Show STEAMBOAT STORIES the old time steam boatmen are not all dead many of them still unger linger on the stage of life though in these days of rapid transit a and nd railroad rush they are probably looked upon as superfluous between them however there exists a sort of freemasonry that draws them closer and closer together as their ranks are thinned by death in all the large river cities there exist little coteries some places only two or three in others large numbers who preserve among themselves a formal or informal club or association and meet at stated or irregular intervals and talk over old times the writer was one ode of a little group of these kindred souls a short time ago when one of them recited a little incident that will long live in the traditions of the ohio river A QUEM CRAFTS CAPEM two steamers were bound up the river between cincinnati and louisville one of them was a large side wheeler either the silver moon or glendale Olen dale the narrator forgot which anyhow it was one of the claw class of steamers known in those days as a cincinnati tub J with a model like a cheese box she was running in the cincinnati and memphis trade the other was a little stern wheeler named the volunteer running in the cincinnati and cumberland river trade she was a curious sort of a craft and had bad decidedly cranky habits her hull had formerly been a canal boat A pair of heavy towboat engines had been put on this hull and a sort of box cabin constructed she could run like a seared scared wolf buts but as stated had creaky she had balance A rudders that somehow or other were never exactly in the position they as should be and altogether this queer ti craft was a terror to pilots she be longed to three men all well known in st louis at that time and whose memories are still cherished here by hosts of friends they were james L maginnis william reilly beilly and william burt on the occasion referred to the volunteer overhauled the cancin nati tub and passed her on the star board side when the rudders got f crossed or something happened to i cause the little stern wheeler to cat f one of her cranky capers when probably her length ahead of the i side wheeler she took a sheer ff and ran squarely across the bow of the big boat hiram 0 brazee a well known pilot until recently inspector at memphis was he thought in the 1 4 pilot house he saw there was no DO use in IB trying to pull her back and i to stop was to let the side wheeler run her down so he simply pulled the wheel hard down dowd and the little stern wheeler actually ran clear around the cincinnati tub coming up again abreast on the starboard side of course there was excite ment on both boats and cheers and yells and not a few curses as it was thought the pilot of the volunteer J was responsible for the boats man j beuvers while this was going on the little boat straightened out up j the river and again gradually duall forged ahead until well in the I 1 when to the profound astonishment of everybody she again took a sheer and again ran clear around the big side wheeler exactly repeating the former maneuver TOM GROW TRICK A little event in which this craft figured was then related it was the habit in those days for the steamers bound up stream to take fuel barges coal or wood in tow and continue the trip while transferring the fuel from barge to steamer when the fuel was transferred the barge would be set adrift with one man on board who would care tor and land it there were two magnificent boats plying in the cincinnati and louisville packet locket trade the america and the united cuned states they were probably the finest and without doubt the fastest boats afloat they were beautiful steamers and constructed on such perfect lines that their pilots could control them as clasell as craft was ever controlled the pilots rz of these steamers used to indulge in a little trick for their own amusement which was a cause of great trouble to the pilots and commanders of other boats it was this on meeting another boat the signal would be sounded for passing but when the two boats would get close together W the pilot on the bi big packet would I 1 turn his boat as if if with the deliberate intention of running into the other boat to avoid a collision the other boat would of course be stopped and backed the big boat however under perfect control would never slacken speed in the least but under full headway run right up and curving gracefully pass on sometimes so close as to make it appear that a miracle prevented a collision these pilots had learned to control their boats so BO completely that the they Y could do this with perfect safety and enjoy the fright of people on the other boats tom gross a pilot who had his lire life well nigh seared scared out of him on two or three occasions by these fellows was at the wheel on board the volunteer on a trip up the river when one of these big boats was met gross knew what was going to happen and conceived a plan for turning the tables on the jokers the volunteer had a wood barge in tow and had transferred the fuel but at the request of the owner was towing the boat to a point up the river gross called a cub pilot to take the wheel and went below first cautioning the cub not to get frightened at the big boat burjust but just to hold bold her straight up the river and not ring a single bell taking an axe in his hands gross stationed himself right by the head line by which the barge was fastened to the boat on came the big steamer bearing right down on the volunteer and it was quite evident she would pass very close and on the same side the barge was on gross made a guess as to just how close she would woul drome jeome and at what he thought was the right moment he struck a blow with his axe that completely severed the line and the barglof barge of course swung right out crosswise of the stream gross had guessed right for before the pilot on the big boat could turn his wheel or ring a bell the steamer struck the barge broadside and crushed it and at the same time broke so many timbers for the steamer that she was compelled to run for shore the barge sunk but gross had been careful there should be no one on it and only two or three persons had seen him cut the line the owner of the barge collected damage from the steamer that ran it down the big boat had to be put on the docks and the pilot was suspended st louw globe democrat Demo Graf |