rests
in that lone spot. Down the swift
Yellowstone frequently shooting rap
ids, every mile a repetition of the for.
mer! From the Yellowstone into the
Broad Missouri and then there was
clear sailing. There was a deeper
and wider channel and more conf
dence. A few minutes were lost at
Buford. Everybody at the fort was
beside himself. The boat was crowd
ed with inquirers, and their inquiries
were not half answered when the
steamer was away. AT Berthold a
wounded scout was put off and at
Fort Stevenson a brief stop to tell in
a word what had happened. There
was no difference in the speed from
Stevenson to Bismarck. The same
desperate rate was kept up to the
end. They were approaching home
with something Of that feeling which
always moves the human heart. At
II o'clock on the night of the 9Th Of
July they reached Bismarck and Fort
A. Lincoln. One thousand miles in
fifty-four hours was the proud record.
You have Capt. Marsh's challenge to
produce duplicate.
Recent Years Here.
Captain Marsh has made his per-
manent home in Bismarck since 1906.
when he went to work for Captain
l. P. Baker of the Benton Packet COM
pany. He has been a faithful en-
ploye all that time and worked as
Captain of one or another of the
packets up to the present summer.
He has failed rapidly the past few
months. About two months ago he
went to Elk Point, s. D., and located
the wreck of the steamer kate
Sweeney" which burned almost 40
years ago.
Funeral Arrangements.
Captain Marsh, when alive, often