The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-05-17
SHELDON RUBY
HELPED TWAIN
BECOME PILOT
PACK Island River Pioneer Recalls
DAYS When Mississippi Was
Great Highway.


r;xer is Sheldon Ruby, a resi-
dent of Rock Island, who became
p,lot at 10 in 1858. following his
vacation steadily until his retire
nent a few years ago.
II distinctly recall Mark Twain
when he used to hang around the
boat landing at Hannibal. Mo, his
home town." Mr.. Ruby said. Mark
would sit on freight pile with his
ewes focused on the pilot house,
seemingly envying the pilot his dis
tinction as the guiding hand of the
steamboat. Mark was nursing an
ambition to become a pilot. He be-
came friendly with the men in
charge of the steamers that piled
betWeen st. Louis and Keokuk, and
was permitted to sit in the pilot
hnuse and learn the river. Mark
learned that part of the river be-
tween the points mentioned, and in
due time received a pilots license.
But he followed the work only a
short time. l always believed that
the dark nights worried him and
caused him to abandon to shine as
a steamer pilot.
The spring of 1860 l went out
on the steamer New Boston. Cap
tain T. ]. Buford was in command
of the boat Jerome Ruby and 1
were the pilots. We took the New
Boston out of Rockingham slough,
where he had spent the winter. The
ice between Rockingham and the
Rock Island levee looked like noun
m RI
clear the ice piles. There were no
electric lights in those days. Meth
err were there shore lights nor
white boards to guide the pilot. At
the landings a torch basket was
used. This was made OF iron and
burned rosin pine wood and coal.
This was all the light we had. AS
soon as boat discharged a cargo
the torch basket was emptied Of Its
contents and prepared for the next
stop. In our travels along the riv-
er all the pilot had to guide him
were landmarks, such as large
trees, hollows in the bluff or any
permanent mark with which we
could familiariZe ourselves.
The channel of the river in day
from the pilot house.
In 1854 we had the lowest stage
Of water ever known in the Missis-
sippi. 1t was "A inches. l don't
mean to say this stage prevailed
the entire length of the river 1t
was extremely difficult to operate
boats on the Mississippi during such
low stage of water. In the sum
mer iof 1864 l was on q steamer
operating between Rock Isi.nd and
Aontrose. We had opposition that
season between the Northern Line
and the White Collar Line. Below
Burlington there was a bad cross
ing, with a depth of only "a inches
CT water. The boats Of both lines
ran on the same schedules. One
"Trip | remember one of the boats
became grounded a short distance
below Burlington and her rival had
considerable difficulty in getting by
her owing to the shallow water.
The packets operating in this trade
we're the New Boston and the
keithsburg and the Diamond 10 and
the Addie Johnson. The pilots OF
those boats were Jerome and Shell
don Ruby. Frank and Tony Lee
Clair, Milo Pruden and Mills Ruby.
l have just read an article by Cap
tain julie Calhoun, who says that
be began steamboating so years
ago. He first came on the New
Boston as a cabin boy. He was
promoted to texas tender and while
In that position learned the river
under the direction of the Ruby
brothers, who signed his applica-
ton for a pilots license. Calhoun
became q good pilot
Il am no longer a youngster, but
| am still able to handle steam
boat, | believe that the river has
seen its best days as commercial
highway, and that the sound of the
steamboat whistle will become less
familiar as time passes l can
agree with Captain Calhoun when
he says that all that is required
OF pilot now is that he follow the
white boards and shore lights. II
a pilot did this he would stick the
nose of his boat where it did not
belong. The lights are all right if
YOU know how far they are out of
The way. Your calculations are
rarely correct, especially on the
move. The lights are too high up
The river in the fall, but in the
spring, when the water is a good
stage, you can always follow the
OLD path. In a few years there will
De a scarcity OF competent pilots
ior the reason that men are not
now entering the work. You can't
learn the river from reading a
book 1t is knowledge that can I
De acquired from theory. Practice
only can make a successful pilot.
a young man aspiring to be pilot
must have an abundance of nerve
aud good Judgment. Plotting is a
Oennlte trade, and one who does
not know where he is every minute
ne Is on duty is not qualified to
stand before the wheel. When a
dark stormy night looms before you
and you can't see as far as the boat
salmneys the pilot has real prob
lem before him. Would you choke
tree? This is where nerve is de-
handed. Nerve and good judgment
VIII send you ahead. But if you
are lacking in those qualities it
means choke a tree.
CHET non RTTRY