Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-01-13

TO run the Mississippi river, using
their Wisconsin pilots to take their
fleets out the Wisconsin river.
These Mississippi river pilots look
down upon the Wisconsin river pilots
much as an old salt water sailor
would look down upon an ordinary
landlubber. When a Mississippi river
pilot have never seen him, but the
old-timers will tell you I have got him
down right-swaggere onto a fleet OF
lumber at Dubuque, the czar of all the
Russians, in all his autocratic power,
had nothing on him. He was the SUI
preme oyerlord of all he surveyed. He
was 1T, spelled in capitals.
Several cities along the Wisconsin
river did flourishing business sup
plying the raftsmen with provisions.
Stevens Point, Grand Rapids, Kill
bourn, Germantown and Portage did
much business with the lumbermen.
When the fleet was landed at st.
Louis, the clothing dealers of that
town would have their representa-
tiyes on the fleet as soon as it was
tied fast, and the boys were cajoled
and argued with to come to their re-
spective haberdasheries to be fitted
out with new clothing. The pilot, who
could take his whole crew to some
certain establishment was rugged out
with the best the house had without
cost to him. Much competition ex-
listed also among the railroads to
transport the riyermen back north,
and the shrewd raftsmen could always
get "cut rates." by punching together
and negotiate with different railroads
running north out of ST. Louis.
Old rivermen will tell you that it
was fun running river" but it was
hard work. Perhaps men could not
be gotten to do that kind of work to-
day. The "pinery" in those days had
superb class of men. They were
athletes of great physical prcwess-
the finest specimen of strong men
that could be imagined. Their one
fault was their fondness for strong
drink. They would work all day,
carOuse most of the night but would
turn up fresh as daisies the next
morning, ready to repeat the same
thing again.
Some were from the state of Maine.
a goodly number of Irish extraction,
some Canadian Frenchmen, some
NOrwegians; but all comrades. That
is. if the individual measured up to
the standard. No weakling or law
breaker could associate on terms of
equality with the old-time woods and
river men. The cutters and the dis
honest rascals were run out. One
could go to bed in the hotel with a
pocket full of money and not lock
the door; his coin would be safe.
They respected decent womanhood.
They would settle their own misun-
derstandings with a stand-up and
knock-down fight, and when that was
over they would shake hands and be
good friends again. The man who quit
his job before the work he was hired
to do was completed was looked upon
with disdain. His position among his
fellows was made so uncomfortable
that he did not remain in one place
very long. He was the ''bank beaver"
and he was persona non grata to his
fellow rivermen.
The good pilots could always have
the pick of the rivermen. All wanted
to go with the pilot that knew his
business-it mattered not how hard a |
task master he was, if he only knew
how. Mr.. Henry Sales had the rep
utation of being one OF the best pilots |
on the river. He usually ran the river |
for ]. & A. Stewart of Wausau.
Among the natives of Wausau who
could run Big Bull Falls were viii
Bradford, now a resident of Villas |
county. Mr.. Bradford was an athletic |
giant of young mana Wausau boy |
and whenever Will Bradford was
running Big Bull Falls the society |
people of the city turned out, and all |
the small boys, including the writer, |
hoped some day to be Will Bradford |
and have hold of the oar, with three
or four other husky lads standing at |
ready to risk life and limb |
and responded to the least wish of the |
captain at the oar. Ed. Nicols, an
other Wausau young man, had also |
an envious reputation as river pilot. |
C. n. JOHNSON.
In the Merrill Herald.